Research stories

Dr. Marina Mourtzakis, a researcher in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, has been awarded a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Integrative Metabolism, Imaging and Muscle Health.

Dr. Clark Dickerson has received $486,233 from the Canadian Cancer Society's 2026 Challenge Grants program to investigate the causes of shoulder problems that can occur following breast cancer treatment.

Dr. Andrew Ramsook, a professor who joined the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences in 2025, has received a $100,000 grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) for research into advanced respiratory muscle mechanics.

Dr. Andrew Laing, Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo, has been appointed Schlegel Research Chair in Mobility and Aging for a five-year term starting July 1, 2026.

Subtle differences in speed, step length and rhythm could offer a low-cost tool for improving diagnosis at the earliest stages of neurodegeneration. 

Dr. Heather Keller discusses the need to transform mealtimes in Canada’s long-term care homes from a service to a meaningful form of care.

Dr. Laura Middleton and the Dementia Capable Communities project team help communities rethink how they plan and deliver everyday services so that people living with dementia are respected, supported and included. 

Dr. Jordan Cannon, an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, received funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation to fund a modular biomechanics suite to study joint function and dysfunction in athletes during movement.

Faculty of Health study aims to improve the quality of life for people living with dementia in ethno-racial communities

New research challenges gender bias in aviation performance using eye-tracking technology and flight simulation 

Dr. Heather Keller awarded nearly $1M for training and evaluation related to mealtime experiences of people living in long-term care.

Kinesiology and Health Sciences Professor Lora Giangregorio has been awarded a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Bone Health and Exercise Science, with a funding allotment of $1.4 million.

New study finds one-third of Canadian adults aged 55 or older are nutritionally at risk, potentially leading to increased hospital stays, more emergency visits and physician consultations for possible infections.

Waterloo sport scientist helps to optimize mobility for national wheelchair basketball athletes.

A new study finds that dynamic sitting (involving movement in a chair with a rotating seat pan) increases lower spine movement without negatively impacting posture or evoking pain.

A new study predicts motorcycle riding postures using digital human software, finding that shorter and taller statured individuals are more vulnerable to discomfort.

Kinesiology and Health Sciences associate professor Dr. Paolo Dominelli has received an Early Researcher Award, valued at $100,000.

Dr. Kaylena Ehgoetz Martenshas received both a Canada Research Chair, Tier 2, in Gait and Neurodegeneration, as well a Canada Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) grant.

The grant will allow for evaluating and spreading the impact of the healthy lifestyle program, designed for people living with dementia and their care partners.

Dr. Kaylena Ehgoetz Martens receives a portion of $1.35 million USD for research in Parkinson’s freezing of gait symptom.

Kinesiology professor Nikolas Knowles receives a Canada Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund for his project to help slow or prevent joint deterioration from osteoarthritis.

A new study, led by researchers at the University of Waterloo, found that the subjective visual vertical – a measure of how individuals perceive the orientation of vertical lines – shifted considerably after participants played a high-intensity VR game. 

The DREAM project has developed a new series of learning modules and resources with an aim to improve how community service providers support and include persons living with dementia in their wellness programs and services, especially those related to physical activity and healthy eating.

Dr. Nikolas Knowles, a researcher in Kinesiology and Health Sciences, is studying a new imaging technology to assess shoulder osteoarthritis. 

The Faculty of Health’s Human Anatomy Laboratory, which is housed in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, offers the perfect location for surgeons to test procedures on cadaver donors.

Engineering and Health experts at the University of Waterloo are collaborating on research that may lead to breakthroughs in preventing a serious, all-too-common injury — broken bones. 

A group of researchers from the University of Waterloo is providing community partners with training and resources to support people living with dementia.

Researchers have linked the fitness of elite soccer players to the positions they play. The ability to make this assessment can help coaches regulate individual training loads based on player position.

Synthetic cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive compound also found in the cannabis plant, appears to prime the innate immune system of cells, potentially offering protection against pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2.

Remote monitoring of health-related behaviour with wearable sensor technology is feasible for people with complex health conditions, shows a recent University of Waterloo study.

Many things change when a person is diagnosed with dementia, but one thing that doesn’t have to is the ability to exercise.

Marina Mourtzakis, a Kinesiology professor who leads Waterloo’s Centre for Community, Clinical and Applied Research Excellence, examines how to exercise safely as a cancer survivor during or after treatment.

Persons with neurodegenerative diseases can monitor at home

Flip-flops have a tendency to come off the foot entirely during slips in dry and wet conditions, contributing to a greater risk of injury, says a University of Waterloo study.

We talked to sports mental performance consultant Wade Wilson in the Department of Kinesiology to help us understand some of the risks of convening the major leagues to play again.

The study, conducted by the Brain and Body Lab at the University of Waterloo, is asking people of different age groups how vulnerable they believe they are to COVID-19.

If your workspace is not optimized, chances are that you may experience at least one of the following issues: sore shoulders, neck pain, back pain, eye strain, or repetitive wrist strain.

The human body is a complicated, intertwined network of systems that miraculously allows us to walk, breathe, talk and understand others, normally without any thought as to how we do it. 

Sex differences in airway size are not innate, but likely develop because of hormonal changes around puberty, reports a new study.

A storyline with emotionally evocative details can reduce virtual reality cybersickness for some people, according to a new study.

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut David Saint-Jacques will return to Earth in a few days after more than six months in space.

People who stand at work for long periods of time might be able to avoid lower back pain by intermittently using a footrest, says a new study by researchers at the University of Waterloo.

Playing games in virtual reality (VR) could be a key tool in treating people with neurological disorders such as autism, schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease.

The researchers examined whether mindfulness meditation could be used in large classrooms to ease the anxiety first-year university students tend to experience around written assignments.

The pushup is a highly adaptable exercise that can be tailored to help individuals with specific needs, say a team of UWaterloo researchers who studied a modified pushup, called a ‘pushup plus.’

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have made progress toward predicting who is likely to feel sick from virtual reality technology.

A team of Waterloo researchers found that applying artificial intelligence to the right combination of data retrieved from wearable technology may detect whether your health is failing.

Nearly half of people who use a standing desk are at risk of developing lower back pain, according to a study at the University of Waterloo.