Ingo Helmich

Ingo Helmich is an Assistant Professor in Exercise Science at the Institute for Movement Therapy and Movement-Oriented Prevention and Rehabilitation at German Sport University Cologne. His research focuses on motor behavior in sports, traumatic brain injury, and nonverbal communication in athletes.

• Specializes in Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to study brain functions in sports contexts.
• Pioneering work on concussions in Paralympic sports and their behavioral consequences.
• Investigates emotional gestures and cognitive load in tennis athletes through movement analysis.
• Develops databases for sports-related brain injuries and collaborates with neurology and psychiatry departments.

Recent research trends include analyzing head acceleration in Para swimming, postconcussive symptoms, and nonverbal behavior in athletes with disabilities. His work spans both clinical and sports science disciplines.

Helmich has secured funding from internal and third-party sources, including projects on movement therapy, brain injury diagnostics, and emotion recognition in sports. He has contributed to media discussions on head impacts in football and skateboarding, as well as spontaneous head movements in tennis winners and losers.