Work

What I do for work, in under 100 words

I am a data specialist and researcher with a background in human performance science.

I love working with people who are striving to achieve things that have never been done before, and I am fascinated by the challenge of helping individuals and teams to perform at their peak when it really matters.

My coding tools of choice are R, R Markdown / Quarto, Shiny, and SQL.

I am comfortable with GUI data visualisation tools like Power BI (+ DAX) and Tableau, and I am learning Python (for data science) and p5.js (for making generative art).

Work experience

Current employment

Strategic Insights Analyst
Callaghan Innovation - Auckland, New Zealand
2023 – present

Past experience

Head of Intelligence - Acting (2023)
Team Leader - Knowledge Edge (2019–2023)
Senior Insights Researcher (2018–2019)
High Performance Sport New Zealand - Auckland, New Zealand
2018–2023
 
Guest Lecturer, Sessional Academic
Australian Catholic University (School of Behavioural and Health Sciences) - Melbourne, Australia
2015, 2017–2019, 2021–2022
 
Research Fellow (Joint Appointment)
Geelong Cats Football Club & Deakin University - Geelong, Australia
2015–2017
 
Mentor & Sports Science Consultant
BioLAB: The Victorian Bioscience Education Centre - Geelong, Australia
2011–2017

Projects and contract work

I am proud and humbled to have worked with elite and sub-elite sporting organisations and tertiary education providers as a contributor to their performance science, research, and teaching programmes:

In Australia

Australian Institute of Sport Combat Centre, Victorian Institute of Sport, Bowls Australia, Nunawading Spectres Basketball Club, Deakin University, University of Canberra

In New Zealand

Rowing New Zealand, Snow Sports New Zealand, New Zealand Rugby, Hockey New Zealand, New Zealand Olympic Committee, Paralympics New Zealand, Auckland Rugby Union, Auckland University of Technology

Open source contributions

Education

Doctor of Philosophy
Thesis title: “Monitoring training loads and athlete wellness: Relationships with rowing performance”
My PhD programme was supported by a collaboration between Rowing Australia, the Australian Institute of Sport, and Deakin University
Deakin University | Degree conferred October 2015

Bachelor of Exercise & Sport Science (First Class Honours)
Thesis title: “Validation of accelerometer data in field team sports activities”
Deakin University | Degree conferred April 2010

Bachelor of Exercise & Sport Science
Major: Exercise Physiology
Deakin University | Degree conferred April 2009

Selected presentations and publications

You can find my Google Scholar profile here.

Invited talks and workshops

Books and book chapters

  • Bosch, T.A. & Tran, J. (2022). Data delivery and reporting. In D. French & Torres Ronda L. (Eds.), NSCA’s essentials of sport science (pp. 313-338). Human Kinetics.
  • Robertson, S. & Tran, J. (2022). Learning. In D. Joyce & D. Lewindon (Eds.), High-performance training for sports (pp. 357-367). Human Kinetics.

Journal articles

On team sport performance analysis:

  • Taylor, N., Gastin, P.B., Mills, O., & Tran, J. (2020). Network analysis of kick-in possession chains in elite Australian football. Journal of Sports Sciences, 38(9), 1053-1061. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2020.1740490
  • Young, C.M., Luo, W., Gastin, P.B., Tran, J. & Dwyer, D. (2019). Modelling match outcome in Australian football: Improved accuracy with large databases. International Journal of Computer Science in Sport, 18(1), 80-92. https://doi.org/10.2478/ijcss-2019-0005
  • Young, C.M., Luo, W., Gastin, P.B., Tran, J., & Dwyer, D.B. (2019). The relationship between match performance indicators and outcome in Australian football. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 22(4), 467-471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2018.09.235

On sleep and athletic performance:

  • Roberts, S.S.H., Bowe, S.J., Evans, L., Tran, J., & Warmington, S. (2022). Does game-day circadian misalignment or environmental temperature influence team performance in the Australian Football League? An examination of historical data. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 25(7), 593-598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2022.03.001
  • Lalor, B.J., Tran, J., Halson, S.L., Kemp, J.G., & Cormack, S.J. (2021). Business class travel preserves sleep quality and quantity and minimizes jet lag during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 16(10), 1490-1501. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2020-0689
  • Lalor, B.J., Halson, S.L., Tran, J., Kemp, J.G., & Cormack, S.J. (2020). A complex relationship: sleep, external training load, and well-being in elite Australian footballers. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 15(6), 777-787. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2019-0061
  • Lalor, B.J., Halson, S.L., Tran, J., Kemp, J.G., & Cormack, S.J. (2018). No compromise of competition sleep compared with habitual sleep in elite Australian footballers. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 13(1), 29-36. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2016-0776

On contributors to injury in elite sport:

  • Hoffman, D.T., Dwyer, D.B., Tran, J., Clifton, P., & Gastin, P.B. (2019). Australian Football League injury characteristics differ between matches and training: A longitudinal analysis of changes in the setting, site, and time span from 1997 to 2016. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2325967119837641