About

FromEngineeringtoResearch

A computer engineer's path into PhD research on explainable AI and human locomotion — with technology leadership in sport along the way.

Cristina Berrocal Elu
Cristina Berrocal Elu

I'm a computer engineer and PhD researcher in explainable AI and the biomechanics of human locomotion — and a technology leader who puts that research to work in sport.

My doctoral research, with the UNLOC (Unlimited Locomotion) group at Universidad San Jorge, develops explainable, leakage-free machine learning for clinical gait and foot-pressure data — segmented normality patterns and biomechanical pre-diagnosis. Engineering gave me the tools; research is where I ask the harder questions about whether AI can actually be trusted.

Around that research sits a decade of technology leadership: CTO at Oniria Studios, Director of Innovation at RFEJYDA (Spanish Royal Federation of Judo), Associate Professor at Universidad San Jorge, and President of the Aragonese Judo Federation. Each role taught me how technology serves genuine human needs — and how it fails when we forget to listen to the people who use it.

Sport is where these threads converge: it's the applied domain where interpretable AI, human movement, and institutional leadership meet — and where the research reaches the athletes, clinicians, and coaches who need it.

Journey

How I Got Here

01 Foundation

Engineering & Creative Technology

Dual degrees in Computer Engineering and Video Game Design. Rigorous engineering plus user-centric creative thinking — the DNA for everything that followed.

02 Early Career

TennisDNA — CMO & CTO

Led marketing strategy and technology for a tennis school operating across 11 locations in Virginia, USA. First experience managing technology and brand at scale — and learning that systems only work when they serve the people using them.

03 IdoniaHealth

Frontend Tech Lead — Medical Imaging

Led the frontend team on a CDTI-funded medical imaging project. Built the interfaces that allowed clinical professionals to work with complex imaging data. Learned that great technology is invisible — users should focus on their work, not the tool.

04 PhD Research

Explainable AI for Human Locomotion (2025 – present)

PhD in Health Sciences with the UNLOC (Unlimited Locomotion) group at Universidad San Jorge — PI Luis E. Roche-Seruendo, supervised by Dr. Alejandro Molina Molina and Dr. Violeta Monasterio Bazán. Developing explainable, leakage-free ML (SHAP, LIME, Grad-CAM, counterfactuals) for clinical gait and foot-pressure data: segmented normality patterns and biomechanical pre-diagnosis.

05 Now

A Researcher Who Leads

A PhD researcher in explainable AI and biomechanics who also leads technology in sport: CTO at Oniria Studios, Director of Innovation at RFEJYDA, Associate Professor and Director of the MSc in Advanced Technologies for Mobile Devices at Universidad San Jorge, and federation president. One profile where rigorous research and real-world leadership reinforce each other.

Toolkit

Technical
Expertise

01

AI & Machine Learning

Explainable AI — SHAP, LIME, Grad-CAM, counterfactualsLeakage-free ML pipelines & validationClinical gait & foot-pressure analysisscikit-learn, Python ecosystemBiomechanical pattern recognition
02

Engineering

Python (primary)JavaScript / TypeScriptReact, Next.js, VueSQL & Database ArchitectureAWS, Azure, GCP
03

Sports & Domain

Sports Science & BiomechanicsFederation governance & managementAthlete performance systemsHealthcare AI & Medical ImagingEU R&D Project Management
04

Languages

Spanish — NativeEnglish — Professional (B2)French — Basic / Learning
Collaboration

Interested in
working together?

Always open to new challenges in technology, sports innovation, and leadership.

Email Me