With a career that spans projects for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the PGA Tour, NASCAR, the National Hockey League and the International Association for Venue Managers, Matthew Walker has demonstrated expertise in the areas of consumer behavior, market research, social responsibility, environmental systems, and brand management.

He will share that expertise in a free public lecture, “Research and Consulting in the Sport Industry: Bridging the Practice-Theory Divide,” at noon Friday, October 12, in room 145, Human Kinetics Building.

Dr. Walker is an assistant professor in the School of Human Performance and Recreation at the University of Southern Mississippi and president of the Walker Research Group, a research and consultancy firm specializing in aspects of the sport industry. He also serves on the editorial boards of Sport Marketing Quarterly and the Journal of Contemporary Athletics. Read more about his work.

The Faculty of Human Kinetics is sponsoring Friday’s lecture as part of its Distinguished Speaker Series.