What’s your name and where are you from?
My name is Josef Heidler, and I’m originally from the Czech Republic. While it’s now known as Czechia, people might be more familiar with its former name. So, when I introduce myself, people often don’t know where Czechia is. It’s easier to say I’m from a country with Prague as its capital. Everyone knows Prague – famous for its affordable beer.
Where are you based and who are your supervisors?
I’m a PhD fellow at the Department of Sport Science and Clinical Biomechanics at the University of Southern Denmark. My primary mentor is Jasper Schipperijn, who is from the same department. I also have additional mentors, Chastin Sébastien from Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, Mai Chin A Paw from Amsterdam University Medical Centers in the Netherlands, and Vincent van Hees, an independent consultant from Accelting, also in the Netherlands.
What’s your educational background?
I earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education and information technology (IT) from Jan Evangelista Purkyně University (UJEP) in Ústí nad Labem, Czechia. This dual major is quite uncommon, and I believe only a few students have completed it since the program was introduced. I chose this path because I was unsure whether I wanted to pursue a career in programming or coaching/teaching. Combining both seemed like a great option. I’m a bit of an anomaly, someone who loves sports and competition but also spends long hours behind a computer screen programming. For my master’s degree, I stayed at my alma mater and chose the “Sport and Health” program, as they didn’t offer dual majors in the same fields as my bachelor’s.
What was the last professional or educational activity you carried out before joining LABDA?/ How & why did you decide to join LABDA?
As a student, I actively participated in various university projects, allowing me to collaborate with future colleagues. After completing my master’s degree, I began working at my alma mater as a lecturer and, later, as an assistant professor. I also gained practical experience working part-time for a municipal company. There, I learned how to work with large datasets, processing information from traffic, vehicle GPS, and IoT devices. Joining LABDA seemed like a dream come true. The opportunity to remain in academia, while continuing working in my field, and developing new data processing methods … it was too good to pass up.
What’s your PhD topic?
My PhD research focuses on “Taxonomy of Movement Behaviours” a rather abstract topic. In essence, I aim to develop new methods and improve existing ones that can provide more context to the movement data we collect. This involves using data from accelerometer sensors and GPS devices, areas that my supervisor, Jasper, has been exploring for two decades. The goal is to create and validate methods that can extract additional information from this data. This information can then be applied to movement behaviour research. For instance, by combining GPS and accelerometer data, we can determine a person’s mode of transportation, frequency, and other behavioural details. This information can help us characterize our study population and develop personalized interventions to promote healthier lifestyles.
What would you like to achieve with your research work?/What impact would you like to have?
I’m passionate about making multi-modal data, particularly from GPS and accelerometers, a standard in our field. I want to develop new methods and data processing tools to benefit other researchers. I believe there’s significant room for improvement in this area. One of my goals is to inspire and support aspiring researchers, especially in learning programming skills. In today’s data-driven world, understanding programming is essential for researchers to succeed.
What’s your role within LABDA?
I’m a PhD fellow and co-chair of the Fellow Committee with Gaia Segantin. If you’re interested in learning more about the committee’s role, please ask Gaia, as she’s the driving force behind it. I’m essentially just along for the ride.
Can you tell us one personal thing about you that is weird or funny?
When I met the other PhD fellows, I mentioned I’m a father of two cats. Unfortunately, due to my tendency to mumble when speaking English, they misunderstood me and thought I said I had two kids, which isn’t true. But who knows what the future holds?
