Australian PhD candidate wins 2025 SMT Data Challenge with Model for Measuring Defensive Cognition in Baseball

SMT announces that Timothy Millar, a PhD candidate at the University of Canberra’s National Security Institute, has been named the winner of the 2025 SMT Data Challenge, the company’s premier international student analytics competition.

Now in its fourth year, the SMT Data Challenge provides students with access to real-world Minor League ball- and player-tracking data via its 6th Tool product, challenging them to develop innovative research that advances the field of baseball analytics. Currently, 23 universities utilize 6th Tool.

The program continues to demonstrate a strong track record of launching students into careers across baseball operations, analytics, and the broader sports-technology landscape. MLB organizations that have hired 2025 participants include the Phillies, Orioles, Yankees (two hires), Rays, Braves, and Brewers, with additional placements at the Syracuse Crunch (AHL), Milwaukee Milkmen, Acadiana Cane Cutters and the UFL League Office. Across the program’s four-year history, 53 of 229 students (23 percent) have earned professional roles with 31 joining MLB clubs, 24 with non-MLB teams, and 15 with sports-technology companies. Hiring for the 2025 cohort is still ongoing and expected to rise.

Millar secured the top honor for his research project, “The Cognitive Clock Score (CCS) Framework: Measuring Player Cognition during the Pre-Acquisition Phase,” an innovative model that quantifies the split-second mental processes underlying defensive success. Leveraging SMT’s advanced tracking data, Millar developed a multi-factor metric to generate intuitive “Cognitive Archetypes” that help identify strengths, weaknesses and developmental opportunities for players. The UI tool developed for the project can be found at https://cognitiveclock.com.

Millar was selected from a strong international field that included finalists from UC San Diego, the University of Guelph and the University of Toronto.

“Timothy’s work stood out because it addresses an area of baseball evaluation that has long been talked about, but never quantified,” says SMT Senior Data Scientist and SMT-U Academic Lead Dr. Meredith Wills, who developed the Data Challenge. “By modeling the subconscious decision-making that happens between bat-on-ball contact and the moment a fielder secures it, he’s opened the door to a new era of cognitive-performance analysis in defense.”

Finalists traveled to Durham, N.C., where they presented their work to a panel of judges representing MLB affiliates, sports executives, coaches and SMT leadership, including SMT CEO and founder Gerard J. Hall: SMT Corp. VP, Marketing and Creative, Patricia G. Hopkins; Chrystal Rowe, General Manager, Durham Bulls; Marcus Manning, Executive Director, Durham Sports Commission; and Binuk Kodituwakku, Chief Football Strategy Officer, Duke University.

“The 2025 SMT Data Challenge was an amazing experience from start to finish,” Millar says. “The Challenge has opened up so many exciting opportunities that I’m looking forward to exploring. I hope to use the skills and connections I’ve developed to further my dream of a career in sports.”