Professor Nigel Stepto AEP, ESSAM

Vale Nigel Stepto

Nigel joined Victoria University in 2007, as a Lecturer in Exercise Physiology in the School of Sport and Exercise Science. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2012, Associate Professor in 2014 and was appointed in 2018 as Professor of Clinical Exercise Science, thus attaining full Professorship after only 11 years. Nigel was most recently co-Deputy Director – Research Training, of the Institute for Health and Sport, and a vital member of the VU Research Executive Group, since their inception in 2018. 

Nigel was a significant contributor to teaching in Exercise Physiology at VU over many years in the School of Sport and Exercise Science, later College of Sport and Exercise Science. Nigel was active in many leadership roles in the School/College including as the School’s Postgraduate Studies Coordinator, representative on the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee, College Director of Research Training, and on the College Leadership Team.  

Nigel’s great passion was research and his research career was outstanding, with global impact. His research traversed exercise physiology, muscle metabolism, insulin sensitivity and over the past decade, he increasingly focussed on women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). He was a member of an international consortium that published guidelines for the assessment and treatment of PCOS, including recommendations for exercise interventions. He published over 84 journal articles, with strong citations and was an invited speaker at Australian and international conferences. He was recently awarded almost $1M in NH&MRC funding as first investigator.  

Nigel’s research has been career-building and defining for many others, including three postdoctoral research fellows, 12 PhD graduates (6 as Principal Supervisor) and 16 Honours students as Principal supervisor. He was supervising two PhD students and one postdoctoral fellow. All have received exceptionally high quality training under Nigel’s guidance. This outstanding contribution to facilitating so many people’s careers was recognised in 2017 when Nigel was awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence in Research and Research Training (Supervision). His passionate support of Higher Degree by Research students at VU throughout his career culminated in his most recent leadership role where he impacted the careers of literally hundreds of students in the Institute. Nigel was a great contributor to leading research in our Institutes, initially in the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living and recently in the Institute for Health and Sport, where he was Research Group Leader in Women’s Health and a vital member of the Institute Executive and Institute Leadership Team. Nigel was also a strong supporter of the national body, Exercise and Sport Science Australia (ESSA), including as member for six years and most recently, Chair, of the ESSA Research Committee; he will be awarded (posthumously) an ESSA Fellowship at their upcoming National Conference. Nigel was also a Project Director and valued member of the Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science (AIMSS), our joint Institute with Western Health and University of Melbourne. 

Just 7 days before his death in 2020, over 50 staff and PhD students from the Institute for Health and Sport and VU Research were privileged to visit Nigel and pay respects to him and his family. There we announced the Institute’s Nigel Stepto Travel Award to support HDR student travel to international conferences, a Nigel Stepto PhD Student Scholarship, along with an Outstanding Service Award from the Institute for Health and Sport.  

Nigel left us too soon and he will be greatly missed by his many colleagues and friends at VU. He is survived by his wife Fiona and his daughters Matilda and Harriet.