Biography
Dr. Zacharias Papadakis is an Assistant Professor, Sport and Exercise Sciences in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Barry University. He also serves as the Human Performance Laboratory Director, the Human Performance and Wellness Graduate Program Coordinator, and the Exercise Physiology Undergraduate Program Coordinator.
Dr. Papadakis joined Barry in 2018 from Rice University where he was a lecturer. Dr. Papadakis completed his B.Sc. (1998) in the Physical Education and Sport and Exercise Science program at the University of Thessaloniki, Greece. He went on to complete a M.S. degree in Exercise Physiology at Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England (2005). He then moved to the United States where he earned a Ph.D. in Kinesiology, Exercise Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion from Baylor University in Waco, TX (2018). Dr. Papadakis is also an ACSM certified Exercise Physiologist.
His teaching experience includes undergraduate and graduate courses in exercise physiology and laboratory practices, strength and conditioning, exercise epidemiology, human performance, sports nutrition, and various other classes related to the Exercise is Medicine initiative. Dr. Papadakis has received a teaching grant from Rice University to apply his innovative teaching practices in exercise physiology-related classes. He also received a research grant at Barry University to execute an interdisciplinary project in order to examine the influence of physical activity levels and lifestyle behaviors in metabolic syndrome in female university faculty and staff.
Dr. Papadakis' research interests are aimed at understanding how the human body responds to various exercise, nutritional and pharmaceutical stimuli, and how these responses influence vascular reactivity, inflammatory, and metabolic processes in humans. Dr. Papadakis is implementing research driven techniques during his teaching practices.
He also has clinical expertise. Prior to his doctoral studies, he established and directed for years a private exercise sport and exercise science laboratory, geared toward clients who wanted a science-based approach to their sport or exercise training.
Dr. Papadakis is also an avid athlete. He was a semi-professional basketball player and a track and field athlete (thrower). He also loves to maintain an active lifestyle by lifting weights, running outdoors, and playing pick-up basketball or beach volleyball.