Richard Laird

• Associate Professor of Kinesiology

I’m an Exercise Physiologist who teaches courses in Strength Development, Conditioning and Speed, Performance Optimization, and Exercise Physiology. In short, I teach about the human adaptive response to exercise and training. My research efforts seek ways to optimize performance and the adaptive process by investigating a variety of training and recovery variables. I completed my undergraduate education at JMU where the courses that I took in Anatomy, Physiology, and Kinesiology were among the first to truly ignite my academic curiosity.

I obtained both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Kinesiology from Auburn University where I worked as a Strength and Conditioning Coach and researcher. It was in these roles that I was able to develop my coaching philosophy, gain “real world” experience in the application of training theory, and explore the how and why of the human response to training. In my time at Auburn, I observed that my efforts as a researcher and strength coach were force multipliers for the knowledge that I obtained in the traditional classroom. As a result, I strive to make student/faculty research and strength coaching mentorship opportunities available to all students that seek them out.