Frank Bakker

Frank Bakker is a Research Fellow affiliated with the Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He also holds Visiting Fellow positions at IBBA and AMS - Sports. His work intersects sport science, performance evaluation, and interdisciplinary research in music and sports. Bakker’s research focuses on topics such as athlete development, wellbeing, and performance analysis, contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health and education.

His research interests include performance evaluation methodologies, pilot studies in music and sports, and multi-level systems analysis. He has conducted studies on audition panel dynamics, musician attention under pressure, and student preparation for public performances. His collaborative work spans international networks, particularly in Europe, reflecting his engagement with global research communities.

Bakker has authored over 193 publications, including articles and book chapters, and supervised seven PhD theses. His recent work highlights applications of sport science principles to music performance and athlete development. He actively contributes to academic activities such as editorial work for journals and presentations on topics like goal setting and sexual harassment in sports.

Notable contributions include a 2023 study on orchestra audition evaluations and a 2015 exploration of elite musicians’ cognitive strategies. His research emphasizes practical applications, bridging theory and real-world performance contexts across disciplines.