Research in the Department of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition Sciences
The Department of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition Sciences is home to research leaders in food, nutrition, dietetics, and sport and exercise science.
Our innovative and impactful research is helping to improve health and wellbeing across communities and the lifespan.
Our research in nutrition and dietetics, and human movement and sport science, is considered well above world standard by the Australian Research Council’s Excellence in Research for Australia.
Our research supports La Trobe’s research themes: Sustainable food and agriculture; Resilient environments and communities; Healthy people, families and communities; Understanding and preventing disease; and Social change and equity.
Find out more about how our partnerships and facilities enable transformative research.
Research areas
We pride ourselves on our multidisciplinary approach to research, with expertise and collaborations across a range of research areas:
Discipline lead: Professor Regina Belski
Our discipline uses food to promote health, manage nutrition-related health conditions and optimise performance. Our researchers specialise in metabolic health, dietary supplementation, novel functional foods, gastro-intestinal health, and sport and performance nutrition.
We work with leading industry and clinical partners to examine the impact of diet and nutrition on metabolic health outcomes, skeletal muscle health, obesity, diabetes, the microbiome, sports performance, and the prevention and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. We also undertake research on the profession including the scholarship of Learning and Teaching, and the development of future ready professionals.
Discipline lead: Professor Paul Gastin
Our research optimises human performance and health, helping our communities to reach their potential. Our researchers collaborate with industry partners and engage end-users to maximise the impact of our findings. Our contribution is multidisciplinary and relevant to individuals, teams and organisations across the performance-participation pathway – in sport, national services such as defence, and for those using physical activity to enhance health and wellbeing.
Research spans the investigation of human performance in demanding occupations and environments, use of data analytics and technology to enhance sport performance, improvement of knowledge and management of female athletes, training prescription and evaluation, injury prevention and recovery, skilled performance and decision-making, movement biomechanics and sport coaching.
Physical activity, exercise, sport and nutrition help individuals to reach their full potential and realise quality of life. Our researchers collaborate nationally and internationally to optimise human performance for the benefit of individual and community health.
Returning to AFL after ACL
New research has examined ACL injuries in nonprofessional Australian football players.