Robert Buhmann

Biography

Dr Buhmann completed his PhD in sport and exercise science at the Queensland University of Technology in 2020. Rob is primarily interested in sports performance and rehabilitation and prior to his appointment at UniSC he worked in elite football as a sport scientist/strength and conditioning coach with Brisbane Roar Football Club. Within these roles he was responsible for collecting and analysing heart rate data for the Hyundai A-League men’s squad; programming and delivering on-field conditioning for the youth league squad; and programming and delivering late-stage rehabilitation programs for injured youth league players. After this role, Rob began his PhD studies at the Queensland University of Technology focusing on neural mechanisms underpinning activation deficits in the hamstring muscle group following strain injury. After completing his PhD, he began his role as a research and teaching academic at UniSC. He teaches the unit Motor Control and Learning, and his research interests include understanding neuromuscular function following hamstring strain injury and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Rob has presented his work at international conferences and has been recognised as a leading early career researcher within sport science in Australia, winning the early career researcher award at the Exercise and Sport Science Australia Research to Practice conference in 2021.

Research

Dr Buhmann’s areas of expertise include hamstring strain injury rehabilitation, neuromuscular function following injury and neurophysiological research methods. In particular, he has studied the neural mechanisms underpinning eccentric strength loss in athletes with a history of hamstring strain injury. This work involved using electrical and transcranial magnetic stimulation to assess muscle activation and function of spinal and supraspinal pathways involved in recruiting the hamstring muscle group. He is also currently undertaking work investigating quadriceps motor unit function following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. This work aims to provide a deeper understanding of some of the factors affecting muscle strength following injury so they can be better addressed during rehabilitation. Additionally, Dr Buhmann has recently been awarded research funding to study factors important for Paralympic Powerlifting. This project aims to identify para-athletes who are suitable candidates to transfer into powerlifiting.

Honours and HDR Research Projects

1. Tapering in Elite Swimmers: Determining the most effective tapering strategies to optimise performance (with Dr Katie McGibbon and Professor David Jenkins)
2. Quadriceps motor unit function following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
3. Understanding how training load effects physical function in youth soccer players (with Associate Professor Mark Sayers and Dr Bruno Couto)

Media Commentary

Dr Buhmann’s areas of expertise include hamstring strain injury rehabilitation, neuromuscular function following injury and neurophysiological research methods. In particular, he has studied the neural mechanisms underpinning strength loss in athletes with a history of hamstring strain injury. His primary research methods involve the electrical stimulation of nerve and muscle, the use of electromyography (EMG) to measure muscle activity, and transcranial magnetic stimulation. Through these methods Dr Buhmann aims to understand how muscle function can be improved following injury in order to optimise performance a minimize the risk of future injury.