Professor Joan Duda PhD

1978-1981 Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Major: Sport Psychology

Joan L. Duda is a Professor of Sports Psychology in the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at The University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom and an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway.  She completed her B.A. (1977) in psychology at Rutgers University, her M.S. degree (1978) in physical education at Purdue University, and Ph.D. (1981) in Sport Psychology/Kinesiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Professor Duda is internationally known for her expertise on motivational processes and determinants of adherence and optimal functioning within physical activities as well as the psychological and emotional dimensions of sport, exercise, and dance. She is experienced in developing, implementing and evaluating theory-based interventions in healthy and clinical populations across the lifespan. Her work is marked by an integration of major theoretical frameworks, methodological advancements and incorporates field to lab-based studies employing sophisticated quantitative techniques and qualitative approaches.   Joan leads the Motivating Healthy Lifestyle theme within the Centre for Obesity Research and is associated with the Center on Healthy Ageing and Institute of Sport, Exercise and Movement.

Professor Duda is Past-President of the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology and has also been a member of the executive boards of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity, the Sport Psychology Academy, Division 47 of the American Psychological Association, and the International Society for Sport Psychology. She is currently on the Scientific Committee of the European College of Sport Sciences. She was Editor of the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, was on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology for 17 years and currently is Associate Editor of Motivation and Emotion and an Editorial Board member for the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, and the European Journal of Sport Sciences. A Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology, the European College of Sport Sciences, the International Association of Applied Psychology and the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Professor Duda has published over 220 scientific and applied papers and book chapters.  She is the editor of the book Advances in Sport and Exercise Psychology Measurement (1998) and co-editor of the Handbook of Applied Sport Psychology Research, with D. Hackfort and R. Lidor (2005). 

Professor Duda has been an invited keynote speaker in numerous countries around the world. In 1997, she was named the Visiting International Scholar by the Australian Sport Psychology Society. Based on her academic record and contributions to the field, she was appointed to Sub-Panel 46 for RAE 2008 and was the recipient of an honorary doctoral degree from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (2008). She is presently Principal Investigator or Co-investigator on projects (totaling over £3 million) supported by diverse funders including the European Commission (FP7 Health; see www.projectpapa.org), the UK Medical Research Council/National Prevention Research Initiative, the Economic and Social Research Council, BUPA Medical Research, The FA and the Association of Applied Psychology. 

Professor Duda has been a mental skills consultant for over 25 years, working with athletes, coaches, and parents at different competitive levels. She is certified as a Consultant by the Association of Applied Sport Psychology and listed on the US Olympic Registry. She was the sport psychology consultant for the USA Gymnastics Women’s Artistic National Team and the Women's US Olympic team that won the gold medal in the Atlanta 1996 Games. At Purdue University, she set up and directed the Mental Skills Training program that serviced intercollegiate athletes and coaches in tennis, track and field, softball, basketball, swimming, and wrestling. At The University of Birmingham, she works with TASS and USB sport-scholars and also offers consultation with other elite athletes and coaches with respect to performance excellence and motivational issues. In collaboration with the Winning Scotland Foundation and the Scottish Rugby Union, she has recently led (with Dr Jennifer Cumming) a 3 year study entailing the development, delivery and evaluation of a sport- and age-specific Mental Skills Training program for young elite rugby players. This is her 9th year being the performance psychology consultant for the Birmingham Royal Ballet.