UTS Physiotherapy research focuses on improving how people recover, move, manage pain, and participate in daily life.
Health research is a key strength of UTS’s research strategy. The strategy is underpinned by a significant five-year investment and has a focus on collaborative and interdisciplinary research; innovative technological approaches; commitment to researcher development and strengthening the relationship between research and teaching and learning.
We are especially interested in research that connects evidence with practice: better assessment, better communication, better rehabilitation, and better access to care. Our team works with students, clinicians, health services, communities and research partners to answer questions that matter in real-world physiotherapy.
Our researchers work across pain, rehabilitation, ageing, digital health, neurological recovery, musculoskeletal conditions, cardiorespiratory care and implementation science. We partner with clinicians, health services, communities and research students to produce evidence that can improve physiotherapy practice in the real world.
Interested in working with us?
We welcome enquiries from:
- prospective PhD and Master of Research students
- clinicians and health services interested in research partnerships
- community organisations and industry partners
- researchers seeking collaboration
- postdoctoral and early career researchers
How to enquire about a research degree:
1. Explore our research themes and supervisors.
2. Read the relevant supervisor’s current projects.
3. Email us with your CV, academic transcript, research interests, and preferred supervisor.
Supervisors
The following supervisors are open to receiving expressions of interest:
| A/Prof Bruno Saragiotto | Bruno supervises projects on digital health, telehealth and implementation science, especially where new models of care can improve access and outcomes for people with chronic musculoskeletal pain. |
| Dr Joshua Pate | Josh works with PhD and MRes students interested in children’s pain, pain science education, pain assessment, artificial intelligence, public communication and how evidence can be translated into schools, clinics and families. |
| Dr Peter Stubbs | Peter’s HDR supervision areas include stroke, traumatic brain injury, emerging technologies, meta-research and database research, all linked by a focus on improving physiotherapy evidence and practice. |
| Dr Anthony Nasser | Tony studies hip and buttock pain, gluteal tendinopathy, proximal hamstring tendinopathy, ischiofemoral impingement, femoroacetabular impingement and sports physiotherapy. |
| Dr Poonam Mehta | Poonam supports research on pain, physical function and ageing, including projects that use systematic reviews, clinical studies and measurement approaches to improve physiotherapy assessment and care. |
| Elise Robinson | Elise explores how people experience and respond to movement, physical activity and functional tasks, including work on movement-evoked pain, resilience and performance. |
| A/Prof Rafael Zambelli de Almeida Pinto | Rafael supervises research on evidence-based musculoskeletal care, chronic pain management and physiotherapy approaches that aim to improve outcomes for adults and older people. |
| Dr Mark Overton | Mark works with students on pain, knee osteoarthritis, low back pain, daily symptom tracking, quantitative sensory testing, self-management, physical activity and interprofessional rehabilitation. |
| Dr Lucy Robertson | Lucy studies neurorehabilitation, proprioception, outcome measurement and physiotherapy practice. |
| Jack Reeves | Jack researches cardiorespiratory physiotherapy, pulmonary telerehabilitation, post-COVID respiratory recovery and preventing complications after major surgery. |
Current student research projects
Our current research students are working on the following projects:
- Max Hopes: Establishing inclusion criteria for proximal hamstring tendinopathy research
- Laura Stendell: Living with a Spinal Cord Injury in the Community: Are people meeting the recommended clinical guidelines for physical activity?
- Melani Boyce: Balance and Fall in People with Cervical Dystonia
- Moges Gashaw Getnet: Promoting self-management support for people with chronic low back pain
- Tamer Sabet: The Development of a Core Outcome Set (COS) for Neck Pain for Routine Use in Clinical Trials and Clinical Practice
- Rebecca Fechner: Bridging the Gap with Paediatric Chronic Pain in Schools
- Nusrat Hamdani: Promoting Active Aging: Understanding Physical Activity Management in Older Population
- Jennifer Norton: Upskilling and training non-technical skills of community clinicians working with children challenged by chronic pain
- Elizabeth Lush: Promoting a sense of safety during the care of persistent pelvic pain
- Biara Webster: The building blocks of better understanding the pain vs damage relationship to improve pain science education
Prospective student research projects
Please see the complete list of Supervisor research projects. If you are interested in completing an MRes or PhD at UTS, you can reach out to a potential supervisor, and use these links to find out more:
Doctor of Philosophy (C02099)
Master of Physiotherapy (Research) (C03059)
Scholarships
The Graduate School of Health offers a range of competitive scholarships to support outstanding research students who are seeking to undertake a PhD.
Work with us
We welcome expressions of interest from enthusiastic researchers at all career stages.
Email gsh.future@uts.edu.au to make a confidential enquiry.