Dr Kristy O'Neill
Senior Lecturer - Health and Physical Education - School of Education
Biography
Dr Kristy O’Neill is a member of the Health, Physical and Sport Studies Education (HPESS) team in the School of Education. She completed her PhD at The University of Sydney in 2018. This research was partially funded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and focused on the relationship between early developmental environment and Olympic success, through conducting an analysis of an Australian sporting “hotspot”. Prior to arriving at UNE, Kristy’s background in tertiary education has spanned several teaching, research and professional roles across three other institutions including The University of Sydney, University of Wollongong and Charles Sturt University. Alongside a focus on teaching and research within HPESS, Kristy has an ongoing passion for social inclusion and student equity within higher education which grew from her time working on a range of HEPPP-funded schools outreach projects with Widening Participation and Outreach at The University of Sydney. O'Neill has led the procurement of over $700,000 in Commonwealth, NSW State government and philanthropic funding as Chief Investigator, including 2 C1 projects. These projects have focused on youth, health and wellbeing in the New England. This includes the Australian Government - Department of Health 'Driving Social Inclusion through Sport and Physical Activity' (DSISPA) 2020-2023 project in Armidale that took an intersectoral approach to health in supporting the Ezidi community in their settlement. Kristy has received two Australian Award for University Teaching (AAUT) - Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2022 - Individual, 2024 - CSSP Team) and in 2023 was the inaugural recipient of the ODLAA National Open and Distance Learning Award for Higher Education.
