Te Ariki Olsson Lamar Turepu Roos

"I am PhD candidate in the Department of Exercise Sciences, exploring the applications and intended effects of nonverbal behaviour in rugby and how it may influence skilled movements and joint skill execution.

"My particular interest involves understanding how psychological factors influence motor performance and how that in turn can impact skill execution through different behavioural mechanisms.

"During both my undergraduate (BSc) and postgraduate (BSc Hons) degrees I took exercise and performance psychology courses.

"Pursuing PhD research was the result of gradual exposure to exercise sciences, along with performance psychology by extension, as a topic throughout my studies.

"I was originally interested in becoming a mental skills instructor, which involves working with athletes to sharpen their mind to better hone their sports performance.

"After undertaking a research project exploring how psychological factors impact motor performance, I realised that going directly into mental skills wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to have a deeper understanding of the relationships between cognition, movement and overall sports performance.

"Through discussions with my supervisor, it became clear that pursuing my doctorate would not only help improve my knowledge and understanding of such topics but also make me an asset to any sports teams that I work with in the future.

"I have been fortunate enough to have received a University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship and a research stipend, which has allowed me to focus more on my studies.

"I have met a lot of great people and made some lifelong friendships during my time at the University. I don’t think I would be where I am today without the support of some amazing staff members, such as my honours supervisor and my current supervisor for my doctorate.

"Outside my studies, I enjoy strength training, carving, playing music and going to live shows. I have also made a recent return to playing rugby myself."