Simon Darnell is Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Sport Policy Studies in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto, Canada. His research focuses on the relationships between sport, international development and peacebuilding; environmental sustainability in sport-for-development, and the place of social activism in the culture of sport. He has published widely on the topic of sport, politics and social development including: The History and Politics of Sport-for-Development: Activists, Ideologues and Reformers (with Russell Field and Bruce Kidd, 2019, Palgrave MacMillan) and Sport and Social Movements: From the Local to the Global (with colleagues, 2014, Bloomsbury Academic). He served as Associate Editor of The Sociology of Sport Journal from 2014 to 2020, and currently sits on the editorial boards of four other journals.
Dr. Burkhart's research focus is in injury and orthopaedic biomechanics with an interest in soft tissue reconstruction of the knee (e.g., ACL and ALL), prevention and mitigation of osteoarthritis, total hip and knee joint arthroplasty, traumatic fractures (e.g., wrist and elbow), and spine surgery. He collaborates with a number of orthopaedic surgeons and uses in vivo, computational, imaging, and large animal research methods in attempt to improve prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of orthopaedic conditions.
Dr. Orr is a pioneer in the field of sport ecology, blending sport management, natural resource science, and environmental policy research. She completed her PhD at the University of Minnesota and has held positions at institutions like SUNY Cortland and Loughborough University, London. Her research focuses on climate vulnerability and adaptation in the sport sector, highlighting the intersection of climate change and social inequities. Orr has received recognition for her work, including being named to Forbes 30 Under 30 and Environmental Education’s Top 30 under 30. She is committed to addressing climate challenges in sports and is drawn to KPE for its transdisciplinary approach. Toronto, where KPE is based, holds personal significance for Orr, as it's her hometown where she grew up playing water polo.