Martyn R. Shorten, PhD

Martyn Shorten received his Ph.D. from Loughborough University, UK, in 1984. Before starting his Research and Development business in 1992, he was employed as Director of the NIKE Sport Research Laboratory and as Director of Research Design and Product Development for PUMA AG.

Shorten has been an active member of the International Society of Biomechanics since 1983 and served on the Society’s Executive Council from 2001-2003. In 1993, he established the ISB’s Technical Section on Footwear Biomechanics, a international working group of academics, clinicians and industry researchers. Shorten is Chairman of ASTM Committee F08 on Sports Equipment and Facilities, Chairman of the Athletic Footwear subcommittee and a member of the Committee on Standards. He is active in the development of standards for footwear, artificial turf and playground surfacing. He is also a member of the International Sports Engineering Association (ISEA), and a Fellow of the Institution of Analysts and Programmers.

While Shorten’s basic and applied research has won international recognition, he is a self-styled “recovering academic”, preferring to using science and technology as tools for developing applications and products. He is a frequent author and invited speaker on topics related to the biomechanics of human performance and injury, and their links to athletic footwear and sports surface and protective equipment design. He is an R&D consultant to leading athletic shoe and sports surface manufacturers. His patented inventions form the basis of NIKE’s “Tuned Air” and “Footbridge” systems, Puma’s “Trinomic Plus” and “Cell” technologies, and the array of footwear, protective equipment and surfacing products that use Skydex cushioning materials.

Schedule of Speaking Engagements