Dr Thomas Whyte

I am a biomechanical engineer with a focus on impact injury biomechanics and prevention. My research interests include the impact response and tolerance of the human body, particularly the head and spine, biomechanical impact testing of injurious events in road traffic, sports and falls across the population from childhood to older adults as well as the design and evaluation of injury protective systems and their compatibility with diverse populations. I have used a combination of physical experimentation and computation finite element methods for investigating and improving safety systems such as headgear in transport and sports, child restraints and other vehicle occupant protection. I place the specific needs of diverse users as a central focus of designing engineering solutions for injury prevention, ensuring compatibility between protective devices and the specific anthropometry of children, older people and the general diversity of the population.