Our research

The Biomechanics, Physical Performance and Exercise (BioPPEx) Research Group is a multi-disciplinary group focused on improving performance and decreasing injuries. The group is led by School of Health Sciences and Nursing researchers:

• Professor Tim Doyle
• Associate Professor Joel Fuller
• Dr Jodie Wills
• Dr Eoin Doyle.

Our group operates within the Performance and Expertise Research Centre and brings together experts in biomechanics, exercise science, physiotherapy, wearable technology, tactical performance, running injury and applied human performance research.

Our research context includes sport, exercise and occupational settings, with a common purpose of improving how people move, perform and tolerate physical demands. We commonly use:

• 3D motion analysis
• applied field-based methods
• body composition assessment
• markerless motion capture
• physical performance testing
• wearable sensors.

Researcher: Associate Professor Josephine Chau

Associate Professor Josephine Chau partners with Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) and the Smart Green Cities Research Centre to research and examine how the built environment influences health and wellbeing as Sydney continues to grow and increase in density.

The work contributes to NSLHD's Healthy Higher Density Living initiative and focuses on identifying strategies to create healthier, more liveable, and equitable communities. Projects include a study on Northern Sydney's highs and lows, which explores residents' experiences of higher-density living, and its impacts on health and wellbeing, as well as research examining liveability equity across Sydney.

Together, these projects generate evidence to inform urban planning, policy and community development, supporting healthier and more inclusive urban environments.

Researcher: Professor Nathaniel Marshall

The DREAMS Trial (Detection of nocturnal Respiratory Events AMong people living with Schizophrenia)

This is a one-year, Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF)-funded randomised non-inferiority trial involving 140 people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. It will compare the effectiveness and cost of three nights of home oximetry with standard polysomnography for diagnosing sleep apnoea.

Recruitment began in July 2026. Professor Marshall is the non-medical principal investigator of this four-site trial across Sydney and Brisbane along with Macquarie University Health Economists, Jonas Fookin and Rajan Sharma.

The DREAMS trial is registered at the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12625001310459).

Do humans sleep one half of their brains at a time the way dolphins do when they sleep in a liquid?

This is a pure sleep neurobiology project investigating whether there has been conservation of the marine mammal ability (notably dolphins) to sleep one half of their brain at a time when partially or completely submerged to avoid drowning.

Northern Fur seals have been recorded as being able to do this whilst at sea but once they become terrestrial (ie resting on the beach) whole brain sleep re-emerges. This has made us wonder, given the evolutionary history of the marine mammals and humans, whether this might be a conserved ability in Homo sapiens.

We aim to ascertain whether humans have conserved the ability to have slow wave sleep in one half of their brain at a time when sleeping in a fluid (unihemishperic slow wave). We will directly observe using polysomnography and subjective self report of humans napping in a highly concentrated epsom salt solution (float tank).

This project is being undertaken by PI Nat Marshall with Woolcock Research leader Angela 'd'Rozario and Macquarie Medical school MD students Jonathan Fung and Mikhail Gorval.

The Macquarie University Spinal Pain Research Centre is committed to reducing the personal and societal burden of spinal pain across all stages of life through multidisciplinary, high-quality, clinically important research.

Guided by a mission to provide world-class research, clinical trial leadership and implementation science expertise, the centre delivers innovative and scientifically rigorous programs that address issues important to healthcare providers, patients and policymakers.

Our multidisciplinary team leads national and international research projects, including ConnecTBack, GLA:D Back, WalkBack and I-SPY, which aim to improve the prevention, assessment and management of spinal pain.

The centre also develops practical resources for clinicians, educators and patients, including the Understanding My Low Back Pain booklet, low back pain curriculum content standards, and the BacKS tool, helping to translate research evidence into education, policy and clinical practice.

Researcher: Associate Professor Rimante Ronto

Associate Professor Rimante Ronto’s research program focuses on promoting healthy, sustainable and culturally responsive food systems and dietary practices. Her research examines how communication, digital technologies, food environments and culturally tailored interventions can support healthier and more sustainable dietary behaviours across diverse populations.

A key focus of Ronto's work has been young adults, investigating:

• cooking and food preparation skills
• food insecurity
• food literacy
• sustainable and healthy diets
• the use of mobile and web-based technologies to influence dietary behaviours
• vegetable consumption.

Her research also explores cultural diversity, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander food systems, and health equity. Using co-design, participatory and systems-based approaches, she develops interventions that are culturally appropriate, feasible and responsive to community needs.

Ronto supervises Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students across these areas and is also involved in a significant five-year research collaboration between Macquarie University and Hort Innovation investigating bioactives from fresh produce. Through this research, she contributes to strengthening the evidence base for innovative, sustainable and health-promoting food systems.

Researcher: Dr Kristy Burns

How can small to medium enterprises (SMEs) turn psychosocial hazard regulation into everyday practice? This question sits at the centre of Dr Kristy Burns' research, undertaken in partnership with Business NSW and in consultation with SafeWork NSW.

The work focuses on the distinct barriers faced by SMEs, including limited resources, competing priorities and constrained access to specialist expertise.

The research positions organisations as underused but viable options for SMEs with implementation. It also examines:

• regulatory compliance gaps
• the productivity impacts of psychological distress
• the lived experience of business leaders managing psychosocial risk.

A recent report, Translating psychosocial hazard regulation into practice in small to medium enterprises, draws on survey findings from more than 200 Business NSW members to detail the gap between regulatory awareness and practical compliance, and sets out the support small businesses say they need to close it.