Three people walking together along Curry Place at the University of Manitoba Fort Garry campus.

Based on the themes set forth in the University of Manitoba's Strategic Research Plan, FKRM research is categorized into themes of culture, creative works and integrative research in health and well-being.

FKRM research is funded by local, national and international funding agencies. Researchers are funded by all three of the Tri-Council Agencies (Canadian Institute of Health Research, Natural Science and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council), as well as by other funding agencies such as the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, Manitoba Health Research Council, Manitoba Medical Services Foundation, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

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Our researchers

  • Headshot of Dr. Ayesha Saleem

    Ayesha Saleem, PhD

    Assistant professor

    Dr. Saleem's research mainly focuses on deciphering the extracellular signalling as mediated through extracellular vesicles, which regulates the interplay between host tissue and imposed challenges. These challenges can be physiological, metabolic, environmental or developmental.

  • Ben-Schellenberg-Headshot

    Ben Schellenberg, PhD

    Assistant professor

    Dr. Schellenber's research explores sport psychology with a research focus on understanding how people can engage in their favourite activities in a way that produces the most benefits (e.g., high levels of performance and well-being), while avoiding potential costs (e.g., conflict, burnout). Other topics of study include savouring, self-compassion, coping, and perfectionism.

  • Brian Rice, pictured in the Active Living Centre

    Brian Rice, PhD

    Professor

    Dr. Rice explores qualitative land-based education with a focus on Indigenous community building.

  • Cheryl-Glazebrook-Headshot

    Cheryl Glazebrook, PhD

    Associate professor

    Dr. Glazebrook's research program seeks to understand how the nervous system integrates information from different senses to perform precise movements. Particularly interested in understanding the processes of multisensory-motor integration to develop an understanding of perceptual-motor performance in individuals with developmental disorders as well as neurological disorders and injuries.

  • Headshot of Dr. Christine Van Winkle

    Christine Van Winkle, PhD

    Professor

    Dr. Van Winkle's research is interested in visitors’ experiences at events and attractions, understanding visitor learning in free-choice environments, exploring the effects of technology on the visitor’s experience at attractions.

  • Dan-Henhawk-Headshot

    Dan Henhawk, PhD

    Assistant professor

    Dr. Henhawk researches multiple conceptualizations of leisure and the socio-cultural study of sport and recreation. Specifically interested in how understandings and meanings of leisure are changing in relation to understandings of work. Focused on Indigenous notions of decolonization, indigenization, sovereignty and self-determination.

  • Headshot of Dr. Douglas Brown

    Douglas Brown, PhD

    Professor

    Dr. Brown's research explores the origins of the Modern Olympic Games, early Canadian Mountaineering and winter sports. Explores themes such as identity, ethnicity and human agency within sport as well as the aesthetics or poetics of sport participation.

  • Liz Ready

    Elizabeth Ready, PhD

    Senior Scholar

    Dr. Ready's research is interested in physical health and functional benefits of physical activity in older adults. Explores the impact of age-friendly neighbourhoods on physical activity and health.

  • Headshot of Dr. Fabiana Turelli

    Fabiana Turelli, PhD

    Assistant Professor

    Dr. Turelli's research explores connections between theory and practice regarding Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), and focusing on mainly ethnographic qualitative research. Seeking to adapt and conciliate this method with collaborative-work, in the manner of participatory action research.

  • Headshot of Dr. Fenton Litwiller

    Fenton Litwiller, PhD

    Associate professor

    Dr. Litwiller's research focuses on recreation for social inclusion and well-being. Uses participatory action research methods to cultivate understandings on how to create welcoming and inclusive recreation environments for individuals with mental illness. Researches drag performance with LGBTQ youth to explore gender, in particular, gender identity and gender expression.

  • Gordon-Giesbrecht-Headshot

    Gordon Giesbrecht, PhD

    Professor

    Dr. Giesbrecht studies human responses to exercise/work in extreme environments. Conducts cold-water immersion studies that have provided valuable information about cold stress physiology and pre-hospital care for human hypothermia. Other research interests include human physical and mental performance in other stresses such as altitude and diving.

  • Headshot of Dr. Janet Lawson

    Janet Lawson, PhD

    Assistant Professor

    Dr. Lawson's research explores classification in parasport, quality participation of persons with disabilities in physical activity sport and exercise psychology and physical activity behaviour changes.

  • jay johnson pictured smiling

    jay johnson, PhD

    Professor

    Dr. johnson explores the role of climate change on our physical experiences. Investigates how Indigenous youth experience the built environment and outdoor adventure-based education. Examines gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality and homophobia in team initiation rituals.

  • Headshot of Dr. Jonathan Singer

    Jonathan Singer, PhD

    Associate professor

    Dr. Singer's research works to advance knowledge of the specific neuromechanical mechanisms by which humans maintain stability, and understand why clinical populations, such as older adults and stroke survivors, experience challenges with stability control.

  • Headshot of Dr. Leisha Strachan

    Leisha Strachan, PhD

    Professor

    Dr. Strachan's research focuses on positive youth development in sport. Specifically interested in examining the experiences and various outcomes of children and youth in recreational to high performance sport programs.

  • Headshot of Dr. Mandi Baker

    Mandi Baker, PhD

    Assistant Professor

    Dr. Baker's research explores the emotional demands (emotion work), people skills (Affective Abilities) required, and organizational contexts (power-relations) in people-centric service work. She explores these concepts in organized outdoor experiences, youth and community development, recreation, and leisure contexts, and, progressively, in health service provision including clinical practice.

  • Marion Alexander, pictured outside of the Dr. Marion Alexander Research Centre

    Marion Alexander, PhD

    Senior Scholar

    Dr. Alexander's research interests focus primarily on sport biomechanics, or the analysis of athletes using filming techniques and computerized analysis programs.

  • Michelle Porter, pictured outdoors

    Michelle Porter, PhD

    Professor

    Dr. Porter's research is Interested in research pertaining to older adults. Themes include mobility, age-friendly environments, and physical activity.

  • Phillip Gardiner, pictured at event

    Phillip Gardiner, PhD

    Professor Emeritus

    Dr. Gardiner is interested in the adaptations that occurs in the nervous and neuromuscular systems as a result of increased and decreased physical activity, aging, spinal cord injury, stroke, obesity and type 2 diabetes. Adaptations that are of interest include electrophysiology, morphology, and gene expression.

  • Russell-Field-Headshot

    Russell Field, PhD

    Associate professor

    Dr. Field examines the socio-cultural study of sport and physical activity. Focused on the lived experience of sport participants, the desire to separate organizational rhetoric from local remains and the integration of oral history with archival sources as a methodological approach. Interested in the cultural representations of sport and physical activity found in both narrative and documentary films.

  • Rodrigo-Headshot

    Rodrigo Villar, PhD

    Assistant professor

    Dr. Villar's research focuses on determining the underlying mechanisms involved in the cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscular integrative regulation to physiological challenges. Uses postural changes and exercise as a framework to elucidate the role of perfusion pressure, O2 availability, and vascular conductance/resistance in the regulation of blood flow and O2 uptake and the implications for the muscular system especially the muscle pump.

  • Headshot of Dr. Sarah Teetzel

    Sarah Teetzel, PhD

    Associate professor

    Dr. Teetzel's research looks at applied ethical issues in sport with emphasis on the intersection of rules and values. Areas of expertise include the Olympics, doping and drug testing in sport and gender issues in sport.

  • Shaelyn-Strachan-Headshot

    Shaelyn Strachan, PhD

    Associate professor

    Dr. Strachan's primary objective is to promote health through adherence to physical activity. Research centers on self-related variables and the role of these construct in the self-regulation of exercise.

  • Headshot of Dr. Stephanie Chester

    Stephanie Chesser, PhD

    Assistant professor

    Dr. Chesser's research explores the intersection of leisure, aging, health and well-being. She is particularly interested in ways we can create more inclusive communities for people to live, work, study and recreate in. Within her research, she uses qualitative methods grounded in reciprocity, respect, and the centring of participant perspectives.

  • Stephen-Cornish-Headshot

    Stephen Cornish, PhD

    Associate professor

    Dr. Cornish focuses on exercise and nutritional immunology. Concerned with the effects that exercise and nutritional interventions can have in ameliorating chronic low-grade inflammation that is observed in many cases of chronic disease.

  • Steven-Passmore-Headshot

    Steven Passmore, PhD

    Associate professor

    Dr. Passmore utilizes a theoretical and applied background in perceptual motor behaviour to explore performance-based outcome measures in an attempt to objectively determine population characteristics, movement outcomes and sustainability of interventions.

  • Todd-Duhamel-Headshot

    Todd Duhamel, PhD

    Professor

    Dr. Duhamel's research examines the role of physical activity for the prevention, as well as treatment, of cardiovascular disease. Utilizes exercise physiology as a tool to identify novel therapeutic targets and signaling pathways that regulate cardiovascular and skeletal muscle health.

  • Headshot of Dr. Trisha Scribbans

    Trisha Scribbans, PhD

    Assistant professor

    Dr. Scribban's research focuses on understanding the neuromuscular mechanisms that control of force production and movement of the upper extremity, with a particular emphasis on the role of scapular position and movement in shoulder and scapulothoracic mechanics/pathomechanics.

  • Veronica-Silva-Headshot

    Veronica Silva, PhD

    Assistant professor

    Dr. Silva's research program is dedicated to understanding the determinants of successful mobility in naturally challenging conditions with a focus on the visual perception and executive mechanisms underlying the control of posture and locomotion.

Adjunct and cross-appointments

Our collaborations reach far and wide, providing our graduate students with extensive research opportunities and experiences.

Undergraduate Research Awards

Undergraduate Research Awards provide a number of unique learning opportunities for undergraduate students in all fields and ranges of research. The Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management is proud to participate in these programs.

Please explore the list of researchers below who are currently accepting URA student applications.