MsElena Koumantou

Elena is a PhD student whose current research focuses on traumatic brain injury (TBI) in contact sports, situated at the intersection of biomechanics, wearable sensing, and sports engineering. She is developing biofidelic testing methodologies to evaluate the performance and uncertainty of instrumented mouthguards (iMGs), with the aim of supporting standardised testing, guiding equipment design, and informing policy for player safety.

Her work involves both experimental and computational approaches, including the design of a novel mouthguard-compatible headform with an articulated mandible, and the use of dynamic simulations to replicate realistic sporting head impact events. These methods aim to bridge the gap between laboratory measurements and on-field applications, ultimately enhancing the translational value of wearable sensor technologies in sport.

Elena is supervised by Dr Mazdak Ghajari and Prof Robert Shorten at the Human Experience, Analysis and Design (HEAD) Lab, Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London, since October 2024. Her PhD is funded as part of a Royal Academy of Engineering Senior Research Fellowship, sponsored by Sports & Wellbeing Analytics and Cellbond Impact Solutions.

Before joining Imperial, she earned an Integrated Master’s degree in Applied Mathematical and Physical Sciences from the National Technical University of Athens, specialising in Lasers & Optoelectronics and Mechanics of Materials. Her undergraduate thesis focused on superior capsule reconstruction methods for chronic irreparable rotator cuff tears, exploring mechanical and histological reinforcement using tensor fascia lata allografts and mesenchymal stem cells.