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Research

Research Facilities

The Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education faculty have research facilities in the Science Research Building (SR) on the Waterloo Campus, at the Northdale Campus (NC) on Hickory Street, and at the King Street Building (232 King).

Faculty Research Areas

The following faculty members are willing to supervise graduate or senior undergraduate students in their areas of interest. Feel free to contact them regarding research or supervision opportunities.

Pam Bryden: Motor Development and Control

  • Examination of the perceptual and cognitive influences of motor abilities across the lifespan, with particular emphasis on the upper limbs, handedness, and laterality.

Michael Cinelli: Perception and Gait

  • Understanding how the brain processes information and executes skilled behaviours across the life span and following a concussion with a focus on the relationship between perception and cognition during locomotion.

Kimberly Dawson: Sport and Exercise Psychology

  • Psychological factors that affect exercise adherence and sport performance as well as the use of physical activity when dealing with chronic illness.

Mark Eys: Sport and Exercise Psychology

  • Group dynamics within sport and exercise: perceptions of cohesion in PA groups; role acceptance and ambiguity in sport teams.

Paula Fletcher: Chronic Illness, Disability, Health, and Aging

  • Qualitative examinations of the lived experiences of individuals dealing with pediatric cancer, autism spectrum disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, breast cancer, and aging;
  • Quantitative examinations of fall prevention, health screening, and breast cancer in aging populations.

Diane Gregory: Biomechanics

  • Musculoskeletal spine health and low back pain with a focus on intervertebral discs.

Dawn Guthrie: Aging, Health Services Research

  • Evaluation of health services for older adults, those with vision and hearing loss, and palliative patients.

Tom Hazell: Exercise Physiology and Exercise Nutrition

  • Energy balance, excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, body composition, exercise training, appetite/satiety hormones, Vitamin D and skeletal muscle function.

Jayne Kalmar: Neurophysiology

  • Changes in the central nervous system (both cortical and spinal) in response to fatigue, training, disease, and age.

Renee MacPhee: Health

  • Focuses on emergency healthcare, with emphasis on pre-hospital (emergency medical services) and acute care (emergency departments).

Stephen Perry: Biomechanics/Neuroscience

  • Neuromechanical aspects of balance control and movement with respect to mobility, aging, footwear, and foot function.

Jennifer Robertson-Wilson: Psychology of Physical Activity

  • Implementation and evaluation of physical activity policy and impact of environment on physical activity.

Margaret Schneider: Disability and Chronic Illness

  • Qualitative investigations of lived experiences from chronic illnesses including: childhood cancer, breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and autism.

Jill Tracey: Sport and Exercise Psychology

  • Psychology of injury and rehabilitation relating to the many psychosocial issues involved in injury and rehabilitation. Additionally, mental skills consulting with individual athletes and teams in many areas of performance enhancement.