About the Author Brendan Burkett is an associate professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. He received his undergraduate and master’s degrees in engineering and attained his doctorate in biomechanics from the Australian Institute of Sport. Burkett’s specializations are teaching biomechanics, sports coaching, and performance enhancement. His research revolves around technology developments in human health and performance. Burkett has written more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and 180 conference publications for journals in sport science, biomechanics, and coaching. As an international elite athlete, Burkett represented Australia for 13 years as a swimmer and was the Paralympic champion, world champion, world-record holder, and multiple medalist in the Commonwealth Games and Australian national championships. He served as the Australian team captain for the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games and as the flag bearer for the Opening Ceremonies of the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Burkett served as the national sport science coordinator for the Australian Paralympic team for the 2002 and 2006 World Championships and the 2004 Paralympic Games. He also worked with the Australian swimming team in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He has received several awards, including the Australia Day Sporting Award, the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) as an ambassador for the Sydney Paralympic Games, and the Australian Sports Medal. Burkett was an invited scholar for the Erasmus Mundus Masters in Adapted Physical Activity in 2007 and was part of the Prime Minister’s 2020 Summit in the theme area of developing a long-term health strategy.
