Research/Specialization
Faculty and students within Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences conduct and lead research studies throughout the year. The department has well-equipped laboratories used for teaching and research including: Biomechanics, Exercise Physiology, Functional Food and Human Health, Lifestyle and Biobehavioral Health, Physically Demanding Professions Research, and Sport Performance, Education, and Economic Development (SPEED).
Biomechanics Laboratory
The Biomechanics Laboratory is housed in the 3,000-square-foot Sports Injury Research Center facility on the UNLV campus along with an additional gait laboratory housed in an 800 square foot annex.
Overall, the facility is well equipped with multiple 3D motion capture systems, force platforms, portable EMG sensors, shoe impact testing equipment, bodyweight support treadmill, metabolic measurement cart, micro accelerometers, isokinetic strength testing, and a wide variety of other instruments.
Faculty share a research focus on lower-extremity function and performance primarily during locomotion and landing tasks. In addition, each faculty member has a unique research agenda but work to maintain a collaborative research environment for faculty and students.
Co-directed by: Julia Freedman Silvernail, PhD, Kara Radzak, PhD, ATC, LAT, Janet Dufek, PhD, and John Mercer, PhD
Location: MPE 318
Exercise Physiology Laboratory
The Exercise Physiology Laboratory comprises of two separate rooms that focus on human performance and body composition.
The main lab is 2300 sq ft and is used for evaluating human performance and body composition evaluation. Equipment used for human performance includes Woodway and Quinton treadmills, Parvo TrueOne 2400 metabolic measurement system, Cosmed k5 portable gas analysis system, Hypoxico high altitude simulator, Quinton electrocardiogram machine, OMRON automated blood pressure devices, Lactate Plus lactate meters, a vertical jump board and a 65" wall mounted HD TV. Equipment used for determining body composition includes a SECA mBCA bioelectrical impedance, BOD POD, and Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA, located in BHS 335).
A separate 2050 sq ft. learning lab is located next to the main lab. It is used for teaching and as additional research space. It contains treadmills, cycle ergometers, and rehab trainers. Items such as skinfold calipers, step boxes, sit and reach equipment, Tanita and OMRON bioimpedance devices, and resistance training equipment are also located in this space for hands-on learning.
Co-directed by: James Navalta, PhD and Michael Wong, PhD
Location: MPE 326
Functional Food and Human Health Laboratory
The Functional Food and Health Laboratory (Bigelow Health Sciences Room 313) is dedicated to examining the role of functional foods and healthful dietary patterns in the prevention and management of chronic disease conditions (particularly focused on cardiometabolic disorders), while additionally determining intervention effects on dietary quality. This laboratory is approximately 500 square ft., with advanced analytical instrumentation including a Thermo Scientific 1335 4ft Class II Type A2 Biological Safety Cabinet, Fisherbrand Value Combo Refrigerator/Freezer, Thermo Scientific Sorvall ST4 Plus Centrifuge Series, Fisherbrand Analog Vortex Mixers, Fisherbrand Incubating Microplate Shakers, Mettler Toledo Advanced ML-T Analytical Balance, Fisherbrand Isotemp Advanced Stirring Hotplate, workbenches, Fisherbrand Vinyl Stool/Chairs with Backs, Mobile Laptop Cart Thermofisher, Veggie Meter®, HemoCue America WBC Analyzer, OHAUS Aquasearcher pH Meter AB41PH, Thermo Scientific TSX40086D Ultra-Low -80 temperature Freezer, Stryker GoBed II Hospital Bed, SphygmoCor® XCEL PWA and PWV System, Piccolo Xpress Chemistry Analyzer, Physician Beam Scale with Height Rod, Omron Blood Pressure Monitor, Afinion A1c Chemistry Analyzer, and Cholestech LDX Analyzer, needed for conducting clinical trials.
Directed by: Neda Akhavan, PhD, RD
Faculty Collaborators: Graham McGinnis, PhD , Sara Rosenkranz, PhD, and Richard Rosenkranz, PhD
Location: BHS 313
Lifestyle and Biobehavioral Health Laboratory
The Lifestyle and Biobehavioral Health Laboratory investigates how everyday behaviors, such as physical activity, eating, sleeping, stress management, and social interactions, shape health and well-being. Our research focuses on the interplay among these lifestyle factors and their relationships with key biomedical outcomes, including fasting glucose, insulin, inflammatory markers, and other cardiometabolic risk indicators.
We work to better understand how behavioral patterns influence disease risk and long-term health trajectories. We also look at the trends, patterns, and drivers of health behaviors within various populations. The lab welcomes motivated undergraduate and graduate students to participate in idea generation, data collection and entry, participant engagement, and hands-on training in biobehavioral health measurement.
Directed by: Sara Rosenkranz, PhD
Faculty Collaborators: Richard Rosenkranz, PhD and Neda Akhavan, PhD, RD
Location: BHS 343
Physically Demanding Professions Research Laboratory
Our mission is to optimize human performance in physically demanding professions such as firefighting, rescue, and military service. We accomplish this aim through the scholarship of:
- Research- generating high-quality, new knowledge in the field of tactical human performance
- Teaching- enticing & educating both current & future scholars & practitioners
- Integration- making connections across disciplines, including those of nutrition, sport science, engineering, etc.
- Application- working to solve consequential problems for scholars, practitioners, & end-users
We use various modalities to accomplish our work, including:
- VXSport real-time physiological monitoring
- Sorinex isometric mid-thigh pull rack and Kistler force plate
- Monark Wingate Ergometers
- VALD assessment devices
- TYR Tactical Plate Carriers
- COSMED K5 Wearable Metabolic System
- Moxy Muscle Oxygen Monitor
Related Links:
- Physically Demanding Professions Research Group (PDPRG) X page
- Physically Demanding Professions Research Group (PDRPG) Instagram page
Directed by: Brian Schilling, PhD
Location: MPE 330
Sport Performance, Education, and Economic Development (SPEED) Laboratory
The SPEED Lab is part of UNLV's Sports Innovation Institute and is a mobile human performance laboratory that advances sport science through applied research, student training, and community engagement. Launched in 2025, the lab brings state-of-the-art sport science technology directly into athletic, educational, and community settings, allowing faculty and students to study human performance in real-world environments. Equipped with portable tools such as motion capture, force-based assessment tools, body composition systems, and metabolic measurement tools, the SPEED Lab supports field-based biomechanics, physiology, and performance testing.
The SPEED Lab directs as well as supports projects that range from athlete testing and movement analysis to environmental physiology and sport technology innovation. SPEED Lab personnel contribute to peer-reviewed publications, grant activity, and industry partnerships, further strengthening UNLV’s footprint in the growing sport science sector. The lab also plays an important role in workforce development by providing hands-on training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students through coursework, mentorship, community programs, and experiential learning in sport performance assessment.
Directed by: John Mercer, PhD
Location: MPE 330
To learn more about each KNS faculty member’s research and specialty areas, visit the KNS Faculty/Staff Directory.