Sport That Inspires

The Sport That Inspires research theme is dedicated to developing industry leading research and research practice across the sporting landscape.

With a mix of disciplinary and transdisciplinary expertise, we undertake research in several key focus areas. We are guided by our strong commitment to develop sustained partnerships with industry and community, at both a local and global scale, to address big-picture, real-world problems.

Our research theme consists of over 50 staff and higher-degree by research students. Currently, we have two discrete research groups, an Olympic and Paralympic Research Centre and a portfolio dedicated to Women in Sport.

Focus areas

Youth athlete development
Safety and wellbeing in sport
Inclusion and diversity
Sport for social change
Sports technology and analytics
Skill and expertise

Research interests

Sports analytics and technology
Safe and inclusive sport
Sports coaching and movement science
Sports biomechanics and performance analysis
Performance psychology
Sports ecology and dynamics
Environmental sustainability in sport
Mental health and wellbeing in sport
Physiology and performance science
Athlete support and sport systems development
Sport for development and peace

Research groups

Youth Athlete Development

The Youth Athlete Development group aims to undertake multidisciplinary research that provides evidence-based solutions to real-world youth athlete development questions, thereby advancing knowledge and improving current practice within this population.

: We seek to understand the youth athlete from a holistic perspective, which includes physical, technical and psychological factors, and how such factors implicate youth athlete development.
Further, the group seeks to investigate potential limitations to athlete development, which includes injury prevention and rehabilitation.
Combined, our goal is to translate and integrate scientific research to nurture effective collaborations with industry partners focussed on developing youth athletes.
: Researchers
Dr Paul Larkin
Professor Michael Spittle
Professor Camilla Brockett
Associate Professor Kevin Ball
Dr Alice Sweeting
Dr Chris Mesagno
Dr Jade Haycraft
Dr George Elias
Dr Andre Nelson
Dr Sam McIntosh
Dr Nick Busuttil
Adjunct members
Adjunct Associate Professor Carl Woods
Dr Alex Lascu
Dr Aden Kittel
Student members
Erch Selimi (PhD)
Youssif Maximos (PhD)
Gyan Wijekulasuriya (PhD)
Jemuel Chandrakumaran (PhD)
Athanasios Kontogiannidis (PhD)
Ashleigh Zuccolo (PhD)
Adwoah Hammond (PhD)
Ryan Metz (Masters)
Samantha Merry (Honours)

Safe & Inclusive Sport

Our overarching aim is to ensure sporting environments are safe (equitable, inclusive, respectful and free from abuse) for all so that the physical, mental, and social health benefits of sport participation can be actualised.

: We aim to foster a vibrant and inclusive community of researchers committed to advancing the field of safety and wellbeing in sport. This community will prioritise team safety, promote personal and professional growth, and cultivate collaborative opportunities for interdisciplinary research and innovation.
Our team is driven by a passion and respect for interdisciplinary research and intersectional approaches (in terms of gender and sexual orientation, ethnic background, disability and level of sport) to promoting safety and wellbeing in sport. We are human-centered, and we value critical ongoing engagement with the communities we seek to impact.
Specifically, researchers in our group undertake interdisciplinary, collaborative research to:
understand the experiences of violence/abuse in sport and how these experiences impact sport participation and mental health and inclusion
empower (through education and training) sport stakeholders (survivors, athletes, participants, coaches, managers, volunteers and others) to enact principles of safety (equity, inclusion, free from harm) within the sport environment
inform policy development and support practical implementation
actively include the voices of victim/survivors (those with lived experience of abuse) in research and decision making
explore the existence and practice of structural/symbolic violence as an antecedent to gender-based violence in sport
understand the influence of broader societal structures and laws (family context, court systems) on the sport environment and normative values.
: Researchers
Dr. Aurélie Pankowiak
Professor Alex Parker
Associate Professor Fiona McLachlan
Dr. Jeffrey Bishara
Dr. Jennifer Hamer
Associate Professor Bernadette Saunders
Dr. Sarah Strohmaier
Student members
Kate Starre (PhD)