Team - 2022 MIT Sports Summit

About the MIT Sports Lab

The MIT Sports Lab works with a diverse set of undergraduate and graduate MIT students and faculty across all disciplines. The Sports Lab is committed to addressing complex challenges in sports by advancing research in artificial intelligence, computer vision, mechanics, human and institutional behavior, machine learning, and statistics. Our mission is to accelerate new techniques and approaches in areas such as athlete health and performance, talent identification and development, game strategy, and fan engagement. Driven by the desire to push the limits of human performance, we also focus on the design and discovery of new materials and products to advance high-performance personal and protective equipment.

Partnering with leaders across sports, the Sports Lab provides early entry into advancements in the field, facilitates cross-industry learnings, offers unparalleled access to the latest innovations across disciplines, and helps organizations define and grow their expertise.

Learn more about us at our website.

2022 Faculty Leadership

Christina Chase
Lecturer, Mechanical Engineering, MIT; Co-Founder & Managing Director, MIT Sports Lab

Christina Chase is a Lecturer at MIT in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In 2015, she co-founded the MIT Sports Lab with Prof. Anette “Peko” Hosoi and serves as its Managing Director. Prior to this she was the first Entrepreneur in Residence at MIT through the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship. Christina has helped hundreds of teams go from concept to company. In 2013, she was named one of the 25 Most Influential Women in the Boston Tech Community and in 2014, Mashable named her one of the 15 People Shaping Boston’s Tech Scene. In a past life, Christina was a cyclist where she was one of 12 women selected by the US Cycling Federation to train at the US Olympic Training Center. She has taught downhill skiing in Colorado, summited six of Colorado’s 14-ers across seasons, and her latest sport is kiteboarding. Christina is a Techstars mentor and serves on the Board of the MIT Enterprise Forum, is a judge for the SXSW Accelerator Competition and former Advisory Board member.

Professor Anette (Peko) Hosoi
Associate Dean, School of Engineering; Neil and Jane Pappalardo Professor, Mechanical Engineering, MIT; Co-founder, MIT Sports Lab

Anette “Peko” Hosoi is the Associate Dean of the MIT School of Engineering, the Neil and Jane Pappalardo Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Professor of Mathematics. Her research contributions lie at the junction of nonlinear hydrodynamics, biomechanics, and bio-inspired design. A common theme in her work is the fundamental study of shape, kinematic, and rheological optimization of biological systems with applications to the emergent field of soft robotics. More recently, she has turned her attention to problems that lie intersection of biomechanics, applied mathematics, and sports. She is the co-founder of the MIT Sports Lab which connects the MIT community with pro-teams and industry partners to address data and engineering challenges that lie within the sports domain. She has received numerous awards including the APS Stanley Corrsin Award, the Bose Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Jacob P. Den Hartog Distinguished Educator Award. She is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), a Radcliffe Institute Fellow, and a MacVicar Faculty Fellow.

2022 Student Leadership

Ceci Muñoz
Summit Co-Lead, Mathematics and Computer Science, Junior

Ceci Muñoz is a junior at MIT studying Mathematics and Computer Science. She is passionate about utilizing data analytics and statistics to make advancements in all aspects of sports, from recruiting to player development. Ceci recently worked on a project with the MIT Sports Lab and FIFA focusing on evaluating the efficacy of their new 3D player tracking technology. Before this Ceci worked with the MIT Sports Lab on a project centered on evaluating and classifying high performance sports coaches. She is also plays forward for the MIT Women's soccer team and will be competing in the Maccabi games for Team USA this summer.

Ashley Hartwell
Summit Co-Lead, Mechanical Engineering, Graduate Student

Ashley Hartwell is a 4th year Ph.D student in mechanical engineering with a passion for integrating structural design with mechanical performance. Currently she designs sustainable and thermally efficient concrete structural systems inspired by filler slabs, a composite structural system popularized in India. Her research focuses on how multi-objective optimization, along with emerging digital fabrication techniques can improve overall building performance. In her spare time she enjoys cooking and spending Sunday mornings watching Formula One races.

Seung Kyun (SK) Ha
Partner Speaker Management, MIT Chemical Engineering, Postdoctoral Associate

SK is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering at MIT. Originally from South Korea, he holds a B.S. in Chemical and Biological Engineering (with a minor in Physics) from Seoul National University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from MIT. Alongside his current research on lab automation and molecular discovery, SK enjoys working on sports data analytics projects, including a recent project with the MIT Sports Lab on developing a mathematical model that describes the player dynamics during dribbles in soccer games. SK loves playing and watching sports, especially soccer.

Reginald Best
Website, Computer Science, Mathematics & Theater Arts, Senior

Reginald is currently a senior majoring in Computer Science and minoring in mathematics and theater arts at MIT. He is passionate about software development and sports analytics. He has previously conducted undergraduate research in the MIT Sports Lab, analyzing NBA players’ Twitter activity to predict on court performance. He has previously worked as a research scientist at Afiniti and a software engineer at Reddit. Next fall, he plans to begin a fifth-year masters program in computer science with a focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning at MIT. He is also a member of the MIT varsity football team where he plays tight end and outside linebacker.

Ricardo Hopker
Ticketing & Startup Showcase, MIT System Design & Management, Graduate Student

Ricardo is a master's student of the 2022 System Design and Management class. He has a bachelor's in mechanical engineering from UTPA. Prior to MIT, he worked for 5 years for Groupe Renault in Brazil, Romania and Morocco as a lead engineer. He is passionate about sports, data, engineering and technology.

Joey Licht
Startup Showcase, Computer Science, Junior

Joey is a junior at MIT studying Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science. He has spent time researching with FIFA to quantify the difficulty of the offside call. He is passionate about furthering sports performance through data analytics. Joey is also a member of the MIT varsity football team where he plays quarterback.

Dylan Carberry
Research Talk Management, MIT Mechanical Engineering, Graduate Student

Dylan Carberry is a first-year graduate student in the Mechanical Engineering department at MIT. He received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2016. Dylan worked for Honda of America Mfg. upon his graduation until leaving the company to attend MIT in Fall 2021. While there, he designed automotive production equipment for vehicles including the Honda CRV, Acura RDX, and Acura MDX. Currently working as a graduate researcher in Tal Cohen's Mechanics Group, Dylan is primarily interested in the mechanical properties of soft materials with applications in the fields of sustainability, medicine, and athletic performance. He is an avid fan of all sports, counting basketball, baseball, soccer, and tennis as among his favorites to both play and watch.

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Ethan Robertson
SWAG and Sponsorship & Logistics, Computer Science & Finance, First-Year

Ethan Robertson is a first-year at MIT studying Computer Science and Finance. He is currently working on a project with the sports lab which focuses on collecting and organizing real-time data for FIFA. Ethan is also a member of the MIT Varsity Lacrosse team, where he plays attack.

Duncan Lee
Graphics, MIT Media Lab, Graduate Student

Duncan is a second year graduate student in mechanical engineering at MIT, working in the Biomechatronics group in the MIT Media Lab. His research is focused on prosthetic socket design for transtibial (below-the-knee) amputees. He graduated from Yale University with a degree in mechanical engineering, and he was a member of the varsity swim team for all four years of undergrad. He would love to apply both his experience in athletics and his current research to improve technology in sports in order to increase accessibility to more people. An avid Formula 1 fan, Duncan also loves skiing, film photography, and trying new foods.

Jonas Rajagopal
Logistics & Day-of Volunteers Management, Computer Science, First-Year

Jonas is a first-year planning to major in Computer Science. He is interested using analytics and machine learning to help teams strategically (specifically in football). Having spent most of his life in the Boston Area, he is a big Boston sports fan. He is a chair for the MIT Model UN Conference. Outside of class, he enjoys cooking, hiking, and alpine climbing.

Nicholas Stone Perez
Alumni Events & Ticketing, Computer Science & Management, First-Year

Nicolas is a first-year student at MIT planning to major in Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science along with Management. Nicolas is a member of the Men's Soccer and Men's Volleyball varsity teams here at MIT, and has been a sports fanatic for as long as he can remember. Nicolas is part of the MIT Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and is also involved with Global Research Consulting and Scholars of Finance on campus. He is currently on research team analyzing prescription drug price regulation and long-term healthcare around the world. Nicolas is very passionate about the intersection of sports, business, and technology, and he hopes to continue exploring this during his time at MIT and beyond.

Grant Miller
Logistics & Partner Management, Computer Science and Mathematics, Senior

As an undergraduate, Grant has researched in the Sports Lab since his freshman year where he contributed to a project that focused on defensive reaction time in the NBA. Grant is a senior pursuing a degree in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. Outside of classes, he enjoys playing basketball and producing music.

Jose Tomas De Gregorio
MIT Outreach Management & Resume Book, MIT Sloan, Graduate Student

Jose is a second year MBA student at MIT Sloan pursuing the Business Analytics certificate. Before attending Sloan, Jose worked as Head of International Affairs at the Secretary of Sports of Chile. He holds a BS degree in Business and Administration from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. After graduating from Sloan, Jose wants to combine sports, technology and data analytics for work. Jose enjoys playing and watching a wide variety of sports, and is passionate about all things soccer.

Spencer Hylen
MIT Outreach Management, Computer Science, Graduate Student

Spencer Hylen is a master’s student at MIT studying computer science. He is passionate about using analytics to generate actionable results and guide high-level strategic thinking. Spencer’s thesis research focuses on dynamic ticket pricing for sports events, and he has previously been the technical lead on a project for FIFA that used tracking data to detect soccer events. Spencer has also interned for firms in private equity, financial consulting, and cybersecurity. He was also an outside linebacker for the MIT varsity football team. He will be joining Altamont Capital Partners full-time upon completion of his master's degree in 2022.

Jay Theriault
Student Poster Session & Student Ambassadors Lead, Computer Science & Data Analytics, Junior

Jay Theriault is a third year undergraduate student double majoring in Data Science and Business Analytics. A lifelong lover of sports, Jay is on both the MIT Varsity Football and Men’s Lacrosse teams, where he plays Running Back and Midfield, respectively. Last year, Jay did research with MIT Sports Lab, where he used Artificial Intelligence to predict defensive coverages from NFL player tracking data.

Jess Sonner
Summit Advisor, Mechanical Engineering, Senior

Jess is an undergraduate student studying Mechanical Engineering in the MIT class of 2022. With her love of sports and intrigue with body mechanics, she’s inspired to engineer products that enhance athletic performance and safety. In collaboration with SHRED and mentor Christina Chase, Jess is currently investigating solutions to improve skiers and snowboarders performance in flat light conditions. Passionate about soccer and running, she plays attacking center midfield on the MIT Women’s Soccer Team.

Ivan Jutamulia
Summit Advisor, Computer Science, MIT Graduate

Ivan is an MIT alum who obtained both his undergraduate and masters degree in computer science and artificial intelligence. He did research supervised by Professor Peko Hosoi surrounding the decision making capabilities of NBA players and developing a framework to evaluate them. Ivan is passionate about the application of machine learning and data analysis tools in sports, much like his research. He is a lifelong sports fan and soccer player, captaining the varsity team at MIT and now serving as an assistant coach.