Professor Remco Polman is an internationally recognised scholar in sport, exercise, health, and performance psychology. His research has advanced understanding of stress, coping, mental toughness, and human performance across sport, health, ageing, higher education, and emerging digital environments such as esports. He brings to The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) a distinguished record of research excellence, academic leadership, and international engagement.

Professor Polman completed his Doctorandus (Drs/MPhil) in Human Movement Sciences at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and his DPhil in Psychology at the University of York, UK. He is a Chartered Psychologist of the British Psychological Society and a registered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council in the UK.

Prior to joining EdUHK, Professor Polman held senior leadership positions including Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Executive Dean at Federation University Australia, Head of the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at Queensland University of Technology, and Head of the Department of Psychology at Bournemouth University. He has also served on a range of academic, professional, and industry boards.

Professor Polman is ranked among the world’s top 2% of researchers and has secured more than HKD56 million (AUD10 million) in competitive research funding. He has published extensively in leading journals, with influential contributions to the study of stress and coping, performance psychology, and wellbeing. He is also recognised as a pioneer in applying sport psychology frameworks to esports, helping to define the psychological demands of elite gaming and develop interventions that support performance, health, and youth development.

Beyond performance psychology, his research examines higher education transition, belonging, identity, and student success. His work has informed institutional approaches to student engagement, pre-arrival support, and retention across the UK and Australia.

A committed mentor and research leader, Professor Polman has supervised 36 PhD/MPhil completions and numerous Master’s and Honours projects. His graduates now work across academia, healthcare, sport, and industry worldwide. His research collaborations span areas including ageing, rehabilitation, dementia, digital health, expertise development, and behavioural science.

Professor Polman’s work has informed policy and practice through collaborations with professional bodies, sport and health organisations, and educational institutions. His research has been featured in media outlets including the BBC, ABC News, and Bloomberg.

At EdUHK, Professor Polman leads a research programme integrating performance psychology, wellbeing, digital environments, and educational success. His work aligns closely with the University’s priorities in student wellbeing, youth development, digital learning, and applied educational research, while fostering new interdisciplinary opportunities in resilience, esports, and performance science.