Team COPY

About the MIT Sports Lab

The MIT Sports Lab works with a diverse set of undergraduate and graduate MIT students and faculty across all disciplines. The Sports Lab is committed to addressing complex challenges in sports by advancing research in artificial intelligence, computer vision, mechanics, human and institutional behavior, machine learning, and statistics. Our mission is to accelerate new techniques and approaches in areas such as athlete health and performance, talent identification and development, game strategy, and fan engagement. Driven by the desire to push the limits of human performance, we also focus on the design and discovery of new materials and products to advance high-performance personal and protective equipment.

Partnering with leaders across sports, the Sports Lab provides early entry into advancements in the field, facilitates cross-industry learnings, offers unparalleled access to the latest innovations across disciplines, and helps organizations define and grow their expertise.

Learn more about us at our website.

2023 Faculty Leadership

Christina Chase
Lecturer, Mechanical Engineering, MIT; Co-Founder & Managing Director, MIT Sports Lab

Christina Chase is a Lecturer at MIT in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In 2015, she co-founded the MIT Sports Lab with Prof. Anette “Peko” Hosoi and serves as its Managing Director. Prior to this she was the first Entrepreneur in Residence at MIT through the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship. Christina has helped hundreds of teams go from concept to company. In 2013, she was named one of the 25 Most Influential Women in the Boston Tech Community and in 2014, Mashable named her one of the 15 People Shaping Boston’s Tech Scene. In a past life, Christina was a cyclist where she was one of 12 women selected by the US Cycling Federation to train at the US Olympic Training Center. She has taught downhill skiing in Colorado, summited six of Colorado’s 14-ers across seasons, and her latest sport is kiteboarding. Christina is a Techstars mentor and serves on the Board of the MIT Enterprise Forum, is a judge for the SXSW Accelerator Competition and former Advisory Board member.

Professor Anette (Peko) Hosoi
Associate Dean, School of Engineering; Neil and Jane Pappalardo Professor, Mechanical Engineering, MIT; Co-founder, MIT Sports Lab

Anette “Peko” Hosoi is the Associate Dean of the MIT School of Engineering, the Neil and Jane Pappalardo Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Professor of Mathematics. Her research contributions lie at the junction of nonlinear hydrodynamics, biomechanics, and bio-inspired design. A common theme in her work is the fundamental study of shape, kinematic, and rheological optimization of biological systems with applications to the emergent field of soft robotics. More recently, she has turned her attention to problems that lie intersection of biomechanics, applied mathematics, and sports. She is the co-founder of the MIT Sports Lab which connects the MIT community with pro-teams and industry partners to address data and engineering challenges that lie within the sports domain. She has received numerous awards including the APS Stanley Corrsin Award, the Bose Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Jacob P. Den Hartog Distinguished Educator Award. She is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), a Radcliffe Institute Fellow, and a MacVicar Faculty Fellow.

2023 Student Leadership

Ceci Muñoz
Summit Advisor, Mathematics and Computer Science, Senior

Ceci Muñoz is a senior at MIT studying Mathematics and Computer Science. She is passionate about utilizing data analytics and statistics to make advancements in all aspects of sports, from recruiting to player development. Ceci recently worked on a project with the MIT Sports Lab and FIFA focusing on evaluating the efficacy of their new 3D player tracking technology. Before this Ceci worked with the MIT Sports Lab on a project centered on evaluating and classifying high performance sports coaches. Ceci is excited to start working at Boston Consulting Group in the Boston office upon graduation. She also plays forward for the MIT Women's soccer team and competed in the Maccabi games for Team USA this past summer, bringing home the gold.

Ashley Hartwell
Summit Advisor, Mechanical Engineering, Graduate Student

Ashley Hartwell is a 4th year Ph.D student in mechanical engineering with a passion for integrating structural design with mechanical performance. Currently she designs sustainable and thermally efficient concrete structural systems inspired by filler slabs, a composite structural system popularized in India. Her research focuses on how multi-objective optimization, along with emerging digital fabrication techniques can improve overall building performance. In her spare time she enjoys cooking and spending Sunday mornings watching Formula One races.

Seung Kyun (SK) Ha
Partner Speaker Management, MIT Chemical Engineering, Postdoctoral Associate

SK is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering at MIT. Originally from South Korea, he holds a B.S. in Chemical and Biological Engineering (with a minor in Physics) from Seoul National University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from MIT. Alongside his current research on data-driven prediction of organic reaction outcomes, SK enjoys working on sports data analytics projects, including a recent project with the MIT Sports Lab on developing a mathematical model that describes the player dynamics during dribbles in soccer games. SK loves playing and watching sports, especially soccer.

Felix Huang
Website, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, Sophomore

Felix is currently a sophomore majoring in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence and minoring in statistics and data science at MIT. He is a member of MIT's varsity football team where he plays offensive guard and center. Felix is passionate about learning new technologies in order to advance the field of sports analytics.

Andrew Hutchison
Website, Computer Science, Sophomore

Andrew is currently a sophomore at MIT studying Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence with a minor in Mathematics at MIT. He is a member of MIT's varsity football team where he plays wide receiver. Andrew is an avid sports fan and is passionate about using machine learning and data science to optimize performance and decision-making in sports.

Reginald Best
Co-Lead and Industry Speaker Management, Computer Science, Graduate Student

Reginald is currently a master’s student at MIT studying computer science. He is passionate about software development, machine learning, and sports analytics. Reginald’s thesis research focuses on automatically detecting and classifying events in soccer using computer vision and tracking data. In a previous project with the MIT Sports Lab, he analyzed NBA players’ Twitter activity to predict on court performance. As an undergraduate, he was a member of the MIT varsity football team where he played tight end and outside linebacker. Upon completion of his master’s degree in the spring, he will be joining Reddit as a software engineer.

Eva Nates
SWAG and Sponsorship & Logistics, Mechanical Engineering, Graduate Student

Eva is a first year graduate student studying Mechanical Engineering at MIT. She graduated from Stanford University in 2022 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. While at Stanford, Eva was a member of the varsity rowing team. Eva's exploration of her identities as an engineer and athlete brought her to the Biomechatronics group at the MIT Media Lab. Her research focuses on designing a rock climbing prosthesis for transtibial amputees. Overall Eva is passionate about improving sport accessibility.

Joey Licht
Summit Co-Lead, Computer Science, Senior

Joey is a senior at MIT studying Computer Science. He has spent time researching with FIFA to quantify the difficulty of the offside call. He is passionate about utilizing health and wellness trackers to provide actionable performance insights. Joey was a member of the MIT varsity football team, where he played quarterback. Next fall, he plans to begin a fifth-year master’s program in computer science with a focus on artificial intelligence at MIT.

Dylan Carberry
Research Talk Management, MIT Mechanical Engineering, Graduate Student

Dylan Carberry is a first-year graduate student in the Mechanical Engineering department at MIT. He received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2016. Dylan worked for Honda of America Mfg. upon his graduation until leaving the company to attend MIT in Fall 2021. While there, he designed automotive production equipment for vehicles including the Honda CRV, Acura RDX, and Acura MDX. Currently working as a graduate researcher in Tal Cohen's Mechanics Group, Dylan is primarily interested in the mechanical properties of soft materials with applications in the fields of sustainability, medicine, and athletic performance. He is an avid fan of all sports, counting basketball, baseball, soccer, and tennis as among his favorites to both play and watch.

.
Ethan Robertson
SWAG and Sponsorship & Logistics, Computer Science & Finance, Sophomore

Ethan Robertson is a second-year at MIT studying Computer Science and Finance. He is currently working on a project with the sports lab which focuses on collecting and organizing real-time data for FIFA. Ethan is also a member of the MIT Varsity Lacrosse team, where he plays attack.

Duncan Lee
Graphics, Mechanical Engineering, Graduate Student

Duncan is a third-year graduate student in mechanical engineering at MIT, working in the Biomechatronics group in the MIT Media Lab. His research is focused on prosthetic socket design for transtibial (below-the-knee) amputees as well as variable-stiffness devices. He graduated from Yale University with a degree in mechanical engineering, and he was a member of the varsity swim team for all four years of undergrad. He would love to apply both his experience in athletics and his current research to improve technology in sports in order to increase accessibility to more people. An avid Formula 1 fan, Duncan also loves skiing, film photography, and trying new foods.

Jonas Rajagopal
Logistics , Computer Science and Nuclear Science, Sophomore

Jonas is a sophomore at MIT majoring in Computer Science and Nuclear Science. He has done research with the MIT sports lab analyzing optimal strategy for gunners on NFL punts using tracking data. He is interested in using tracking data to analyze performance in the NFL and NBA. He is also doing research on finding suitable materials for nuclear fusion reactors. Outside of class, he loves following sports and is an avid Boston sports fan and loves climbing.

Nicholas Stone Perez
Ticketing, Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science, Sophomore

Nicolas is a sophomore at MIT planning to major in Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science along with Management. Nicolas is a member of the Men's Soccer and Men's Volleyball varsity teams here, and has been a sports fanatic for as long as he can remember. He also serves on the MIT Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Nicolas is very passionate about the intersection of sports, business, and technology, and he hopes to continue exploring this during his time at MIT and beyond.

Grant Miller
Logistics & Partner Management, Computer Science and Mathematics, Senior

As an undergraduate, Grant has researched in the Sports Lab since his freshman year where he contributed to a project that focused on defensive reaction time in the NBA. Grant is a senior pursuing a degree in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. Outside of classes, he enjoys playing basketball and producing music.

Emiko Pope
Student Poster Session, Mechanical Engineering, Sophomore

Emiko Pope is a sophomore studying mechanical engineering with a focus on innovation and product design. She is interested about the design of products that assist and improve athletic performance in a seamless, efficient manner. Additionally, Emiko is passionate about the inclusivity of sports and worked to promote this as her previous soccer club’s Lead Representative. She also is a midfielder on MIT’s Women’s soccer team.

Jason Hou
MIT Internal Logistics, Media Arts and Sciences, Graduate Student

Jason is a graduate student at the MIT Media Lab in the Conformable Decoders group. He works on implanted neural interfaces and other imperceptible devices that can be used to enhance mind-muscle connections, manage pain, and expedite recovery. Jason received a B.S. in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley, and is an avid Bay Area sports fan. In his free time, he loves to run and play basketball.

Henry Wang
MIT Outreach Management, Computer Science, Data Science & Economics; Business Analytics, Senior

Henry is a senior at MIT studying Computer Science, Data Science & Economics and Business Analytics. He has been working in the MIT Sports Lab since his sophomore year, focusing on applications of skeletal tracking data in soccer for semi-automated offside technology, measuring player vision & awareness, and automating collection of event data. Outside of MIT, Henry was a Data Science Intern at Hawk-Eye Innovations where he completed projects in soccer and baseball. Beyond academia, he is a captain of the MIT Swim & Dive team and enjoys playing piano, cycling and running in his free time.

Jess Sonner
Partner Speaker Management, Mechanical Engineering, Graduate Student

Jess is an undergraduate student studying Mechanical Engineering in the MIT class of 2022. With her love of sports and intrigue with body mechanics, she’s inspired to engineer products that enhance athletic performance and safety. In collaboration with SHRED and mentor Christina Chase, Jess is currently investigating solutions to improve skiers and snowboarders performance in flat light conditions. Passionate about soccer and running, she plays attacking center midfield on the MIT Women’s Soccer Team.

Helen Sun
Logistics, Mechanical Engineering, Junior

Helen Sun is a current Junior ('24) at MIT studying Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Product Development. Outside of school, she is on the Varsity Swim Team and is also a co-chair for the Undergraduate Association. This past summer, she worked at Loughborough University at the Sports Technology Institute working on visualizing data from breast movement tracking experiments in order to streamline the data communication process between research and industry.

Jerry Lu
Alumni Events, Management- Masters in Finance, Graduate Student

Jerry Lu is a graduate student at MIT pursuing a master's in finance. He has a passion for Olympic sports. He was a former age group swimmer, training under the elite group at Nation's Capital Swim Club. Since 2019, Jerry has been working on technique optimization and race strategy design for elite swimmers, including multiple NCAA national champions, Olympians, and world champions.

Renee Leatherman
Startup Showcase, MBA, Graduate Student

Renee is a 2nd year MBA student at MIT Sloan School of Management. She has a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to MIT, she worked at high growth tech companies with a focus on healthcare, data analytics, and machine learning. Renee is always active either running, cycling, or at the gym. She is passionate about better quantifying human performance and translating data into actionable insights.

Alexander Cohen
Startup Showcase, Computational Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering, Graduate Student

Alex Cohen is a 3rd year Computational Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering PhD student at MIT. Alex received a B.S. in Molecular Engineering (with a minor in Computer Science) from the University of Chicago in 2020. During his PhD, Alex is working on physics-informed machine learning methods for model discovery in biophysical systems and energy materials. He is also a member of the MIT club tennis team and avid sports fan. Alex plans to continue researching data-driven methods in different scientific fields, with a focus on biology.

Irene Kuang
Ticketing, Electrical Engineering, Graduate Student

Irene is a final year PhD student in the EECS department. Her research focuses on optimization and design of handheld MRIs. She is also working with the Sports Lab on a project tracking NBA player fatigue. Prior to MIT, Irene received a BS in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. In her free time, Irene loves to swim, watch all sports, and overanalyze her fantasy football lineups.