Merging Engineering and Sports Biomechanics

Growing up as a lifelong athlete in a family of engineers, Dr. Mendez always loved sports and engineering.

“One day, I literally went home and googled ‘engineering for the body’ because I wanted to find a way to merge those two passions. That search led me to sports biomechanics, and it immediately clicked.”

Since then, she has built her career around understanding how movement mechanics, strength balance, and physiological efficiency impact both injury risk and performance outcomes. She is inspired by helping athletes feel stronger, move smarter, and understand their own data in a way that empowers them for the long term.

Balancing Clinical Practice with Online Doctoral Studies

For the last several years, Dr. Mendez has worked in clinical sports medicine settings supporting athletes across levels and activities, predominantly endurance athletes including marathon runners and triathletes. Her path toward a doctoral degree began with a desire to teach in academia and better understand injuries from an evidence-based perspective. After working directly with athletes, she discovered her passion for the research side of performance science and decided to pursue her doctorate. As a CSP alumna, her decision to return to her alma mater was an easy one.

“I completed my master’s degree at CSP, so I already knew the quality of the academic experience and the strong faculty support the university provides. CSP offered the exact blend of academic rigor and real-world application I was looking for. The kinesiology program allowed me to conduct advanced biomechanics research while staying fully engaged in my professional roles. The structure, flexibility, and mentorship made it possible to grow both professionally and academically at the same time.”

Dr. Karly Mendez featured on Fox News Houston to discuss personalized workout plans including goal-setting, motivational strategies, and routine building.

Dr. Mendez successfully balanced her demanding role as a Senior Human Performance Specialist with her doctoral studies through CSP Global’s flexible online format. By merging her coursework with her daily clinical practice, she was able to test new ideas and refine methods without separating school and career.

“I was able to apply what I learned immediately, which kept me motivated throughout the program. Instead of separating school and career, I could merge them, testing new ideas, refining methods, and growing both as a clinician and as a researcher. The flexibility of the online format made the entire process more practical, efficient, and personally meaningful.”

Applying Kinesiology Research to Real-World Clinical Settings

CSP Global’s PhD in Kinesiology program allowed Dr. Mendez to conduct advanced biomechanics research while staying fully engaged in her professional roles, directly applying her dissertation findings on running biomechanics to her clinical assessments. Her dissertation examined the relationship between running biomechanics, quadriceps/hamstring strength asymmetries, and knee pain in long-distance runners. She chose this topic because she wanted to generate research that could inform clinical decision-making in real-world settings, including her own athletes. To this day, the findings already shape how she assesses runners and guides rehabilitation and performance programming.

Dr. Karly Mendez presenting her capstone project at the Ambulatory Leadership Academy Program at Memorial Hermann Rockets Sports Medicine Institute (Houston, TX). She was selected to participate in this elite program and collaborate with mentors in the industry.

As a Senior Human Performance Specialist, she performs exercise physiology testing, run and bike lactate assessments, resting metabolic rate analysis, hypoxic chamber training, body composition testing with the Bod Pod, and biomechanical testing such as running gait analysis, force-plate testing, and DorsaVi motion analysis. Beyond testing, she leads and supports specialty programs such as the Golf Medicine and Run Medicine initiatives, which focus on both injured and healthy athletes to reduce injury risk and improve efficiency. She also oversees the force-plate systems across six clinical sites, providing all staff training, quality control, and maintenance. Her work is highly collaborative, as she partners closely with physicians, physical therapists, strength coaches, and dietitians to translate data into individualized care plans. Despite her busy work schedule, she also participates in lectures and speaking engagements for the organization’s residents, students, and interns.

This past year, one of her proudest accomplishments has been the design and early development of a new Endurance Medicine/Running Medicine Program for the hospital system. Dr. Mendez has played a lead role in outlining the clinical model, biomechanics testing framework, force-plate integration, performance profiling structure, and cross-site operations needed to bring the program to life.

“Building this program from concept into an operational workflow has been one of the most rewarding projects of my career. It’s still in the development phase, but seeing the vision take shape and move closer to implementation has been incredibly meaningful.”

Going forward, she plans to leverage her doctoral research background to lead larger projects, mentor upcoming clinicians, and continue shaping performance science initiatives in both clinical and athletic environments. Her primary goal is to become an adjunct professor, where she can combine her clinical experience and research expertise to help develop the next generation of sports scientists.

Advice for Future Kinesiology Scholars

Dr. Karly Mendez’s advice for future doctoral students is: “Be consistent, communicate with your faculty early, and build momentum week by week. You don’t have to be perfect; you just have to keep moving forward!”

She also recommends choosing research topics that spark genuine interest.

“Passion makes the workload feel purposeful, especially during the dissertation stage. I can’t stress this enough: pick something you truly love, because that passion will sustain you through the challenging but rewarding process of earning your doctorate.”

Explore Your Future

Are you ready to be like Dr. Mendez and merge your passion for sports science with advanced clinical research? Discover how the online PhD in Kinesiology at CSP Global can help you elevate your career, conduct impactful biomechanics research, and lead the next generation of human performance initiatives.