Dyfan decided to study a postgraduate degree in MSc Sports Engineering after his physics undergraduate degree where he developed a passion for applying scientific knowledge to the world of sport through investigating the physics of bat-ball collisions in cricket.  

He now works as a Concussion Research Coordinator at New Zealand Rugby, an opportunity he found after reaching out to the alumni network at Sheffield Hallam.
 
'I chose Sheffield Hallam as it was the largest academic group in Sports Engineering and it offered an opportunity to work with major brands in the industry-linked project.

'The opportunity to work with FIFA on a real-world problem and being able to design and perform experiments and having access to the equipment and facilities in the department was fantastic. It was also great learning skills that had clear, real-world applications for us when working in the industry.

'My masters project investigated the effect of ball size and mass on head impacts in youth football. The results of my work helped give a scientific basis for FIFA’s Youth Football Specification Recommendation.

'With the added help of course leader Dr John Hart, some improvements were made to the report after which it was submitted and accepted to be presented at the ISEA Conference 2020. This was a very exciting experience seeing my work be presented to academics and professionals within the industry across the world. 

'After graduating I went to the Rugby World Cup in Japan and then continued to travel until the pandemic began when I was in New Zealand. During this time I travelled around New Zealand before reaching out to the sports engineering alumni network at Hallam, which eventually led to me securing the role of Concussion Research Coordinator with New Zealand Rugby. 

'The primary role of my position is to assist with the administration, implementation, and evaluation of the Concussion Management Pathway, including coordinating data collection, entry, analysis and report generation as well as assisting with the publication and dissemination of results. 

'I also coordinate the Community Concussion Initiative in the three Provincial Unions across all levels of play and support the implementation of the technology solution involved in the Concussion Management Pathway process. 

'I use the skills I learnt in my masters daily in my role — it has given me a foundation of skills that have become incredibly useful to me. 

'In the future, I would like to work as a researcher or a research and design engineer, conducting research projects and contributing to research and the development of products in the industry.'