June 9, 2016
Kinesiology grad student lands job as research scientist with Adidas
Graduate student Hendrik Enders, left, did his PhD in biomechanics at the Faculty of Kinesiology.
Sabine Seyffarth
Graduate student Hendrik Enders applied the same passion to his studies as he did to soccer, an approach that helped his team climb to second division in Calgary鈥檚 soccer league.
Team coach and manager Francisco Alaniz Uribe, assistant professor in the , describes Enders as someone who won鈥檛 settle for a mediocre result.
鈥淗e was always pushing for the best,鈥 says Uribe, adding that Enders put in the extra effort to quickly become one of the team鈥檚 top players. 鈥淎t the same time, he was a strong team member and motivated others to succeed."
From grad student to Adidas research scientist
That same drive has also paid off for Enders in his scholastic endeavours. He arrived at the from Germany in 2011 armed with a bachelor of science in sports engineering, knowing he wanted to be part of the world-renowned (HPL) in the .
Five years later, he鈥檚 graduating with a PhD in biomechanics and has already joined Adidas back in Germany as a research scientist.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very different to the university, but it鈥檚 also super interesting since it focuses on real problems that need to be addressed,鈥 says Enders. 鈥淚 would not have this job if I had not been part of the HPL research group.鈥
Time at the human performance lab made impact on his career trajectory
Enders鈥 supervisor Benno Nigg, a biomechanics professor and pioneer in peak athletic performance, founded the famous university lab 30 years ago.
鈥淲hen I first met Hendrik, he said to me, 鈥業 would like to be challenged just once鈥,鈥 says Nigg. 鈥淚 said to him, 鈥業 can do that鈥.鈥
In addition to his studies, Enders was also a top player in a Calgary soccer league.
Henrik Enders
Enders completed a six-month internship before entering the PhD program and Nigg was impressed by his personal qualities and research skills.
鈥淚t was unbelievable the skills he mastered in that time,鈥 Nigg says, noting that Enders is a master at explaining research in simple terms. 鈥淗e鈥檚 probably the best I鈥檝e ever seen."
On his part, Enders says he cannot remember a time when the learning curve was so steep, or when he was in an environment that put such an emphasis on the development of young people.
鈥淚t had a big impact on who I am today as a person and on my career trajectory,鈥 he says. In typical fashion, he also found time to take on the role of president of the Kinesiology Graduate Student Association despite his heavy time commitments.
Seeking to understand body's complicated biological and biomechanical process
Enders鈥 research focused on trying to understand the brain鈥檚 role in how people initiate and control walking, or other motions, as part of a larger effort by his team to understand human movement. He describes it as one puzzle piece in the bigger picture of a complicated biological and biomechanical process, one that most people take for granted.
He has won seven awards for this work including a prestigious and a and . He's also received a from the
Now, with his career taking off, Enders says he鈥榮 excited to be returning to Calgary for his convocation.
鈥淭he PhD was such a big time commitment 鈥 it鈥檚 good to officially mark the end,鈥 he says.