James Gardiner portrait photo

Dr James Gardiner

Senior Lecturer in Biomechanics

My profile

Biography

I am a Senior Lecturer in Biomechanics with a broad range of research themes that focus on the biomechanics of human and animal locomotion, and the development of assistive devices for people with impaired mobility. For example I am interested in projects on:

  • the perception of human and animal locomotion
  • falls risk in older people
  • early diagnosis of musculoskeletal impairments such as hip dysplasia
  • improving prosthetic leg design.

I am passionate about how the subjects of engineering and biology can both inform and complement each other, leading to advances in medical technologies, and our understanding of biological systems and engineering design. I strongly believe in adopting both experimental and modelling approaches to research, since together these inform our understanding of the fundamental processes at work, which in turn leads to better practical solutions.

Depth maps of footprints made in sand

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Room 3.17 Institute of Sport

Research outputs

  • Journal articles

    McLean, C.J., Brassey, C.A., Seiter, M., Garwood, R.J., Gardiner, J.D. (2024) 'The kinematics of amblypygid (Arachnida) pedipalps during predation: extreme elongation in raptorial appendages does not result in a proportionate increase in reach and closing speed.' Journal of Experimental Biology, 227(4)

    Clear, E., Grant, R., Gardiner, J., Brassey, C. (2023) 'Baculum shape complexity correlates to metrics of post-copulatory sexual selection in Musteloidea.' Journal of Morphology, 284(4) pp. e21572-e21572.

    Grant, B., Charles, J., Geraghty, B., Gardiner, J., D'Août, K., Falkingham, P.L., Bates, K.T. (2022) 'Why does the metabolic cost of walking increase on compliant substrates?.' Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 19(196)

    Coe, D., Barham, L., Gardiner, J., Crompton, R. (2022) 'A biomechanical investigation of the efficiency hypothesis of hafted tool technology.' Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 19(188)

    Kamimura, K., Nanko, K., Matsumoto, A., Ueno, S., Gardiner, J., Gardiner, B. (2022) 'Tree dynamic response and survival in a category-5 tropical cyclone: The case of super typhoon Trami.' Science Advances, 8(10)

    Pace, A., Gardiner, J., Kenney, L., Howard, D. (2022) 'Simulated Performance of an Energy Storage and Return Prosthetic Ankle Based on Cams and Miniature Hydraulics.' IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, 4(1) pp. 230-240.

    Arslan, M.F., Haridis, A., Rosin, P.L., Tari, S., Brassey, C., Gardiner, J.D., Genctav, A., Genctav, M. (2021) 'SHREC’21: Quantifying shape complexity.' Computers & Graphics, 102pp. 144-153.

    Marek, R.D., Falkingham, P.L., Benson, R.B.J., Gardiner, J.D., Maddox, T.W., Bates, K.T. (2021) 'Evolutionary versatility of the avian neck.' Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288(1946)

    Orbach, D., Brassey, C., Gardiner, J., Brennan, P. (2021) '3D genital shape complexity in female marine mammals.' Ecology and Evolution, 11(7) pp. 3210-3218.

    Cudejko, T., Gardiner, J., Akpan, A., D’Août, K. (2020) 'Minimal shoes improve stability and mobility in persons with a history of falls.' Scientific Reports, 10(1)

    Brassey, C.A., Behnsen, J., Gardiner, J.D. (2020) 'Postcopulatory sexual selection and the evolution of shape complexity in the carnivoran baculum.' Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1936) pp. 20201883-20201883.

    Thomas, N.D.A., Gardiner, J.D., Crompton, R.H., Lawson, R. (2020) 'Keep your head down: Maintaining gait stability in challenging conditions.' Human Movement Science, 73

    Thomas, N.D.A., Gardiner, J.D., Crompton, R.H., Lawson, R. (2020) 'Physical and perceptual measures of walking surface complexity strongly predict gait and gaze behaviour.' Human Movement Science, 71

    Cudejko, T., Gardiner, J., Akpan, A., D'Août, K. (2020) 'Minimal footwear improves stability and physical function in middle-aged and older people compared to conventional shoes.' Clinical Biomechanics, 71pp. 139-145.

    Thomas, N.D.A., Gardiner, J.D., Crompton, R.H., Lawson, R. (2020) 'Look out: An exploratory study assessing how gaze (eye angle and head angle) and gait speed are influenced by surface complexity.' PeerJ, 2020(4)

    Cudejko, T., Gardiner, J., Akpan, A., D'Août, K. (2019) 'Effects of a systematic exploration of minimal footwear features on physical function, postural and dynamic stability, and perceptions of footwear in healthy older adults.' Footwear Science, 11(sup1) pp. S82-S84.

    Gardiner, J.D., Behnsen, J., Brassey, C.A. (2018) 'Alpha shapes: determining 3D shape complexity across morphologically diverse structures.' BMC evolutionary biology, 18(1) pp. 184-184.

    Brassey, C., Gardiner, J., Kitchener, A. (2018) 'Testing hypotheses for the function of the carnivoran baculum using finite-element analysis.' Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285(1887)

    Gardiner, J., Bari, A.Z., Kenney, L., Twiste, M., Moser, D., Zahedi, S., Howard, D. (2017) 'Performance of optimized prosthetic ankle designs that are based on a hydraulic variable displacement actuator (VDA).' IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 25(12) pp. 2418-2426.

    Gardiner, J., Gunarathne, N., Howard, D., Kenney, L. (2016) 'Crowd-sourced amputee gait data: A feasibility study using YouTube videos of unilateral trans-femoral gait.' PLoS ONE, 11(10)

    Lees, J., Gardiner, J., Usherwood, J., Nudds, R. (2016) 'Locomotor preferences in terrestrial vertebrates: An online crowdsourcing approach to data collection.' Scientific Reports, 6

    Gardiner, J., Bari, A.Z., Howard, D., Kenney, L. (2016) 'Transtibial amputee gait efficiency: Energy storage and return versus solid ankle cushioned heel prosthetic feet.' Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 53(6) pp. 1133-1138.

    Brassey, C.A., Gardiner, J.D. (2015) 'An advanced shape-fitting algorithm applied to quadrupedal mammals: Improving volumetric mass estimates.' Royal Society Open Science, 2(8)

    Dimitriadis, G., Gardiner, J.D., Tickle, P.G., Codd, J., Nudds, R.L. (2015) 'Experimental and numerical study of the flight of geese.' Aeronautical Journal, 119(1217) pp. 803-832.

    Gardiner, J.D., Altringham, J.D., Papadatou, E., Nudds, R.L. (2014) 'Excepting Myotis capaccinii, the wings' contribution to take-off performance does not correlate with foraging ecology in six species of insectivorous bat.' Biology Open, 3(11) pp. 1057-1062.

    Gardiner, J.D., Nudds, R.L. (2011) 'No apparent ecological trend to the flight-initiating jump performance of five bat species.' Journal of Experimental Biology, 214(13) pp. 2182-2188.

    Gardiner, J.D., Dimitriadis, G., Codd, J.R., Nudds, R.L. (2011) 'A potential role for bat tail membranes in flight control.' PLoS ONE, 6(3)

    Gardiner, J.D., Codd, J.R., Nudds, R.L. (2011) 'An association between ear and tail morphologies of bats and their foraging style.' Canadian Journal of Zoology, 89(2) pp. 90-99.

    Van Casteren, A., Codd, J.R., Gardiner, J.D., McGhie, H., Ennos, A.R. (2010) 'Sonation in the male common snipe (Capella gallinago gallinago L.) is achieved by a flag-like fluttering of their tail feathers and consequent vortex shedding.' Journal of Experimental Biology, 213(9) pp. 1602-1608.

    Nudds, R.L., Gardiner, J.D., Tickle, P.G., Codd, J.R. (2010) 'Energetics and kinematics of walking in the barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis).' Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology - A Molecular and Integrative Physiology, 156(3) pp. 318-324.

    Gardiner, J.D., Dimitriadis, G., Sellers, W.I., Codd, J.R. (2008) 'The aerodynamics of big ears in the brown long-eared bat Plecotus auritus.' Acta Chiropterologica, 10(2) pp. 313-321.

  • Conference papers

    Gardiner, J., Razak, N.A., Dimitriadis, G., Tickle, P., Codd, J.R., Nudds, R.L. (2013) 'Simulation of bird wing flapping using the unsteady vortex lattice method.'