Eric Sternlicht, Ph.D. joined Chapman University full-time in 2014, the same time as Chapman’s Kinesiology program accepted their first incoming freshman class. Dr. Sternlicht received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in kinesiology. Together with his advisor, Dr. R. James Barnard, Dr. Sternlicht performed some of the seminal research in the mechanisms of insulin action on glucose transport in skeletal muscle and the roles of diet and exercise on blood glucose regulation.
While working on his doctoral program at UCLA, he started his nutrition and exercise consulting company, Simply Fit, Inc. Through his company he has been working with professional and Olympic athletes, corporations and law firms. His recent work includes the testing of exercise equipment for its efficacy, exercise and nutrition program analysis and expert witness testimony on injury-accident cases. He takes these consulting projects as opportunities to engage his students and provide them with real-life experiences in the fields of kinesiology, human performance and nutrition. Upon leaving UCLA for Occidental College, to focus more on program development and teaching than research, Dr. Sternlicht shifted his research focus from basic science at the subcellular level to human performance with published research ranging from efficacy of abdominal exercise devices, compression tights and Zumba exercise routines. He continues to focus on applied research when the opportunities arise; however, his main focus is on teaching and advising of the program’s students.
Prior to coming to Chapman University, Dr. Sternlicht taught for 10 years at UCLA in the Physiological Science program and 24 years at Occidental College in the Kinesiology program. While at Occidental College, Dr. Sternlicht helped to develop their program – moving from an Exercise Science degree to a Kinesiology degree – and many of the courses in their program. Several of Dr. Sternlicht’s upper-division courses are currently offered within the Chapman Kinesiology program including Biochemistry of Exercise, Diet, Disease & Exercise, Nutrition for Exercise Training Performance and Science of Obesity.
President – Simply Fit, Inc.
Associate Professor – Department of Health Sciences & Kinesiology
Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences