Kinesiology Ph.D. graduate receives 2026–2027 Auburn University Graduate School Distinguished Dissertation Award

Bahman Adlou, Ph.D., an alumnus of the College of Education’s School of Kinesiology, was recently recognized by Auburn University’s Graduate School with a 2026-2027 Distinguished Dissertation Award. Adlou’s dissertation, “Movement Strategy Classification via Force-Time Waveform Analysis: A Multi-Population Biomechanical Investigation,” developed a novel approach to analyzing human movement data.

“Individuals may have inherent movement signatures that are not visible through contemporary analysis of their movement data, but rather through higher-dimensional analysis that we developed,” Adlou explained. “We discovered that athletes – specifically more than 400 D1 NCAA athletes across nine-plus sports – have distinct movement signatures that reveal a lot more about their biomechanics than typical movement metrics, like jump height, could ever tell us. This new method identifies areas that can be particularly beneficial in sport performance and injury analysis.”

He said the research has practical implications for elite athletes in pro and semi-pro leagues. This methodology can also be valuable for the sports and wearable industry, which could use this machine learning and AI algorithm for more individualized movement analysis. He aims to further generalize his models for application to different cyclical movements in all populations to serve as early, non-invasive, accurate and accessible markers of injury and disorder risks. 

This research has created career opportunities for Adlou, including a stint at the U.S. Soccer Federation as a research biomechanist serving more than 20 national teams, before he accepted a tenure-track assistant professor position in kinesiology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He will start at UNC Greensboro in August 2026, where he will continue his biomechanics research, including work with collegiate athletes.

Adlou credits his success to his doctoral program mentor, Wendi Weimar, professor and director of the Sport Biomechanics Laboratory.

“Dr. Weimar listened,” he said. “She provided me with the academic freedom to experiment and investigate my hypotheses. Testing various hypotheses helped me formulate complex and effective research questions for my dissertation project. This line of research has implications for improved performance and health of movers of all ages.”

He also commended Weimar for the culture she has built in the Sport Biomechanics Lab. 

“Dr. Weimar creates a lab environment where students with different backgrounds and perspectives learn highly essential skills: scholarly integrity, collaboration, and critical thinking,” he said. “She doesn’t work to constrain our paths but supports our investigations about which we are most passionate. Of course, the lab’s culture is also influenced by Dr. Christopher Wilburn, which is no surprise because he earned his Ph.D. in Dr. Weimar’s lab himself. I owe the beginning of my professional career to the guidance of Dr. Weimar.”  

To date, Adlou has published 17 manuscripts, 15 of them published during his time at Auburn, including nine with the Sport Biomechanics Lab. He recently received the College of Education's 2025-26 Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Auburn University's 2025-26 Outstanding Graduate Student Award, and the 2026 American Kinesiology Association Scholar Award for Graduate Research Writing. In addition, he has received research community honors including the 2023-24 National American College of Sports Medicine Biomechanics Interest Group Graduate Student Research Fellowship, the 2026 Southeast American College of Sports Medicine Doctoral Abstract Award, and the American Society of Biomechanics’ 2025 NSF/NIH First Steps in Biomechanics Award. He also served as the 2023 Southeast representative at the National American College of Sports Medicine Presidential Cup Competition.

Adlou will be recognized at the Graduate School’s annual awards ceremony on April 23, 2027, at the Melton Student Center. Distinguished Dissertation Awards are given based on a dissertation’s significant contribution to the discipline, as well as its methodological rigor and substantive quality.