Not just for athletes: TCU’s new institute targets performance under pressure
TCU is launching an institute that will focus on how athletes “train, recover and perform under pressure,” the university announced Tuesday.
The Roach Institute of Athlete Engineering is funded by a $10 million gift from the Roach Foundation of Fort Worth. The gift is the biggest donation from the Roach family in history, said Amy Roach Bailey, the treasurer of the Roach Foundation and a TCU alum.
“The Roach Institute is a clear reflection of that vision of our values as we bring together disciplines to lead in human performance and preparing our students to lead in a rapidly evolving world,” TCU Chancellor Daniel Pullin said.
Pullin announced the new institute Tuesday, June 16, during TCU’s inaugural Global Human Performance Forum.
The institute will be led by Jim Weinstein, Ph.D., who retired as a colonel after a 28-year career in the U.S. Air Force and previously served as deputy director of athlete engineering at Mississippi State University. Weinstein explained that the institute will have a broad definition of athletes. The institute will include construction workers, machinists, people working in hot environments, military, firefighters, police and more in their definition of athletes, he said.
“Our vision is … about connecting the world of athletics with the research and academic side,” he said. “We’re the connective tissue between the two.”
Weinstein joins TCU Vice Provost for Research Reuben Burch V, Ph.D., who founded the field of athlete engineering, according to TCU. Burch joined TCU in 2025.
“Most universities have athletics, and many universities have research, but few intentionally bring those worlds together,” Burch said in a statement. “TCU is uniquely positioned to lead Athlete Engineering because we view athletes as people first and believe the lessons we learn through research can improve lives far beyond the playing field.”
This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 3:24 PM.
