Aodhán is a Research Associate with the Brain and Movement Research Group at the Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, a translational multidisciplinary group looking at deriving early prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for neurodegeneration. As a member of the ‘Wearable Technology’ team, he is involved in the development of algorithms for the assessment of human movement and the instrumentation of activities of daily living in both controlled and free-living environments. Previous to this he worked with the Insight Centre for Data Analytics at University College Dublin where he contributed to the Personal Sensing Group, a team dedicated to applying new technology for the advancement of connected healthcare and elite athlete assessment. Aodhán has also gained valuable experience in the provision of elite sport science support with institutions within the UK and Ireland including the English and Irish Institutes of Sport, UK Sport, British Athletics, Team GB and Team Ireland. In his capacity as a lecturer, talent identification coordinator, strength and conditioning coach, and performance biomechanist, he has developed a comprehensive understanding of the spectrum of human performance.
His current research is broadly divided into two themes within the applied field of human movement science: 1) Investigating optimised measurement of neuromuscular function, with particular interest in neurological disorders, 2) Optimising neuromuscular function and performance in elite athletes. Prospectively, Aodhán looks to investigate the use of technology for improving diagnosis and injury prevention with application in Sports Medicine. He hopes to apply this to surfing mechanics and help improve the live assessment of surf athletes.
A former professional basketball player, Aodhán suffered a career ending injury and used watersports to help his physical rehabilitation. During this time he found a new passion in surfing and spends his free time exploring the North West coast of Ireland.
Email: aodhan.hickey@ncl.ac.uk
Twitter: @AodhanHickey
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Aodhan_Hickey
Website: https://research.ncl.ac.uk/bam/