![Ryan Alcantara](https://nmbl.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/square-2-300x300.jpg)
Bio
I grew up in southern Oregon and completed my B.S. in Applied Human Biology at Seattle Pacific University in 2015. After graduation, I worked as a researcher in the Brooks Running R&D lab in Seattle, WA. In 2017, I moved to Boulder, CO and completed my M.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Colorado Boulder while spending my free time hiking, biking, running, and snowboarding in the Rocky Mountains. I joined NMBL and the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Stanford in 2021 as a postdoctoral research fellow and enjoy hiking and mountain biking when I’m not in the lab.
Research Interests
My primary research interests are the prevention of bone stress injuries and improvement of running and sprinting performance. As a member of the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Stanford, my research leverages biomechanics, musculoskeletal modeling, machine learning, and wearable devices to improve human health and performance.
Degrees
- Ph.D. Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, 2021
- M.S. Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, 2019
- B.S. Applied Human Biology, Seattle Pacific University, 2105
Selected Honors and Awards
- ISB World Athletics Award for Biomechanics Finalist, 2021
- Latinx in Biomechanics Travel Award, 2021
- ASB Diversity Travel Award, 2018
- Graduate Dean’s Fellowship, 2017
Selected Publications
Please email me if you don’t have access to a publication.
- Alcantara, R., Edwards, WB., Millet, G., Grabowski, A. (2022) Predicting continuous ground reaction forces from accelerometers during uphill and downhill running: A Recurrent neural network solution. PeerJ 10:e12752.
- Alcantara, R., Day, E., Hahn, M., Grabowski, A. (2021) Sacral acceleration can predict whole-body kinetics and stride kinematics across running speeds. PeerJ 9:e11199.
- Day, E., Alcantara, R., McGeehan, M., Grabowski, A., Hahn, M. (2021) Low-pass filter cutoff frequency affects sacral-mounted inertial measurement unit estimations of peak vertical ground reaction forces and contact time during treadmill running. Journal of Biomechanics, 119, 110323
- Alcantara, R. (2020) Prosthetic leg design, force production, and curve sprint performance: A pilot study. ISBS Proceedings Archive 38 (1), 230.
- Alcantara, R., Beck, O., Grabowski, A. (2020) Added lower limb mass does not affect biomechanical asymmetry but increases metabolic power during treadmill running. European Journal of Applied Physiology 120, 1449-1456.
- Alcantara, R. (2019) Dryft: A Python and MATLAB package to correct drifting ground reaction force signals during treadmill running. Journal of Open Source Software 4(44), 1910.
- Alcantara, R., Trudeau, M., Rohr, E. (2018) Calcaneus range of motion underestimated by markers on running shoe heel. Gait & Posture. 63.
- Alcantara, R. & Wall-Scheffler, C. (2017) Stroller Running: Energetic and kinematic changes across pushing methods. PLoS ONE. 12(7).
Selected Presentations
- Alcantara, R., Edwards, B., Millet, G., Grabowski, A. (2021) Predicting continuous ground reaction forces from accelerometers during uphill and downhill running: A recurrent neural network solution. International Society of Biomechanics.
- Alcantara, R. & Grabowski, A. (2021). Biomechanics of the Inside and Outside Leg When Sprinting Along Flat Curves. American Society of Biomechanics.
- Diaz, G., Alcantara, R., Grabowski, A. (2021). Effects of Curve Radii on Maximum Curve Sprinting Velocity in Athletes With a Leg Amputation. American Society of Biomechanics.
- Alcantara, R. & Grabowski, A. (2021) Increases in a runner’s cumulative load precede metatarsal stress fracture: A case study. American Society of Biomechanics.
- Alcantara, R. (2020). Prosthetic Leg Design, Force Production, and Curve Sprint Performance: A Pilot Study. International Society of Biomechanics in Sports
- Alcantara, R., Day, E., Hahn, M., Grabowski, A. (2019). Sacral Accelerations Predict Whole Body Kinematics and Kinetics During Running. International Society of Biomechanics.
- Alcantara, R., Beck, O., Grabowski, A. (2018). Mass added to a running-specific prosthesis increases metabolic power during running. American Society of Biomechanics.
- Alcantara, R., Trudeau, M., Brüggemann, G., Hamill, J., Rohr, E. (2016) Running Shoe Forefoot Bending Stiffness Affects Calf Muscle EMG. American Society of Biomechanics, Northwest Meeting.
- Alcantara, R. & Wall-Scheffler, C. (2016). Running With A Stroller: Kinematic and Energetic Changes Across Different Stroller Pushing Techniques. American College of Sports Medicine.
- Alcantara, R. & Wall-Scheffler, C. (2015). Push it, Push it Real Good: The energetic cost of running with a stroller. Murdock College Science Research Program.
Invited Talks
- Using Accelerometers to Measure a Runner’s Biomechanics and Monitor Injury Risk, LIBM Seminar, Université Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne, 2021
- Using inertial measurement units to predict running kinetics and kinematics, LEOMO Inc., 2019
- Wearable devices estimate biomechanical risk factors for stress fractures, Integrative Physiology Department Colloquium, University of Colorado Boulder, 2019
Teaching Experience
- Version Control for Researchers Workshop, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2020
- Version Control for Researchers Tutorial, American Society of Biomechanics, 2020
- Guest Lecturer – Introductory Biomechanics, Colorado School of Mines, 2018
- Graduate Teaching Assistant, Human Anatomy Laboratory, University of Colorado Boulder, 2017 – 2018
- Guest Lecturer – Disciplinary Research and Writing, Seattle Pacific University, 2016
- Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, Introductory Physics I & II, Seattle Pacific University, 2014
Mentorship and Outreach
- Graduate Student Peer Mentor, University of Colorado Boulder, 2019 – 2021
- Undergraduate Research Supervisor, Applied Biomechanics Lab, University of Colorado Boulder, 2017 – 2020
- “L2k” STEM Mentor, Legacy High School, Boulder, CO, 2019
- Volunteer, Colorado Advantage Program, 2019
- Organizer, National Biomechanics Day, University of Colorado Boulder, 2018 – 2019