Canadian Creations
Matthieu Trudeau, Senior Research Scientist, Brooks Running Company
Imagine being able to combine your two passions – in Matthieu Trudeau’s case, sports and engineering – into a career as a senior research scientist at Brooks Running Company’s headquarters in Seattle, Washington. Trudeau’s interest in the principles of engineering as they relate to the human body opened doors he hadn’t thought of knocking on.
Trudeau, who was raised in Montreal, parlayed his background in mechanical engineering, a doctorate in ergonomics from Harvard and industry experience working alongside famed University of Calgary biomechanist Dr. Benno M. Nigg into a career in the running shoe industry.
“When I started working on my post-doc, I thought everything had been done in running shoes,” says Trudeau. “But I learned there was so much left to discover. Not just on how to build shoes differently, but on how and why the human body works the way it does and how it could be useful to improving shoes and runners’ lives.”
CR: What does your work involve?
My team designs experiments to learn more about the biomechanics of running and translate the findings of our studies into products such as footwear. We are also responsible for looking into the future of performance running to figure out how to benefit the runner in three to 10 years.
What has been the biggest game changer in your industry?
One of my first projects at Brooks was developing the sensors for our Run Signature app. Run Signature is Brooks’ biomechanics philosophy and fit paradigm; it starts with the idea that there is no right way to run, only your unique way of running: each person moves along their own habitual motion path, which is the path of least resistance of your joints. Run Signature is a way to match the right shoe that works with runners’ biomechanics with the experience they’re seeking during their run (Cushion, Energize, Connect or Speed).
What does innovation mean in your field?
It means translating new research results into a product that is beneficial for the runner. An example of that is Brooks’ Guide Rails technology that guides the heel’s rotation, which we know is coupled with knee rotation. This technology can support the knee and potentially reduce injury rates.
What is your biggest career achievement?
Following my passion for sports biomechanics and ending up in a job I love.
Has running always been your passion?
I played hockey and competed at the World Championships of Ultimate Frisbee in Prague in 2010, where I represented the U.S., so running is a part of my training. Plus, working for Brooks has motivated me to run even more.
I’ve always been inspired by what the human body is capable of.
To run a marathon in under three hours. I ran 3:05:00 at Skagit Flats Marathon, in Burlington, Wash. last year. My PB is 3:04:30.
What shoes are you currently running in?
The Brooks Levitate.
Are you living your dream?
Yes. One of my passions is the storytelling of scientific findings into a form that’s interesting and understandable for runners.