Introduction to Kinesiology

Duane V. Knudson, PhD, is a Regents’ Professor and University Distinguished Professor in the department of health and human performance at Texas State University, where he teaches biomechanics and statistics. He earned his PhD in biomechanics from the University of Wisconsin and has held tenured positions at three universities. His research focuses on the biomechanics of tennis, stretching, qualitative movement diagnosis, learning biomechanical concepts, and research quality.

Knudson has published over 190 peer-reviewed articles, 29 chapters, and three books: Fundamentals of Biomechanics, Qualitative Diagnosis of Human Movement, and Biomechanical Principles of Tennis Technique. He has received numerous national and international scholarly awards and is a fellow of four scholarly societies, including the prestigious National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK) and the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports. Knudson was picked by Stanford University and Elsevier for the World’s Top 2% Scientists list in the subfield of sport sciences by in 2023 and 2024. He was also named by ScholarGPS to the Highly Ranked Scholars list (top 0.5% over the last five years in kinesiology) for 2022 and 2024. He has served as department chair, associate dean, and president of both the American Kinesiology Association (AKA) and the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports, and he was secretary-treasurer for NAK from 2025 to 2026. He received the Jerry R. Thomas Distinguished Leadership Award from the AKA in 2017.

Timothy A. Brusseau, PhD, is a professor and chair of the department of health and kinesiology at the University of Utah. Dr. Brusseau is a fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK), Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America), American College of Sports Medicine, National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education (NAKHE), and the International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education. Brusseau is a national expert on youth physical activity, physical activity measurement, and school-based multicomponent physical activity interventions.

He has 171 peer-reviewed publications and has made more than 200 conference and invited presentations. He is a coauthor of Dynamic Physical Education for Secondary School Students, and he coedited the Routledge Handbook of Youth Physical Activity. He is the leadership institute director for NAKHE and is currently serving as president of the American Kinesiology Association (AKA).