Rate My Professor Kanon Uchiyama

Dr. Kanon Uchiyama is a Teaching Fellow at the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago. Originally from Australia, she completed a BSc(Hons) in Sport Science, Exercise and Health at the University of Western Australia, where her honours research investigated heat stress on mine-shift workers. She then pursued an industry-applied PhD at the same institution, examining sleep, travel, and recovery in professional rugby union players with the Western Force, where she served as the sport scientist for three seasons. Her qualifications include PhD(UWA), AES, and ASpS. Following her doctoral work, Uchiyama developed a passion for teaching and mentoring students at the University of Western Australia before joining the University of Otago to guide the next generation of exercise professionals. At Otago, she teaches courses such as SPEX 205 Physical Activity and Health and SPEX 310 Exercise for Clinical Populations, and supervises postgraduate students in clinical exercise physiology.

Uchiyama's research focuses on sleep behaviours in all populations, sleep for performance and recovery in elite athletes, effects of travel fatigue and jet lag on performance in elite athletes and flight crew, and the relationship between sport-related concussions, sleep, and recovery symptoms. Her work falls within sport and exercise physiology. Key publications include 'Sleep architecture immediately after a sport-related concussion sustained during a professional rugby union match: A retrospective case study' (2025, International Journal of Sports Physiology & Performance), 'Sleep architecture is altered with travel and matches in professional rugby union players' (2025, Journal of Sports Sciences), 'Immediate effects of overnight long-haul travel on physical and cognitive performance and sleep in professional male Rugby Union players (a 2-part study)' (2025, International Journal of Sports Physiology & Performance), and 'The influence of rest break frequency and duration on physical performance and psychophysiological responses: A mining simulation study' (2022, European Journal of Applied Physiology). She is currently welcoming Honours and Master’s students beginning 2026.