Andrius Ramonas
Sports Medicine Physician / Co-Founder, Roam, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia
Doctor of Philosophy
He appreciated the academic expertise and research facilities at the AUT Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand (SPRINZ), says Dr Andrius Ramonas who came to AUT as an international student from Lithuania to study a PhD in exercise physiology.
“My background as a sports medicine doctor was highly focused on injury management and treatment. However, I was also passionate about the physiology processes that drive exercise performance and ways to improve performance.
“I’d absolutely recommend the doctoral programme. It has all the elements to become an independent researcher – from the research facilities to the people around you. In addition, the community of international students brings further expertise, ideas and experience from around the globe. I felt that my supervisors were always available for discussions and support, and I enjoyed having the opportunity to work within High Performance Sport New Zealand and with the New Zealand Sailing team during my PhD.”
He loved that the sport science environment at SPRINZ wasn’t solely about research.
“There was always someone to join for a jog, including your supervisor, and lots of opportunities to meet for a friendly tennis match, hit the gym or get serious for a lunchtime chess match. I believe that studying in an active SPRINZ environment made me a better endurance athlete too. During my time in New Zealand, I competed actively on the trail running scene and was invited to join The North Face Australian & New Zealand team as one of the team athletes.”
Exploring nutrition for performance
For his PhD research, Andrius attempted to bridge the gap between nutrition, training adaptations and performance.
“Being an ultra-distance trail runner myself, I had a personal interest in nutrition for my own competitive running performance. Despite renewed academic interest in the area of nutritional manipulation to improve performance, not many have athlete-adopted approaches due to a lack of practical guidance to integrate nutritional periodisation strategies into their training.
“I hope that findings from my research will be useful for athletes and coaches to confidently incorporate nutrient manipulation strategies into their training plans.”
His research was supervised by Professor Andrew Kilding from AUT’s School of Sport and Recreation, with Professor Paul Laursen and Dr Micalla Williden as his secondary supervisors.
A new life in Australia
After completing his PhD at the end of 2022, Andrius is now based in Australia’s Mornington Peninsula and splits his time between his work as a sports medicine physician and running his own company.
“I’m practising as a sports medicine physician, and in the future I’d like to get involved in several research projects that bridge the sports medicine and exercise physiology domains. My partner and I also run a sports nutrition company, Roam. Our products are made in New Zealand and aim to provide active individuals with products made from natural ingredients.”
He has developed strong connection with the sports medicine community, thanks to his doctoral studies.
“Doing research at SPRINZ enabled me to develop a relationship with the New Zealand and Australian sports medicine community and high performance sporting agencies. Having a degree in exercise physiology from a respected New Zealand university was valuable when applying for medical registration in Australia and showcased academic skills that are essential for any practising medical professional.”
