BaySpo goes Melbourne

The two research assistants Melinda Herfet (Chair of Sport Science III) and Matthias Anderski (Chair of Marketing & Sportmanagement) of BaySpo - Bayreuth Center for Sport Science at the University of Bayreuth are each going to Melbourne, Australia, for twelve months as part of their respective Joint PhD Programs. While Melinda Herfet is interning at Deakin University with Director Prof. Anna Timperio at the Department of Sport and Nutrition Science (IPAN), Matthias Anderski is at La Trobe University with Prof. Dr. Geoff Dickson, Director of the Centre for Sport and Social Impact, during his time in Melbourne. The two are the first academic staff members of BaySpo to conduct a joint doctoral project with a partner university.

Melinda Herfet focuses on sport psychology and is investigating the relationship between active transportation and nonverbal intelligence. As Melbourne is a particularly active city with a well-developed, very bicycle-friendly infrastructure, this exchange in combination with the well-equipped laboratories at Deakin University offers an excellent opportunity to extend her research together with her team of supervisors.

During his stay in Australia, Matthias Anderski and his supervisors Prof. Dr. Ströbel, Prof. Dr. Geoff Dickson and Prof. Dr. Rachel Fuller will conduct intensive research on the topic of athlete activism and apply qualitative and quantitative research methods in various studies. In addition, the program includes collaboration with the Australian counterpart, Francis O'Neill, who will come to Bayreuth in 2024 for his year abroad.