Meet Dr. Nima Dehghansai – Sports Performance Strategist & Architect of High-Performance Talent Pathways

Academic Foundation: Dr. Nima Dehghansai earned his Ph.D. in Kinesiology and Health Science from York University, where he developed deep expertise in athlete development and high-performance sport systems. His academic work has focused on understanding the complex factors that influence athlete pathways, particularly within Para sport, and on creating evidence-based strategies to support optimal development environments. Through his research, Dr. Dehghansai specializes in leveraging empirical evidence to inform system strategies and resource allocation to improve system efficiencies. He maintains an active academic profile with numerous publications and is co-editor of Talent Development in Paralympic Sport (Routledge).

Research and Insights: At the core of Dr. Dehghansai’s research philosophy is bridging the gap between research and practice, utilizing evidence-based frameworks to inform decision-making and support long-term performance goals. His work explores key factors shaping athlete recruitment, retention, development, transfer, and expertise. He continues to collaborate with key national stakeholders to identify critical factors impacting the effectiveness and efficiency of athlete recruitment and development. Dr. Dehghansai has worked closely with high-performance athletes and coaches, performance directors, and system leaders to ensure that research outcomes inform policy, system design, and daily training environments. His research emphasizes actionable, data-informed solutions that drive both individual athlete development and system-level effectiveness.

Professional Milestones: His work has been instrumental in driving Australia’s recent Para sport uplift, contributing to a historic doubling of funding ahead of Brisbane 2032. He also co-led a national initiative addressing barriers to entry and progression in Para sport, working with industry partners to shape more inclusive and sustainable systems. Currently, Dr. Dehghansai utilizes his research methodologies to better understand barriers to entry and progression into post-secondary education and the workforce for Indigenous students. As Vice President of the Research and Impact department at Indspire, Dr. Dehghansai oversees the strategic plan to identify critical system-wide barriers nationally, working with relevant stakeholders to utilize data-informed decisions that influence policy and resource allocation to increase opportunities for success for Indigenous students.

Meet Dr. Kathryn Johnston – An expert in decision-making hygiene and athlete selection practices.

Academic foundation: Her undergraduate studies in Kinesiology at Queen’s University opened the door to an early career as a Strength and Conditioning coach working with multiple local and provincial sport organizations. This sparked an interest in data collection and athlete tracking, which motivated her to pursue a Masters, PhD, and Post-Doctoral Fellowship in sport psychology with a focus on “talent” in sport. Today, she works as a Senior Research Associate at the University of Toronto leading research initiatives while co-supervising undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Toronto and Ontario Tech University where she is an Adjunct Professor.

Research Insights: Her primary area of investigation is understanding the psychology behind athlete selection practices. Most of her work is focused on improving measurement for data collection, illuminating the cognitive biases shaping perceptions, and evaluating enhancing decision-making processes. The past 12 years of work in this space has allowed Dr. Johnston to share her work through many avenues including peer-reviewed research articles, book chapters, conference presentations, coaching workshops, athlete seminars, and policy/training documentation.

Professional Milestones: Dr. Johnston has collaborated with sport organizations big and small, in a number of countries around the world – including FIFA, the National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Baseball (MLB), Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS), Australia Cycling (AusCycling), Australia Football League (AFL) and the Ontario High Performance Sport Institute (OHPSI), amongst others. She was also a lululemon running ambassador and leads community movement initiatives.