Ruiwei Hong
Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Turning an idea into a real research project is what he enjoys most about doing a PhD, says Ruiwei Hong who came to AUT as an international student from China, supported by an AUT Doctoral Scholarship.
“I’m currently studying a Doctor of Philosophy in sport and exercise science. My PhD research looks at how long each person needs to recover after a demanding back squat session. People can respond very differently to the same workout, so the same recovery time may not suit everyone. I look at changes in performance, movement and how participants feel over the following 72 hours, then use machine learning to combine this information and predict whether someone is ready to train again after 24, 48 or 72 hours. I chose this topic because I hope it can help coaches and athletes make safer and more individualised training decisions.
“My master's degree was in human movement science, with a focus on sport engineering and sport big data. My research at that stage mainly focused on assessing human movement and posture. This experience made me interested in how technology and data can help us understand movement and training. I chose a PhD to build on this background and explore how these approaches could support safer and more individualised strength training. I chose AUT because of its strong applied focus in sport and exercise science and the research environment at the AUT Sport Research Institute New Zealand (SPRINZ). I was particularly attracted by the opportunity to work with Professor Michael McGuigan, whose expertise in strength and conditioning and athlete monitoring closely matches my interests.”
Ruiwei’s PhD research is supervised by Professor Michael McGuigan, with the support of Professor Kirsten Spencer and Dr Danielle Yang.
The right environment
Ruiwei has thoroughly enjoyed his PhD journey so far.
“AUT has given me the freedom to bring biomechanics, strength and conditioning, sport technology and machine learning together in one project. I didn’t expect my PhD to become so interdisciplinary. Learning to work across these areas has expanded both my research skills and the way I think about practical problems in sport science.
“AUT gives me access to excellent laboratories and measurement technologies, but the people around me have made the experience especially enjoyable. Regular discussions with my supervisory team and other researchers have helped me think more critically, improve my methods and connect my work with real problems in sport and training. I’m very grateful to the lab managers for their patience and practical help throughout my experiments.”
Auckland offers a great environment for his studies, he adds.
“What I enjoy most about Auckland is the balance between city life and nature. It’s easy to reach beaches, parks and walking tracks, which gives me a good way to relax outside my research. Auckland is also very multicultural, so as an international student I’ve been able to meet people from many backgrounds while still feeling connected to a diverse community.”
Advice for other students
Ruiwei has some great advice for other students who are considering a postgraduate research programme.
“Choose a topic you genuinely care about because a postgraduate research journey requires patience and sustained curiosity. Be proactive in communicating with your supervisors, ask for feedback early and make use of the wider research community around you. It’s also important to accept that progress is not always linear – small, consistent steps make a real difference over time.”
He wouldn’t hesitate to recommend a PhD in sport and exercise science to others.
“I’d recommend AUT's PhD programme to students who are genuinely interested in research and ready to take responsibility for their own project. The programme gives you the freedom to develop your ideas, with guidance and support from experienced supervisors when you need it. AUT also provides excellent research facilities and a supportive academic environment, and this has helped me develop both my research skills and confidence.”
