DrSimone Verswijveren

Dr Simone Verswijveren is a Heart Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Deakin Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition. Her research focuses on understanding how 24-hour movement behaviours, including physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep, influence health across childhood, generating evidence that informs public health policy and intervention design. Her work is characterised by methodological innovation, particularly through accelerometry and advanced statistical methods, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a commitment to advancing research capacity within the field.

Simone has established an international reputation as a methodological expert, reflected through high-quality publications in top-ranked journals, invited collaborations, editorial leadership, international conference invitations, and contributions to national and international policy development. She has secured over AUD$2.5M in national and international competitive funding. Simone formally manages the Deakin Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition's Equipment Office, strengthening research infrastructure and staff capability, and led an equipment donation initiative to address equity barriers to movement behaviour research in under-resourced settings across the Asia-Pacific region.

Simone holds sustained leadership roles within the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA, 2018-present), the leading society in her field with approximately 900 members across 53 countries. These include her current elected Member-at-Large position on the Executive Committee (2024-2027), chair of the "Building Future Leaders" program, and previous roles as chair of the Mentoring Committee and the Network of Early Career Researchers and Students (NESI).

Alongside her research program, Dr Verswijveren is committed to developing the next generation of researchers, having supervised 10 students (9 completed), several of whom have gone on to publish their thesis work and secure positions in academic or government settings. She welcomes enquiries from prospective postgraduate students interested in movement behaviour research, and can be contacted directly via email.