Prof Stephen Bird
| Name | Prof Stephen Bird |
|---|---|
| Email Address | stephen.bird@unisq.edu.au |
| Job Title | Professor (Sport and Exercise Science) |
| Qualifications | BHumMov(ExSc) Charles Sturt, BHumMov(Hons) Charles Sturt, PhD Charles Sturt |
| Department | School of Health and Medical Sciences |
| Affiliations | Centre for Health Research |
| ORCID | https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5607-3829 |
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Biography
Professor Stephen Bird is the Director of High-Performance Sport within the School of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Southern Queensland. An internationally recognised performance scientist and strength and conditioning coach, Stephen has led athlete support systems for elite sport programs across six countries. His career includes participation in 26 pinnacle sporting events, including two Olympic Games, culminating in Olympic gold.
Stephen was the inaugural recipient of the ESSA Medal in 2006 with his initial research characterising the independent and combined effects of carbohydrate / essential amino acid ingestion during resistance training. He has contributed to strength and conditioning profession as an Academic Member of the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association (ASCA) Education Advisory Panel and Scientific Conference Committee and serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Strength and Conditioning.
An accredited practitioner with Exercise and Sports Science Australia (AEP), the Nutrition Society of Australia (RNutr), and multiple international strength and conditioning organizations (ASCA Level 3 PCAS-Professional; NSCA CSCS and RSCC*E), Stephen’s career spans professional roles in the NRL, NBL, and WNBL, alongside major international events, including the Commonwealth and Olympic Games, FIBA Asia Cup and EuroBasket, Rugby League World Cup, and UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.
Stephen has held key positions such as Senior Performance Advisor for the NSW Swifts (Suncorp Super Netball Champions), Performance Team Lead for Basketball New Zealand (2020–2024), and currently serves as Strength and Conditioning Lead for GB Basketball (Women) for the Los Angeles Olympic cycle. His ongoing research focuses on optimising health and performance in elite female athletes.
Currently, Stephen leads the Student-Athlete Empowerment Project 2 WIN, a comprehensive program designed by the University of Southern Queensland to support student-athletes in the region through innovative education and research initiatives. 2 WIN aims to inspire and develop the next generation of champions.
Employment
| Position | Organisation | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professor | University of Southern Queensland | 2022 | |
| Associate Professor | University of Southern Queensland | 2020 | 2022 |
Expertise
Prof Bird’s current research examines the many disciplines of "performance science" related to the application of strength and conditioning methods, nutritional supplementation and sports science technology on health and athletic performance.
Current projects:
1) Basketball New Zealand female athlete health
2) Pupillometry: A novel strategy to determine preparedness in professional basketball
3) Sleep in the NBA: Current issues and possible solutions
4) Physical preparation strategies in the NBA: Underpinning factors
Potential graduate students interested in any of the following projects should email or phone:
1) Passive heat maintenance and on-court performance in professional male basketball players
2) Post-activation potentiation on power profiles in professional women basketball players
3) Vitamin D status of Women’s National Basketball League players from tropical and non-tropical environment
4) Nutritional supplementation for performance: nutrient timing, multi-nutrient supplementation, immune function
Teaching
SES3206 Strength Training & Conditioning
SES5102 Sports Nutrition & Supplementation for Health and Performance
SES5106 Injury Prevention & Rehabilitation for Athletes
SES6202 Monitoring Athlete Workload, Health & Performance
Fields of Research
- 321006. Sport and exercise nutrition
- 420702. Exercise physiology
Professional Membership
| Professional Membership | Year |
|---|---|
| Australian Strength and Conditioning Association | |
| National Strength and Conditioning Association | |
| International Universities Strength and Conditioning Association | |
| Exercise and Sports Science Australia | |
| Nutrition Society of Australia |
BHumMov(ExSc)
Charles Sturt
2002
BHumMov(Hons)
Charles Sturt
2003
PhD
Charles Sturt
2007
Supervision Interests
Passive heat maintenance and on-court performance in professional male basketball players
Post-activation potentiation on power profiles in professional women basketball players
Vitamin D status of Women’s National Basketball League players from tropical and non-tropical environment
Nutritional supplementation for performance: nutrient timing, multi-nutrient supplementation, immune function
Current Supervisions
| Research Title | Supervisor Type | Level of Study | Commenced |
|---|---|---|---|
| The value of load monitoring for determining positive and negative outcomes in professional football | Principal Supervisor | Doctoral | 2022 |
| Melatonin-rich foods: A novel nutritional strategy to optimise sleep | Principal Supervisor | Doctoral | 2024 |
| Prevalence and associations between patellar tendon symptomology, movement quality, and physical performance characteristics in professional and collegiate court-sport athletes. | Principal Supervisor | Doctoral | 2021 |
| Investigating levels of operational preparedness in paramedic personnel through pupillometry, ocular biofeedback measures and autonomic nervous system biomarkers following fatiguing stimuli. | Principal Supervisor | Doctoral | 2021 |
Completed Supervisions
| Research Title | Supervisor Type | Level of Study | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|
| An evidence-base for novel fatigue monitoring strategies in professional basketball | Associate | Doctoral | 2023 |
| Training and performance of basketball players: Current practice and future options | Associate | Doctoral | 2024 |
| Do the Different Phases of the Menstrual Cycle Influence Maximal Strength in Female Team Sport Athletes | Principal Supervisor | Masters | 2024 |
| Exercise for people with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or Systemic Sclerosis | Associate Supervisor | Doctoral | 2023 |
| Project title | Details | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Quantum advanced wearable sensor technology for injury prevention in youth athletes | 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺 𝟮𝟬𝟯𝟮 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 | $832,410 | Research Team: Dinh, T., Tran, T.T., Mills, D., & Bell. J., & Bird, S.P. | Collaboration: University of Southern Queensland & University of Technology Sydney. | 2025 |
| AI-driven markerless motion capture enhancing youth athlete assessment | 𝗖𝗦𝗜𝗥𝗢 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 | $240,000 | Research Team: Hoffman, B., Pincheira, P., Stone, J., Aristizabal, D., & Bird, S.P. | Collaboration: University of Southern Queensland & Toowoomba Grammar School. | 2025 |
| Solomon Islands Elite Sport Experience | 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗼 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 | $18,000 | Collaboration: University of Southern Queensland & Solomon Islands Sport and Leadership Institute. | 2022 |
| Female athletes menstrual cycle & hormonal contraception knowledge | 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 (𝗔𝗜𝗦) 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 | $34,816 | Research Team: Larsen, B., Quinn, K., McNamara, A, Newans, T., & Bird, S.P. Collaboration: University of Southern Queensland & Toowoomba Grammar School. | 2022 |
| Sport Science in the Pacific | 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗼 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 | $13,200 | Collaboration: James Cook University & Papua New Guinea Sport Foundation | 2018 |
| Date | Name | Awarding organisation | Underpinning research |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Prime Minister’s Support Team Scholarship Award | High Performance Sport New Zealand | |
| 2016 | Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Innovation and Change | James Cook University | |
| 2006 | ESSA Medal (Inaugural recipient) | Exercise and Sports Science Australia | |
| 2015 | Life Membership Award | Western Region Academy of Sport | |
| 2005 | Graduate Research Award | National Strength and Conditioning Association | |
| 2004 | Scholar Award | International Society for Chronobiology |