Tanuj Wadhi

Doctor of Philosophy candidate

How can artificial intelligence help optimise athlete health and performance? That’s the interesting topic Tanuj Wadhi is exploring for his PhD in exercise and sport science.

“My PhD research focus is on using artificial intelligence and machine learning in the realm of sports, with a specific focus on monitoring athlete physiology to predict athletes’ daily recovery and readiness-to-perform.

“I believe my research can help coaches and athletes better plan their training and recovery strategies to optimise athlete health and long-term performance. In the future, I’d like to focus on translating my research outputs into practice by educating and building tools for coaches and athletes that can help with recovery, longevity and improved performance.”

Tanuj’s research is supervised by Dr Daniel Plews from AUT’s School of Sport and Recreation who is an elite athlete himself and has considerable research experience in exercise physiology.

Choosing AUT
Tanuj – who came to AUT as an international student from India and is proud of receiving an AUT Doctoral Scholarship – says he was drawn to AUT because of the calibre of the sport science research team.

“I chose AUT because of the quality of the research that was being put out by the researchers here. I wanted to be a part of such a distinct team and hopefully learn from them as much as I could. The environment and the people are what I’ve enjoyed the most about my studies. Not only do they keep me motivated to keep working, but they push me to be better every day.”

As passionate as he is about his research now, he admits his university journey started in quite a different field.

“I completed my undergraduate degree in economics, but chose to pursue a field that I was more passionate about for my postgraduate degree, and thus completed my master’s degree in exercise and nutrition science. I enjoyed the challenge and learnings I was able to get from doing research, and decided to continue this further in the form of a PhD. I now get to spend every day solving problems in a field that I’m passionate about.”

Advice for other students
Tanuj, who expects to complete his PhD in 2025, has some great advice for other students who are considering doctoral study.

“My biggest advice to students is to collaborate with colleagues and get involved in their projects. Not only do you get to learn from people who are better than you, but It also give you a new perspective for things you may be working on.”

It's one of the aspects he has been enjoying the most about his time as a PhD student.

“I enjoy the environment and people I get to interact with on a daily basis. All my colleagues are extremely passionate and knowledgeable about their topics, and it’s a great feeling to be around them and learn from them every day.”