About Us
Dr Lachlan James is the Founder and Director of ForceLab, an independent strength science consultancy. Alongside ForceLab he holds an academic appointment as an Associate Professor in sport science in Melbourne, where he leads a research program in strength diagnosis and classification. His research group works with professional and Olympic sport organisations and with industry partners across Australia.
Prior to entering academia, Lachlan spent 10 years in professional practice as a strength and conditioning coach and applied sport scientist.
Lachlan is accredited with ESSA (ASpSci-L2) and ASCA (PL-2)
"Lachlan is one of the world’s leading authorities on strength science. His classifications and technical insights have become an integral part of our own systematic approach with the UFC Performance Institute’s strength and conditioning team through his consultation to professional development resources. This development of our S&C staff has resulted in an optimization of process to help increase the probability of success."
Gavin Pratt, Senior Director, Strength & Conditioning, UFC
“Dr Lachlan James’ research has had a significant and tangible impact on my strength and conditioning and rehabilitation practice at across my professional career. His work has refined my testing protocols, improved the way I interpret strength data, and provided a robust framework for developing sport-specific assessment batteries.”
Dr Eamonn Flanagan, Strength and Conditioning coach to Olympic and Paralympic athletes and multiple world champions
“Lachlan’s work has helped strengthen the link between research and practice in how we approach strength and power development at the Swans. His perspective continues to inform how we evaluate and evolve our systems.”
Shane Lehane, Head of Athletic Performance, Sydney Swans, AFL
“Lachlan’s expertise has been instrumental in shaping strength and power assessment across Australia’s high-performance sport system. His evidence-based frameworks are now being embedded nationally, reflecting his rare ability to unite scientific rigour with practical application.”
David Watts, Queensland Academy of Sport