Robert Schinke

I am a two-term President of the International Society of Sport Psychology (2017-2025) a Laurentian University Teaching Fellow in Graduate Student Mentoring, and the current Vice-Dean Faculty Development. As a former equestrian, I competed in four North and South American Junior Championships from 1983-1987, a member of Canada’s 1987 Pan-American Games Team, and once again shortlisted to the Canadian Equestrian Team Member in 1991. In 1993, I began my graduate studies in Kinesiology (Ottawa University), and later earned a Doctorate in Education from the University of Alberta and completed a Post-doctoral year in Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2002 I joined Laurentian University's School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences and became a Full Professor and Canada Research Chair in 2010. As a researcher profiled by both the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, my science has been supported by the International Olympic Committee Advanced Research Program and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. My publications include six authored books and 21 co-edited textbooks, including the Routledge International Handbook of Sport Psychology (2016), Psychology in Professional Sports and the Performing Arts (2016), The Elsevier Dictionary of Sport Psychology (2019), and the International Society of Sport Psychology Encyclopedia two volume set (2020). I have also co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications and guest co-edited the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, the Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, the Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, and the  Journal of Sport Psychology in Action. I now serve as Co-Editor for the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology (IF 4.3) and as Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Sport Psychology in Action (IF 1.65). I have twice been awarded the Canadian Sport Science Research Award and served as a two-term Canada Research Chair in Multicultural Sport and Physical Activity. My international leadership includes having served as President of the Association for the Advancement of Sport Psychology (2014-2015) and as the first Canadian President for the International Society of Sport Psychology (2017-2025). Since 2000 I have worked extensively with world champion professional athletes from a wide number of countries, featured on HBO and ShowTime. Three of my former PhD students were awarded Governor General's Gold Medals for their dissertation projects and two were named as the International Society of Sport Psychology's Developing Scholar Award Recipients in 2017 and 2025. Additionally, doctoral student publications have been awarded paper of the year honours in Psychology of Sport and Exercise (European Federation of Sport Psychology - 2020) and Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology (American Psychological Association Division 47 - 2022). My science to practice interests include the contextual optimization of high-performance sport environments, effective elite athlete transitional processes such as promotion and relocation, athlete mental health from a holistic vantage, and organization-wide capacity building, informed by scientific inquiry. I am also a distinguished international professor at several category one universities outside of Canada in the domains of education and psychology.

• Post Doctorate - Positive Psychology - University of Pennsylvania
• Doctor of Education - University of Alberta
• Masters of Human Kinetics - University of Ottawa
• Bachelor of Social Science - University of Ottawa
• Bachelor of Arts - University of Ottawa

Professor and Canada Research Chair in Multicultural Sport and Physical Activity 2011-2020

Laurentian University Teaching Fellow in Graduate Student Mentoring - 2021

From Canada Research Chairs Website (2011-2020): Culturally-sensitive approaches have long been lacking among sport psychologists. They have treated all athletes based on a universal approach developed by mainstream learning institutions. The result has been a lack of understanding of the cultural identities of athletes.

Dr. Robert Schinke, Canada Research Chair in Multicultural Sport and Physical Activity, has been working with local reserves in Northern Ontario to develop culturally-relevant approaches to motivate Aboriginal athletes. Their work has uncovered the personal, coaching and community social support practices of indigenous athletes at the community and elite levels.

As a result, Schinke anticipates that more youth from diverse cultires and nationalities will remain active in Canadian sport and physical activity, offsetting such health challenges as diabetes, suicide and substance abuse.

Schinke is investigating the sport-related challenges new Canadians experience in the country’s sport system. More than 15 per cent of Canadian Olympians are immigrants, many of whom experience cultural assimilation challenges, including unfamiliar coaching practices. He is exploring how the national sport system can better understand the needs of immigrant athletes. Furthermore, his work transcends elite athletes to community sport programs, working with refugees.

The answers that Schinke provides may completely change the way we look at sport and recreation services and transform the cultural sensitivity of sport offerings in Canada and abroad. He takes his research into the field and works actively onsite at major games events, including the recent 2016 Rio Olympic Games and the forthcoming 2021 Olympic Games.

Robert Schinke has been featured twice on the SSHRC website as the profiled researcher during August 2012 (during the 2012, 2016 Summer Olympic Games), and was the featured researcher on the CFI website during February, 2014 (during the 2014 Winter Olympic Games). He was recently (2016) identified by CFI as one of their featured 50 Infrastructure investments.

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• 2026 Chinese Foreign Expert Professor
• 2017-2025 President of the International Society of Sport Psychology Two Term Presidency
• 2022-23 Visiting Professor Beijing Sport University (Department of Psychology)
• 2017-2021 Distinguished International Professor, Tsing Hua University (Department of Education)
• 2016-2020 Canada Research Chair in Multicultural Sport and Physical Activity Term Two
• 2014-2015 President of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and AASP Fellow
• 2012 Canadian Sport Science Research Award High Performance Category (co-author)
• 2011-2015 Canada Research Chair in Multicultural Sport and Physical Activity
• 2010 Canadian Sport Science Research Award Community Category (first author)
• Two-time Macleans Magazine Popular Professor
• Five time Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Grant Recipient as PI, four times as co-applicant, and once as collaborator
• 1995 Dean's Scholar University of Alberta (Doctoral)
• 1991 Short Listed to Canadian Equestrian Team
• 1987 Member of Pan American Games - Candian Equestrian Team
• 1983-87 North and South America Young Riders Equestrian Team Captain for Team Ontario

Life-time summary (count) according to the following categories:

- Books authored: 6

- Books edited: 20

- Chapters in books: 56

- Papers in refereed journals: 200+

- Papers in professional journals: 53

- Editorials in refereed journals: 15

- International Keynote Addresses: 12

- Articles and/or papers presented: 124

- Others (symposiums, workshops, panels presented): 47

- Others (professional presentations): 42

Books Authored:

1. Schinke, R. J. Gifted: Eight Steps to Succeeding in Sport, Work, and Life. (2025). Human Kinetics Publishers.
2. Schinke, R. J. (2012). The champion in you: Lessons learned from professional boxing about how to succeed in life and work. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science.
3. Schinke, R. J. (2010). The mental edge in boxing. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science.
4. Schinke, R. J. The thinking rider. (2006). Cadmos: Germany.
5. Schinke, R. J., & Schinke, B. (1999). Zielgerichtet reiten mit mentalem training. Warendorf, ALG: FN.
6. Schinke, R. J., & Schinke, B. (1997). Focused riding. London, UK: Compass.

Books Edited:

1. Schinke, R. J., Quartiroli, A., & Ryba, T.V. (2026). International Society of Sport Psychology Academy of Science: Selected writings on culture and inclusion in sport and physical activity. Routledge.
2. Schinke, R. J. (Eds.). (2024). International Society of Sport Psychology Academy of Science: Selected writings on mental health in sport and physical activity. Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge.
3. Hackfort, D., & Schinke, R. J. (Eds.) (2020). The International Society of Sport Psychology Encyclopedia Volume OneTheoretical and Methodological Concepts. Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge. 
4. Hackfort, D., & Schinke, R. J. (Eds.) (2020). The International Society of Sport Psychology Encyclopedia Volume Two: Applied and Practical Measures. Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge. 
5. Hackfort, D., Schinke, R. J., & Strauss, B. (Eds.) (2019). The dictionary of sport psychology. Cambridge, MA: Elsevier.
6. Schinke, R. J.& Hackfort, D. (Eds.) (2017). Psychology in professional sport and the performing arts: Competencies, approaches, and interventions. Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge.
7. Schinke, R. J.,K. R. McGannon, & Smith, B. (Eds.) (2016). The Routledge international handbook of sport psychology. Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge.
8. Schinke, R. J.,& McGannon, K. R. (Eds.) (2014). The psychology of sub-culture in sport and physicalactivity: Critical approaches.East Sussex, UK: Psychology Press.
9. Schinke, R. J.,K. R. McGannon, & Smith, B. (Eds.) (2014). Community based research    in sport, exercise, and health. Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge.
10. Schinke, R. J.(Ed.) (2014). Advances in contemporary sport psychology. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
11. Schinke, R. J.(Ed.) (2014). Innovative writings in sport and exercise psychology. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
12. Schinke, R. J.(Ed.) (2013). The Athletic Insight 2012 Compendium. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
13. Schinke, R. J., & Lidor, R. (Eds.) (2013).Case studies in sport development: Contemporarystories promoting health, peace, and social justice. Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology.
14. Schinke, R. J.(Ed.). (2012). Athletic Insight’s writings in sport psychology. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
15. Schinke, R. J.(Ed.) Sport psychology insights. (2012). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science.
16. Schinke, R. J., & Hanrahan, S. J. (Eds.) (2012). Sport for development, peace and social justice. WV: Fitness Information Technology.
17. Schinke, R. J.(Ed.) (2011). Sport psychology: Training, competition and coping. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science.
18. Schinke, R. J.(Ed.). (2010). Contemporary sport psychology. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science.
19. Ryba, T. V., Schinke, R. J.,& Tenenbaum, G. (Eds.). (2010). The cultural turn in sport and exercise psychology. WV: Fitness Information Technology.
20. Schinke, R. J.,& Hanrahan, S. J. (Eds.) (2009). Cultural sport psychology. Champaign, IL.: Human Kinetics.

Contributions in Refereed Journals: 

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