Mackenzie Wearables Research Hub at the Charles Perkins Centre

Funded generously by the Jennie Mackenzie Bequest, the Mackenzie Wearables Research Hub at the Charles Perkins Centre (Mackenzie WearHub @ CPC) is a dedicated hub focusing on measuring physical activity, energy expenditure, posture, sleep, and other lifestyle behaviours using wearable devices for health-related research and beyond. 

Wearable devices, such as wrist- or thigh-attached trackers, have revolutionised the measurement of health-related behaviour in recent decades. Much of the enormous potential of such wearable devices in research remains untapped due to lack of standardisation of research methods and limited innovation in research-grade wearable hardware.

About us

In collaboration with academia and industry, we seek to optimise research methods, data processing and analysis, and research-grade wearable hardware for use in research and clinical practice.

As Australia's first all-encompassing wearables research hub, we will also be providing services to the research community through consultations and hands-on support to enable research teams to design, perform, and disseminate high-quality research using wearable devices – primarily for the measurement of movement (physical activity), energy expenditure, posture, and sleep across all age groups and select clinical populations. These services will be free or low-cost for University of Sydney-based research teams.

We will assist a diverse range of research projects across the entire spectrum of the wearables research process (see diagram below).  

Our people

Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis | Founder and director

Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis is a physical activity epidemiologist and Charles Perkins Centre theme leader for physical activity, exercise, and energy expenditure. Emmanuel has over 25 years of experience in wearables research, and his team has been leading various landmark international research initiatives, including the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting, and Sleep consortium (ProPASS), shaping the next generation of health guidelines through the novel use of wearables-based data.

Dr Matthew Ahmadi | Deputy director

Dr Matthew Ahmadi is a Research Fellow at the Charles Perkins Centre and a member of the Physical Activity, Lifestyle, and Population Health Research group. Matthew’s research focuses on wearables-based research from development to application in population-based cohorts. He applies novel wearables-based techniques to measure physical activity, posture, and sleep, and their relationship with non-communicable diseases throughout the life course.

Dr Raaj Kishore Biswas | Senior Biostatistician

Dr Raaj Kishore Biswas is a biostatistician and an R enthusiast. He is a Research Fellow at the Charles Perkins Centre and a member of the Physical Activity, Lifestyle, and Population Health Research group. His primary work focuses on dealing with health data modelling, analysis of large cohort and randomized trials as well as providing statistical consultation for multifaceted health research. 

Dr Nicholas Koemel | Integrative Behavioural Scientist

Dr Nicholas Koemel is a registered dietitian and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Charles Perkins Centre and a member of the Physical Activity, Lifestyle, and Population Health Research group. His research focuses on using wearable technology to measure novel aspects of physical activity, sleep, and nutrition, to facilitate non-communicable disease prevention research.

Rayden Ma | Research Assistant

Rayden Ma is a Research Assistant at the Charles Perkins Centre. He has a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) and hopes use wearable technology to measure novel aspects of physical activity, sleep, and diet to facilitate better mental health. His primary work focuses on data collection and analysis, as well as providing administrative support and asset management for the Mackenzie Research Wearable Hub at the Charles Perkins Centre.

Get in touch

To discuss a project with our Mackenzie WearHub @ CPC team, please use the Request for Assistance form.