Meet the team

Professor Christian Swann

Theme Leader & Professor

Christian's research focuses on the psychology of sport, exercise and physical activity. His specific expertise is on improving quality of experience (e.g., flow, enjoyment), promoting mental health, and understanding how best to use goal-setting.

Dr Kyle Bennett

Deputy Theme Leader & Associate Lecturer

Dr Kyle Bennett is an Early Career Development Fellow in Sport and Exercise Science. He is an accredited Sports Scientist (Level 1) with Exercise and Sports Science Australia, who has extensive research and practical experience in youth sport. He has liaised with multiple youth sporting teams, academies, and member federations including Newcastle Jets, Northern NSW Football, Liverpool International Football Academy, and North Coast Football.

Dr Chris Stevens

Chair of Discipline

Chris' research is focused toward improving sports performance in hot environments with cooling strategies, heat acclimation programs and nutritional strategies and products.

Professor Maria Constantinou

Professor

Associate Professor Kellie Toohey

Associate Professor

Associate Professor Kellie Toohey is an expert in Clinical Exercise Physiology at Southern Cross University. Dr Toohey has a track record in cancer research and clinical exercise physiology across the lifespan. Dr Toohey has co-authored with 63 researchers from eight countries (including Australia), who represent 15 different universities (2022).

Dr Jodie Cochrane Wilkie

Senior Lecturer

Jodie's work and research has focused on optimising or regaining movement and function. Previous work in this area had focused on developing athletes and elite athletes and optimising their movement, minimising injury or rehabilitating in return from injury so they could be the best in their sport (in preparation for World Championships, Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games). In recent years her work in optimising or regaining human movement and function has focussed on working with those with..

Dr Zachary Crowley-McHattan

Senior Lecturer

Zac is broadly interested in investigating the control and learning of motor skills in both functional and sporting contexts. His primary area of research is in neuromuscular control and adaptation with a focus on neuromuscular physiology and cross-education. He is also involved in research in the field of skill analysis and acquisition in sports.

Dr Joanne Munn

Senior Lecturer

Joanne’s diverse research profile spans musculoskeletal injuries, strength training, Indigenous tobacco cessation and higher education. Jo’s current research focuses on teaching and learning outcomes associated with an intensive, blended delivery model for physiotherapy curriculum and digital options to support health care delivery.

Dr Dylan Poulus

Senior Lecturer

Dylan's research interests are sports and performance psychology and mental health is esports and video game players

Dr Jena Buchan

Lecturer

Jena has a track record in using exercise as a means of supporting physical and psychosocial wellbeing in individuals during and after cancer treatment, as well as supporting university students on placement and in their own wellbeing. She is currently further expanding her further into the areas of goal setting and habit formation in health behaviours.

Dr Gabriel Fernandes

Lecturer

Gabriel’s research interests in neurophysiological and biomechanical analysis span both sports injuries and neurodegenerative conditions, including ACL injuries, lower limb tendinopathy, and motor neurone disease (MND). His current work focuses on neuromuscular adaptations in runners with Achilles tendinopathy, investigating changes in the central nervous system influence triceps surae muscle recruitment and activation, and how these contribute to tendinopathy pathophysiology....

Dr Courtney McGowan

Lecturer

Courtney's research is centred around enhancing sports performance on competition day by developing and refining competition day preparation strategies inclusive of warm-up, priming and passive heat maintenance. Her other interests include environmental physiology and thermoregulation, physical preparation of development-elite athletes and cognitive strategies to enhance sports performance.

Dr Melanie Clarke

Post Doctoral Research Fellow

Melanie completed her PhD in paediatric medicine at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute at University of Melbourne and has expertise in cardiovascular exercise physiology. Her primary interest is using exercise/physical activity to improve physical and mental health outcomes, and equipping individuals with the tools to be successful in lifelong physical activity engagement. She has a particular focus on the cardiovascular response to goal-setting, and the use of open goals...

Dr Scott Goddard

Research Fellow

Scott’s research centres on the psychology of sport, exercise, and physical activity, with a particular focus on positive experiences like exploration and flow states. He also investigates goal-setting strategies in physical activity contexts, aiming to enhance engagement and promote long-term adherence to active lifestyles.

Alex Lawrence

Lecturer