Rate My Professor Brandon Dykstra

Brandon J. Dykstra, PhD, serves as Department Chair and Associate Professor of Kinesiology at Taylor University, a position he has held since his promotion in August 2024, following his initial appointment as Assistant Professor in January 2019. He earned his Ph.D. in Human Bioenergetics from Ball State University in July 2019, with a dissertation titled 'Metabolic Flexibility during Exercise in Overweight/Obese Children vs. Lean Children,' advised by Anthony D. Mahon. His master's degree in Exercise Physiology came from the same institution in July 2015, with a thesis on 'Maximal Fat Oxidation Rate and Fat max in Boys and Girls at Two Different Maturity Levels.' Dykstra completed his B.A. in Physical Education–Exercise Science, with a minor in Business, at Calvin College in May 2012. Prior to Taylor, he served as a Doctoral Research Fellow and Graduate Research Assistant at Ball State University's Human Performance Laboratory from 2013 to 2019.

Dykstra's research specializes in exercise physiology, with a focus on pediatric populations, including metabolic flexibility, parasympathetic modulation during exercise, cardiorespiratory fitness in children with obesity, and physiological responses in youth. Notable publications include 'Cardiorespiratory and Muscular Fitness in Children and Adolescents with Obesity' (Current Cardiology Reports, 2024, co-authored with Griffith, Renfrow, Mahon, Harber); 'Metabolic Flexibility During Exercise in Overweight/Obese Children vs. Lean Children' (Pediatric Exercise Science, 2023); 'Effect of Maturation on Parasympathetic Modulation During Exercise and Recovery' (Scandinavian Cardiovascular Journal, 2022, with Guilkey et al.); 'Heart Rate Response and Variability Following Maximal Exercise in Overweight Children' (Pediatric Exercise Science, 2017); and 'Ratings of Perceived Exertion and Physiological Responses in Children During Exercise' (International Journal of Sports Medicine, 2017). He has presented research at conferences such as the Midwest Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine and the Obesity Society Annual Meeting, including recent works on secretory immunoglobulin A responses and clinical pediatric weight management. Awards include the Burnworth Teaching Award from Taylor University in 2024, Outstanding Doctoral Oral Presentation from the Midwest ACSM in 2015, and Graduate Student Research Award from the same organization in 2014. Dykstra teaches courses such as Physical Fitness Assessment, Therapeutic Exercise and Pharmacotherapy, Introduction to Exercise Testing, Cardiorespiratory Physiology and Chronic Disease, Marathon, and Living Well. He served on Taylor University's Assessment Council from August 2020 to May 2023.