Rate My Professor Tina Van Duijn

Dr Tina van Duijn is a Lecturer in the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Otago, joining the institution in 2024. She earned a BSc and MSc in Sport and Biology from the University of Bern in Switzerland, along with a Swiss Higher Education certificate for teaching. She completed her PhD in skill acquisition at the University of Waikato in 2018 after moving to New Zealand in 2015. In her teaching role, she delivers SPEX 202: Motor Behaviour and SPEX 317: Neural Control of Movement. She currently co-supervises PhD student Kane Cocker and has supervised graduates including Dominic Faulkner (BSc Hons, University of Newcastle, 2024), Kiljan Luc de Block (MSc, VU Brussels, 2022), and others at institutions such as University of Otago and VU Brussels. Beyond academia, she serves as a scientific advisor to the Swiss Lifesaving Society and as an assistant editor for the International Journal of First Aid Education, where she translates abstracts into German and Dutch.

Dr van Duijn's research centres on enhancing motor skill learning and performance by examining neurophysiological and cognitive processes, with a focus on implicit learning's impact on brain activity and cognitive efficiency. She applies these concepts to real-world scenarios, including relearning activities of daily living for older people, water safety competencies, first aid, and lifesaving skills. Her drowning prevention work collaborates with Water Safety New Zealand and the Swiss Lifesaving Society, while a current project develops CPR resources for low-income and remote communities. Key publications include 'Systemic drowning prevention: A theoretical framework for the development of evidence-based interventions' (van Duijn, Abächerli, & Hafen, 2025, International Journal of First Aid Education); 'Energetic and cognitive demands of treading water: Effects of technique and expertise' (van Duijn, Button, Cotter, & Masters, 2023, Journal of Sports Science & Medicine); 'Can analogy instructions help older people (re)learn activities of daily living?' (van Duijn, Uiga, & Masters, 2024, Journal of Gerontology & Geriatrics); 'Assessing the quality of chest compressions with a DIY low-cost manikin (LoCoMan) versus a standard manikin' (Peixoto-Pino et al., including van Duijn, 2024, European Journal of Pediatrics); and highly cited works such as 'Advances in implicit motor learning' (2019, 205 citations) and 'The influence of equipment and environment on children and young adults learning aquatic skills' (2021, 29 citations). Her contributions advance skill acquisition in sports science and public health safety.