Date/Time
Date(s) - 04/14/2025
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Location
Communicore, C1-004
AI-Powered Athletics is a collaboration between the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and the University Athletics Association (the Gators) that aims to enrich UF’s research, education and athletic community with innovative research in athletic performance, AI, wellness and technology. Central to that aim is the UF Student-Athlete Databank, which will house student-athlete performance, academic and medical data for academic research and team-facing analyses. This talk will outline the perceptions of technology in student-athlete and coach populations, the challenges of creating the databank infrastructure, and the possibilities for future analysis, collaboration and research.
Bio: Dr. Celeste Wilkins is a Research Scientist in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida, where she leads the development of the UF Student-Athlete Databank as part of the AI-Powered Athletics project. Her research focuses on biomechanical analysis in both human and equine performance, with particular expertise in motion capture technologies, signal processing, and coordination dynamics. Dr. Wilkins serves as the operational director for a multidisciplinary team creating a comprehensive databank infrastructure that integrates athletic performance, health monitoring, and academic achievement data. She has successfully established unprecedented research access to NCAA athletic data while developing secure protocols for data integration and analysis. Her collaborative approach has bridged traditional boundaries between academic and athletic departments, creating new opportunities for performance-enhancing research.
In addition to her work with student-athletes, Dr. Wilkins maintains an active equine biomechanics research program, where she mentors doctoral students investigating horse-rider interactions, movement patterns in therapeutic riding, and sport-specific biomechanical applications. Her expertise in specialized signal processing and algorithm development has contributed to multiple international research collaborations. Her recent publications span human factors in sports technology, biomechanical analysis methodologies, and educational approaches in biomechanics. Dr. Wilkins regularly presents at international conferences including the Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics and has published in conference proceedings of the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports.
Dr. Wilkins received her Ph.D. in Biomechanics and previously worked with the Toronto Raptors as a Biomechanics Specialist developing their performance data infrastructure before joining the University of Florida.