Sean is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), within the College of Applied Health Sciences. He directs the Exercise, Technology, and Cognition (ETC) Laboratory, where his research program investigates the psychosocial, behavioral, and neurocognitive mechanisms underlying long-term physical activity adherence and self-regulation across the lifespan

Drawing on an interdisciplinary social neuroscience framework, Sean's research examines how regular exercise influences executive function, cognitive performance, and brain health, with a particular emphasis on technology-driven health interventions and digital therapeutics. His clinical trials integrate adjuvant therapies, mobile health (mHealth) tools, and wearable technology to enhance physical activity behavior change, self-efficacy, and cognitive outcomes in diverse populations. His work bridges the fields of exercise psychology, behavioral medicine, kinesiology, and health informatics to develop scalable, evidence-based physical activity interventions.

Sean is also an active researcher in the domain of health misinformation, studying how the spread of inaccurate health information impacts public health behavior, science communication, and trust in evidence-based guidelines—including physical activity and COVID-19 prevention.

In the classroom, Sean teaches courses in technology-driven health interventions and exercise science, preparing the next generation of health and kinesiology scholars to leverage emerging technologies—including artificial intelligence—for health promotion and disease prevention. He serves on the Faculty Senate Information Technology Committee and the campus Biomedical Institutional Review Board (IRB), contributing to institutional governance on research ethics, data security, and responsible innovation in higher education.

Sean holds certifications in tennis instruction (PTR-certified) and brings cross-domain expertise spanning martial arts, music, and cognitive science to his teaching and mentorship, embodying an interdisciplinary philosophy of learning and human performance optimization.