|
Spotlight on Emily Erlenbach, M.S
PhD Candidate | Exercise Psychology Lab
Kinesiology and Community Health
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tell us about your area of research for your PhD. What attracted you to this area of research?
My research focus is on the design and implementation of interventions targeting increased exercise engagement and decreased sedentary time. Early on in my graduate studies, I observed that, despite all the research uncovering the health benefits of exercise, getting adults to engage in sufficient levels of exercise to experience those benefits remains a challenge. At the same time, I learned about the “active couch potato” phenomenon- how even individuals who engage in sufficient levels of exercise also engage in dangerously high levels of sedentary time. With these insights, I knew I wanted to carry out my Ph.D. work by studying how to best design and utilize theory-based to help adults achieve an optimal daily activity profile of low sedentary time, high volumes of activity, and sufficient exercise.
What have been your most exciting achievements to date?
I just completed my dissertation project! I designed a 12-week intervention targeting sedentary time and exercise engagement among full-time working adults. By far, the most exciting and rewarding experience I have had during my graduate work has been the amazing feedback participants have provided about their experience with the program I developed. Reading about how something I created has helped people change their lives, improve their health, and reach goals they didn’t think possible is so rewarding- and makes me excited about what to do next!
Most challenging aspect of doing a PhD?
The many hats I have worn throughout this degree! Throughout my graduate work I have been a student, researcher, instructor, project coordinator, lab manager, and mentor. At times it’s been a lot to juggle, but I have amazed myself with how I have grown and the skills I have learned along the way.
Any tips for others completing a PhD?
Be open to new ideas and areas of research. When I first started my degree, I thought I was going to be focusing my work on the brain benefits of exercise. But as I learned more about the field of sedentary behavior research, my interests shifted a little. Then, as I became more inspired to design effective programs to help adults become and stay active, my interests shifted again. Don’t forget that you are a PhD student- so make sure to stay curious, be open to new ideas, ask questions, and discover what excites you.
Who are your greatest mentors or inspiration?
My graduate advisor, Dr. Neha Gothe, has been such an amazing mentor! From our very first chat in 2017 (when I was applying to graduate schools), she blew me away with her support of her students. She has given me so much guidance along the way and has helped create so many opportunities (such as applying for NIH grants/fellowships, being the lead instructor for a Kinesiology course at UIUC, and connecting me with external collaborators) that, under her mentorship, I feel like I have had such a fulfilling and rich graduate experience.
What are the most desirable characteristics a good supervisor should have?
It might sound a bit cliché, but I believe it is true that a good supervisor should support their graduate students’ budding curiosities and help them discover areas of research that excite them. Although my Ph.D. work is quite different from the research, I thought I would be doing when I first started my master’s with Dr. Gothe in 2018, as my interests evolved, she supported my new ideas and encouraged me to keep building off them.
What do you like to do for fun?
Triathlons! I have been competing in triathlons for almost ten years, and it is a passion that keeps growing. Swimming, biking, and running not only keep me sane and happy but also serve as great thinking time for me to work out research ideas in my head.
What do you hope to do when you’ve completed your PhD?
I am very excited to see that the health and wellness sector is growing to support employee and workplace wellness programs. While conducting my Ph.D. project, I talked with so many working adults who shared their struggles to be active, despite the desire to start a regular exercise routine. I hope to pursue a career designing, implementing, and evaluating wellness programs to help working adults sit less and move more. And then, many years from now, when I retire, I hope to open a soft-serve ice cream shop!
| 
