Hideki Takagi is a Professor at the Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba. He specializes in fluid engineering, biomechanics, and sports engineering, and has published extensively in these fields, especially in swimming and water polo. He is also involved in the development of high functional swimwear, and a swimmer wearing a swimsuit co-developed by him won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. He has also been active as a water polo player and has served as the head coach of the Japanese men's national water polo team.