Skip navigation

Meet the Scientists

Robert Murray, PhD, FACSM

Director, Gatorade Sports Science Institute

Dr. Bob Murray is an exercise physiologist who specializes in sports nutrition, with an emphasis on the physiological and performance effects of fluid and carbohydrate intake during exercise. As director of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI), Dr. Murray oversees scientific research in a wide variety of areas within exercise science and sports nutrition, including fluid balance during and after exercise; the effects of fluid, carbohydrate, and electrolyte ingestion during exercise; and the gastric emptying and intestinal absorption of fluid and solute. He also helps oversee GSSI education programs and activities, including the GSSI website (www.gssiweb.org) and its Sports Science Exchange publications.

Under his leadership and guidance, the GSSI has also pioneered a number of sports hydration and nutrition breakthroughs to benefit athletes, including the development of GIDS (the Gatorade In-Car Drinking System used by race car drivers), the Gatorade EDGE bottle, and the Gatorade Performance Series.

A native of Pittsburgh, Dr. Murray earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physical education at Slippery Rock State College. He served as assistant professor of physical education and head swimming coach at Oswego State University of New York from 1974–77 before returning to graduate school to receive his doctorate in exercise physiology from The Ohio State University in 1980. He then served as associate professor of physical education at Boise State University until 1985, when he joined The Gatorade Company to start the Gatorade Sports Science Institute.

An author of numerous chapters and papers in scientific texts and journals, Dr. Murray is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), a member of the ACSM Board of Trustees. In 2001, he co-authored Sports Drinks: Basic Science and Practical Aspects (CRC Press).

 



Learn more at gssiweb.org