Rate My Professor Celeste Coltman

Dr Celeste Coltman is an Associate Professor in the Discipline of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Canberra and an academic member of the University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise. She serves as the theme leader of the Applied Biomechanics Research Group and holds the position of current Defence Science and Technology Group Research Fellow. Coltman completed her PhD at the University of Wollongong, awarded on 23 May 2018, titled Breast Characteristics of Australian Women, which examined breast characteristics to develop evidence-based recommendations for improving sports bra fit and breast support. She studied an Exercise Science degree followed by an Honours degree in Biomechanics. Her research focuses on developing products and technologies that improve women's health by incorporating biomechanics, human factors, ergonomics, and design, with emphasis on the fit, form, and function of personal protective equipment for women, including body armour for female soldiers and sports bras.

Coltman leads the Biomechanics Research Innovation Challenge, mentoring high school girls in biomechanics, and was the inaugural Early Career Research Representative for the Australian and New Zealand Society of Biomechanics since 2019. She is involved in projects such as promoting health and performance of elite and youth female football athletes, evaluation of scaled plate sizes for ballistic protection in the Australian Defence Force, and determination of thoraco-abdominal organ locations for body armour design. Key publications include Breast volume is affected by body mass index but not age (2017), Three-dimensional scanning in women with large, ptotic breasts: implications for bra cup sizing and design (2017), Does breast size affect how women participate in physical activity? (2019), Effect of Torso and Breast Characteristics on the Perceived Fit of Body Armour Systems Among Female Soldiers: Implications for Body Armour Sizing and Design (2022), and How Do Fluctuations in Endogenous Sex Hormones Affect Breast Pain in Female Athletes? (2025). Her work investigates barriers to physical activity, injury risks, postpartum running biomechanics, and pelvic floor dysfunction.