Students
The research areas of the PRC include: education and health promotion in relation to physical activity and nutrition, nutrition and dietetic practice, objective measures of dietary intake and indicators of nutritional status, investigations into the role of dietary supplements and functional foods, physical activity interventions, exercise physiology, and impact of nutrition and physical activity interventions on disease outcomes including obesity, respiratory diseases (asthma, COPD), cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis, cancer and brain disorders across various contexts and settings including schools.
The University of Newcastle offers a wide range of Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy programs and the Centre welcomes applications from prospective applicants. To be considered, you will need to be fully fluent in English and have achieved excellent results in your undergraduate studies.
The PRC currently has over 50 enrolled HDR students, from each of the research themes:
Physical Activity and Population Health
| Student | Project | Timeline | Supervisors | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sasha Fenton | Examining the relationship between sleep health and dietary intake in adults | 2017 - 2021 | Principal: Associate Professor Mitch Duncan Co-supervisor: Associate Professor Tracy Burrows | Medicine and Public Health |
| Beatrice Murawski | Using Technology-Based Interventions to Improve Physical Activity and Sleep Behaviours | 2015 - 2019 | Principal: Associate Professor Mitch Duncan Co-supervisor: Professor Ron Plotnikoff | Medicine and Public Health |
| Anna Rayward | Investigating the effect of changes in physical activity and sleep behaviour on subsequent physical activity and sleep behaviour and, physical and mental health, and health-related quality of life. | 2015 - 2019 | Principal: Associate Professor Mitch Duncan Co-supervisor: Professor Ron Plotnikoff and Associate Professor Liz Holliday | Medicine and Public Health |
| Leigh Underwood | Innovative Ways of Treating co-Morbid Diabetes Type II and Depression: Development of the "MADE-IT" Program. | 2015 - 2023 | Co-supervisor: Professor Ron Plotnikoff | Medicine and Public Health |
| Levi Wade | Impact of Physical Activity and Sleep on Adolescent Mental Health | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Associate Professor Mitch Duncan Co-supervisor: Professor Dave Lubans | Medicine and Public Health |
| Magdalena Wilczynska | Integrating smartphone technology, social support and the outdoor environment to improve fitness among adults at risk of, or diagnosed with, Type 2 Diabetes- eCoFit Randomized Controlled Trail | 2014 - 2018 | Principal: Professor Ron Plotnikoff Co-supervisor: Professor Dave Lubans | Education |
Nutrition and Dietetics
| Student | Project | Timeline | Supervisors | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robyn Barnes | Effective Dietary Management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus | 2015 - 2023 | Co-supervisor: Professor Clare Collins | Health Sciences |
| Katherine Brain | Nutrition's Role in the Management of Chronic Pain | 2015 - 2019 | Principal: Professor Clare Collins Co-Supervisors: Assoc Prof Tracy Burrows, Dr Megan Rollo, Dr Christopher Hayes, and Ms Fiona Hodson | Health Sciences |
| Hannah Brown | Examining the impact of supportive tools including food labels and an augmented reality application on food and nutrition knowledge and portion size selection in pregnant women | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Professor Clare Collins Co-Supervisors: Dr Megan Rollo,and Dr Tamara Bucher | Health Sciences |
| Li Kheng Chai | An Innovative Model of Care to Address Childhood Obesity | 2015 - 2019 | Principal: Assoc Prof Tracy Burrows Co-Supervisors: Dr Christopher May and Professor Clare Collins | Health Sciences |
| Erin Clarke | Biological biomarkers in assessing dietary intake in adults | 2017 - 2021 | Principal: Professor Clare Collins Co-Supervisors: Dr Megan Rollo, Dr Kristine Pezdirc and Dr Rebecca Williams | Health Sciences |
| Catherine Harbury | A Systematic Review of the Current Literature Regarding the Nutritional Status of Morbidly Obese Individuals Leading to a Cross-Sectional Survey with a View to Progressing to an Interventional Study | 2013 - 2019 | Principal: Professor Clare Collins Co-Supervisor: Professor Robin Callister | Health Sciences |
| Yu Qi Lee | The Relationship between Maternal Nutrition, Obesity, Diabetes in Pregnancy and Offspring Kidney Function in an Australian Indigenous Population | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Dr Kirsty Pringle Co-Supervisors: Professor Clare Collins, Associate Professor Kym Rae and Dr Adrienne Gordon | Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy |
| Merridie Rees | Assessment and Management of Clinically Severe Obese Older People with Respiratory Co-morbidities | 2016 - 2024 | Co-Supervisor: Professor Clare Collins | Nursing and Midwifery |
| Jody Seaton | An Adaptation of the Existing Design and Technology/Food Technology Syllabus to Encourage Healthy Eating in Adolescents | 2013 - 2021 | Principal: Professor Clare Collins Co-Supervisor: Assoc Prof Tracy Burrows | Health Sciences |
| Janelle Skinner | Investigating Oxytocin as a biomarker to characterise Food Addiction | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Assoc Prof Tracy Burrows Co-Supervisors: Professor Manohar Garg and Assoc Prof Chrisotpher Dayas | Health Sciences |
| Zoe Szewczyk | Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Prenatal Nutrition Interventions and Infant Health Outcomes | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Professor Clare Collins | Health Sciences |
| Helen Taylor | Reducing Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Women with Gestational Diabetes and Early Obesity in their Offspring | 2015 - 2023 | Principal: Professor Clare Collins | Health Sciences |
| Rachael Taylor | Pregnancy and Postnatal Nutrition for Child Cognitive Development | 2016 - 2020 | Co-Supervisor: Professor Clare Collins | Medicine and Public Health |
| Nienke de Vlieger | Impact of Experiential Nutrition Education Using 3D Food Models and Mobile Technology in Children Aged 10-13 | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Dr Tamara Bucher Co-Supervisors: Dr Megan Rollo,and Professor Clare Collins | Health Sciences |
| Cheryl Watterson | Promoting Healthy Eating and Appropriate Weight Gain in Pregnancy | 2016 - 2024 | Principal: Professor Clare Collins Co-Supervisor: Dr Lesley McDonald-Wicks | Health Sciences |
| Megan Whatnall | Development and Evaluation of a Brief Online Nutrition Intervention for University Students | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Dr Melinda Hutchesson Co-Supervisor: Dr Amanda Patterson | Health Sciences |
Obesity
| Student | Project | Timeline | Supervisors | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lorraine Paras | Development, Implementation and Evaluation of a Family-based Intervention to Increase Physical Activity of Primary School-aged Children and their Parents: The FamilyFIT Study | 2010 - 2018 | Co-Supervisor: Professor Phil Morgan | Medicine and Public Health |
 | Emma Pollock | A mixed methods evaluation of the Dads And Daughters Exercising and Empowered (DADEE) Program | 2017 - 2021 | Principal Supervisor: Professor Phil Morgan | Education |
 | Ryan Drew | SHED-IT Recharge: Evaluation of a Scalable, Gender-Tailored Program to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Overweight and Obese Men with Depression | 2018 - 2021 | Principal Supervisor: Dr Myles Young Co-Supervisor: Professor Phil Morgan | Education |
Exercise Sciences
| Student | Project | Timeline | Supervisors | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maurice Bartholomuesz | Childhood Stress and Altered Psychphysiological Reactivity in Chronic Pain | 2008 - | Co-Supervisor: Professor Robin Callister | Psychology |
| Christopher Downs | An Analysis of Injury Databases of Amateur Netball Players | 2014 - 2020 | Principal: Professor Robin Callister | Health Sciences |
| Simon Harries | Resistance Training in Competitive Adolescent Rugby Union Players | 2011 - 2019 | Principal: Professor Robin Callister | Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy |
| Craig Richards | Influence of Shoe Design on Running Mechanics | 2007 - | Principal: Professor Robin Callister | Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy |
| Margaret Galloway | Investigating the minimum dose of exercise required to elicit a positive effect on fitness for stroke survivors | 2016 - 2020 | Co-Supervisor: Professor Robin Callister | Health Sciences |
| Urvashy Gopaul | ComPoSE - Combined Physical and SEnsOry training to improve arm function after stroke | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Professor Robin Callister | Health Sciences |
| Yasmina Nasstasia | The Antidepressant Effects of of Exercise Among Young People: Pathways to Change; Mind, Body or Behaviour? | 2012 - 2020 | Co-Supervisor: Professor Robin Callister | Medicine and Public Health |
| Angelica Quatela | The Role of Breakfast on Metabolic and Anthropometric Parameters in Healthy Individuals | 2014 - 2018 | Principal: Dr Lesley McDonald-Wicks Co-Supervisors: Dr Amanda Patterson and Professor Robin Callister | Health Sciences |
 | Sarah Valkenborghs | Aerobic Exercise to Increase Efficacy of Task-Specific Training for the Upper Limb after Stroke: A Feasibility Study | 2014 - 2018 | Principal: Professor Robin Callister | Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy |
Clinical and Experimental Nutrition
| Student | Project | Timeline | Supervisors | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kylie Abbott | Dietary Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation and the Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus | 2015 - 2019 | Principal: Professor Manohar Garg Co-Supervisor: Associate Professor Tracy Burrows | Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy |
 | Jessica Ferguson | Synergistic Effects of Phytosterols and Curcumin on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Hyperlipidaemic Individuals | 2015 - 2019 | Principal: Professor Manohar Garg | Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy |
 | Nisha Panth | Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids (FAs) and Resveratrol on Endothelial Function, Lipid Profile and Glucose Level in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Postmenopausal Australian Women | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Professor Manohar Garg | Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy |
Physical Activity and Nutrition in Schools
| Student | Project | Timeline | Supervisors | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Costigan | The Impact of High Intensity Interval Training on Physical and Psycho-Social Outcomes in Low-Active Adolescents | 2014 - 2018 | Principal: Professor Dave Lubans Co-Supervisor: Professor Ron Plotnikoff | Education |
 | Sarah Kennedy | Dissemination and Evaluation of the NEAT and ATLAS Physical Activity Programs Utilising the RE-AIM Framework | 2016 - 2020 | Principal: Professor Dave Lubans | Education |
| Edward Noon | A Longitudinal Examination of Elements Associated with Educational Outcomes: Testing an Integrated Whole-Child Whole-School Model of Learning in Disadvantaged High School Communities | 2011 - 2019 | Principal: Professor Dave Lubans | Education |
| Karen White | To Evaluate the Impact of a School-Based Health and Wellbeing Program for Adolescent Girls on Mental Health Outcomes and Physical Activity Levels | 2016 - 2022 | Principal: Professor Dave Lubans | Education |
NEWS • Jun 21.2019
New project to investigate the effect of exercise on stress in HSC students
Can exercise help stressed out HSC students? This new research project will...
NEWS • Dec 04.2018
$2.4 million program partnership to empower girls in sport
The NSW Government will invest $2.4 million in a statewide rollout of the U...
NEWS • Nov 30.2018
Exercise program a big HIIT for students’ fitness and mental well-being
A high intensity physical activity program targeting senior high school stu...
NEWS • Nov 27.2018
Call for fathers and preschoolers to take part in family health program
The University of Newcastle is calling for 150 dads with three to five-year...
NEWS • Oct 25.2018
Dads and Daughters Exercise Program stretches to London
A world-first lifestyle program developed at the University of Newcastle, d...
PhD SCHOLARSHIPS
Closing Date: 30 June 2019
Microbial Genomics for Assessing the Health of Water Resources
Disruption of the chemical and physical balance of aquatic microbial communities can result in the proliferation of harmful organisms, including…
PhD SCHOLARSHIPS
Closing Date: 30 June 2019
The Link Between Aberrations in the P53 Pathway and Outcome from DNA-Damaging Therapies in Breast Cancer
This project will involve analysis of breast cancer tissues by IHC and next-generation sequencing; as well as functional investigation in…
PhD SCHOLARSHIPS
Closing Date: 30 June 2019
Environmental Factors Controlling Absorption and Impact of Metallic Anions in Plants
This project will develop new information and modelling approaches for the absorption and impacts of metallic anions in plants, which…
PhD SCHOLARSHIPS
Closing Date: 01 July 2019
Optimising the Use of the 2D Computer-Vision FaceMatch Algorithm to Enhance Opportunities for Novel Intellectual Disability Gene Discovery and Reduced Time to Diagnosis of Syndromic ID.
A biomedical / biostatistics PhD scholarship to optimise the use of the 2D computer-vision FaceMatch algorithm (facematch.org.au) to enhance opportunities…
PhD SCHOLARSHIPS
Closing Date: 14 July 2019
Flood Disaster Risk Reduction through Effective Community Engagement
Effective community engagement is essential to public safety on floodplains. In times of global warming, floodplains face significant challenges from…