Academic staff in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences

Professor Sarah Aldred is an exercise biochemist interested in oxidative stress. She is interested in how exercise can perturb redox homeostasis in both health and disease. Sarah has worked with young and old, and with those suffering from psychosis and schizophrenia, cardiovascular disease and dementia. 

Sarah is Head of the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences.

Dr Agyapong-Badu is a chartered physiotherapist with research interests in sedentary behaviour and enabling active living through studies into healthy ageing of the musculoskeletal system. She is currently working on a Dunhill Medical Trust funded project investigating the acute effects of sitting time on psychophysiological stress, psychological and physiological function in older healthy men ...

Christina Anderson spent 18 years in clinical practice as a physiotherapist before moving to the University of Birmingham in 2005 to be a clinical tutor. Her clinical interest is in children's physiotherapy. Currently she has the practice placement lead role for physiotherapy. Christina has completed a Masters degree in Advancing Physiotherapy Practice at the University of Birmingham, in which ...

Natalie Andrews has been a Chartered Physiotherapist and has worked clinically for twenty years within MSK Physiotherapy.  She has worked both in the NHS and Private sector. She is part of the clinical placement team, for the Undergrad and Masters (pre-reg) Physiotherapy programmes at UoB.

Pearlene Antoine-Pitterson is a Respiratory Physiotherapist at the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS foundation trust. Her specialist interest is in Respiratory care and Non-Invasive ventilation.

George is a respiratory physiologist with an interest in pulmonary blood flow and sleep disordered breathing. He is an expert in blood gas manipulation and he uses ultrasonography for non-invasive measurement of physiological variables. George is a dedicated and popular lecturer having received the Excellence in Teaching and Outstanding Teaching Award four times. 

Dr Shane Balthazaar currently works at the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences. Shane does research in cardiac physiology, exercise rehabilitation and autonomic control of individuals with spinal cord injury. Shane’s current research focuses on the impact of exercise in the subacute phase of spinal cord injury on the cardiovascular system.

Nick is a Lecturer in Physiotherapy. He is Year 1 Tutor for the BSc Physiotherapy programme.

Dr Andy Blannin is an expert in the mechanisms through which exercise can be helpful for people with (or at risk of) obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.

Professor Boardley is internationally known for his expertise on the psychosocial processes governing moral behaviour in physical activity contexts. This work includes moral behaviours that occur on the sports field (e.g., prosocial and antisocial behaviour), as well as those that occur in sport, exercise, and dance (use of supplements and image and performance enhancing drugs). Ian’s ...

Professor Leigh Breen is a leading expert in the field of skeletal muscle physiology and metabolism, with an international standing in this field of research. His research has focused on the regulatory mechanisms of human skeletal muscle remodeling, alongside translational in vitro cell approaches. By combining muscle biochemistry with stable isotope tracer techniques and comprehensive in vivo ...

Matt has an international reputation for research in coaching and applied sports science.  He investigates the development of sporting skill in applied settings and pathways to expertise in sports people.

Tom’s expertise lies in sports performance. This stems from working for nearly a decade in professional sport including with Liverpool Football Club where he conducted his PhD research. Tom’s area of research interest is applied physiology and particularly strength and conditioning.

Dr Shushu Chen is an Associate Professor in Sport Policy and Management at the University of Birmingham, UK, and a Visiting Professor at the Capital University of Physical Education & Sports, China. Her principal research interests include sport policy analysis and evaluation, and major sporting event legacy studies (particularly in the areas of impact evaluation). She is a British Academy ...

Dr Chiou’s research focuses on studying motor cortical involvement in trunk control in older adults and in people living with spinal cord injury. Her work utilises neurophysiological measures, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, peripheral electrical stimulation, and electromyography, to investigate the control of movement and how it is affected or adapted with ageing and following a ...

Rita is an early career academic, she completed her PhD in 2022 investigating novel techniques to determine the effects of exercise on bone turnover. She joined the University of Birmingham as an Assistant Professor in Nutritional Science at the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences in 2022 and currently holds a Research Fellow position within the same School.

Judith has participated in a wide range of High Performance Sports Teams and has been part of many multisport Games as a Physiotherapist. During her time at the English Institute of Sport she took an active interest in injury prevention and managing athletes during Olympic Cycles. 

Judith moved into the world of performing arts as Head Company Physio for Birmingham Royal ballet and acts as ...

Katie Cronin is a practicing physiotherapist as well as an Assistant Professor at the University predominantly focused on Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy. She is the admissions Tutor for the MSc (Pre-registration) Physiotherapy alongside her role on the Clinical Team.

Professor Jennifer Cumming is a community-based researcher with expertise in sport and exercise psychology.  She works collaboratively with clubs, organisations, and services in innovative and creative ways to develop and/or evaluate psychosocial interventions for improving performance, personal development, health, and well-being. 

Dr Janet Deane is passionate about research and uses digital technology to understand the mechanisms underpinning musculoskeletal conditions to facilitate the development of effective physiotherapy treatments for patients with chronic pain. 

Dr Deane was awarded a Versus Arthritis Clinical Doctoral Fellowship to complete her PhD at Imperial College London and was the first Physiotherapist ...

Barry is an applied exercise physiologist with a particular interest in intermittent exercise and the sport of football.  He is recognized internationally for his research in the area of football performance and player preparation and his applied experience working within the sport. He is also the programme leader for the Doctorate in Sport and Exercise Science at the University.

Professor Duda is internationally known for her expertise on motivational processes and determinants of adherence and optimal functioning in sport, exercise, and dance. She is an experienced mental skills consultant, working with athletes, coaches/instructors, and other performers at all levels. Joan is Director of a large multi-national EC-funded project which aims to promote quality ...

Ben is an innovative and forward-thinking physiotherapy lecturer with an interest in using active learning approaches to develop critical thinking, evidence-based physiotherapists. His research interests include collaborative and digital educational approaches, simulation and clinical reasoning.

Dr Richard Elsworthy is primarily interested in the mechanisms underlying neurological disease. Richard works with stem cells, modelling the brain to detect early pathological features of both neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. Richard also has an interest in how exercise can be used to improve brain health and prevent disease.

Professor Falla is an expert in rehabilitation science and musculoskeletal physiotherapy. Her research utilises state of the art electrophysiological measures to evaluate the control of human movement and how it is affected or adapted in response to various states including pain, injury, fatigue and training. Her research interests also include optimising the management of musculoskeletal ...

Dr. Sally Fenton an Associate Professor in Lifestyle Behaviour Change. Her research is focused on the development, delivery and evaluation of theory-based interventions to promote physical activity, with a emphasis on clinical populations. Dr. Fenton also has expertise in the application of device-based assessments of physical activity and sedentary behaviour (e.g. accelerometers, commercial ...

Dr Gallina’s research focuses on neuromuscular adaptation to musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation. He is specifically interested in understanding whether and how neuromechanical impairments have a role in the onset and maintenance of pain in chronic musculoskeletal disorders. His work combines electrophysiological and biomechanical techniques to study human movement in people with and ...

Lucy Gardiner is an Assistant Professor in Physiotherapy, within the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences. She specializes in the cardio-respiratory field.  

Paul Garner has an international reputation for research and expertise in coach development. His work centres around the interpersonal knowledge requisite of effective coaches and coach developers, and in particular the intentions behind behaviour.

Victoria is a pedagogical researcher in sport, physical activity and health. Her main research area focuses on social media/digital technologies and young people’s health and wellbeing, and she is interested in the professional learning needs of teachers/coaches.

Professor Greaves conducts internationally recognised research on health behaviour change. He develops and evaluates practical behavioural interventions to prevent and treat chronic illnesses.

Carolyn Greig is a physiologist with expertise in muscle health in older age. She is particularly research active in the design and conduct of nutritional and physical activity interventions to maintain functional ability in older adults living with frailty. Carolyn has a number of national and international collaborations and is currently involved in healthy ageing projects in Brazil, Rwanda, ...

Mark qualified as a PE Teacher from the West London Institute in 1990. After lectureships at the Universities of Kingston and Oxford Brookes, he went on to study for a PhD in Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy before joining Birmingham in 2009. Mark has published research papers in scientific journals as well as reviews and book chapters in the fields of sport pedagogy, professional ...

Laura Hemmings is a teaching fellow in Physiotherapy, within the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences. She specialises in the area of mental health and is passionate about the integration of physical and mental health within physiotherapy and healthcare.

Dr Herold has a broad research and teaching interest in professional learning and pedagogy of teaching and learning in Physical Education. His main research interests are concerned with significant developments in national and international Initial Teacher Education in Physical Education. A particular research focus is the exploration of the development of subject knowledge and in particular ...

Dr Katie Hesketh is an exercise physiologist. Katie has a particular interest in the effectiveness of physical activity interventions as a non-pharmacological management strategy in disease management. Currently, Katie is currently working on enhancing exercise prescription for a range of clinical populations using mobile health technology.

Dr Nick Holmes runs The Hand Laboratory which studies the coordination and control of hand and body movements and the human somatosensory system, particularly the perception of touch on the hands. His main methods are transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), electromyography (EMG), motion tracking and psychophysics. He enjoys doing statistics and produces a science news podcast called the error ...

Feroz Jadhakhan is a research fellow in the Centre of Precision Rehabilitation for Spinal Pain (CPR Spine) at the University of Birmingham where he has been a member since April 2019.

Feroz's research interests lie in examining longitudinal data to answer clinical research questions and the use of statistical processes and data mining to forecast outcomes. Other research interests are centred on ...

Ned’s research incorporates a range of techniques including non-invasive brain stimulation, electrophysiological recording, eye-tracking, neuroimaging and behavioural techniques. He uses these techniques to investigate how the brain controls movement and how it allows us to - seemingly effortlessly - learn new motor skills. His research is not only intended to help us understanding how the ...

Professor Maria Kavussanu is an expert on morality in sport. In her research, she is trying to understand antecedents and consequences of prosocial and antisocial sport behaviour and has conducted extensive work in understanding and preventing doping in sport. Recently, she has developed moral, interventions to combat doping in athletes and to enhance authentic leadership in coaches.

Ali Khatibi is interested in the study of cognition and an expert in neuroimaging and the study of human spinal cord. His two lines of research is focused on the study of cognitive bias in the processing of pain and also pain interference with motor learning in human spinal cord.

Dr Yoon Jin Kim is an Assistant Professor in Sport Pedagogy at the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham. Before joining the School in 2022, Yoon Jin worked as a post-doctoral researcher, conducting two IOC-funded projects on abuse and safeguarding in sport, based at the Institute for Olympic Studies of Korea National Sport University for two years. Her ...

Jamie’s expertise lies in performance analysis within sport. Jamie has over 7 years of experience within Performance Analysis working across a range of sports from football, rugby, netball, and squash.

Yu-Chiang is a Birmingham Fellow in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences and affiliated in the Mitochondrial Profiling Centre (MPC), MRC-ARUK Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research and the Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR).   

Yu-Chiang’s group focuses on deciphering the signalling networks that regulate muscle metabolic functions. We ...

Clive Liles is programme director for the MSc Physiotherapy (pre-registration) programme offered within SportExR. His interests are in the development and implementation of training and education of healthcare professionals, inter-professional learning and professional practice and service development.  

Dr Rebekah Lucas is an integrative physiologist who is interested in how exercise and environmental medicine translates to clinical medicine and public health. Her research examines human tolerance and adaptation to physical and environmental stressors, with a particular focus on thermal vascular physiology.

Dr Sam Lucas is an integrative physiologist with a primary research interest in brain health; specifically he is interested in how cerebral blood flow is regulated in health and disease, and the resultant impact on brain function (e.g., neurophysiological and psychological/behavioural responses). His broader interests and expertise are in the areas of exercise and environmental physiology, as ...

Dr MacDonald’s research focuses on the behavioural, neurophysiological and genetic mechanisms of impulse control i.e. how we control our actions. She is especially interested in how these mechanisms may be influenced by dopamine dysregulation as seen in Parkinson’s disease and other dopamine-related disorders. She utilizes techniques such as non-invasive brain stimulation, genotyping, ...

Kiki's research focuses on examining the complex process of professional learning for PE teachers and on evaluating the nature, quality and impact of school-based interventions, including Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities for teachers. A particular focus is on improving teaching quality around inclusion and mental health and wellbeing. Over the last 10 years, Kiki has ...

Michael Mansfield is a lecturer in musculoskeletal physiotherapy. Michael's research interests include, but not limited to, pain mechanisms, musculoskeletal and neuropathic pain presentations. Michael has expertise in psychophysics and evidence synthesis methodologies. Michael has worked in senior leadership and advanced care practitioner positions across public and independent healthcare and ...

Dr Eduardo Martinez-Valdes is an expert in electrophysiology. His research utilizes advanced surface electromyography techniques to study the neuromuscular adjustments behind musculoskeletal disorders, exploring exercise interventions which could potentially improve neuromuscular function. 

Dr Craig McAllister has a passionate interest in understanding the neural mechanisms of human movement in both healthy and disease states. His current research utilises a combination of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques and neuroimaging methods to understand the role of rhythmic brain activity in motor and cognitive processes.

Dr. Nightingale is an integrative physiologist with an interest in understanding the impact of physical activity on cardiometabolic and cerebrovascular health outcomes in individuals with neurological conditions. Primarily, Tom’s research has focused on the efficacy of therapeutic interventions (exercise and neuromodulation) to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals with a spinal ...

Dr Tim Podlogar is an exercise Physiologist mainly interested in Sports Nutrition, Exercise Metabolism, Environmental Physiology and Endurance Performance.

Dr Jamie Pringle is an exercise physiologist with interests in sports performance and professional practice in sports science, sports medicine, and coaching. With an extensive background in industry, largely in the British world-class sport sector, his research themes are often founded in real-world challenges and questions. His broader interests are in environmental exercise physiology, ...

David is interested in both cognitive and motor difficulties that can arise following stroke, and how these interact, affecting the way people move and function; he has a particular interest in the neglect syndrome.  David undertakes experimental research that aims to understand related problems arising in stroke survivors and contributes to the development of rehabilitative strategies to ...

Dr Quinton is interested in how positive youth development approaches in sport and community settings improve emotional regulation, social connectedness, and mental well-being in young people. Dr Quinton uses sport psychology and pedagogical theories to understand how young people’s backgrounds and support needs influence their development, engagement, and motivation to learn and perform in ...

Jill has a particular interest in developing interactive educational activities, both in delivering teaching and learning opportunities and in assessment. Jill has experience in programme development, course evaluation and design together with quality monitoring. 

Jill has particular interests in Neurological rehabilitation, seating and upper limb activity and infection control.

Dr Catarina Rendeiro is a nutritional scientist with an interest in linking molecular, physiological, and cognitive outcomes in response to nutritional interventions. Her research interests include understanding the mechanisms by which plant-derived compounds (particularly flavonoids) and physical exercise can improve both peripheral vascular function and cerebrovascular brain health.

Dr Raymond Reynolds has a wide range of interests within the field of human motor control. This includes sensorimotor control of balance, reaching and tremor. His research is supported by the BBSRC.

Professor Christopher Ring is a professor of psychology and has enjoyed working in the school of Sport, Exercise and rehabilitation Sciences since 1995. He has published over 150 research articles, won grants from research councils, charities and industry, collaborated with experts from many other countries, and supervised 30 doctoral students who are now working at universities around the world. ...

Dr Sheeba Rosewilliam is a lecturer in Physiotherapy in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences. Her research focuses on goal setting in various areas of rehabilitation and through incorporating goal setting within self-management for community based interventions. Her pedagogical research focusses on patient-centred philosophy and developing these attributes in students.

Dr Carolyn Roskell is the Postgraduate Taught (PGT) Lead in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences. She is committed to providing educational opportunities which enable individuals to maximise their personal and professional potential. Carolyn has published extensive work related to educational and professional development which she has used to develop new programmes at both ...

Glykeria is a chartered physiotherapist with research interests in occupational health and safety, musculoskeletal disorders and education. She is currently working on projects around sustainable employability focusing on the ageing workforce, women, and those with chronic musculoskeletal disorders.

Glykeria is very passionate about teaching and education and focuses on new pedagogies and ...

Dr Andrew Soundy is a leading expert considering individuals psychological responses to chronic and palliative illness. His research is now taught within Physiotherapy departments across England and within NHS trusts. The focus of his work is to improve and develop supportive and empowering physiotherapist-patient interactions by using novel placements. 

Professor Afroditi Stathi is an expert in the field of the promotion of active and healthy ageing.  She leads a portfolio of international, interdisciplinary research which investigates ways of supporting older people achieving meaningful and lasting lifestyle changes and living healthier and fulfilling lives.

Melrose Stewart is an honorary lecturer in the School of Sports, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, TEDx speaker and Chartered Physiotherapist. One of her recent and most ambitious project was her expert role in the remarkably successful Channel 4 television programme, ‘Old people’s Home for 4 year Olds’ in 2017.  Based on her involvement in the programme, she delivered ...

Professor Janice L. Thompson is a leading expert in the field of public health nutrition and exercise, and their role in preventing and treating risks for obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes across the lifespan.

Dr Martin Toms is an expert in youth sport and talent identification from a socio-cultural perspective. He works on a national and international perspective with federations and governing bodies (most notably the PGA of GB&I and also government agencies in India) and is the school lead for International development.

James is internationally recognised as having expertise in exercise physiology or more specifically, exercise immunology. His research explores the impact lifestyle has on mechanisms of ageing and chronic disease. The projects James leads span two themes: (1) overweight/obesity and immune system ageing – with focus on adipose tissue immunology; and (2) physical activity and cancer ...

Mr Isaak Tyros is a highly trained physiotherapist specialising in musculoskeletal rehabilitation sciences. He is involved with teaching musculoskeletal/manipulative physiotherapy at postgraduate level and his research activities are currently focused on spinal conditions and exercise prescription.

Professor Jet Veldhuijzen van Zanten’s interdisciplinary research focusses on the influence of behaviour on psychological and physiological health and wellbeing in various populations, including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, older adults, and young people.  

Alex’s work centres on understanding how exercise can prime the immune system to improve patient responses to treatment and reduce disease activity. Alex has worked with patients with type-1 diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, chronic kidney disease and obesity to examine the anti-inflammatory effects of exercise in these populations.

Professor Wallis is an Exercise Scientist with major interests in Nutrition and Metabolism. He studies dietary influences on exercise metabolism, with a particular focus on macronutrients and their roles in performance, training adaptation and health.

Dr. Webster is an internationally recognized scholar in physical education and youth physical activity, particularly with respect to whole-of-school approaches to supporting active lifestyles for children and adolescents.

Dr Joseph Welch is a respiratory physiologist with expertise in the neural control of breathing, respiratory neuroplasticity, respiratory muscle fatigue, and the mechanics of breathing during exercise.

Caroline has predominantly worked as a physiotherapist across a wide range of elite and national team sports. This has included working in the English Rugby Union Premiership for seven season, four seasons working at the Football Association with their various national teams and attending European championships and World Cups. Presently alongside her university teaching responsibilities she is a ...

Dr Martin Whitham is an integrative physiologist primarily interested in endocrinology and tissue cross-talk in the context of exercise. Since physical activity represents a broad and effective preventative treatment for a host of non-communicable diseases, the main focus of his group’s work is to examine the role small vesicles, exosomes and proteins play in inter-tissue signalling during ...

Matthew Willett is a lecturer in physiotherapy with a research interest in pain mechanisms, sports medicine, and patient physical activity behaviours. He is the programme lead of the MSc Exercise and Sports Medicine (Football), and contributes to the musculoskeletal teaching across several post graduate programmes offered within the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences.

Sarah is internationally known for her work in imagery to enhance performance and wellbeing. She has published over 30 papers related to imagery ability and imagery use. She has a particular interest and focus in using mental imagery to elicit more facilitative appraisals and responses to stress.

Dr Janet Withall is an experienced researcher in the field of the promotion of active and healthy ageing.  She currently manages the NIHR funded ACE randomized controlled trial investigating ways of supporting older people achieving meaningful and lasting lifestyle changes and living healthier and fulfilling lives.

Sang-Hoon has an academic and industrial background in mechanical engineering and computer science. He uses techniques in robotics and virtual reality to understand how the brain collaborates with eyes, muscles and bones to coordinate our sensation and movement and is keen to apply the outcomes of research to diagnose and rehabilitate motor diseases and injuries. His current research interest ...