At UniSC, high-performance athletes excel in study, research, training, and competition, supported by purpose-built facilities, world-leading coaches, performance specialists, and sport and exercise scientists.
Whether you're interested in undertaking Honours, a research masters degree or a PhD, the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) offers a research environment that is collaborative, connected, and grounded in evidence-based practice.
Join a university that champions innovation, supports your career goals, and is committed to shaping the future of sport performance. Discover how studying high-performance sport at UniSC can help you turn your passion into a profession.
Research areas
UniSC is home to a growing community of researchers investigating the many factors that influence athletic performance in high-performance environments. Our research covers a broad range of topics, including athlete monitoring and recovery, biomechanics and movement efficiency, injury prevention, environmental physiology, strength and conditioning methods, and mental performance under pressure.
Experienced supervisors with national and international expertise across sport science, coaching, and allied health lead UniSC’s research programs. Many of our academics are also embedded as performance staff within professional and semi-professional teams, providing students and research candidates with rare access to applied, real-world sport environments.
Collaborations with national sporting organisations and institutes allow UniSC researchers to contribute directly to performance outcomes at the highest levels. Through these partnerships, students can engage with current challenges in elite sport, supported by supervisors who understand both the scientific and practical demands of high performance.
- Biomechanics
- Strength and conditioning
- Exercise physiology
- Coaching
- Motor control and learning
- Sport psychology
Physical Performance research
Research projects are a constant part of the high-performance sports environment, with the outcomes helping to improve performance and providing coaches with further information to develop their programs.
Many of our PPCs are completing their postgraduate studies using our high-performance squads and athletes in their research.
This includes:
Swimming
- Warm-up strategies and impact on swimming performance
- Physical performance profiling in Paralympic swimmers
- Velocity metrics as a means of determining performance
- Movement streams for swimming athleticism
Cycling
- Training load management in cycling
- Performance measures to assist in determining athlete wellness
Various sports
- Determining and comparing sports-specific performance profiles and training loads in high-performance athletes
Research Supervisors
At UniSC, our team of expert supervisors includes accredited sport scientists, experienced strength and conditioning coaches, and researchers with extensive backgrounds in both academic and applied high-performance settings. Many have worked with Olympic, Paralympic, and professional sporting programs, bringing first-hand insight into the demands of elite sport.
Their diverse expertise spans areas such as exercise physiology, biomechanics, performance psychology, skill acquisition, and athlete health and well-being. Choosing to study under their supervision means gaining access to high quality mentorship, strong industry networks, and research opportunities that are directly embedded in the real-world context of sport.
Whether your goals are academic, applied, or a blend of both, UniSC’s supervisory team provides the guidance and support needed to develop meaningful, impactful research that contributes to the future of high-performance sport.
UniSC Principal Supervisors
Associate Supervisors
- Dr Dani Doyle - QAS Hub Manager and Biomechanist
- Dr Katie McGibbon - QAS Senior Physiologist
- Dr Max McKenzie - QAS Strength & Conditioning Coach
- Dr Aaron Turner - UniSC HPSA Physical Performance Coach