KIM B. BLAIR, PH.D. - Sports Technologist
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The Founding Director of the MIT Center for Sports Innovation, Kim Blair brings a decade of experience utilizing advanced technologies to improve human athletic performance through innovation and development. An applied research group, CSI develops new technologies and products enhancing all aspects of the sporting experience, as well as processes and technologies for related performance analyses. To date, CSI has engaged over 30 MIT student-athletes in a range of projects from early formulation of product concepts through final prototype design and testing. Two projects recently won design awards at the 2004 ispo Academic Challenge in Munich. CSI has enjoyed extensive media coverage for its contributions to the sports product space including features in Forbes, The Boston Globe,Outside Magazine, GQ, and programs by CNN, The Discovery Channel, NPR, and local network affiliates.

Dr. Blair provides a wide variety of consulting services to the sports industry, including leading product development projects, conducting performance testing of existing and prototype products, and the innovation and creation of concepts for enhancing the experience for sports spectators. As a member of the board of advisors for emerging companies developing innovative sports products using advanced technology, Dr. Blair provides expertise on business and strategic planning, technology assessment and development, development of strategic alliances, and assistance with raising capital. Dr. Blair also serves as an expert witness in patent infringement cases.

A recognized expert in sport technology and innovation, Dr. Blair has spoken at the Lemelson Foundation, the Boston Museum of Science, The University of London, and Loughborough University in the UK, and the MIT Center for Innovation and Product Development. Dr. Blair is a technical advisor on sports equipment design for the United States Olympic Committee.

Dr. Blair’s background also includes lecturing in the MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics Department, as lead instructor for a capstone experimental projects course, co-developer of a junior level advanced dynamics course, and instructor in a graduate structural dynamics and vibrations course. Prior to MIT, Dr. Blair was a senior scientist and member of the management team at an organization focused on the transfer of aerospace analysis techniques to the fields of biomechanics and computational chemistry. Dr. Blair also served as an aerospace engineer at the NASA Johnson Space Center.

Professional affiliations include membership in the International Sports Engineering Association, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of Testing and Materials, and the American Society of Biomechanics. He has served as a reviewer for Journal of Sound and Vibration, AIAA Journal of Aircraft and the Journal of Sports Engineering.

As athlete, Dr. Blair puts sports products to use having competed in over 75 triathlons, including the US National Championships, World Championship Qualifier, and the Hawaii Ironman World Championships. Dr. Blair is the faculty advisor for the MIT Triathlon Club, and past president and member of the board of directors of Team Psycho, a New England based elite triathlon club composed of top age-group and professional triathletes.

Born and raised in Nebraska, Dr. Blair earned a BA in Psychology and a BS in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nebraska. At Purdue University, he earned an MS in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics.