Our people

Professor Gert-Jan Pepping

Deputy Head
School of Behavioural and Health Sciences

Areas of expertise: perception and action; wearable technology; sport; performance; falls; built-environment; embodied healthy ageing.

Phone: 07 3623 7550

Email: gert-jan.pepping@acu.edu.au

Location: ACU Brisbane Campus

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-5926-2000

Gert-Jan has extensive research experience in the field of embodied healthy ageing, an area of science that has its roots in the understanding of human movement and its role in ageing and performance. His research explores innovative avenues for the optimisation of environments for human performance and healthy activity. Gert-Jan has national, and international collaborations with multiple overseas universities and has successfully secured research funding from local and nationally competitive funding bodies. He reviews manuscripts for leading journals in movement science, holds peer review editorial positions and reviews grants for national and international organisations. He is an executive member of the Australasian Skill Acquisition Network and has served as scientific chair and organised international research conferences. Gert-Jan is research lead for the Perception-in-Action research and STOP-Falls research group at ACU.

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Select publications

• le Rossignol, P., Miles, S., Saunders, J., & Pepping, G.-J. (2022). Physical activity in university health science students: Motivations influencing behaviors. Journal of American College Health, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2022.2119397
• Trotter, M., Sanders, P., Lindquist, M., Miller, E., Hajirasouli, A., Blake, A., Harrington, R., Olsen, H., Tyvimaa, T., Pepping, G.-J., Kuys, S., & Drogemuller, R. (2022). Intergenerational living and learning: The value and risks of co-locating retirement villages on secondary school campuses - Evaluating the GrandSchools vision. Australasian Journal on Ageing. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/ajag.13111.
• Cronström, A., Cole, M., Chalkley, D., Van Andel, D., Pepping, G.-J., & Creaby, M. W. (2022). Acute effect of traditional and adaptive metronomes on gait variability in older individuals with a history of falls. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-021-02066-9.
• Johnson, C. D., Eagle, S. R., LaGoy, A. D., Sinnott, A. M., Pepping, G.-J., & Connaboy, C. (2021). Establishing and applying measurement reliability in perceptual-motor coordination tasks. Ecological Psychology, 3(3-4), 297-311. https://doi.org/10.1080/10407413.2021.1965479.
• Johnson, C. D., Eagle, S. R., Nindl, B. C., Lovalekar, M. T., Flanagan, S. D., Pepping, G.-J., & Connaboy, C. (2021). The effects of fatiguing exercise and load carriage on the perception and initiation of movement. European Journal of Sport Science, 21(1), 36-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2020.1725137
• Connaboy, C., Sinnott, A. M., LaGoy, A. D., Krajewski, K. T., Johnson, C. D., Pepping, G.-J., Simpson, R. J., Bower, J. L., & Alfano, C. A. (2020). Cognitive performance during prolonged periods in isolated, confined, and extreme environments. Acta Astronautica, 177, 545-551. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.08.018
• LaGoy, A. D., Sinnott, A. M., Ambarian, M., Pepping, G.-J., Simpson, R. J., Agha, N. H., et al. (2020). Differences in affordance-based behaviors within an isolated and confined environment are related to sleep, emotional health and physiological parameters. Acta Astronautica, 176, 238-246. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.06.034
• Brymer, E., Araujo, D., Davids, K., & Pepping, G.-J. (2020). Conceptualising the human health and wellbeing outcomes of acting in natural environments: An ecological perspective. Frontiers in Psychology. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01362
• McGuckian, T. B., Beavan, A., Mayer, J., Chalkley, D., & Pepping, G.-J. (2020). The association between visual exploration and passing performance in high-level U13 and U23 football players. Science and Medicine in Football. http://doi.org/10.1080/24733938.2020.1769174
• Johnson, CD., Eagle, SR., Nindl, BC., Lovalekar, MT., Flanagan, SD., Pepping, G.-J., & Connaboy, C. (2020). The effects of fatiguing exercise and load carriage on the perception and initiation of movement. European Journal of Sport Science. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2020.1725137
• McGuckian, T. B., Cole, M., Chalkley, D., Jordet, G., & Pepping, G.-J. (2020). Constraints on visual exploration of youth football players during 11v11 match-play: The influence of playing role, pitch position and phase of play. Journal of Sports Sciences 38(6).
• Eagle, S. R., Kontos, A. P., Pepping, G.-J., Johnson, C. D., Sinnott A., LaGoy, A., Connaboy, C. (2020). Increased risk of musculoskeletal injury following sport-related concussion: a perception-action coupling approach. Sports Medicine, 50(1), 15-23. http://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01144-3
• Connaboy, C., LaGoy, A. D., Johnson, C. D., Sinnott, A. M., Eagle, S. R., Bower, J. L., Pepping, G.-J., Simpson R. J., Alfano C. A. (2020). Sleep deprivation impairs affordance perception behavior during an action boundary accuracy assessment. Acta Astronautica, 166, 270-276. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2019.10.029
• Porter, C., Greenwood, D., Panchuk, D., & Pepping, G.-J. (2020). Learner-adapted practice promotes skill transfer in unskilled adults learning the basketball set shot. European Journal of Sports Science, 20(1), 61-71. http://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2019.1611931
• Johnson, C. D., LaGoy, A. D., Pepping, G.-J., Eagle, S. R., Beethe, A. Z., Bower, J. L., et al. (2019). Action Boundary Proximity Effects on Perceptual-Motor Judgments. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, 90(12), 1000-1008. http://doi.org/10.3357/AMHP.5376.2019
• van Andel, S., McGuckian, T. B., Chalkley, D., Cole, M. H., & Pepping, G.-J. (2019). Principles of the Guidance of Exploration for Orientation and Specification of Action. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 13, 734-11. http://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00231
• Warman, G., Cole, M., Chalkley, D., Johnston, R., & Pepping, G.-J. (2019). Using microtechnology to quantify torso angle during match-play in field hockey. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 33(10), 2648-2654. http://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003238
• Van Andel, S., Cole, M., & Pepping, G.-J. (2019). Associations between gait-related falls and gait adaptations when stepping onto a curb: A prospective falls study. Journal of Aging and Health, 27, 309-315. http://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2018-0124
• Van Andel, S., Cole, M., & Pepping, G.-J. (2019). Influence of age and falls incidence on TauG guidance of centre of pressure movement during gait initiation. Gait & Posture 70, 104-108. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2019.02.030
• Johnson, C. D., Beethe, A. Z., Eagle, S. R., Mi, Q., Lovalekar, M. T., Pepping, G.-J., Nindl, B. C., Flanagan, S. D., Connaboy, C. (2019). POMS fatigue scale is responsive to fatiguing protocol but shows no relationship to perceived or performance decrements. Translational Sports Medicine, 2(3), 153-160. https://doi.org/10.1002/tsm2.65
• Connaboy, C., Johnson, C., LaGoy, A., Pepping, G.-J., Simpson, R., Deng, Z., Ma, L., Bower, J. L., Eagle, S. R., Flanagan, S. D., & Alfano, C. (2019). Intersession Reliability and Within-Session Stability of a Novel Perception-Action Coupling Task. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, 90(2), 77-83. https://doi.org/10.3357/AMHP.5190.2019
• McGuckian, T. B., Cole, M. H., Chalkley, D., Jordet, G., & Pepping, G.-J. (2019). Visual Exploration When Surrounded by Affordances: Frequency of Head Movements Is Predictive of Response Speed. Ecological Psychology, 31(1), 30-48. http://doi.org/10.1080/10407413.2018.1495548
• McGuckian, T. B., Cole, M. H., Jordet, G., Chalkley, D., & Pepping, G.-J. (2018). Don't turn blind! The relationship between exploration before ball possession and on-ball performance in association football. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(DEC), 441. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02520
• van Andel, S., Cole, M. H., & Pepping, G.-J. (2018). Regulation of locomotor pointing across the lifespan: Investigating age-related influences on perceptual-motor coupling. PLoS One, 13(7), e0200244-16. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0200244
• van Andel, S., Cole, M. H., & Pepping, G.-J. (2018). Perceptual-motor regulation in locomotor pointing while approaching a curb. Gait & Posture, 60, 164-170. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2017.12.006
• Croft, J., Pepping, G.-J., Button, C., Chow, J. (2018). Children's perception of action boundaries and how it affects their climbing behavior. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 166, 134-146. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2017.07.012
• Shepherd, J. B., Giblin, G., Pepping, G.-J., Thiel, D., & Rowlands, D. (2017). Development and validation of a single wrist mounted inertial sensor for biomechanical performance analysis of an elite netball shot. IEEE Sensors Letters, 1(5), 1-4. http://doi.org/10.1109/LSENS.2017.2750695
• Chalkley, D., Shepherd, J. B., McGuckian, T. M., & Pepping, G.-J. (2017). Development and validation of a sensor-based algorithm for detecting visual exploratory actions. IEEE Sensors Letters, 2(3), 1-4. http://doi.org/10.1109/LSENS.2018.2839703
• Pritchard, B. T., Stanton, W., Lord, R., Petocz, P. & Pepping, G.-J. (2017). Factors Affecting Measurement of Salivary Cortisol and Secretory Immunoglobulin A in Field Studies of Athletes. Frontiers in Endocrinology. http://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2017.00168/
• McGuckian, T., Cole, M., & Pepping, G.-J. (2017). A systematic review of the technology-based assessment of visual perception and exploration behaviour in association football. Journal of Sports Sciences. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2017.1344780
• Postma, D. B. W., Smith, J., Pepping, G.-J., van Andel, S., & Zaal, F. T. J. M. (2017). When a fly ball is out of reach: catchability judgments are not based on optical acceleration cancelation. Frontiers in Psychology, 8(868), 1427-8. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00535
• Hettinga, F. J., Konings, M. J., & Pepping, G.-J. (2017). The science of racing against opponents: affordance competition and the regulation of exercise intensity in head-to-head competition. Frontiers in Physiology, 8, 239-246. http://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2017.00118
• van Andel, S., Cole, M. H., & Pepping, G.-J. (2017). A systematic review on perceptual-motor calibration to changes in action capabilities. Human Movement Science, 51(C), 59-71. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2016.11.004

Projects

• 2022-2024 An analytical approach to measure the representativeness of practice environments in Australian Football (PhD Scholarship, AU$90,000; PI). ACU/Essendon Football Club Fund.
• 2022 Ageing Well in Queensland Survey (AU$30,000; CI). Community of the Aged - Queensland.
• 2021 Health and Wellbeing Benefits of Intergenerational Farming - A Systematic Review of the Quantitative and Qualitative Literature (AU$9,906.54; CI). ACU, FHS Research Project Grant.
• 2021 Relationship Between Head Impacts and Visual Exploration in Sport: A Proof-of-Concept Pilot Study (AU$3,000; CI). ACU, FHS Research Project Grant.
• 2020-2021 Virtual Practicum: Implementing and Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Learning Environment for the Delivery of Practicum in the Exercise Science Discipline (AU$11,410; CI). ACU, Teaching Development Grant.
• 2020-2025 An Inter-generational Learning and Living Campus: A New Model for Healthy Senior Living and Integrated School Communities across Urban and Regional Australia (AU$1,156,152.75; CI-C). NHMRC Ideas Grant.
• 2019 Promoting gait adaptability through organized walking in the community: a pilot study (AU$10,000; PI). ACU, FHS Research Project Grant.
• 2018-2019 Virtual Reality Track Cycling Simulator (AU$100k; Co-Investigator). Sports Science Innovation Grant, Advance Queensland.
• 2018-2021 Understanding and measuring the transfer of decision-making and related perceptual skills in expert team-sport performers (AU$62,500; Co-PI). University of the Sunshine Coast/ Queensland Academy of Sport.
• 2017 The contribution of perceptuo-motor deficits to falls in high-risk clinical groups (AU$2,000; PI). ACU Undergraduate Research Internship.
• 2016-2019 Developing Technology to Investigate Exploration and Perception-Action Expertise for Interpersonal Decision-Making in Field Hockey (PhD Scholarship, AU$105,000; PI). ACU/Queensland Academy of Sport.
• 2015-2017 Improving Postural Sway Control in Elite Archers Using Biofeedback Training Tools. Australian Institute of Sport (AU$18,500; PI). QAS (Queensland Academy of Sport).

Accolades and Awards

• Australian Catholic University, Banyo, Australia. Faculty of Health Sciences Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Learning and Teaching (Team Award), June 2017.
• University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Lecturer of the Year 'Web Award', February 2010.
• University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Lecturer of the Year, Faculty of Medicine, University Medical Centre Groningen, October 2009.

Appointments and Affiliations

• 2019 - 2022: Adjunct Professor of Sports Medicine and Nutrition, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition, University of Pittsburgh, US.
• 2017 - to date: Executive Member Australasian Skill Acquisition Research Group.
• 2010 - to date: Research Fellow Member of the Perception Movement Action Research Consortium - University of Edinburgh (http://www.pmarc.ed.ac.uk/).

Editorial roles

• Associate Editor Frontiers in Psychology (section Human Movement and Sport Psychology).
• Research Topic Editor Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (section Biomechanics): Human Movement and Motor Control in the Natural Environment.
• Science Mentor Frontiers for Young Minds (section Understanding Neuroscience).
• Advisory board-member Journal of Sports Sciences (section Social and Behavioural Sciences).

International journal review panels

• Peer review for international journals, funding bodies, and institutions, including: Acta Psychologica, Asia Pacific Journal of Education; Biological Psychology; Ecological Psychology; European Journal of Sport Sciences; Experimental Brain Research; Frontiers in Psychology; Human Movement Science; International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology; International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology; Journal of Applied Sport Psychology; Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance; Naturwissenschaften; Neuroscience Letters; PLOS One Psychology of Sport and Exercise; Revista de Psicologia del Deporte; Science and Medicine in Football; Sports Medicine; Visual Cognition; Perception;

Grant agency review panels

• Dutch Health and Medical Research Council (ZonMW); UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC); UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC); Queensland Academy of Sport; NHMRC.

Public engagement activities

• 2022 - GrandSchools Design Sprint
• 2012 - The 'Love Hormone' as Sports Enhancer: https://archive.nytimes.com/well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/21/the-love-hormone-as-sports-enhancer/