Dr Angela Spence is an academic researcher and educator in Exercise Science at Curtin University, with expertise in women’s cardiovascular health, female athlete physiology, cardiovascular and exercise physiology, athlete heart health, and exercise science education.

Angela’s research aims to improve understanding of cardiovascular health and exercise across the lifespan, with a particular focus on women and athletes. Her work examines how sex, gender, reproductive and hormonal factors, and life-stage transitions influence cardiovascular physiology, exercise responses and health outcomes. She is committed to addressing the historical under-representation of women in cardiovascular and exercise research and building more inclusive and clinically relevant evidence.

A major focus of her research is exercise-induced cardiac remodelling, or the “athlete’s heart”, and understanding physiological cardiovascular adaptation to acute and long-term exercise. She has expertise in in-vivo cardiovascular imaging, including two- and three-dimensional echocardiography, cardiac strain imaging, vascular ultrasound and flow-mediated dilation, as well as the design and evaluation of exercise intervention studies and clinical exercise trials.

Her research spans competitive and recreational athletes, with particular interests in female athletes, endurance exercise and swimming. Her broader research includes athlete health and performance, athlete sleep and swimming-induced pulmonary oedema (SIPE), and contributes to wider discussions around representation and equity in sport, exercise science and cardiovascular health research.

Angela is an experienced university educator whose teaching has been recognised through faculty, university and national teaching awards. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, holds a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching, and has extensive experience in curriculum design, authentic and practical learning, and Honours and higher degree research supervision.

Angela is an Accredited Exercise Scientist (AES) with Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA).