Highlighted Researchers

Research Interests: Exercise Physiology, Music, Resistance Exercise, Parkinson's Disease

Dr. Ballmann’s research integrates exercise physiology, psychophysiology, and performance science, with a strong emphasis on how sensory, psychological, and nutritional factors influence human performance. He is widely recognized as the foremost expert on music preference and exercise performance where he has published 30+ manuscripts on the topic in the past decade. His work focuses on examining how variables such as music preference, motivation, and emotional valence affect strength, endurance, fatigue, and perceptual responses during exercise. His research integrates both mechanistic and applied approaches, often combining physiological measures (e.g., cardiovascular responses, neuromuscular function) with psychological constructs (e.g., motivation, arousal, affect). In addition to music, Dr. Ballmann maintains an active line of research on dietary supplements and exercise performance, including stimulants, sympathomimetics, and adaptogenic compounds. His work evaluates the effects of supplements on muscular strength, power, endurance, and cognitive performance, as well as underlying physiological responses. This includes both acute changes in performance and how these substances interact with psychological states to influence exercise outcomes. A distinctive feature of Dr. Ballmann’s research is its translational and interdisciplinary nature. Dr. Ballmann’s research has focused on both athletic and clinical populations, including individuals with neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. In these contexts, he explores how interventions like music and exercise can improve not only physical function but also non-motor symptoms such as apathy, fatigue, and emotional dysregulation. His work in this area aligns with broader efforts to use exercise and sensory-based interventions to enhance quality of life and functional independence.

Ballmann, C. G., Porrill, S. L., Rogers, R. R., Ervin, Z. H., Neal, B. R., Nguyen, H. M., Spears, P. N., Strickland, J. E., Zavala, J., & Washmuth, N. B. (2025). Effects of Censoring Explicit Language in Music on Resistance Exercise Performance. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology ,10(2), 224.

Ballmann, C. G., Schmid, D. G., Rogers, R. R., Oakes, H. K., & Osburn, S. C. (2026). Potential Effects of Music on Non-Motor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease: Translating Mechanisms to Therapy. Neurology International ,18(3), 45.

Ballmann, C. G., Rogers, R. R., Porrill, S. L., & Washmuth, N. B. (2025). Implications for the Ergogenic Benefits of Self-Selected Music in Neurological Conditions: A Theoretical Review. Neurology International ,17(7), 106.

Nguyen, H. M., Porrill, S. L., Rogers, R. R., Jose-Gomez, J., Wright, R. E., Spears, P. N., & Ballmann, C. G.(2025). Effects of Acute Red Spinach Powder (VitaSpinach®) Ingestion on Muscular Endurance and Resistance Exercise Performance ,4(4), 60.

Porrill, S. L., Allendorfer, J. B., Evancho, A. M., Ferguson, C. C., LaChenaye, J. M., Nguyen, H. M., Rogers, R. R., & Ballmann, C. G. (2026).Effects of self-selected music on psychophysiological responses to goal-directed exercise in Parkinson's disease ,7, 1778451.

Pounds, E. S., Snyder, S. W., Billings, R. R., Nguyen, H. M., & Ballmann, C. G. (2026). Effects of Music Choice on Performance and Psychophysiological Responses to Exercise—A Scoping Review ,11(2), 144.

Check out Dr. Ballmann's Scholar Page for more information

Research Interests: Student identity development - Exploring the lives of individuals who definethemselves as living between worlds at the intersections of ability, race, religion, ethnicity, gender expression, and the like at the micro-level and dominating powerstructures within higher education environments at the macro-level. Global movements in higher education: internationalization, globalization, and glocalization. Exploring issues of social justice, institutionalized oppression, and advocacy within higher education at home and abroad.

Methodological Interest/Expertise: Qualitative methodologies: ritical Discourse Analysis (CDA); Critical Narrative Inquiry; Narrative Inquiry; Scholarly Personal Narrative(SPN); Critical Autoethnography; Critical Ethnography; Heideggerian Phenomenology; Phenomenology; Phenomenological Polyethography; Grounded Theory; Case Study; Photovoice; Phenomenography;

Dr. Mary Ann Bodine Al-Sharif is an Associate Professor of Higher Education, Interim Assistant Dean of Research and Graduate Programs, and Director of the Critical Qualitative Inquiry Lab (C-QuIL). Her scholarship centers on higher education, identity development, and social justice, with a particular focus on the lived experiences of individuals navigating complex intersections of identity within the power systems of higher education. Drawing on critical qualitative methodologies, her work examines how systems of power, marginalization, and institutional practices shape experiences within higher education environments in the United States and globally. Dr. Bodine Al-Sharif’s research is recognized for advancing scholarship on international higher education, Muslim identities, international student experiences, and culturally responsive practices in higher education. Her work frequently explores issues of Islamophobia, global mobility, internationalization, student identity development, and the experiences of individuals living “between worlds” across multiple cultural and social contexts. Through this scholarship, she seeks to amplify historically marginalized voices while challenging deficit-based narratives within research and practice. Methodologically, Dr. Bodine Al-Sharif is deeply engaged in critical qualitative inquiry, utilizing approaches such as critical discourse analysis, critical narrative inquiry, phenomenology, duoethnography, and critical autoethnography. Her scholarship emphasizes reflexivity, positionality, and ethical engagement with participants, often centering research conducted with communities rather than on them. Her interdisciplinary and globally engaged research agenda has led to collaborations with scholars and practitioners across multiple countries and academic disciplines. Her work has been published in leading journals and edited volumes in higher education and international education, and she has received numerous recognitions for her scholarship and mentorship, including a Fulbright Program U.S. Scholar to Saudi Arabia Award and the Excellence in International Research Award from the Commission of Global Dimensions of College Student Development within the American College Personnel Association. Through her research, teaching, mentorship, and leadership, Dr. Bodine Al-Sharif continues to contribute to more globally responsive approaches to higher education.

Recent Presentations:

Olt, P. A., Nasser, M., Vital, L. M., Tolman, S., Archibald, J. G., Bodine Al-Sharif, M. A., Blue Brazelton, Carducci, R., Houdyshell, M., McMickens, T. L., Meixner, C., Mistretta, M., Paciej-Woodruff, A., Stevens, R., Wendle, A., & Mayo, C. E. P. (2026). Solo faculty program coordinators in student affairs-related graduate programs. The Qualitative Report , 31(4), 5686-5709.

Bodine Al-Sharif, M. A. (2026). Building a global consortium: How IASAS is working to promote a space for culturally responsive practitioner research in student affairs and services globally. In B. Perozzi, H. October, & J. Ward-Roof (Eds.), Global Division Publication, Vol. 1: Creating Global Community, (pp. 133-135). NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Digital Journal Publication.

Islam, MD B., Asakura, T., Islam, Md T., Amina, D., Bodine Al-Sharif, M. A. (2026). National AI strategies and higher education in the Global South: Policy, practice, and power. In A. W. Wiseman (Ed.) Annual review of comparative and international education 2025. Emerald Publishing.

Doane, D., Bodine Al-Sharif, M. A., & Boettcher, M. A. (2026). FAKE-ulty: Moving from practitioner to faculty as a first-gen professional. In R. Williamson & M. B. Wallace (Eds.) Charting a career path as a first-generation higher education professional: Decision making, families, and the future. Routledge.

Bodine Al-Sharif, M. A. (2025). Navigating uncertainty: A Fulbright scholar's journey. Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education 17(6), Article 2, 14-32.

Mejri, S. B., Bodine Al-Sharif, M. A., Hassan, A., Ahmed, N., & Mohasses, M. (2025). Introduction to special Issue: Internationalization as transformation: Teaching, research, and innovation in Gulf STEM education. Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education , 17(6), Article 1,

Bodine Al-Sharif, M. A., °Johnson, C., & °Hector, D. J. (2025). Critical discourse analysis. In P. A. Pasque (Ed.) Critical Qualitative Research & Social Justice: Key concepts in qualitative methods, (pp. 136-146). P. Pasque (Ed.) Critical Qualitative Research & Social Justice: Key concepts in qualitative Methods (1st Ed.), (pp. 136-146). Routledge.

Check out Dr. Bodine Al-Sharif's Scholar Page for more information