Professor Stewart has an extensive competitive, coaching, scientific and administrative background in high performance sport; including representing Scotland at both swimming and rugby, and coaching international swimmers in Scotland and New Zealand.
His PhD was undertaken in Sport Science & Medicine at the University of Otago in NZ in the 1990s. He then moved to the position as Director of the Scottish Institute of Sports Medicine and Sport Science and served on the inaugural steering committee setting up the UK Sports Institute in the late 1990s. Professor Stewart then undertook the position of General Manager of High Performance Sport at Millennium Institute of Sport and Health, New Zealand in the early 2000s that also commenced the last 20 years or so leading sport science and allied health (Osteo and Physio) rehabilitation and recovery research in NZ and Aus.
Professor Stewart has a vast support history with athletes of different sporting backgrounds around the globe. His service includes Head Exercise Physiologist and Chair of Sports Science & Medicine Great Britain Swimming (1997-2001); an Invited Research Fellow at the United States of America Olympic Training Centre (1992); Head Exercise Physiologist of the New Zealand Swimming Academy (1990-1996); Chair of New Zealand Federation of Sports Medicine (Otago) (1994-1995); and conditioning consultant to the Otago Rugby Football Union (1993).
Professor Stewart has a renowned international reputation with over 200 outputs in the form of journal articles, books, internet publications, conference presentations, and seminars on topics mostly related to monitoring training load, periodization, tapering, over-training/reaching, injury, and return to play.