Nick Wattie
PhD

Research and expertise

• Background and interests

  Research area of specialty:

  Our lab’s research explores how a range of different constraints influence talent identification and selection, athlete performance, and expertise development in sport. Our research program also focuses on testing applied skill acquisition principles with the aim of optimizing learning environments in sport and health settings.

  Background:

  Dr. Nick Wattie earned a Bachelor of Physical and Health Education (BPHE) and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Life Sciences from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, before completing his master's degree in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science at York University in Toronto, Ontario. With the funding support of a Carnegie Centenary Bursary and a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowship, he went on to complete his doctorate at Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom. After earning his PhD, he returned to Canada to carry out a postdoctoral fellowship at York University.

• Publications

  For a comprehensive list of publications, visit ORCID.

• Research collaborations
  • University of Toronto; York University
  • Canadian Sport Institute Ontario
• Courses taught

  Courses taught:

  • KINE 2030U Psychology of Sport Exercise
  • KINE 2140U Research Methods
  • KINE 4461U Applied Topics in Sport & Exercise Psychology
• Grants
  • SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant. Title: Relative age effects: Mitigating developmental inequities in youth ice hockey. Principal investigator: Dixon, J.; Collaborators: Baker, J., Horton, S., Smith, K., Wattie, J. Value: $22,724. Awarded.
  •  SSHRC Insight Grant & Sport Participation Research Initiative Supplement. Title: Supporting athlete success: Developing multi-dimensional profiles for athlete development. Value: $207,533. Principal investigator: Wojtowicz, M; Co-Applicants: Baker, J., Wattie, N. Awarded 2023-2026.
  • SSHRC Insight Development Grant. Title: Supporting athlete success: The role of executive function and psychological characteristics for youth athletes. Value: $33,586. Principal investigator: Wojtowicz, M; Co-Applicants: Baker, J., Wattie, N. Awarded 2022-2024.
  • SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant. Title: Developing the SPARC (Sport Assessment and Research Combine) for Youth Athlete Success. Value: $25,000. Principal investigator: Wojtowicz, M; Co-Applicants: Baker, J., Wattie, N. Awarded 05/2022
  • NSERC Discovery Grant. Research Title: The influence of mental fatigue on functional perception-action coupling during skill acquisition. Value: $165,000. Principal Investigator: Wattie, N. Awarded 04/2022.
  • Sport Canada Sport Participation Research Initiative (SPRI) supplement grant. Proposal title: Making the right call – Understanding constraints on the recruitment, retention and development of sport officials. Value: $20,000. Principal Investigator: Wattie, N.; Co-Applicants: Forbes, S., & Livingston, L. Awarded 06/2018.
  • SSHRC Insight Grant. Proposal title: Making the right call – Understanding constraints on the recruitment, retention and development of sport officials. Value: $137,090. Principal Investigator: Wattie., N.; Co-Applicants: Forbes, S., & Livingston, L. Awarded 03/2018.
  • Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) & Ministry of Research and Innovation (John R. Evans Leaders Fund).  Proposal title: The Sport & Physical Activity Research Collaborative (SPARC) facility at UOIT
  • Value: $123,653. Project Leader: Wattie, N.; Co-Applicant: Lloyd, M. CFI Awarded: 06/2016; MRI awarded: 11/2016.
  • SSHRC Insight Development Grant. Proposal title: Ties that bind - Relationships between age relative to peers, sport participation, educational attainment and positive development. Value: $62,626. Funding period: July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2016. Principal Investigator: Wattie, N.; Co-Applicants: Fraser-Thomas, J., Baker, J., Weir, P., Horton, S. 
• Education
  • PhD – Leeds Metropolitan University (2011)
  • Master’s – York University (2007)
  • BPHE – Queen’s University (2005)
  • BSc (Life Sciences) – Queen’s University (2005)