Professor Ian Stewart

Heat Stress Lead

PhD (University of British Columbia), Master of Science in Human Kinetics (University of British Columbia), BPhEd (Hons) (University of Otago)

Prof Stewart’s doctoral degree was conferred from the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada) in May 2002, where he was awarded a University Graduate Fellowship and was twice an Academic All-Canadian. He was appointed as a lecturer to the School of Human Movement Studies, Queensland University of Technology in 2002 and subsequently promoted to senior lecturer in 2008, associate professor in 2012 and full professor in 2017. An inaugural member of the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) working across the Human Health and Wellbeing and Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation domains. Prof Stewart’s research has two major focuses: environmental/occupational physiology, and clinical exercise physiology. Within these major areas, he undertakes laboratory investigations and applied field work. The laboratory work is centred on the human response to environmental stressors which includes extreme heat and humidity, and reduced oxygen/blood flow (hypoxia, apnea and ischemia). The field work is applied in nature, with the use and development of telecommunications and computing technology to improve health care delivery, and to monitor physiological signals for health maintenance and injury prevention. As an accredited exercise physiologist (AEP, Exercise and Sport Science Australia) and certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS, National Strength and Conditioning Association, USA), he has provided exercise prescription expertise to numerous research projects targeting prevention, as well as rehabilitation for chronic disease populations. The environmental/occupational physiology research area has seen Prof Stewart lead investigations related to environmental heat stress. This work has involved working with mining and security industries as well as police/military organisations in Australia and the USA. This work has seen the development of national operating procedures in the area of heat stress management, as well as multiple reports to industry and government organisations. He has also served as an expert witness in industrial court cases. Prof Stewart has been successful in obtaining in excess of $7.5 million of competitive grant funding; internationally (Department of Defence, USA), nationally (NHMRC, Research Support for National Security, DSTO, CBR Counterterrorism, ARC-Linkage, Department of Health and Ageing, Asthma Foundation, Heart Foundation) and through industry partnerships. He has published 3 invited book chapters and 87 referred journal articles. These publications are in international journals, predominantly ranked in the top 5 of the Sport Science discipline or in the parent disciplines of Medicine or Physiology. The quality of the articles is highlighted by in excess of 2300 citations and an H-index of 26 (Google Scholar, July 2020). He has had 29 completions (15 PhD, 2 MPhil, 4 MSc, 8 Hons (all 1st class)), and is currently supervising 11 PhD and MPhil students. All students have progressed successfully through the recognised academic milestones and have gone on to significant destinations including academic, government and medical positions, highlighted by awarding of the 2011 Queensland Rhodes Scholar to Dr Amanda Rojek.

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