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Harris College
Department of Kinesiology

Locomotor Performance Lab

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Where science meets performance.

The Locomotor Performance Lab investigates the scientific basis of performance. Study participants range from the world’s finest athletes to average Joes and Josephines, team sport athletes, Olympians, Paralympians and other specialized performers.

Research topics include the secrets of sprint running speed, how quickly athletes can accelerate, how high they can jump and how long they can maintain vigorous exercise intensities. These efforts are integrative and often involve acquiring data on bodily forces, motion, metabolism, muscular activation levels and other measures.

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Location

TCU DEMT
2722 W Berry St
Fort Worth, TX 76109
Rooms 103 and 105

Lab Equipment

The Locomotor Performance Lab utilizes state-of-the-art equipment including a custom-built, high-speed force-instrumented treadmill that can generate speeds upwards of 90 miles per hour.

Lab Members

Peter Weyand, Locomotor Performance LabWeyand is well-known for research that integrates the mechanics and physiology of locomotion in humans and other species. He is widely considered to be the world’s leading authority on the mechanics and energetics of high-speed running and high-intensity exercise performance.

Weyand earned a doctorate degree from the University of Georgia, a master's from Bridgewater State College and a bachelor's from Bates College. His current areas of research focus include mechanical basis of running and jump[ion performance, sprint exercise performance, and energetics and mechanics of walking and running.

Weyand is the Chair of the Department of Kinesiology at TCU. He was previously the Glenn Simmons Endowed Professor of Applied Physiology and Biomechanics at Southern Methodist University (SMU). Prior to serving on the faculty at SMU, he directed research efforts at Harvard University’s Concord Field Station, a large animal facility specializing in terrestrial locomotion and the Locomotion Laboratory of Rice University. His past research subjects have included antelope, emus, rodents and professional athletes with and without limb amputations.

Sunil Prajapati, Locomotor Performance LabSunil is a biomechanist and third-year doctoral student who joined the TCU Locomotor Performance Lab in 2023 as a research engineer. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Sunil’s journey began in the Rewire Research Lab at the University of Texas. His research focused on muscle activation patterns and correlations between post-stroke SKG patients and mechanically restricted post-stroke movements in healthy individuals.

After completing his master’s, he joined the Locomotor Performance Lab at Southern Methodist University in 2020 where he collaborated on research projects with corporate partners like Nike, led and assisted in various research projects, mentored undergraduate researchers and ensured the lab’s
smooth operation. While his graduate work focused on rehabilitation engineering, Sunil’s true passion lies in biomechanics and human performance in sports.

An avid Dallas Mavericks fan, you can find him on the court playing basketball, tennis or pickleball.