Sport that inspires elite performance, community participation & healthy living – research outlines
Explore the research-focus outlines related to sports science and exercise; sport history, culture and sociology; and medical physiology.
All applicants who wish to be considered for a Research Training Program (RTP) Stipend Scholarship must choose an outline that aligns with your research experience and interest.
Choose a research outline for your application
Maribyrnong Sports Academy (MSA), a State Government Funded Specialist Sports School Program, provides a unique training and education environment for aspiring athletes in Melbourne’s inner west. Of the 575 enrolled students, 45% are female. Research into female talent identification and development is sparse hence practitioners working in talent development environments have limited knowledge of the physical, psychological, technical and tactical markers that progress into high performance for female athletes. Therefore, this project will attempt to determine factors affecting talent development in female athletes using a multi-disciplinary approach.
In an Australian first, MSA recently launched the Maribyrnong Sports Academy Research Centre (MSARC) in partnership with Victoria University, a multi-disciplinary research centre embedded within the sports academy. Therefore, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to work with a supervisory team consisting of academics and practitioners, who are experts in developing physical, psychological, technical and tactical excellence in youth athletes.
Supervisors: Dr Paul Larkin, Professor Michael Spittle
Institute: Institute for Health & Sport
Course Code: UPAD
Field of Research (FoR) Code: 4207 Sports science and exerciseTo indicate your interest and discuss your suitability, please contact: Dr Paul Larkin, [email protected]
Motion capture technology is increasingly used across sport, healthcare, and corporate settings to better understand human movement. Elite sports organisations, like Major League Baseball and Grand Slam Tennis, use advanced non-invasive systems to improve performance, monitor injury risk, and support officiating. In community health and fitness, wearable devices and portable tools now offer individuals and practitioners access to basic movement data. In workplaces, video analysis supports ergonomic assessments and safety procedures. However, despite advances in accessibility and convenience, these systems still fall short of the accuracy provided by marker-based motion capture, the gold standard in lab-based research.
This project will develop a hybrid approach that combines the practicality of wearable and non-invasive systems with the precision of laboratory-grade analysis, aiming to improve motion assessment across real-world environments.
Supervisors: Dr Jade Haycraft, Mr Nick Busuttil
Institute: Institute for Health & Sport
Course Code: UPAD
Field of Research (FoR) Code: 4207 Sports science and exerciseTo indicate your interest and discuss your suitability, please contact: Dr Jade Haycraft, [email protected]
This project will be supervised by Dr Kevin Ball, Dr Nicholas Busuttil, Dr Sam McIntosh, and Dr Paul Larkin. Kevin and Nick bring expertise in applied biomechanics, Paul specialises in talent identification, and Sam offers industry experience and expertise in in data analytics. Identifying athletic potential early remains a major challenge in youth sport with traditional methods relying on basic testing or subjective observation.
This project explores how uniaxial force plates can provide objective, sport-specific insights by analysing key movements like jumping and landing and understanding their relationship with sport specific skills. By examining force-time metrics such as peak force, impulse, and rate of force development, we aim to link physical performance with long-term skill development and sport-specific demands, offering coaches and talent scouts a practical, biomechanically-driven tool for talent identification.
Supervisors: Associate Professor Kevin Ball, Mr Nicholas Busuttil; Mr Samuel McIntosh; Dr Paul Larkin
Institute: Institute for Health & Sport
Course Code: UPAD
Field of Research (FoR) Code: 4207 Sports science and exerciseTo indicate your interest and discuss your suitability, please contact: Associate Professor Kevin Ball, [email protected]
We are seeking a PhD candidate committed to advancing knowledge and practice in child safeguarding within sport. The project can be shaped around the applicant’s background and interests, with potential areas of focus including the lived experiences of individuals impacted by abuse/violence in sport, critical analyses of governance structures, policies, and organisational cultures that enable or prevent harm, or the exploration of prevention/intervention initiatives related to child safeguarding.
Projects may explore how safeguarding measures are designed, implemented, and evaluated within sport organisations, or how children’s voices and rights are recognised in these processes. We are also open to other project ideas related to child safeguarding.
The successful candidate will be situated within our broader Safety and Wellbeing in Sport research group, within the Institute for Health and Sport. Our research group’s overarching aim is to ensure sporting environments are safe, equitable, inclusive and respectful.
Supervisors: Dr Mary Woessner, Dr Aurelie Pankowiak, Associate Professor Fiona McLachlan, Professor Alex Parker
Institute: Institute for Health & Sport
Course Code: UPAD
Field of Research (FoR) Code: 4207 Sports science and exerciseTo indicate your interest and discuss your suitability, please contact: Dr Mary Woessner, [email protected]
The enhancement of physical performance and muscle function is important for athletic success and for maintaining or restoring good health. Growing evidence indicates that heating or cooling, either alone or combined with exercise, can induce multiple beneficial physical adaptations, leading to enhanced physical performance, muscle function and health.
Opportunities exist within this research program to conduct a range of research projects which explore these benefits. Potential project topics include heating or cooling effects on endurance exercise, resistance exercise, exercise recovery, heat acclimation, muscle physiology, and muscle disorders.
You will join a research team comprised of world leaders in the fields of exercise and muscle physiology with many years of experience investigating interventions targeted at enhancing exercise performance and muscle function. Potential applicants will ideally have a background in exercise or muscle physiology and an interest in applied and translational research.
Supervisors: Associate Professor Aaron Petersen, Professor David Bishop, Professor Alan Hayes, Dr Metodija Kjertakov
Institute: Institute for Health & Sport
Course Code: UPAD
Field of Research (FoR) Code: 4207 Sport science and exerciseTo indicate your interest and discuss your suitability, please contact: Associate Professor Aaron Petersen, [email protected]
This research project aims to explore how different practice conditions can be integrated to influence the development of skill in applied sport contexts.
Traditional and contemporary skill acquisition approaches provide what seems like divergent theoretical accounts of skill development, however, the practical recommendation of these seemingly contrasting accounts of skill acquisition may not be as divergent as is sometimes portrayed. It may be that the complexities of the skill development process require skilled coaches, teachers, or instructors to be open, adaptable, and flexible, rather than locked into specific coaching, pedagogy, or skill acquisition methodologies.
This project will therefore explore how skill practices have the potential to be enhanced by integrating key principles from both traditional and contemporary approaches to adapt practice to the situation and skill development needs of performers.
Supervisors: Professor Michael Spittle, Dr Paul Larkin
Institute: Institute for Health & Sport
Course Code: UPAD
Field of Research (FoR) Code: 4207 Sports science and exerciseTo indicate your interest and discuss your suitability, please contact: Professor Michael Spittle, [email protected]
We are seeking a PhD candidate who is passionate about exploring and understanding the gendered dimensions of sport and in particular how gender influences participants’ perceptions and experiences of violence, safety, equity, and well-being.
The successful applicant will have the opportunity to shape their research focus in alignment with their own experience and disciplinary background.
Potential projects may examine how gendered norms, policies, or practices contribute to inequities or safety within sport, or focus on the design, implementation, and evaluation of interventions aimed at improving safety and well-being for all participants. Interdisciplinary and participatory approaches are encouraged.
The successful candidate will be situated within our broader Safety and Well-being in Sport research group, within the Institute for Health and Sport. Our research group’s overarching aim is to ensure sporting environments are safe, equitable, inclusive and respectful.
Supervisors: Dr Mary Woessner, Associate Professor Fiona McLachlan, Professor Alex Parker, Dr Aurelie Pankowiak
Institute: Institute for Health & Sport
Course Code: UPAD
Field of Research (FoR) Code: 4207 Sports science and exerciseTo indicate your interest and discuss your suitability, please contact: Dr Mary Woessner, [email protected]
This research investigates how decision support systems can be enhanced in elite Australian Rules football using player monitoring and performance data.
The project will examine ways to structure and visualise information relating to player availability, training load, and physical readiness to improve decision-making across coaching, medical, and sport science teams.
Opportunities exist to develop interactive tools or frameworks that help integrate subjective and objective data sources for clearer, more actionable insights.
Conducted in collaboration with the Western Bulldogs Football Club, the project will focus on delivering practical, sport-specific outcomes that reduce information noise and improve cross-disciplinary communication in high-performance settings.
Supervisors: Mr Sam McIntosh, Dr Alice Sweeting
Institute: Institute for Health & Sport
Course Code: UPAD
Field of Research (FoR) Code: 4207 Sports science and exerciseTo indicate your interest and discuss your suitability, please contact: Mr Sam McIntosh, [email protected]
Performance failure affects athletes’ mental health and is associated with increased depressive symptoms with research (Mesagno et al., 2024) indicating 10% of high-performance (HP) adult athletes considered suicide after performance failure. Limited research, however, exists about the effect of performance failure on HP youth athletes and interventions that improve performance and/ or mental health. The objectives of this PhD project are to investigate the mental health difficulties of HP youth athletes after performance failure and apply interventions to improve performance and resilience after performance failure.
The research team consists of sport and psychology researchers in performance failure, psychological interventions and who work with (youth) athletes to enhance performance and mental health, including researchers from Maribyrnong Sports Academy Research Centre. Students trained in clinical psychology or sport psychology (or similar) are encouraged to apply. Students should have (or willing to get) a Working with Children’s Check before the project starts.
Supervisors: Dr Christopher Mesagno, Dr Paul Larkin
Institute: Institute for Health & Sport
Course Code: UPAD
Field of Research (FoR) Code: 4207 Sports science and exerciseTo indicate your interest and discuss your suitability, please contact: Dr Christopher Mesagno, [email protected]
Performance failure affects athletes’ mental health and is associated with increased depressive symptoms with recent Victoria University (VU) qualitative research indicating that self-presentation (i.e., impression management) issues may be a reason for decreases in performance and poor mental health, especially for high-performance athletes. Thus, the objectives of this PhD project are to investigate the links between self-presentation and performance failure and determine which psychological approach (e.g., cognitive-behavioural therapy, acceptance-commitment therapy, etc.) should be used to benefit performance and mental health athletes concurrently.
This study may involve different experimental or mixed-method designs and include the use of eye tracking equipment owned by VU. The research team consists of sport and psychology researchers in performance failure and psychological interventions, who work with athletes to enhance performance and mental health. Students with a strong interest in the use of theory-driven applied sport psychology interventions are encouraged to apply. Clinical psychology experience is desirable.
Supervisors: Dr Christopher Mesagno, Professor Michael Spittle
Institute: Institute for Health & Sport
Course Code: UPAD
Field of Research (FoR) Code: 4207 Sports science and exerciseTo indicate your interest and discuss your suitability, please contact: Dr Christopher Mesagno, [email protected]
This research project seeks to tackle real-world challenges in youth athlete development by exploring best practices in skill acquisition, coaching pedagogy and constraint-based coaching which have a positive impact on the youth athlete’s talent development and performance.
The project, part of the newly launched Maribyrnong Sports Academy Research Centre (MSARC) in partnership with Victoria University, provides a unique opportunity to work with leading academics and practitioners to enhance the development of high-performance youth athletes. Maribyrnong Sports Academy (MSA), a State Government-funded Specialist Sports School, offers a premier training and educational environment for aspiring athletes in Melbourne's inner west. With 575 enrolled students, MSA is Australia’s largest and most prominent school-based sports academy. Students are coached and mentored daily by experts, including Olympians and former professional athletes.
Supervisors: Professor Michael Spittle, Dr Paul Larkin
Institute: Institute for Health & Sport
Course Code: UPAD
Field of Research (FoR) Code: 4207 Sports science and exerciseTo indicate your interest and discuss your suitability, please contact: Professor Michael Spittle, [email protected]
We are seeking applications from aspiring PhD researchers who are interested in exploring the historical aspects of equity, safety and justice in sport. We propose that developing and sustaining safe, equitable and inclusive sport, requires a deeper understanding of change, which can be achieved by closely examining the dynamics of progress and resistance over time. We are particularly interested in considering proposals that blend critical analysis and creative methods to tackle questions about cultural change in and through sport, but we are also open to more conventional historical approaches that address gaps in women’s and LGBTQ+ history.
Applicants can shape their research to align with their own experience and interests, but their project should fit broadly into at least one of the following areas:
- Feminist and queer histories of sport – from grassroots, organisational or political perspectives
- Resistance to gender equity, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and child safety initiatives in sport
- Historical storytelling as a pedagogical device for cultural change
Supervisors: Associate Professor Fiona McLachlan, Dr Aurelie Pankowiak, Dr Mary Woessner
Institute: Institute for Health & Sport
Course Code: UPAD
Field of Research (FoR) Code: 4303 Historical StudiesTo indicate your interest and discuss your suitability, please contact: Associate Professor Fiona McLachlan, [email protected]
Maribyrnong Sports Academy (MSA) is Australia's largest specialist sports school, supporting 575 student-athletes in Melbourne’s inner west. The MSA physiotherapy department has identified ankle injuries as the most prevalent and burdensome pathology and may impact athletic development and adolescent well-being.
This longitudinal research project will track student-athletes across multiple sports over five years to investigate the incidence, risk factors, and mechanisms of ankle injuries. Using patient-reported outcomes and biomechanical data, the study aims to:
- Identify trends in ankle injury among adolescent athletes
- Determine key risk factors and high-risk profiles
- Inform and refine prevention strategies tailored to this population
Findings will support clinicians and coaches in proactively managing injury risk, enhancing athlete health, and sustaining performance. By leveraging MSA’s unique environment, this project will generate practical, evidence-based solutions to a critical youth sport health challenge.
Supervisors: Dr Paul Larkin, Mr Andrew Ross
Institute: Institute for Health & Sport
Course Code: UPAD
Field of Research (FoR) Code: 3208 Medical physiologyTo indicate your interest and discuss your suitability, please contact: Dr Paul Larkin, [email protected]
Racism is a serious issue in Australia that has profound negative impacts on health and social cohesion.
Sport is considered a focal point for civic participation and social inclusion, however, racism that occurs in sport perpetuates inequalities, restricting its potential health and social benefits for significant numbers of Australians. Globally, there is little evidence on what is effective in reducing racism in sport. This research aims to critically analyse how structural racism continues to operate across all levels of sport, from grassroots to elite-level sport.
The research seeks to produce novel understandings of ways to prevent and combat racism, and strengthen anti-racism capability. Using participatory approaches, the research will especially focus on coalition building and the forging of solidarities with culturally and racially minoritised communities to collaboratively enhance community capacity to prevent and address racism.
Supervisors: Professor Ramon Spaaij, Professor Christopher Sonn
Institute: Institute for Health & Sport
Course Code: UPAD
Field of Research (FoR) Code: 4410 SociologyTo indicate your interest and discuss your suitability, please contact: Professor Ramon Spaaij, [email protected]
Maribyrnong Sports Academy (MSA), a State Government Funded Specialist Sports School Program, provides a unique training and education environment for aspiring athletes in Melbourne’s inner west. Currently, it consists of 575 enrolled students making it the largest and most prominent school-based sporting academy in Australia.
A key challenge in this environment, is understanding the multi-disciplinary nature related to holistic youth athlete development (e.g., physical preparation; skill development; coaching environment; injury prevention; rehabilitation; mental well-being; and academic performance). As such, this research project will attempt to address ‘real-world’ challenges faced with the provision of safe, supportive environments which will have a positive impact on the youth athlete’s performance, health and well-being.
To address this, the project will attempt to understand the importance of youth athlete assessment and monitoring systems with the aim of improving current practice to enhance current and future athlete performance.
Supervisors: Dr Paul Larkin, Professor Michael Spittle
Institute: Institute for Health & Sport
Course Code: UPAD
Field of Research (FoR) Code: 4207 Sports science and exerciseTo indicate your interest and discuss your suitability, please contact: Dr Paul Larkin, [email protected]
