Dr Dunn attended the University of Wollongong from 1997-2000 where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) and Graduate Diploma in Applied Psychology. Having completed a Certificate III in Fitness, and combined with his interests in physical activity and sport, he undertook a PhD at the University of Sydney (2002-2006), where his dissertation looked at the influence of drug use, exercise, and sexual orientation on body image concerns in men. He taught undergraduate psychology at the University of Sydney and at ACU during this time.