UW-Madison alum Knudson elected fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology


UW-Madison alumnus Duane Knudson, now a professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance at Texas State University, has been elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK). He will be inducted at the academy’s annual meeting in Bellevue, Washington, on September 14.

Knudson earned his Ph.D. from the School of Education’s Department of Kinesiology in 1988.

Election to the NAK is one of the highest honors a scholar in kinesiology can receive. The academy is an honorary organization composed of fellows who have made significant and sustained contributions to the discipline for an extended period, usually with one or more signature contributions. The NAK is limited to 165 active fellows who represent eminent American scholars in the field.

Knudson, who has also held tenured positions at Baylor University and California State University-Chico, has received over 20 internal and external grants for his research on the biomechanics of sport and exercise. He has authored over 107 peer-reviews articles in influential biomechanics and kinesiology journals, including the Journal of Applied Mechanics and the International Journal of Sport Biomechanics.

Knudson’s focuses his research in the biomechanics of tennis, stretching, qualitative movement diagnosis, learning biomechanical concepts, and the influence and quality of research in biomechanics and kinesiology. As well as conducting widely cited and recognized research, Knudson has also had a successful administrative career, serving as an associate dean, department chair, and receiving the 2017 jerry R. Thomas Distinguished Leadership Award from the American Kinesiology Association (AKA).