Tara Magdalinski (BA Hons, Queensland; PhD, Queensland) is an Associate Professor at Swinburne University of Technology. Tara’s scholarship conjoins sociology and history and she has published across the spectrum of sports studies. Her more recent research explores the interface between performance technologies, nature and the athletic body. Tara’s goal has been to understand concerns about “unnatural” enhancement and expectations of “authenticity” in sport. Her major texts include:

  • With God on their Side: Sport in the Service of Religion,
  • Sport, Technology and the Body: The Nature of Performance, and
  • Study Skills for Sports Studies.

Tara is committed to teaching and learning in the tertiary sector, and to equipping students with the academic skills necessary to succeed at University. She is currently the Associate Dean for Learning Innovation in the Faculty of Health, Arts and Design at Swinburne. Tara has used her knowledge of sports studies to advance teaching and learning programmes by producing a series of student-friendly teaching documents. These include:

  • Research Methods for Sports Studies,
  • Communication and Media in Sport,
  • Core Academic Skills for Sports Studies,
  • Sociology of Sport, and
  • Player Development and Welfare.

Tara has served three terms as President of the Australian Society for Sports History, from 2005–2011.