Hello, I’m Will Falcao!

My work in sport sciences focuses on sport psychology, sport coaching, and sport programming. My main activities in these domains center around research, teaching, and consulting. I’m a well-rounded individual with experience working with amateur and elite level athletes and coaches; teaching post-secondary students in psychology, kinesiology, and management; as well as working as a consultant for sport organizations aiming for high performance or to promote development and peace. I am a professional, determined, and dynamic individual, who strives for excellence and intellectual rigor in my work. I am well-spoken, relatable, and motivated by helping people perform their best.

I hold doctoral (PhD) and master’s (MA) degrees in Kinesiology and Physical Education from McGill University, in Montreal, Canada. I also hold three undergraduate degrees in Psychology from the University of Brasilia, in Brazil. My Psychology undergraduate degrees are a Professional degree (Psych), a Bachelor’s degree (BSc), and a Teaching degree (Lic). Since completing my PhD, I have worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physical Education at Laval University, in Quebec City, Canada; and currently I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Management at HEC Montreal, the business school of the University of Montreal.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or if you would like to schedule an appointment.

Research

My research focuses on sport for development programming serving underrepresented populations, such as youth in underprivileged communities or athletes with a disability. I have collaborated with community sport programs developing innovative coaching strategies, as well as implementing and evaluating coach education interventions focused on promoting youth development through sport. In some of my side projects I investigated the experiences of elite and youth Parasport coaches learning and building cohesion in their teams.

I have published multiple peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and presented at dozens of conferences worldwide. Furthermore, I have experience writing successful research grants guaranteeing external funding to support my research program.

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Teaching

I have experience teaching both at the university and college levels. I taught the Sport in Society course at McGill University, as well as guest lectured Sport Psychology classes at Concordia University and The World of Sport classes at HEC Montreal. At the college level, I taught psychology and methodology courses, namely Social Psychology, Statistics, Qualitative Research Methods, and Human Relations. This demonstrates my versatility creating and delivering courses to students from different academic levels and backgrounds.

My education background is diverse and cross-cultural. Living in the US, Brazil, and Canada has helped me better understand the cultural aspects of teaching and learning, and enabled me to manage multicultural classrooms. I am committed to innovative and creative teaching using a student-centered approach and active learning strategies to foster autonomy and critical thinking.

Furthermore, I have had the opportunity to co-supervise masters’ students, as well as collaborate with graduate students in reviewing theses, dissertations, and scientific articles. Finally, I have also co-directed honours undergraduate work and trained dozens of undergraduate research assistants.

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Consulting

As part of my personal belief of applying scientific knowledge to practice, I have worked as a consultant for various types of sport programs.

I have accumulated more than 10 years of experience working as a mental performance consultant with university student-athletes and coaches. I have helped athletes improve their focus, control their anxiety, increase their motivation, achieve their performance goals, and others. I have also worked with coaches helping them improve their communication skills and build positive relationships with their athletes.

In addition, I have worked as a consultant to sport programs using sport as a tool for development and peace. For example, I collaborated with the founding members of a non-profit organization that trains coaches to fosters youth development through sport. My knowledge of coach education and youth development helped the creation of their method and the inclusion of specific parameters of youth development.