Bart van Veen, a MultiSim PhD student and Researcher, has recently passed his PhD viva and is about to set off to cycle along the Silk Road with fellow MultiSim researcher Barbara Kalkman. Bart shared a few words about his experience with MultiSim and Insigneo and the forthcoming trip before he set off.
“In 2015, I completed my master’s degree in Human Movement Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Shortly after, I joined the Multisim programme at Insigneo as a PhD student. I had always enjoyed the inter-disciplinary aspect of my master’s degree, so Multisim was the ideal project for me to be part of.
As a human movement scientist, there was a whole world of (biomechanical) engineering science to be discovered. My PhD was titled ‘Variability in neuromotor control of the musculoskeletal system dynamics – A stochastic modelling approach’ and I focussed mainly on the effects of muscle force estimation during level walking on the forces experienced by the joints of the lower limb. During my PhD, Multisim offered me the opportunity to meet and work with a range of people across disciplines, both through Multisim as through several conferences I attended (ISEK, VPH, ISB and WCB).”
“In March, I will leave Sheffield to cycle along the silk road for one year, starting from the south of Europe. During this trip, I plan to visit research groups at the universities I pass by. The aim would be to exchange knowledge and skills and create a network of biomechanists (or scientists in other fields). I hope to get an insight in the work of and be motivated by a variety of research groups and for others to benefit from my understanding of musculoskeletal simulations, data processing and motion capture.
If you are interested to be kept up to date on my experiences in the coming year, please contact me via email (bvanveen@outlook.com).”
Bart and Barbara have promised to keep a blog of their experiences. Everyone at MultiSim and Insigneo wish them well on their journey.
