Mindy Millard-Stafford, Ph.D. – Lab Director
Mindy L. Millard-Stafford, Ph.D., is Full Professor and Associate Chair in the School of Applied Physiology at Georgia Institute of Technology where she has either directed or co-directed the Exercise Physiology Laboratory for the past 30 years. She received her B.S. in Health and Physical Education from Pennsylvania State University in 1979, Masters of Arts in Exercise Physiology from the University of Florida in 1980, and doctoral degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Georgia in 1986. Her research has primarily focused on thermoregulation and fluid replacement during exercise in the heat and appropriate countermeasures to fatigue. She has served on scientific review panels for the American Cancer Society, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Defense Military Health and Medical Research Program, American Institute for Biological Sciences, the NCAA Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports Committee, and the Institute of Medicine. She was inducted into the National Academy of Kinesiology as Fellow in 2003 and Fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine in 1992. She serves on the Editorial Boards for International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, Frontiers of Nutrition, and Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Mindy is Past- President of the Southeastern Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine and a Past-President of the American College of Sports Medicine (the 52nd President and 5th woman to serve in this role in 2008-2009).
Michael N. Sawka, Ph.D. – Professor
Michael N. Sawka is Professor of Practice the at Georgia Institute of Technology. He is an expert in environmental (heat, cold, high-altitude) physiology, thermoregulation, blood volume control, fluid / electrolyte balance, hydration assessment, exertional heat illness, exercise physiology, and rehabilitation medicine. He has extensive experience in biotechnology-advanced development. Dr. Sawka is an editorial board member for American Journal of Physiology, Comprehensive Physiology (Environmental Physiology Editor), Journal of Applied Physiology (Consulting Editor), Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (Associate Editor-In-Chief), Temperature (Editorial Board Science Advisor) and International Journal of Sports Medicine. He is a Fellow for the American Physiological Society and the American College of Sports Medicine. He served on many scientific panels / committees such as those for the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences; National Institutes of Health; National Space Biomedical Research Institute; Partnership for Clean Competition; US Anti-Doping Agency; World Anti-Doping Agency; Department of Defense; and North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Dr. Sawka was a Department of Army Science and Technology appointee from 2006 thru 2012; he received the Military Medical Merit Medallion (2005), American College of Sports Medicine’s Citation Award (2010), Meritorious Civilian Service Award (2012) and American Physiological Society’s (EEP Section) Honor Award (2016).
HYun-Gyu Suh, Ph.d. – Affiliate research scientist
HyunGyu Suh, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow working in the Exercise Physiology Lab in the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology. After he received his B.A. in Sports Science in 2009 and M.A. in Measurement and Evaluation in 2011 from Yeungnam University in South Korea, he came to the U.S. and received M.S. in Exercise Science from the University of Connecticut in 2015 and Ph.D. in Exercise Science from the University of Arkansas in 2018. His first postdoc experience was in the Hydration Science Lab at Arizona State University, before arriving at Georgia Tech in 2020. His research interests are in hydration biomarkers, dehydration/rehydration on performance, mood, and cognitive function, thermoregulation, and hydration and health in children. He serves as a reviewer on journals including, Advances in Nutrition, European Journal of Nutrition, Nutrients, Journal of Nutrition, and International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. He won the Emerging Leader Poster Competition and competed as a finalist for the Postdoctoral Research Award Competition at the American Society for Nutrition Annual Meeting (2019), and for the ‘Pitch Your Science!’ Contest at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting (2019).
Alec Harp, M.S. – Lab Coordinator
Alec T. Harp received his B.S. degree in Exercise Science from the University of North Georgia in 2018, and M.S. in Exercise Science from Georgia State University in 2021. He is currently the Lab Coordinator for the Exercise Physiology Laboratory. Alec is a Certified Exercise Physiologist with the American College of Sports Medicine.
Eduardo M. Penna, ph.d – Fulbright scholar
Eduardo M. Penna received his B.S. degree in Physical Education from Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG, Brazil) in 2010, and his M.S. (2012) and Ph.D. (2019) degrees in Sports Sciences from the same university. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at Federal University of Pará (UFPA, Brazil). His research has primarily focused on fatigue mechanisms and psychophysiology of sports and exercise performance.
BRIAN HACK, B.S. – PH.D. STUDENT
Brian P. Hack received his B.S. degree in Neuroscience from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2020. He is currently a Ph.D. student at Georgia Tech in the School of Applied Physiology. His research is focused on affective response to exercise.