Chris Button, PhD, is a professor and the dean of the School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Sciences at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. He received his PhD in sport and exercise science in 2000 from Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom. His doctoral research focused on coordination and interception skills and applying ecological concepts to the study of interceptive actions.
Button is accredited as a biomechanist through Sport and Exercise Science New Zealand. He is also an executive committee member of the Australasian Skill Acquisition Network. Button regularly works with the coaches and athletes of High Performance New Zealand and has provided sport science support in netball, football (soccer), swimming, and motor sports.
Button publishes his research in a variety of books and journals on sport science, pedagogy, and movement science. Such topics have attracted interest within both scientific and political circles, as evidenced by recent invitations to provide expertise for the New Zealand Ministry of Health, Water Safety New Zealand, High Performance Sport New Zealand, and others. He is also a soccer coach for junior and adult learners.