Professor John Hawley

Institute Director
Director of the Centre for Human Performance and Metabolism

portrait of John Hawley with people walking in the background

Areas of expertise: interaction of exercise and diet on the regulation of fat and carbohydrate metabolism, particularly within skeletal muscle; the molecular basis of exercise training adaption; and the cellular bases underlying exercise-induced improvements in insulin action

HDR Supervisor accreditation status: Full

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-0886-9881

Phone: (03) 9953 3552

Email: John.Hawley@acu.edu.au

Location: ACU Melbourne Campus

Professor John Hawley is the Institute Director Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research & Director for the Centre of Human Performance & Metabolism at the Australian Catholic University, Melbourne. The primary focus of his laboratories research program is the interaction of exercise training and diet on human health outcomes, with a specific emphasis on lifestyle interventions to combat obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cancer. In particular, his lab has been at the forefront of unravelling the molecular bases of exercise training and how contraction-induced adaptations in skeletal muscle impact on whole-body health outcomes. He is internationally recognised in his field of expertise having published 300 articles in prestigious journal such as Cell, Science and Cell Metabolism. He is a member of nine national and international societies, sits on the Editorial Boards of several major journals, while also being an active reviewer for many journals and national funding agencies. He has ongoing collaborations with several major national and international institutions including the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. He has mentored 23 PhD students to completion, and many post-doctoral scientists trained in his lab have gone on to have successful independent careers. He is frequently invited to talk at national and international conferences about the results of his work, testifying to community engagement, participation, and leadership in his research field.

Select publications 2025-2020 (past 5 years)

  • Al-Mhanna SB, Poon ET, Franklin BA, Tarnopolsky MA, Hawley JA, Jakicic JM, Stamatakis E, Little JP, Pescatello LS, Riebe D, Thompson WR, Skinner JS, Colberg SR, Ehrman JK, Metsios GS, Douda HT, Omar N, Alghannam AF, Batrakoulis A. Comparative effectiveness of high-intensity interval training and moderate-intensity continuous training on cardiometabolic health in patients with diabesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2025 Aug 13;17(1):331.
  • Haganes KL, Hawley JA, Lydersen S, Moholdt T. Maintenance of time-restricted eating and high-intensity interval training in women with overweight/obesity 2 years after a randomized controlled trial. Sci Rep.2025 Apr 25;15(1):14520.
  • Hoffman NJ, Whitfield J, Xiao D, Radford BE, Suni V, Blazev R, Yang P, Parker BL, Hawley JA. Phosphoproteomics Uncovers Exercise Intensity-Specific Skeletal Muscle Signaling Networks Underlying High-Intensity Interval Training in Healthy Male Participants. Sports Med. 2025 Apr 21.
  • Betts JA, Bowden Davies KA, Smith HA, Hawley JA. Physiological rhythms and metabolic regulation: Shining light on skeletal muscle. Exp Physiol. 2025 Jan 29
  • Burke LM, Whitfield J, Hawley JA. The race within a race: Together on the marathon starting line but miles apart in the experience. Free Radic Biol Med. 2025 Feb 1;227:367-378.
  • Kahn RE, Zhu P, Roy I, Peek C, Hawley JA, Dayanidhi S. Ablation of satellite cell-specific clock gene, Bmal1, alters force production, muscle damage, and repair following contractile-induced injury. FASEB J. 2025 Jan 31;39(2): e70325.
  • Bravo-Garcia AP, Radford BE, Hall RC, Broome SC, Tee N, Arthur B, Janssens K, Johnston RD, Halson SL, Devlin BL, Hawley JA, Parr EB. Combined effects of time-restricted eating and exercise on short-term blood glucose management in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: The TREx study, a randomised controlled trial. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2025 Apr; 222:112081.
  • Hawley JA, Forster SC, Giles EM. Exercise, Gut Microbiome, and Gastrointestinal Diseases: Therapeutic Impact and Molecular Mechanisms. 2025 Feb 17:S0016-5085(25)00329-4. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2025.01.224. Online ahead of print.
  • Bravo-Garcia AP, Reddy AJ, Radford BE, Hawley JA, Parr EB. Modifying the timing of breakfast improves postprandial glycaemia in people with type 2 diabetes: A randomised controlled trial. Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2024 Nov-Dec
  • Wardenaar FC, Clark N, Stellingwerff T, Siegler J, Saunders B, Dolan E, Wilson PB, Hawley JA, Fuchs CJ, Aussieker T, Phillips SM, Manore M, Burke LM.
    Summary of the 2024 Professionals in Nutrition for Exercise and Sport "10 Questions/10 Experts" Session-Hot Topics for the Paris Olympic Games Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2024 Nov
  • Kouw IWK, Parr EB, Wheeler MJ, Radford BE, Hall RC, Senden JM, Goessens JPB, van Loon LJC, Hawley JA. Short-term intermittent fasting and energy restriction do not impair rates of muscle protein synthesis: A randomised, controlled dietary intervention Clin Nutr. 2024 Nov
  • Parr EB, Radford BE, Hall RC, Steventon-Lorenzen N, Flint SA, Siviour Z, Plessas C, Halson SL, Brennan L, Kouw IWK, Johnston RD, Devlin BL, Hawley JA. Comparing the effects of time-restricted eating on glycaemic control in people with type 2 diabetes with standard dietetic practice: A randomised controlled trial Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2024 Nov
  • Charrouf R, Parr EB, Hutchison AT, Flint SA, Teong XT, Wittert G, Vincent AD, Brennan L, Devlin BL, Hawley JA, Heilbronn LK Effect of time restricted eating versus current practice in dietetics on glycaemic control and cardio-metabolic outcomes in individuals at risk of developing type 2 diabetes: Protocol for a multi-centre, parallel group, non-inferiority, randomised controlled trial Contemp Clin Trials. 2024 Nov
  • Skarstad HMS, Haganes KL, Sujan MAJ, Gellein TM, Johansen MK, Salvesen KÅ, Hawley JA, Moholdt T. A randomized feasibility trial of time-restricted eating during pregnancy in people with increased risk of gestational diabetes Sci Rep. 2024 Sep
  • Broome SC, Whitfield J, Karagounis LG, Hawley JA, Mitochondria as Nutritional Targets to Maintain Muscle Health and Physical Function During Ageing, Sports Med. 2024 Sep
  • Tiller NB, Stellingwerff T, Witard OC, Hawley JA, Burke LM, Betts JA. The Nontechnical Summary: A New Initiative to Enhance the Translation of Sports Science Research and Reduce the Spread of Misinformation Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2024 AugKahn RE, Lieber RL, Meza G, Dinnunhan F, Lacham-Kaplan O, Dayanidhi S, Hawley JA.
  • Time-of-day effects on ex vivo muscle contractility following short-term satellite cell ablation. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2024 Apr 8.
  • Reisman EG, Hawley JA, Hoffman NJ. Exercise-Regulated Mitochondrial and Nuclear Signalling Networks in Skeletal Muscle. Sports Med. 2024 May;54(5):1097-1119.
  • Mazzolai L, Belch J, Venermo M, Aboyans V, Brodmann M, Bura-Rivière A, Debus S, Espinola-Klein C, Harwood AE, Hawley JA, Lanzi S, Madarič J, Mahé G, Malatesta D, Schlager O, Schmidt-Trucksäss A, Seenan C, Sillesen H, Tew GA, Visonà A. Exercise Therapy for Chronic Symptomatic Peripheral Artery Disease: A Clinical Consensus Document of the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Aorta and Peripheral Vascular Diseases in Collaboration With the European Society of Vascular Medicine and the European Society for Vascular Surgery. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2024 Feb 16:S1078-5884(24)00011-X.
  • Mazzolai L, Belch J, Venermo M, Aboyans V, Brodmann M, Bura-Rivière A, Debus S, Espinola-Klein C, Harwood AE, Hawley JA, Lanzi S, Madarič J, Mahé G, Malatesta D, Schlager O, Schmidt-Trucksäss A, Seenan C, Sillesen H, Tew GA, Visonà A. Exercise therapy for chronic symptomatic peripheral artery disease. Eur Heart J. 2024 Apr 14;45(15):1303-1321.
  • Mazzolai L, Belch J, Venermo M, Aboyans V, Brodmann M, Bura-Rivière A, Debus S, Espinola-Klein C, Harwood AE, Hawley JA, Lanzi S, Madarič J, Mahé G, Malatesta D, Schlager O, Schmidt-Trucksäss A, Seenan C, Sillesen H, Tew GA, Visonà A. Exercise therapy for chronic symptomatic peripheral artery disease. Vasa. 2024 Apr;53(2):87-108.
  • Bishop DJ, Hoffman NJ, Taylor DF, Saner NJ, Lee MJC, Hawley JA. Discordant skeletal muscle gene and protein responses to exercise. Trends Biochem Sci. 2023 Nov, 48(11):927-936.
  • Kahn RE, Dayanidhi S, Lacham-Kaplan O, Hawley JA. Molecular clocks, satellite cells, and skeletal muscle regeneration. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2023 Jun 1;324(6):C1332-C1340.
  • Furrer R, Hawley JA, Handschin C. The molecular athlete: exercise physiology from mechanisms to medals Physiol Rev. 2023 Jul 1;103(3):1693-1787.
  • Moholdt T, Parr EB, Devlin BL, Giskeødegård GF, Hawley JA. Effect of high-fat diet and morning or evening exercise on lipoprotein subfraction profiles: secondary analysis of a randomised trial. Sci Rep. 2023 Mar 10;13(1):4008.
  • Parr EB, Steventon-Lorenzen N, Johnston R, Maniar N, Devlin BL, Lim KHC, Hawley JA. Time-restricted eating improves measures of daily glycaemic control in people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2023 Mar. Epub 2023 Feb 3.
  • Parr EB, Kouw IWK, Wheeler MJ, Radford BE, Hall RC, Senden JM, Goessens JPB, Van Loon LJC, Hawley JA. Eight-hour time-restricted eating does not lower daily myofibrillar protein synthesis rates: A randomized control trial. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2023 Feb;31 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):116-126 Epub 2022 Dec
  • Apovian CM, Guo XR, Hawley JA, Karmali S, Loos RJF, Waterlander WE.
  • Approaches to addressing the rise in obesity levels. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2022 Nov 30.
  • Morrison M, Halson SL, Weakley J, Hawley JA. Sleep, circadian biology and skeletal muscle interactions: Implications for metabolic health. Sleep Med Rev. 2022 Dec;66:101700. Epub 2022 Oct 9. PMID: 36272396.
  • Haganes KL, Silva CP, Eyjólfsdóttir SK, Steen S, Grindberg M, Lydersen S, Hawley JA, Moholdt T. Time-restricted eating and exercise training improve HbA1c and body composition in women with overweight/obesity: A randomized controlled trial. Cell Metab. 2022 Oct 4;34(10):1457-1471.e4.
  • Telles GD, Libardi CA, Conceição MS, Vechin FC, Lixandrão ME, Mangone FRR, Pavanelli AC, Nagai MA, Camera DM, Hawley JA, Ugrinowitsch C. Interrelated but not Time-aligned Response in Myogenic Regulatory Factors Demethylation and mRNA Expression after Divergent Exercise Bouts. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2022 Sep 22. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36136603.
  • Belhaj MR, Lawler NG, Hawley JA, Broadhurst DI, Hoffman NJ, Reinke SN. Metabolomics reveals mouse plasma metabolite responses to acute exercise and effects of disrupting AMPK-glycogen interactions. Front Mol Biosci. 2022 Aug 24;9:957549.
  • Bishop DJ, Hawley JA. Reassessing the relationship between mRNA levels and protein abundance in exercised skeletal muscles. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2022 Dec;23(12):773-774. Epub 2022 Sep 7
  • Janzen NR, Whitfield J, Murray-Segal L, Kemp BE, Hawley JA, Hoffman NJ. Disrupting AMPK-Glycogen Binding in Mice Increases Carbohydrate Utilization and Reduces Exercise Capacity. Front Physiol. 2022 Mar 22;13:859246.
  • Parr EB, Devlin BL, Hawley JA. Perspective: Time-Restricted Eating-Integrating the What with the When. Adv Nutr. 2022 Jun 1;13(3):699-711.
  • Kiel IA, Lionett S, Parr EB, Jones H, Røset MAH, Salvesen Ø, Hawley JA, Vanky E, Moholdt T. High-Intensity Interval Training in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Two-Center, Three-Armed Randomized Controlled Trial. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2022 May. Epub 2022 Jan 12.
  • Janzen NR, Whitfield J, Murray-Segal L, Kemp BE, Hawley JA, Hoffman NJ. Mice with Whole-Body Disruption of AMPK-Glycogen Binding Have Increased Adiposity, Reduced Fat Oxidation and Altered Tissue Glycogen Dynamics. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Sep 5;22(17):9616.
  • Smith JAB, Savikj M, Sethi P, Platt S, Gabriel BM, Hawley JA, Dunstan D, Krook A, Zierath JR, Näslund E. Three weeks of interrupting sitting lowers fasting glucose and glycemic variability, but not glucose tolerance, in free-living women and men with obesity. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2021 Aug 1;321(2):E203-E216. Epub 2021 Jun 21.
  • Moholdt T, Parr EB, Devlin BL, Debik J, Giskeødegård G, Hawley JA. The effect of morning vs evening exercise training on glycaemic control and serum metabolites in overweight/obese men: a randomised trial. Diabetologia. 2021 Sep;64(9):2061-2076. Epub 2021 May 19.
  • Hawley JA, Bishop DJ. High-intensity exercise training - too much of a good thing? Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2021 Jul;17(7):385-386
  • Callahan MJ, Parr EB, Snijders T, Conceição MS, Radford BE, Timmins RG, Devlin BL, Hawley JA, Camera DM. Skeletal Muscle Adaptive Responses to Different Types of Short-Term Exercise Training and Detraining in Middle-Age Men. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2021 Oct 1;53(10):2023-2036.
  • Moholdt T, Silva CP, Lydersen S, Hawley JA. Isolated and combined effects of high-intensity interval training and time-restricted eating on glycaemic control in reproductive-aged women with overweight or obesity: study protocol for a four-armed randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open. 2021 Feb 5;11(2): e040020.
  • Callahan MJ, Parr EB, Hawley JA, Camera DM. Can High-Intensity Interval Training Promote Skeletal Muscle Anabolism? Sports Med. 2021 Mar;51(3):405-421.
  • Devlin BL, Parr EB, Radford BE, Hawley JA. Lower nocturnal blood glucose response to a potato-based mixed evening meal compared to rice in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Clin Nutr. 2020 (in press).
  • Moholdt T, Silva CP, Lydersen S, Hawley JA. Isolated and combined effects of high-intensity interval training and time-restricted eating on glycaemic control in reproductive-aged women with overweight or obesity: study protocol for a four-armed randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open. 2021;11(2):e040020.
  • Callahan MJ, Parr EB, Hawley JA, Camera DM. Can High-Intensity Interval Training Promote Skeletal Muscle Anabolism? Sports Med. 2021 (in press).
  • Hawley JA, Joyner MJ, Green DJ. Mimicking exercise: What matters most and where to next? J Physiol. 2021;599(3):791-802.
  • Lundell LS, Parr EB, Devlin BL, Ingerslev LR, Altıntaş A, Sato S, Sassone-Corsi P, Barrès R, Zierath JR, Hawley JA. Time-restricted feeding alters lipid and amino acid metabolite rhythmicity without perturbing clock gene expression. Nature Communications. 2020;11(1):4643.
  • Parr EB, Devlin BL, Lim KHC, Moresi LNZ, Geils C, Brennan L, Hawley JA. Time-Restricted Eating as a Nutrition Strategy for Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes: A Feasibility Study. Nutrients. 2020;12(11):3228.
  • Hawley JA. Microbiota and muscle highway - two way traffic. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2020;16(2):71-2.
  • Hawley JA, Sassone-Corsi P, Zierath JR. Chrono-nutrition for the prevention and treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes: from mice to men. Diabetologia. 2020;63(11):2253-9.
  • Hoffman NJ, Whitfield J, Janzen NR, Belhaj MR, Galic S, Murray-Segal L, Smiles WJ, Ling NXY, Dite TA, Scott JW, Oakhill JS, Brink R, Kemp BE, Hawley JA. Genetic loss of AMPK-glycogen binding destabilizes AMPK and disrupts metabolism. Mol Metab. 2020;41:101048.
  • Tachtsis B, Whitfield J, Hawley JA, Hoffman NJ. Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Mitigate Palmitate-Induced Impairments in Skeletal Muscle Cell Viability and Differentiation. Front Physiol. 2020 (in press);11(563).
  • Zbinden-Foncea H, Francaux M, Deldicque L, Hawley JA. Does high cardiorespiratory fitness confer some protection against pro-inflammatory responses after infection by SARS-CoV-2? Obesity (Silver Spring). 2020;28(8):1378-81.
  • King AJ, Burke LM, Halson SL, Hawley JA. The Challenge of Maintaining Metabolic Health During a Global Pandemic. Sports Med. 2020;50(7):1233-41.
  • Moholdt T, Hawley JA. Maternal Lifestyle Interventions: Targeting Preconception Health. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2020;31(8):561-9.
  • Parr EB, Devlin BL, Radford BE, Hawley JA. A Delayed Morning and Earlier Evening Time-Restricted Feeding Protocol for Improving Glycemic Control and Dietary Adherence in Men with Overweight/Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2020;12(2).
  • Lacham-Kaplan O, Camera DM, Hawley JA. Divergent Regulation of Myotube Formation and Gene Expression by E2 and EPA during In-Vitro Differentiation of C2C12 Myoblasts. Int J Mol Sci. 2020;21(3).
  • Heikura IA, Burke LM, Hawley JA, Ross ML, Garvican-Lewis L, Sharma AP, McKay AKA, Leckey JJ, Welvaert M, McCall L, Ackerman KE. A Short-Term Ketogenic Diet Impairs Markers of Bone Health in Response to Exercise. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2020;10:880.
  • Lionett S, Kiel IA, Camera DM, Vanky E, Parr EB, Lydersen S, Hawley JA, Moholdt T. Circulating and adipose tissue miRNAs in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and responses to high-intensity interval training. Front Physiol. 2020;11:904.
  • Parr EB, Heilbronn LK, Hawley JA. A Time to Eat and A Time to Exercise. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2020;48(1):4-10.

Projects

  • A time for food: The effects of time restricted feeding on glycaemic control and gut microbiome in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes; (2018 - 2020)
  • Epigenetic control and the circadian clock, turning back time on diabetes pathogenesis; (2015 - 2021)
  • Investigating AMPK energy sensing mechanisms underlying regulation of metabolism and exercise
  • Mapping and interrogating human exercise-regulated tissue and circulating biological networks
  • Interactive effect of manipulations of muscle creatine and glycogen stores on endurance performance and Dual energy Xray Absorptiometry (DXA) derived measurements of lean mass; (2015 - 2020)
  • The effect of intermittent fasting on integrated muscle synthesis rates in overweight, middle aged men; (2018 - 2020)

Accolades and awards

  • Medical Research Council of South Africa, RC Scholarship (Outstanding Foreign Researcher); 1990 - 1992
  • University of Cape Town (JW. Jagger Postgraduate Scholarship); 1991 - 1992
  • Ball State University Graduate School (Deans Special Award); 1986

Appointments and affiliations

  • Visiting Professorship, Exercise & Nutrition (2025-2028), Manchester Metropolitan University, U.K.
  • First ‘Global Chair’ in Physiology and Nutrition (2023-2024), Manchester Metropolitan University, U.K.
  • International Advisory Board for Sports Oracle (United Kingdom), Member
  • American College of Sports Medicine (F.A.C.S.M); Fellow elected May 1994
  • American Physiological Society (A.P.S); Fellow elected April 1999
  • Gatorade Sports Science Institute Expert Advisory Panel; Fellow (2014 – present)

Editorial roles

  • Frontiers in Endocrinology (2017-Current)
  • Translational Sports Medicine (2017-Current)
  • Diabetologia (2015 - present)
  • Journal of Applied Physiology (2011 – present)
  • Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (2010 – present)
  • Journal of Sports Science (2009 – present)
  • Sports Medicine (2007 – present)
  • American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism (2007 – present)
  • International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (2005 – present)
  • Malaysian Journal of Sport Science and Recreation (2005 – present)

International journal review panel

  • ACTA Physiologica Scandinavia (Sweden)
  • American Journal of Physiology Endocrinology and Metabolism (USA)
  • American Journal of Physiology Regulatory Physiology (USA)
  • Cell Metabolism (USA)
  • Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology (Australia)
  • Diabetes (USA)
  • Diabetologia (Austria)
  • International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (USA)
  • Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (USA)
  • Metabolism (USA)
  • Plos Biology (USA)
  • The Journal of Applied Physiology (USA)
  • The Journal of Physiology (London)
  • The International Journal of Sports Medicine (USA)
  • Sports Medicine (New Zealand)

Grant agency review panel

  • Australian Research Council Grant applications (1999 - present)
  • Diabetes U.K (2007 - present)
  • Diabetes Australia Research Trust Grant applications (1999 - present)
  • National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, Project Grant Applications (1999 – present)
  • National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, Program Grant Applications; (2004 – present)
  • Welcome Trust UK; (2006 - present)

Public engagement

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