Donna Lu
UTS is the ideal place to explore your potential as a researcher.
Key research area/interests: Elite soccer, non-contact injuries, athlete monitoring
Principal Supervisor: Rob Duffield
Summary of research project
'Decoding the soccer-injury enigma'
An athlete has a profile of existing internal risk factors (i.e. individual characteristics) to a non-contact injury which changes over time due to exposure to external factors (i.e. training, games, competitions etc.). Although such an interaction may change the probability of sustaining an injury, an athlete will not sustain an injury unless they have the right combination of risk factors coupled with a particular injury-causing event. My research project aims to understand how different risk factors interact and together react to a single event to result in an injury for elite soccer players.
Why did you decide to embark on your research degree at the Faculty of Health at UTS?
At the time of applying, I was completing my honours degree at the University of Technology which I found a challenging yet overall a pleasurable and rewarding experience. This gave me an idea of the dynamic research culture at UTS and with the assistance of the academic staff, I made the easy decision of studying here. The sport and exercise science team are not only leaders in their field but also have a great investment in their students’ successes. They provide constructive criticisms and are very helpful in developing students with the skills to be sound and effective researchers.
What contribution to knowledge are you planning to make with your research project?
My aim is to improve the injury prevention protocols applied in Australian soccer clubs both in state academies and professional teams. To do this, the project is aimed at charactering existing practices that can be altered for greater results.
Who will benefit from your research?
The research will assist sporting practitioners specific to soccer such as tactic coaches and strength and conditioning coaches; as well as those specific to prevention and injury of the body like physiotherapists and medical physicians. My findings will allow them to better apply evidenced-based injury prevention protocols.
Through the education of coaches and practitioners, individual athletes will benefit the most through new forms of preventing the occurrence of modifiable non-contact and overuse injuries.
How did you go about selecting your supervisor?
I had previously worked closely with my supervisor for two years while volunteering in his supervised studies. He also mentored me during my internship at an elite soccer club as well as throughout my honours degree as my supervisor. Hence, it was an obvious choice to continue to work with him in my PhD.
What advice would you give to future research students thinking about starting a higher degree in research at the Faculty of Health?
Give it a go! Doing an honours degree, specifically at UTS, before stepping into a PhD gave me a good snapshot of what research was all about, where I sat in terms of the unique research culture within the faculty, and how my skills could be utilised to produce impactful and meaningful change within the Australian soccer industry . Research isn’t for everyone but I didn’t know it was for me until I completely immersed myself in it.
Overall, how would you describe your research student experience at the Faculty of Health at UTS?
My research experience has been a tough one thus far; however, it has been pleasurable and has opened me up to so many diverse opportunities that I wouldn’t have even thought of a year ago. Good things happen when you challenge yourself and the University of Technology is the ideal place to explore your potential as a researcher.
