As Canada prepared to compete on soccer's biggest stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, University of Victoria (UVic) PhD graduate, Patrick Cormier was working behind the scenes as a physical preparation coach with Canada's men's national team, helping shape the physical readiness of players through training, rehab, monitoring, and performance analysis.

Just a few years earlier, Cormier arrived at UVic as a doctoral student in kinesiology in the applied sport science pipeline—an innovative partnership between UVic Athletics and Recreation, the School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education and the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific (CSI Pacific). The integrated PhD allows students to work alongside elite athletes while pursuing advanced research, offering Cormier exactly what he was looking for.

"The biggest draw for me was how the program connects academics, industry and practical experience. That's where high-performance sport lives. I don't think there's anything quite like it in North America," Cormier says.

During his PhD, Cormier balanced research with hands-on athlete support, serving as senior strength and conditioning coach for the Vikes men's soccer, women's rugby, and women's field hockey teams while also working with able-bodied and para-athletes from sports like triathlon, rowing, and rugby at CSI Pacific.

The embedded model demands more than academic excellence. Students must also be capable practitioners, applying sport science in real time while working directly with athletes and coaches. Already an experienced strength and conditioning coach, Cormier wanted an applied program where he could continue his development as both a researcher and practitioner.

Drawn to top applied sport science programs

Cormier's path to Victoria began after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted plans to pursue a PhD in Auckland, New Zealand. His prospective supervisor, Dr. Cesar Meylan, happened to be working with Canada Soccer and pointed him toward UVic—a program that offered the same blend of research and applied performance work that had drawn him to post graduate studies in the first place.

For Cormier, the value of the program extended far beyond access to athletes. It was the mentorship of program leaders like Dana Agar-Newman and Marc Klimstra that helped shape his approach to sport science.

Agar-Newman, UVic Athletics' head strength and conditioning coordinator, brings more than 25 years of experience spanning Olympic, professional, national, and international sport. Since joining UVic from CSI Pacific, he has helped build the applied sport science pipeline into one of Canada's leading practitioner development programs—now ranked No. 1 in Canada and 17th globally according to the 2025 Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments.

Alongside Agar-Newman, Klimstra—an associate professor and CSI Pacific's senior specialist in research and development—helps bridge academic research and applied performance, giving students the opportunity to learn from leaders working at the forefront of Canadian sport science.

Over the past four years, more than 70 undergraduate and graduate students have gone on to careers in sport, including roles in professional leagues and high-performance environments all over the world.

"I knew about the program because I had connected with Dana [Agar-Newman] years ago when I reached out for career advice. Dana is well-known in the field, so the program had been on my radar," says Cormier.

"Both Dana and Marc made it a very good environment to learn and explore. Dana went above and beyond as a mentor to me, and I'm sure all of the students at UVic would say the same."

Researching wearable tech

Cormier's PhD research focused on invisible athlete monitoring—using data collected from wearable technology to better understand athlete workload and movement patterns without requiring additional testing sessions.

While completing his research, he worked across multiple high-performance environments, testing new ideas while collaborating with athletes, coaches and practitioners.

"You get to learn from some of the best practitioners in the country and the world," he says. "For example, working with Dana, I was exposed to things like Olympic weightlifting and speed development that really rounded out my skillset and gave me a different perspective on performance."

Those experiences helped position Cormier for the next step in his career.

While still completing his PhD, Cormier served as the head of performance for the Vancouver Rise FC during the club's inaugural Northern Super League season. The position allowed him to build a high-performance program from the ground up, applying many of the principles he developed through his research and work at UVic.

Opportunity with the beautiful game

In 2024, Cormier received an invitation to his first camp with Canada's men's national soccer team. The opportunity reflected years of building relationships across Canada's high-performance sport network while developing expertise through applied research and practice. One of those relationships included UVic alumnus and Team Canada medical lead Greg Bay.
 

Two years later and he's still with the team. His responsibilities range from coordinating with club performance staff around the world and monitoring athlete workloads, to leading gym sessions, assisting with rehabilitation and providing coaches with data-informed insights on player readiness.

Looking back, Cormier sees the applied sport science pipeline as more than a graduate program. It immersed him in high-performance sport, challenged him to think differently and provided the mentorship that ultimately helped him reach the highest level of international soccer with Canada's men's national team at the FIFA World Cup.

"The World Cup was incredible. It was one of my first major events, and it happened to be the biggest one on the planet. When I was a kid playing soccer in New-Brunswick, I never could have imagined being a part of it. The win against South Africa and our performance against Morocco was incredible and some of the best football Canada has ever played."