Sebastian Pearson

Engineer

I started doing tricks on scooters when I was 13 and I was hooked. A few years later, when applying for university, I saw the link between materials science and scooters, which encouraged me to apply. During my undergraduate (at Oxford), I did two projects on scooters. These laid the foundation for my PhD. My research involves figuring out what forces scooter riders apply to the scooter when doing tricks on them. Knowing these forces helps us design scooters that are both lighter and stronger than the ones that exist today.

It is truly a blessing to do a PhD on a hobby I’ve had since I was 13. In the future, my research may broaden out to other extreme sports equipment like skateboards and other types of scooters like electric scooters.