About BRI
BRI’s is a consulting company in the area of biomechanics of movement, physical activity and mobility. Its customers include many of the world leading companies in the sporting goods industry. The expertise available through BRI includes knowledge in biomechanics, market research, sporting good product/equipment development, and testing of footwear, orthotics/inserts, sport surfaces and many other products relevant for physical activity and everyday life. The president and CEO of the company is Dr. Benno M. Nigg. The rest of the team that works on BRI projects consists of consultants that have a wide range of expertise.
The BRI Team
Benno M. Nigg
Founder & CEO
Dr. Nigg is the founder and CEO of BRI. He has a doctorate in natural sciences (Physics) from the ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Dr. Nigg also founded and directs the Human Performance Laboratory. He is the author of more than 310 scientific publications and the recipient of many awards (e.g. Olympic Order, Alberta Science and Technology Award) and elected member of three Scientific Academies.
Sandro R. Nigg
COO & CMO
Sandro is responsible for the marketing and operation activities at BRI. Sandro has over 15 years experience in marketing, project management, client management, accounting, business development as well as designing and executing qualitative & quantitative research projects. His employment history includes working 6.5 years at adidas, and as a Director of Client Services at the Environics Research Group.
Ursula Heinz
Operations & Office Administration
Ursula represents the first point of contact for the majority of our new clients. Responsible for both the operations and administrative activities of BRI, Ursula has over 16 years of experience in operations management and executive support. She has been with BRI for 10 years, and obtained her Master's degree at the University of Alberta.
Dr. Gregor Kuntze
Post Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Kuntze is a researcher at the HPL. His research interests lie in the areas of sports performance, sensor application and data interpretation for feedback provision. He is currently working toward the development of whole body muscle activity analysis for performance monitoring. He joined the HPL after completing postdoctoral work on sensor systems in sports in the United Kingdom. Dr. Kuntze has earned a PhD in biomechanics and physiology from Loughborough University, England and obtained a BSc (Hons) degree in anatomical and physiological sciences from the University of Dundee, Scotland.
Dr. Christian Maurer
Post Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Maurer is a researcher in BRI. His main research interest is the functional analysis of movement patterns with respect to performance, fatigue and injury prevention. He uses linear and nonlinear approaches for data reduction and analysis. His current research with BRI focus on the change of movement patterns with different effort levels in running. Dr. Maurer has studied Physics in Innsbruck and earned a doctorate in philosophy (physics) at the University of Innsbruck. In addition he holds a BASc in human movement science.
Dr. John Whitting
Post Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Whitting is a post-doctoral fellow and researcher with BRI. He obtained a BSc (Hons) in Exercise Science and a PhD in Biomechanics from the University of Wollongong. His research to date has investigated lower limb biomechanics during landing movements, with particular focus on ankle and calf muscle function and the implications for injury risk. He is currently investigating the biomechanical and physiological effects of different footwear during sport specific movements.
Fiona Campbell
Research Technician
Fiona is a research technician with BRI. She has a BASc in Engineering Science with a Major in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toronto. Her previous research focused on sensor systems for a haptic robotic device for upper-limb stroke patients. Her current research with BRI focuses on the psychological, physiological and biomechanical effects of fitness and footwear on the elderly.
Jennifer Baltich
Biomechanics Research Assistant and PhD Student
Jennifer is a research assistant at BRI and her work involves the analysis of sporting goods, specifically footwear. Previously, she spent three years as a research technician at BRI. She has a BSc in Biological Systems Engineering from the University of Davis and an MSc in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Michigan. She is currently a PhD student at the University of Calgary and her current research interests focus on overuse injuries in running.
Bernd Friesenbichler
Biomechanics Research Assistant and PhD Student
Bernd is a research assistant and within BRI he investigates how compression apparel can be utilized to reduce soft tissue vibrations, enhance performance and facilitate post exercise recovery. Bernd has a BSc in Engineering from the UAS Technikum Vienna with a specialization in sports technology, started his graduate studies at the University of Calgary where he currently pursues his PhD in Kinesiology. His research interest focuses on the effects of vibrations on muscle in vivo and how vibrations can be tuned to maximize / minimize contraction efficiency.
Stefan Hoerzer
Biomechanics Research Assistant and PhD Student
Stefan is a research assistant at BRI focusing on the bilateral asymmetry of human gait. In addition, his responsibilities also include the Automated Footwear Testing System and the website of BRI. Stefan has an MSc in Engineering from the UAS Technikum Vienna with expertise in sports engineering including two years of industry experience with the adidas innovation team. Stefan’s PhD focuses on new vector-based approaches in biomechanics in order to analyze functionally similar groups of people.
Hendrik Enders
Biomechanics Research Assistant and MSc Student
Hendrik is a research assistant at BRI and a MSc student in Kinesiology with a focus on biomechanics. Hendrik has a BSc in Engineering from the UAS Technikum Vienna focusing on the development of sports equipment regarding performance and injury prevention. His main research interest is the linkage between movement patterns of the human locomotor system and motor control processes. Within BRI his current research focuses on changes in kinetics and kinematics as well as muscle activity during sports and exercise.