Emerson Sebastião

Emerson Sebastião is an Assistant Professor in physical activity and health in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Before joining the KCH department at Illinois as a faculty, he spent 5 years at NIU. He received his Bachelor’s in Physical Education and a Master’s degree in Human Movement Sciences from the São Paulo State University – Rio Claro, Brazil and earned a PhD in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois in 2015. His doctoral dissertation looked at physical activity, aging, health disparities, and public health with a focus on older African American women. Emerson also completed a postdoctoral training in rehabilitation sciences in the Exercise Neuroscience Research Laboratory in 2016 where he conducted research in topics related to exercise in people with multiple sclerosis. Since 2020, he serves as associate editor for the Brazilian Journal of Physical Activity and Health, and the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. Emerson’s research focuses on topics investigating factors influencing physical activity participation, health consequences of physical activity, and the effects of interventions to improve physical activity, physical and neuropsychological function, and quality of life, with a particular interest in older adults and people with multiple sclerosis.