Research

The Department of Kinesiology and Health Education is ranked #9 by the National Academy of Kinesiology and has consistently averaged research expenditures above $4 million per year.  This success is due to the work of several research labs and facilities aimed at promoting and understanding physical activity, health promotion, movement, behavior, physical culture and sport. Research in our department is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and many foundation and corporate funders. 

Labs and Research Areas

Adaptation to Stress and Health Resilience Lab

Focus areas include diabetes self-management interventions, the role of positive emotions in reducing depressive symptoms, and the relationship between chronic psychosocial stress and metabolic health.

Autonomic Control of Circulation Laboratory

Investigates the effects of type 1 and type 2 diabetes on the neural control of circulation during exercise.

Cardiovascular Aging Research Laboratory

Investigates the influence of aging and lifestyle modifications on vascular function and disease risks.

Clinical Exercise Physiology Laboratory

Examines the cardiovascular limitations to exercise capacity in healthy individuals and clinical populations.

Exercise & Sport Psychology Laboratory

Develops interventions to increase physical activity and health eating, and seeks to understand the benefits of exercise for mental health.

FALCON Lab

Studies the organization of memory systems with the goal of developing targeted treatments for memory disorders.

Fitness Institute of Texas

Provides clinical research services for health/fitness research and conducts the popular “Get FIT” program. Outcome measures include body composition, bone density, and cardio-respiratory and musculoskeletal health assessments.

Health and Integrative Physiology Laboratory

Investigates the mechanisms underlying the link between lifestyle behaviors, metabolic health, and chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in at-risk populations.

Human Locomotion Lab

This Human Locomotion Lab studies how biomechanics affect physiology and performance. Within this broad scope, we have a particular focus on how body dimensions and muscle-tendon mechanics affect endurance, balance, and speed.

Human Performance Laboratory

Investigating the types of physical activity and exercise that keep people healthy and allow them to achieve their physical potential.

Migration and Health Lab

Focuses on better understanding how migration-related factors influence vulnerability to substance abuse and related harms among Latino communities in the U.S. and Mexico.

Neural Cardiovascular Control Laboratory

Investigates the underlying mechanisms for attenuated vascular function and heightened sympathetic activation in at-risk populations such as African Americans and in clinical populations.

Neuromuscular Physiology Research Laboratory

Conducts studies specializing in the investigation of neuromuscular control patterns in healthy, clinical and aging populations with the use of intramuscular fine-wire recording and electrical stimulation.

Neurorehabilitation and Biomechanics Lab

Seeks to understand the mechanisms of biomechanical and neuromuscular control of normal and pathological movements and to apply this knowledge to design interventions that improve functional movements.

Physical Activity and Core Laboratory

Supports investigators conducting research related to physical activity and exercise interventions.

Physical Culture and Sport Studies at the Stark Center

The world’s most extensive collection of materials, books, journals and artifacts covering topics of sport training, sport history, sport philosophy, sport management, physical culture and alternative medicine.

Prevention Research Lab

Examines how the marketing of unhealthy products impacts youth and young adults’ behaviors. Explores how risk behaviors may co-occur among adolescents and young adults.

Sensorimotor Neuroplasticity Lab

Studies the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying control of normal and abnormal human movement.

Sport + Development Lab

An innovative network of research groups and practitioners working to advance the development of sport systems and sport’s impact on individuals and communities.

Tobacco Research and Evaluation Team

Conducts research on youth and young adult tobacco use, and develops effective tobacco prevention programs and intervention tools that are easily accessible for various populations.