Academic Staff
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Prof. Nikos NtoumanisNikos Ntoumanis is a John Curtin Distinguished Professor in the School of Psychology at Curtin University. Nikos’ research focuses on personal and contextual factors that optimise motivation and promote performance, morality, psychological well-being and health-conducive behaviours. Areas of interest are physical activity promotion in different community settings, self-regulation of weight management goals (diet and physical activity goals), and psychology of sport with emphasis on applications of contemporary theories of motivation.
Click on this link to view a short, 90 sec clip for an overview of my work and achievements and here for his Curtinnovation profile. |
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Prof. Cecilie Thøgersen-NtoumaniCecilie Thøgersen-Ntoumani is a Professor in the School of Psychology at Curtin University. A key focus of her research is motivation and health behaviour change. For example, she examines factors that can help people across the lifespan to increase levels of physical activity and reduce sitting to maintain and/or improve health, well-being and quality of life. She is passionate about identifying effective solutions to helping more people enjoy being physically active, and thereby sustain their engagement in the longer term.
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Dr Daniel GucciardiDaniel Gucciardi is an Associate Professor in the School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science at Curtin University. His research interests are in applied psychology with a particular focus on personal and contextual factors related to high performance, health behaviours and well-being in contexts such as sport, education and the workplace. Within this broad spectrum of research, Daniel is currently involved in several projects that span topics such as doping in sport, mental toughness, life skills development, resilience, workplace well-being, and stress.
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Dr Eleanor QuestedEleanor Quested is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Psychology at Curtin University. Eleanor's research interests centre on applying theories of motivation to foster and sustain well-being, personal development and performance in the contexts of physical activity, sport, dance and P.E. More specifically, she is particularly interested in the design of interventions and ‘train the trainer’ programs to train significant others (e.g., fitness instructors, healthcare workers, coaches, and teachers) to more effectively motivate those people with whom they interact.
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Dr Joanne McVeighJo McVeigh is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Occupational Therapy & Social Work at Curtin University. Jo’s research interests are in the area of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and health outcomes. Jo has extensive experience in longitudinal birth cohort studies- having worked on the Birth to Twenty study in South Arica and the Raine study in Australia. She has developed expertise using objective methods to assess physical activity and sedentary behaviour, including the use and analysis of large data sets from 24 hour accelerometery data. Jo is currently involved in several projects that include using a life course approach to predict patterns of sedentary behavior and using accelerometery as a clinical tool for measuring functional ability in people with chronic disease.
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Research Staff
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Dr Robin LinesResearch Associate: A dynamic and temporal perspective to optimise to team resilience. DST Group Human Performance Research Network (HPRnet) grants.
I am from Surrey in the south of England and had a number of differing job roles before completing my undergraduate degree at St. Mary’s University Twickenham with a 1st, majoring in psychology. I then went on to attend Loughborough University to do a masters in Sport Psychology for which I gained a distinction. Most recently, I completed a PhD at Curtin University exploring how one’s resilience to stress effects their physical activity levels. In my spare time I will mainly be found playing cricket, football or on the golf course. |
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Dr Hugh RiddellResearch Associate: Facilitating the attainment of difficult goals: From theory to intervention. Australian Research Council (ARC) Grant.
I completed my undergraduate degree with honours in psychology at the University of Western Australia in 2012. After finishing my undergraduate studies, I moved to Germany to begin my PhD at the University of Münster, where my research focused on the cognitive processes underpinning our ability to navigate in crowded environments. My work within the Physical Activity & Wellbeing group is focused on strategies for improving goal motivation and striving. When I am not in the lab, I can usually be found outdoors, where I enjoy hiking, surfing and rock climbing. |
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Brendan SmithResearch Associate: Harnessing the appeal of professional sport to improve health for men with cardiovascular disease.
I am a Sport and Exercise Psychologist registrar and research associate in the School of Psychology at Curtin University, currently working across both research and applied settings. My applied work is within a high performance sporting organisation, working with elite-athletes and staff to support mental health and well-being, and improve performance outcomes. I have been involved with a number of research projects, including topics such as homesickness, doping in sport, and exercise behaviour change interventions utilising current motivational theory. |
PhD Students
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Marian BrennanTitle of PhD: Can self-management, group education reduce fear of hypoglycaemia as a barrier to physical activity in people living with type 1 diabetes? A feasibility study.
Supervisory team: Janie Brown, Gavin Leslie and Nikos Ntoumanis I completed a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Rehabilitation in 2009 at Edith Cowan University before beginning my career as an exercise physiologist. In 2013 I went on to complete a Graduate Certificate in Diabetes Education at Curtin University and later credentialed as a diabetes educator in 2016. Most recently in 2017, I completed a Master of Science in Diabetes at Curtin University. I am the grateful recipient of a 2018 Research Fellowship with the Australian Diabetes Educator Association - Research Foundation. The Fellowship will support my PhD project in determining a feasible and effective method to reduce the most commonly reported barrier to physical activity in people living with type 1 diabetes - fear of hypoglycaemia. In my spare time you'll find me cycling, running and or finding fun places to cycle and run around the world. |
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Michael ChapmanTitle of PhD: A Dynamic and Temporal Perspective on Team Resilience
Supervisory team: Daniel Gucciardi, Kagan Ducker, and Cecilie Thøgersen-Ntoumani I completed a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Portsmouth before obtaining a Graduate Diploma in Psychology at the University of Winchester and then returning to the University of Portsmouth to complete an MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology. Following these studies I held a position as a Research Assistant within the Department of Applied Psychology at Cardiff Metropolitan University before obtaining a PhD scholarship co-funded by the Defence Science and Technology Group (Department of Defence) and Curtin University. My PhD aims to enhance understanding about what team resilience looks like within the Australian Defence Force (ADF), when and why it matters for ADF personnel, and how we can facilitate its emergence within this domain. In my spare time I enjoy playing a range of sports, coaching association football and exploring Western Australia. |
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Marlene KritzTitle of PhD: The role of peer leaders in the promotion of physical activity, health and psychological well-being in residents in retirement villages.
Supervisory team: Cecilie Thøgersen-Ntoumani, Nikos Ntoumanis, Barbara Mullan and Afroditi Stathi (External Supervisor, University of Bath, UK) I obtained a BSc in Psychology (Cardiff University), an MSc in Health Psychology (University of Surrey) and completed postgraduate training/licensing as a clinical and health psychologist in Austria. As a psychologist, I have contributed to several health-related research projects and worked in clinical, educational and research settings. My PhD explores the role of peer leaders in promoting physical activity behaviour, psychological well-being and health in older people. Other research interests include human-computer interaction in health care settings, education and group dynamics. In my free time, I enjoy sailing, salsa and photography. |
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Matthew McDonaldTitle of PhD: Capitalising on the appeal of sports clubs to engage inactive and/or overweight individuals to take action on their health: Further development and implementation of the Aussie-FIT program
Supervisory team: Eleanor Quested, Nikos Ntoumanis and Kate Hunt (External Supervisor; University of Stirling) In 2012, I completed a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Aberdeen, before gaining employment with NHS Forth Valley’s Community Health Improvement team in Scotland. This role focused on helping address health inequalities through community work around food, nutrition and weight management. I then completed an MSc in Human Nutrition (specialising in Public Health Nutrition) at the University of Glasgow in 2016. Following this I worked for the University of Stirling as a Research Assistant on a men’s weight management study (Game of Stones) and a family health behaviour change intervention delivered at professional football clubs (Fitter Families). My PhD involves building on Aussie-FIT and work in Scotland to implement, adapt and extend the intervention further. In my free time I like to play football (soccer) and socialise with friends. |
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Katherine Morgan-LowesTitle of PhD: Self-compassion: Impact on eating disorder psychopathology and pilot study
Supervisory team: Cecilie Thøgersen-Ntoumani, Sarah Egan, Joel Howell, and Kimberley Hoiles I completed a Bachelor of Psychology at Curtin University in 2016 and I have since worked as a Research Assistant with Curtin University, Perth Children’s Hospital, and Hollywood Hospital. My PhD project explores the influence of self-compassion, perfectionism, and autonomous motivation on eating disorder psychopathology as well as seeking to reduce the risk of eating disorder development. Outside of my studies, I enjoy going to the gym and spending time with my friends and family. |
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Elizabeth MurdochTitle of PhD: Optimising elite athlete psychological resilience.
Supervisors: Daniel Gucciardi, Nikos Ntoumanis, Eleanor Quested, Carly Brade, and Joanne Ayers (WA Institute of Sport) I’m a graduate of the Master in Sport and Exercise Psychology program at Loughborough University (UK) and Honours/Bachelor program in Psychology at the University of Queensland. Throughout my education, I have performed at a national level in swimming and rowing. My passion for sports has guided me to pursue research involving high-performance sport organisations and athletes. In collaboration with WA Institute of Sport, my PhD at Curtin University focuses on enhancing athletes’ psychological resilience by designing and implementing interventions that promote management and adaptation to stressors. In my spare time, I enjoy going to the beach and exploring Western Australia with friends. |
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Berke SezerTitle of PhD: Effect of goal motivation and perceived goal attainability on the achievement of weight-related goals
Supervisors: Nikos Ntoumanis, Cecilie Thøgersen-Ntoumani, and Daniel Gucciardi I completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (2017) and a Master of Arts in Social and Health Psychology (2020) at Kadir Has University. In my master’s thesis, I investigated the effect of functional and dysfunctional self-licensing on snack consumption with a 7-day daily diary study. In my undergraduate years, I realized my interest in research methods and data analysis and always tried to develop myself in these areas by learning new methods and software programs. My PhD project aims to investigate the effect of goal motivation and perceived goal attainability on the achievement of weight-related goals. In my spare time, I enjoy playing basketball with my friends and reading books on philosophy, sociology, and political science. |
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Hamsini SivaramakrishnanTitle of PhD: Back to Sport: Promoting physical activity and psychological well-being in physically inactive adults
Supervisory team: Nikos Ntoumanis, Jenny Olson, Eleanor Quested, Daniel Gucciardi, and Boris Cheval I completed a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Madras in 2018, and went on to obtain a Master of Science in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Loughborough University in 2019. Subsequently, I was awarded the Curtin International Postgraduate Research Scholarship to pursue a PhD. In collaboration with Hockey WA, my PhD at Curtin University considers the role of motivation in physical activity, and explores the design, implementation and influence of a back-to-sport program on physical activity levels and well-being in insufficiently physically active adults. In my spare time, I am either at the gym, playing the guitar, traveling the world or being a self-proclaimed food critic. |
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Dr Nikki StampTitle of PhD: Behavioural change in patients undergoing cardiac surgery to optimise health.
Supervisors: Cecilie Thøgersen-Ntoumani, Dr Ed Litton, and Eleanor Quested I am a cardiothoracic surgeon, having received a MBBS(Hons) from the University of Western Australia. I completed specialist training, receiving a Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. My clinical interests include preventative cardiology, women’s heart disease, heart and lung transplant and multi-disciplinary management of complex cardiac disease. I am also an adjunct senior lecturer for the School of Medicine at Curtin University. My research interest is to enable and empower patients who have cardiac surgery access lifestyle modifications to prevent further disease and improve quality of life. |
