Jan Burns

Professor Jan Burns serves as a Professor at Canterbury Christ Church University, based in the Centre for Sport, Physical Education and Activity Research (SPEAR). Her work bridges sport science, clinical psychology, and disability research with active supervision of doctoral candidates.

Her research specializes in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) interventions, intellectual impairments in athletic contexts, and clinical approaches including Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA). Key projects examine offending behaviour in ASD populations, parent/educator training protocols, and innovative therapies like Walk and Talk Therapy. Her scholarship consistently addresses practical applications for support personnel working with neurodiverse individuals.

Professor Burns supervises multiple doctoral researchers:

• Summer Hubble (ASD and offending behaviour)
• James Lawton (Doctoral Research Project)
• Roohi Hussain (Doctoral Research Project)
• Daniel Quinones Melendez (ABA training for ASD)
• Stephanie Revell (Walk and Talk Therapy)

She collaborates extensively on projects including 'Athletes with intellectual impairments' with Dr Philip Hurst and 'Project ability' with Professor Mike Weed.

Based at SPEAR, she contributes to interdisciplinary teams focused on sport psychology applications, physical activity interventions, and disability-inclusive practices within athletic and educational settings.