Yusen Shan
Doctor of Philosophy candidate
He enjoys the freedom his PhD offers, says Yusen Shan who came to AUT as an international student from China to complete a Doctor of Philosophy in exercise physiology.
“What I love about doing a PhD is the freedom you have to explore the field you’re genuinely interested in, and the freedom you have to develop yourself in both research and industry. I had previously completed a master’s degree in exercise physiology and was lucky to work with some high-performance teams and athletes. A PhD felt like a good way to keep exploring the science behind high-level athletes’ performance, and to apply my learnings to help them better perform.”
Drawn to AUT by the opportunity to work with SPRINZ, he has found the right environment for his studies.
“The AUT Sport Research Institute New Zealand (SPRINZ) has a huge focus on the science of high performance, which has always been my major passion. Besides, SPRINZ is based at AUT Millennium, alongside Athletics New Zealand, High Performance Sport New Zealand and some other national sporting organisations. It’s always cool to be in the office, look out on the outdoor tracks and see some top-level athletes training there.”
Stress and recovery in football
For his PhD research, Yusen is focusing on stress and recovery balance in high-level football.
“In professional football, players will go through several phases across the season where they’re commonly exposed to acutely increased levels of stress, including during the intensified pre-season training and congested schedules. Some teams also apply environmental training to create additional stress for specific adaptations.
“My research looks into these periods, not only to examine the level of the stress players are experiencing, but also to see if the additional ingestion of dietary anthocyanins can help to mitigate the stress and improve recovery without hampering adaptation.”
Yusen’s research is supervised by Professor Andrew Kilding and Professor Caryn Zinn, and supported by an AUT Doctoral Scholarship.
Advice for other students
Yusen – who expects to graduate in 2027 and is working at the Sport Integrity Commission New Zealand alongside his studies – has some great advice for other students thinking about doctoral study.
“Always take on opportunities to develop yourself. Talk to your fellow research students and learn from them. Have a good balance of study, work, and life – it’s always so hard, but don’t give up finding that.”
He wouldn’t hesitate to recommend AUT to other students.
“I’d recommend studying here because you’re able to explore all the different opportunities to help you grow as a researcher or professional. I also made some good friends through my study here, and they’re all amazingly fit as one benefit of studying sport science is that you’re kind of coaching yourself through training and exercises. I really enjoy the sociable vibe within the SPRINZ office. A big shoutout to Andrew Yoon.”
