For Ben Doyle ‘28, the path to a doctoral program in our department of Kinesiology and Sport Management began long before he ever stepped into a research laboratory.

It started in the pool.

Doyle spent 16 years as a competitive swimmer, including top 10 performances and Academic All-American honors during his time at Penn State University. Along the way, he grew curious about how the human body adapts to stress, training and fatigue. “I was always interested in biology and physiology,” Doyle said. “But as an athlete, I also wanted to know why certain changes in training or nutrition worked and why others did not.”

That is when the research bug bit, and Doyle’s motivation to learn about human performance only grew when his swimming career was cut short by chronic injuries.

“I don’t want other athletes to end their careers the way I did,” he said. “So I want to understand why some people break down while others doing the same training don’t, and how we can prevent that.”

Ben Doyle ’28 celebrated a successful presentation at Texas A&M’s 2025 Student Research week with Dr. Steven Riechman (left)

Now a Ph.D. student in exercise physiology at Texas A&M University, Doyle focuses his research on understanding fatigue, injury risk and how individuals vary in performance. That focus earned him honors at Texas A&M’s 2025 Student Research Week as well as a competitive student research grant from the Sydney and J.L. Huffines Institute for Sports Medicine and Human Performance. The latter supports his dissertation work on the different patterns of fatigue and biomechanical compensation people show during overhead movements.

Working under the mentorship of Dr. Steven Riechman, director of the Tactical Performance and Thermoregulation Lab and the Performance and Fatigue Lab, Doyle has found an environment that encourages both independence and innovation.

“We see data science and AI as tools that can really push our field forward,” Doyle said. “It’s exciting to be working on problems that don’t yet have clear answers.” Riechman added, “Ben approaches research with genuine curiosity, always looking beyond the surface to understand the ‘why’ and that mindset consistently leads to stronger science.”

Outside of academia, Doyle is also building Doyle Performance Solutions, LLC, a private coaching and consulting business that translates research into practice. While pursuing his Ph.D., he provides science-based coaching, data analysis and performance consulting for athletes and organizations.

“Starting a business wasn’t part of some master plan,” Doyle said. “But it made sense to start applying what I’m learning now, instead of waiting years down the road.”

For Doyle, the work bridges a critical gap between research and real-world application—an area he believes is often misunderstood.

“There’s a lot of misinformation out there,” he said. “Being able to communicate science clearly and responsibly is just as important as doing the research.”

Looking ahead, Doyle hopes his journey encourages other students to explore graduate education with an open mind.

“Be open to opportunities you didn’t expect,” he said. “Graduate school is hard, but it’s also one of the few chances you get to pursue curiosity as a career. If you care deeply about a question, there’s nothing more fulfilling than chasing the answer.”

For media inquiries, contact Ruben Hidalgo.