How Data Science and Kinesiology Connect: New Faculty Spotlight On Dr. Dante Goss
The UNC Charlotte School of Data Science program is truly interdisciplinary unlike any of the departments I’ve been in before. UNC Charlotte as an institution is well situated as an urban research university to connect with the community and really help people where they are.
By Amari Andrews
Dr. Dante Goss knew he wanted to pursue a career in kinesiology coming out of high school. Initially, he was interested in strength and conditioning research so much that he spent more time reading about this than his initial major as an undergraduate student. However, he eventually transitioned into studying the research side of health and wellness.
This is how he began to connect kinesiology with data science.
The beautiful thing to me about both fields is how diverse they are. Data Science gives us a wealth of options to answer questions related to kinesiology and human movement science. My work involves quite a bit of modeling, whether physics based modeling of an individual while walking on a treadmill in the lab, modeling their physical activity over the course of weeks using wearable technology, or modeling their behavior and attitudes using surveys. The techniques used are rooted in data science while many of the applications and model assumptions are rooted in kinesiology.
Dr. Goss is originally from the metropolitan area of Detroit, Michigan, but moved around a few times before ending up at UNC Charlotte. He received his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis in 2021. In 2026, he received his Doctor of Philosophy- PhD in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from The University of Virginia.
You held a Graduate Research Assistant Position during your time at The University of Virginia. How did that position prepare you for this position at UNC Charlotte?
My training provided me with a great foundation in how to conduct research, ask interesting questions, and think critically about how individuals really interact with their health and performance. While in my role I was able to focus on the type of work I found meaningful which ranged from developing new research methods for measuring physical activity to developing a course to teach data literacy to students going into clinical fields.
What makes the UNC Charlotte School of Data Science program different from other universities you have attended?
The UNC Charlotte School of Data Science program is truly interdisciplinary unlike any of the departments I’ve been in before. UNC Charlotte as an institution is well situated as an urban research university to connect with the community and really help people where they are.
What is a goal you have set for yourself during your new position?
As a teaching faculty member my primary goal is to teach what I can and hopefully inspire some of the same enthusiasm that I have for using data in health and sport in my students.
How will you continue to connect Data Science to Kinesiology?
In the classroom I will continue to weave in aspects of kinesiology and human movement into what I teach since the work we do in data science goes hand in hand with many questions and examples related to the body. At the same time, I will continue my research using wearable sensors and leveraging large datasets of physiological data to better understand human motion and behavior.