5 minutes with…. Dr Jordan Bakhsh
Dr Jordan Bakhsh aims to understand mega sport events as sites for social change. Jordan has collaborated with over 50 major sporting organisations around the world, generating transformational knowledge to maximise the social benefits and reduce social costs for sporting event stakeholders.
Q. What’s your research focus in a nutshell?
My research focuses on how sport events, like the Olympic Games, can be used to create greater social value for communities. I do this in three ways: (1) examining the social impacts of events, like sense of community; (2) investigating the strategies that organisations, governments, and communities design, implement, and manage to host sport events; and (3) their intersection.
Q. What’s the best piece of advice you could give to an ECR?
One of the best pieces of advice I could give to an ECR is the power of vertical and horizontal relationships. Vertically, to engage with mentors that you aspire to be like or are inspired by. You’d be surprised at how receptive such prominent people in the field are to mentoring ECRs. Horizontally, to build your peer group of researchers interested in the same or similar areas that have similar aspirations to you. Building out a group like this can be tremendous for professional development, research collaborations, and support. I think both vertical and horizontal relationships are crucial to navigate one’s journey in research.
Q. What’s something a lot of people don’t know about you?
Something most people don’t know about me is that I grew up playing golf. My dad started me in the game at the age of 3, it’s something we always did together, and it really took off in my youth. My entire childhood was filled with playing, practicing, and competing in golf tournaments. This might be why I’m so drawn to studying sporting events! Even after my own collegiate and amateur playing ended, I transitioned into a professional space to coach elite players. I was fortunate to work with some great players, even working with players competing in PGA Tour events and major championships.
Q. What is the one rule that guides you through life?
I don’t know if I have a single rule that guides me through life, but a quote that certainly resonate me is by Muhammad Ali, “the man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” I think this is a powerful quote for life and for research, and it’s certainly one I strive for in both. Whether it’s re-reading a key article and finding inspiration for something new, evolving methodological practices, or simply remaining opening to learning, it’s imperative that as we go through life and research, our ideas, our practices, and our contributions evolve, too.
Q. You’ve got an unexpected day off. What does your dream day look like?
Any dream day includes being around family and friends, enjoying life, having good food, wine, and coffee, and making memories. I’m incredibly fortunate to have an amazing partner who has ventured to Australia with me for my postdoc. So, spending the day with her and doing some of our favourite things – like heading down to the bay for a walk along the water, brunch at a cozy spot, enjoying Melbourne’s famous coffee, grabbing steaks for dinner with a bottle of our favourite red, and facetiming family back home. It’s the simple things that are truly the best things.
Find out more about Jordan’s research here.
