Our members
Distinguished Professor Aaron Coutts
Director
Aaron Coutts is a distinguished professor in sport and exercise science. Aaron teaches in the areas of applied exercise physiology, exercise prescription and research design and statistics. His research is focused around developing evidence-based methods for improving performance and health of athletes. Aaron also provides sport science advice to several top-level professional football clubs and sporting organisations.
Research expertise: training science; fatigue and recovery; training load quantification; team sports; wearable technology; performance analysis; environmental physiology.
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Professor Franco Impellizzeri
Franco is a professor in sport and exercise science and medicine, with an extensive experience in applied sport science (both as a researcher and practitioner) and orthopaedics (clinical outcome studies and clinimetrics). His research interests include research methodology and various aspects of exercise science (training and testing) for both high performance and health-oriented outcomes. Franco has trained top level Olympic athletes in different disciplines (winter and summer sports) and collaborated with international sport organisations.
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Professor Mark Watsford
Mark is the Deputy Head of School (Research) and has been an active researcher for over two decades. He is a strong advocate for collaborative research and has a wealth of experience from managing a range of laboratory-based and field-based research projects. He has extensive experience with the physiological and biomechanical assessment of athletes and has several research interests in the area of applied sports science. Mark’s primary research focus is the examination of muscle stiffness as it relates to soft-tissue injuries and athletic performance in athletes, however he is also integrally involved in identifying other factors contributing to performance in a range of sports including Australian football, rowing and cricket. Mark has been the co-ordinator of a long-standing research partnership with the conditioning department at the Sydney Swans Football Club, conducting research to optimise performance in Australian rules football. This research includes aspects of physical monitoring and preparation, injury analysis and athlete wellness and development.
Research expertise: Neuromechanical properties of muscle as they relate to injury and athletic performance; Performance analysis of Australian football; Factors contributing to injury risk in sport.
Professor Cristina Caperchione
Cristina's research interests lie in health-related physical activity and the use of behavioural change strategies in the prevention, reduction and management of chronic disease. She is an expert in designing and evaluating innovative community-based health promotion interventions, with a particular focus on the physical activity behaviours of priority populations, including inactive men, cancer survivors, culturally and linguistically diverse communities and at-risk adolescent girls. A large component of her work involves building strong community relationships with industry partners and local community members.
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Associate Professor Nicolas Hart
Associate Professor Nicolas H. Hart, PhD AES CSCS ESSAF is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow in Cancer Survivorship and Course Director of Clinical Exercise Physiology at the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation; and Human Performance Research Centre (Faculty of Health) at the University of Technology Sydney. His clinical research focuses on improving outcomes for people living with advanced cancer canvassing (1) survivorship and supportive care issues (including exercise, nutrition, psychosocial, and toxicity management), and (2) cancer outcomes (including disease biology, disease progression, and overall survival). He also founded and co-leads a bone research collaborative: www.wabrc.com.
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Dr Katie Slattery
Katie is a Senior Lecturer and Track Endurance Coach at NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS). Katie has held physiology roles within the Cycling program at the NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) for more than a decade and is focussed on evidence-based research that improves performance of endurance athletes.
Research expertise: exercise physiology; endurance physiology.
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Dr Hugh Fullagar
Hugh's research interests are focussed on evidence-based methods to improve performance and reduce injury in team sport, with a specific focus on better understanding the relationship between fatigue, recovery (most notably sleep), injury and training load. Hugh has applied experience working with collegiate and professional athletes in Europe and North America, where he has previously worked for the Oakland Raiders (NFL), University of Oregon (NCAA American Football) and during his doctoral studies at a FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence and German Olympic Training Centre (University of Saarland, Germany).
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Dr Blake McLean
Blake is a senior lecturer in sport and exercise science and the course coordinator for the Master of High Performance Sport. For more than a decade, Blake has worked within high-performance departments in the AFL, NRL, NBA and USA collegiate sport. Blake is involved in a number of international industry research collaborations, aiming to develop best practice human performance models, to support evidence-led decision making in the pursuit of optimal health and performance for team sport athletes. Blake also serves as part of the Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA) Sports Science Advisory Group and is a member of the Nike North American Sport Scientific Advisory Group.
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Dr Andrew Novak
Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Sports Performance Scientist at Rugby Australia. Dr Novak is conducting research and developing data driven solutions in human performance (primarily collective team behaviours, skill acquisition, athlete monitoring and esports performance). As an industry-embedded researcher, Dr Novak collaborates with rugby coaching staff across Australia’s elite rugby programs as well as UTS academics. His work focuses on developing methods to analyse and interpret the complex interactions between physical, technical and tactical characteristics that underpin elite team performance.
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Dr Libby Pickering-Rodriguez
Libby is a lecturer in sport and exercise. She has experience with the biomechanical assessment of athletes and has interests in applied sport science in a variety of sports. Libby has previously conducted research in the area of muscle stiffness and how it relates to performance and injury risk in athletes. She has worked with athletes from a variety of sports including Australian rules football, netball and cricket and is currently conducting research on the factors contributing to injury risk in elite medium-fast cricket bowlers.
Research expertise: neuromechanical properties of muscle as they relate to injury and athletic performance; biomechanical technique analysis; factors contributing to injury risk in sport.
Dr Lee Wallace
Lee is a senior lecturer in sport and exercise science. Lee teaches in the area of structural and functional anatomy. His research interests include examining the effects of varying training stimulus on athletic performance and understanding the relationship between training load and injury in athletes.
Research expertise: monitoring training and performance; injury; perception of effort.
Dr Rob Bower
Rob is a senior lecturer with a PhD in sports engineering and a Bachelor of Education majoring in physical education and mathematics. He also has a Master of Applied Science (exercise and sport science). Rob’s main areas of research include the design and performance of sporting equipment and in particular, tennis rackets and cricket bats. He is the Director of Studies for the Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science and Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Management degrees.
Research expertise: biomechanics; sports engineering; sport equipment design; tennis, cricket, baseball.
Geoff Warman
Geoff is an associate lecturer/laboratory services manager. Geoff teaches in the areas of motor control/motor learning and skill acquisition, he also manages the teaching and research facilities at UTS Moore Park. Geoff is currently completing his PhD examining methods of using micro-technology to quantify and monitor the exploratory behaviours that team sport athletes exhibit to inform their subsequent action. He is a Level 2 accredited Sports Scientist (ESSA), has worked with the Qld Academy of Sport (QAS) and the High-Performance program at Qld Hockey consulting with both state and national level athletes and coaches. His research interests focus on methods of improving motor task performance using a range of technologies.
Michael Rennie
Michael is a lecturer in sport, exercise and rehabilitation with extensive experience in high-performance environments. His research interests are in the areas of team sport analysis, athlete preparation and training design in professional settings. His industry positions include High-Performance Manager for AFL NSW/ACT, Sport Scientist and Rehabilitation Coach for the Sydney Swans Football Club and Head of Sport Science for the Sydney Roosters.
Tina van Duijn
Tina is a Lecturer in Skill Acquisition and Motor Control at the University of Technology Sydney's School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation. Tina’s research investigates underlying control processes that affect motor skill learning and performance. She also applies skill acquisition concepts to practical fields such as sport, older people’s activities of daily living, water safety competencies, and first aid. Before coming to Australia, Tina has worked with Water Safety New Zealand and the Swiss Lifesaving Society to investigate learning of aquatic and lifesaving skills.
Research expertise: skill acquisition; ecological dynamics; implicit motor learning; information processing and cognitive load; neural control of movement; brain activity; water safety; basic life support; ageing;
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Dr Oscar Lederman
Oscar is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist and a Lecturer in Clinical Exercise Physiology at the University of Technology Sydney's School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation. He has vast experience working in both acute and community mental health services, utilising physical activity to improve treatment outcomes for individuals living with severe mental illness, in particular psychosis.
Oscar's primary research area focuses on integrating physical and mental health services, motivation and behaviour change, and physical activity for trauma-exposed populations. Additionally, he is an Accredited Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) instructor, regularly conducting workshops for students, exercise professionals, and the general public.
Dr James Murray
Dr James Murray, PhD AEP AES ESSAM is a Lecturer within the Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology and a Clinical Supervisor at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). He completed his PhD in 2023, with his research exploring the impact of aerobic exercise on novel cardiovascular imaging measures in women with breast cancer receiving cardiotoxic chemotherapy, and women at risk of developing cardiovascular disease. James's work also focused ways exercise participation can be enhanced during chemotherapy for breast cancer, and he now has a keen interest in the possible cardiovascular benefits of prehabilitation prior to the commencement of anti-cancer therapies.
Amanda Burdett
Amanda Burdett, AEP AES ESSAM is a Senior Accredited Exercise Physiologist with >15 years’ experience' working in clinical practice, and >6 years as an academic within clinical exercise physiology courses elsewhere in NSW. Amanda has worked in stand-alone Exercise Physiology clinics, vocational rehabilitation, and has co-owned and operated an Exercise Physiology, Exercise Science, and Strength/Conditioning business (with 3 clinics across Queensland). She then commenced with UNSW in 2016 where she worked as an AEP in their UNSW Lifestyle Clinic, and taught into the exercise science, practicum, and musculoskeletal/occupational rehabilitation subjects along with some teaching into their medicine program. Amanda has also been an active member of ESSA (the accrediting body of exercise physiologists) within their Standards Council with oversight of the professional standards of ESSA-accredited professions.
Our Associates
Dr Job Fransen
Job is a lecturer in motor control and skill acquisition with teaching experience in academic and coaching settings. His research interests include talent identification, measurement of perceptual-cognitive skill and the development of expertise. Job is actively involved with the Sydney Swans Football Club as a skill acquisition specialist. He is also actively involved in industry-based research projects with the Sydney Swans Academy, the National Rugby League and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
Research expertise: talent identification in soccer; team handball; rugby league and other team sports; research on perceptual-cognitive skill in e-sports and soccer; research on the factors underpinning the development of motor competence in children and adolescents.
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Dr Alan McCall
Dr Alan McCall (PhD, Msc) is currently the Head of Research and Development for Arsenal Football Club, scientific consultant for FC Barcelona and the Barça Innovation Hub as well as Co-Head of Research and Innovation for the Football Federation Australia. Alan is also a member of the FIFA Scientific Advisory Board, UEFA Football Research Group and Senior Associate Editor of the British Journal of Sports Medicine and Science and Medicine in Football journal. He has published >50 scientific articles and book chapters on performance, training, recovery, injury and decision-making in elite sports. His background is 10years as fitness coach/sport science working in elite football globally including the English, Scottish, French and Australian premier leagues, UEFA Champions and Europa leagues in addition to 2 FIFA World Cups with the Australia National team (1 senior team and 1 with the U20's).
Research expertise: injury prevention, recovery and performance in football.
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Dr Johann Bilsborough
Dr. Johann Bilsborough is currently the Director of Performance & Rehabilitation in the NFL. Johann worked in multiple codes including the AFL, NRL and consulted to elite athletes in boxing, MMA, track and field and soccer. Johann came to the USA in 2015 where he served as the High performance Manager & Director of Sports Science in the NBA. He has published >20 peer-review articles mainly in body composition, nutrition and load monitoring in elite sport.
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Dr Tania Spiteri
Dr Tania Spiteri earned her master’s and doctor’s degree in biomechanics at Edith Cowan University. She is an internationally recognised practitioner and researcher for her work in applied exercise science, having published over 40 peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters, and presented her work as a keynote speaker at several national and international conferences. These efforts lead to Tania being awarded the Young Investigator of the Year Award (2017) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, USA. Tania has held sport science roles with the National Football League, Purdue University, and Basketball Australia in preparation for the Rio Olympics, overseeing and implementing the health, wellbeing, and sport science initiatives with athletes to improve performance outcomes and reduce injury incidence.
Research expertise: perceptual-cognitive ability, injury prevention, athletic performance.
