Professor Wylleman (Vrije Universiteit, Brussels) is a former President of the European Federation of Sport Psychology (FEPSAC) and is founder and coordinator of the European Forum for Applied Sport Psychologists in Topsport (FAST), which brings together sport psychology service providers working with elite and Olympic athletes and teams.
During his visit to Loughborough, he will present an IAS lecture entitled ‘To develop or not to develop: A research and applied perspective on talent in elite sport’ on 27 February, from 1:30pm-2:30pm in SCH1.01 (Schofield Building).
Professor Wylleman will be hosted by Professor Chris Harwood, from the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, who is the co-academic lead for the Motion theme.
Professor Wylleman is visiting the University through the IAS Personal Development in Motion sub-theme, and he will share his insights into how young athletes develop and transition through adolescence, their adult sport careers, and manage retirement from their athletic career.
During his time in Loughborough, he will present to the Sports Performance theme in the School of Sports, Exercise and Health Sciences, and the performance support staff and coaches within Sports Development Centre. He will also take part in a PhD and Early Career Researcher workshop and panel discussion, Examining the interfaces between research, practice, teaching and management in elite sport on Friday 1 March.
Talking about the visit, Professor Harwood said: “It is a great pleasure to bring Professor Wylleman to Loughborough to share his research and practical insights on athlete development over the career, and the factors that underpin both mental health and performance across the lifespan of being a dedicated athlete.
“His combined work as a practitioner, manager and researcher resonates with our approach to excellence in sport at Loughborough.”
The ‘Motion’ theme - led by Professor Harwood and Professor Vicky Tolfrey – will be exploring different concepts of motion in collaboration with high-profile international academics, extending beyond individual movement to encompass forms of transportation, assisted living, personal comfort, life course changes, performance and precision engineering.
Other academics who will be visiting the University later this year to discuss the Motion theme include Professor Rory Cooper (University of Pittsburgh) and Professor Ahmed Shabana (University of Illinois at Chicago).
The Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) aims to promote an outstanding, interdisciplinary research environment at Loughborough by supporting collaborations with leading international scholars from other institutions.
It brings high profile leading researchers to the campus to collaborate with University staff and host formal and informal events, such as public lectures, academic conferences and postgraduate workshops.