Dr Stephen Bird is a leading academic, researcher, and international speaker with expertise in strength and conditioning, and performance science. Dr. Bird holds a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology, is Australian Strength and Conditioning Association (ASCA) Level 3 Certified and Professional coach status; National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Registered Strength & Conditioning Coach (Emeritus). His academic and professional works in the area of strength and conditioning, and performance science span more than 20 years, with Dr Bird’s research examining the application of strength and conditioning methods, nutritional supplementation, and performance science technology on athletic performance. He has published in the areas of strength training techniques, resistance training for children and youth, application of integrative training and strength competencies in youth, nutritional supplementation following acute and chronic resistance training, and athlete recovery strategies. He has served as an Academic Member on the ASCA Education Advisory Panel, Scientific Conference Committee and Associate Editor for the Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning. Notably, Dr. Bird possesses extensive international competition experience, attending the 2008 Beijing and 2016 Rio Olympic Games as part of the Indonesian Olympic Team, 2017 Rugby League World Cup (Scotland Rugby League), 2018 Emerging Rugby League World Championships (Poland Rugby League), 2018 Commonwealth Games (Basketball Scotland), 2016/17 UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup and World Championships.
Dr. Bird was Director of Strength and Conditioning at the Western Region of Sport (WRAS) from 2006-2015, within his academic appointment at Charles Sturt University. During this time, he provided professional mentorship for 29 student-interns within the S&C Internship Program servicing 1200 pre-elite youth athletes. The SCI program is a four-time winner of the NSCA Strength of America Award, with Dr. Bird receiving the 2015 ASCA Mentor Coach of the Year. From 2015 to 2018, he held the position of Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise Science at James Cook University (JCU) Cairns Queensland and was Director of the High Performance Sport Initiative (2016/18) and is currently the Program Director of Strength and Conditioning (Postgraduate Coursework) at the University of Wollongong.
Dr. Bird brings a diversity of experience to the role of Editor-in-Chief for the IUSCA Journal, adding:
“It is an honor to lead this strength and conditioning collaboration for the IUSCA Journal and world-leading universities in offering the world's first free-to-submit, free-to-publish, open access journal within the field of strength and conditioning. Such a platform provides a pathway for undergraduate and postgraduate students, and academic staff, to publish strength and conditioning research through an innovative community peer-review model, that will allow all members of the IUSCA community to take part in the review process.”
The IUSCA Journal
The IUSCA Journal will be the world's first free-to-submit, free-to-publish, open access journal within the field of S&C.
There has been a recognised need for innovation and progression within the field, to ensure that evidenced based research and articles are available to the entire sports science community. Often, research will take several years to be published, be subject to high publications costs, and the content will then only be accessible through a paywall.
Furthermore, in order to help bridge the gap between academia and the field of practice, there is a need to open up publication to a broader range of academics, students, coaches and other practitioners. The IUSCA Journal aims to deliver a unique and innovative model to transform the current industry.
Are you interested in the IUSCA Journal, or do you have a piece of original research?
Head over to the IUSCA Journal to find out more about the journal, or to submit your piece of research!