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Our Doctoral Students
Anthony FAVA
Anthony Fava is in his third year of the PhD program. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Alabama in Exercise Science. After graduation he became a certified strength and conditioning specialist and spent a year as a strength and conditioning intern at Stony Brook University. He returned to UA to earn a master’s degree in Human Performance. While completing his master’s, he spent three years as a strength and conditioning staff intern at UA and performed research; including, a thesis titled, “The acute effects of exercise between sets on upper-body power.” Anthony pursued the SMML to further his knowledge in the field and obtain experience working with motion capture equipment. By working in the SMML, he can conduct biomechanical analyses on athletes and study factors related to increased performance and injury prevention. His research interests include developing movement screening tests and identifying predictors of injury during athletic motions. Anthony enjoys spending time with family and travelling to new cities in search of another coffee shop.
Billy Lozowski
Billy studied Sport Science for his undergraduate degree at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, and followed it with a Master of Research degree specializing in Sports Biomechanics. The focus of his master’s thesis was the overarm throw in cricket, and attributes that were associated to ball velocity and throw accuracy. Billy will be continuing his work with fielding throws while at Auburn, where he is also hoping to expand his research into sequence tracking. A ‘fun fact’ about Billy is that before he began his undergraduate degree in 2016, he spent 9 years working as a professional chef in some of London’s top fine-dining restaurants.
Yuki Yanagita
Yuki is a first year PhD student and studied Sports Science for a master’s degree in Japan. His research interests are inspired from his 15 years of experience as a baseball athlete, where he unfortunately sustained several upper extremity injuries. He also worked as a collegiate baseball coach, where he met many athletes struggling with pain and cutting their careers short. He decided to join the biomechanics field to study how to maximize performance while minimizing risk of injury. A fun fact about Yuki is he held a conference hitting record in Japan.
ADam Nebel
Adam Nebel received his Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology (Pre-Athletic Training and Exercise Science) from Boise State University and a Master’s of Athletic Training from the University of Arkansas. At the University of Arkansas, he performed field research with the Arkansas Razorback baseball team, where he primarily focused on injury prevention. During his time at Auburn, he hopes to continue focusing on injury prevention and throwing mechanics related to pain in baseball pitchers, as well as identifying mechanisms for improved performance in baseball hitters. A fun fact about Adam is he went to his first professional baseball game at only 2 years old!
Mollie Cassidy (Master's STudent)
Molly Cassidy is a second-year master's student studying exercise science with a concentration in biomechanics. She completed her undergraduate degree at Auburn University in biomedical sciences. She has been working in the lab for 3 years and was previously an undergraduate research fellow. She is working on a project with shoulder stability. Outside the lab, Molly is a coach for NCAA diving, and she loves to snowboard! Upon completion of her master's degree, she hopes to attend medical school and work with athletes.
Nicole Bordelon
Nicole Bordelon is a first-year post-doctoral student from Rancho Cucamonga, California. She received her Bachelor’s in Science from California State University of San Bernardino and Master’s in Science from the University of Wyoming. Her research interests include injury prevention and performance enhancement in softball athletes. Her most recent work specializes in the relationship between mechanics, energy flow, and performance in softball hitting. She aspires to attend Physician Assistant school, so she can become both a sports medicine clinician and researcher. Nicole’s biggest supporter and best friend is her husband, Wes Bordelon.
MAIA Engelkes
Maia is an undergraduate student at Auburn University currently majoring in biomedical sciences with a concentration in pre-medicine. Along with being a full-time student, Maia is also a student-athlete on the Auburn Softball team. She was born in raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where her passion for medicine first began. During her time back home, she worked as a phlebotomist and shadowed many medical professions that sparked an interest. She is currently working as an undergraduate research fellow in the SportsMedicine & Movement Lab where she is studying the relationship between stride mechanics softball hitting performance.
TRENT
Trent is a senior from Athens, AL majoring in Nutrition Science (Pre-Med Focus). After getting his undergraduate degree, he hopes to start medical school next fall. His specific interests are in orthopedic surgery, family medicine, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. This will be his third semester as part of the lab, and he is currentlyworking as an Undergraduate Research Fellow. His project focuses on the relationship between jump and hitting performance in youth baseball players.