Dr Andy Davies PhD

• PhD, Sport and Exercise Science, Liverpool John Moores University, 2026
• MPhil, Sport and Exercise Science, Liverpool John Moores University, 2022
• BSc, Sport and Exercise Science (1st Class Honours), Liverpool John Moores University, 2020

Andy Davies is a research associate in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at University of Birmingham. 

Andy completed his BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), graduating with First Class Honours in 2020. He subsequently completed an MPhil in Sport and Exercise Science at LJMU, examining the feasibility of integrating an mHealth-supported exercise and physical activity intervention into a specialist weight management service for adolescents with severe obesity. 

He continued this work through his PhD in Sport and Exercise Science at LJMU, which he completed in 2026. His doctoral research focused on optimising exercise and physical activity support for children and young people living with obesity within NHS Complications from Excess Weight (CEW) services. This work involved collaborating with young people, families, healthcare professionals and researchers to develop and evaluate approaches for integrating personalised exercise and physical activity support into clinical care. 

Alongside his postgraduate research, Andy held research and teaching roles at LJMU. He worked as a Research Assistant on community-based physical activity research delivered in partnership with Sefton Council and contributed to several mHealth-supported exercise studies across clinical and non-clinical populations. He also delivered teaching and laboratory sessions across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in exercise physiology, physical activity and public health. 

Andy joined University of Birmingham in 2026 as a research associate. His work has a particular focus on developing practical, person-centred interventions that can be implemented within healthcare settings. 

EXTEND-IT 

Andy is a Research Associate on the EXTEND-IT study at University of Birmingham. EXTEND-IT is developing and evaluating a physical activity intervention for children aged 8–15 years living with stage 1 or stage 2 type 1 diabetes. 

His work focuses on the development and delivery of a six-month behaviour change intervention designed to support children and their families to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour. The intervention combines wearable activity monitoring, digital resources, education, goal setting and personalised health and wellbeing coaching. 

Andy’s role includes intervention development and refinement, development of participant-facing resources, integration of wearable and digital technologies, research governance, participant engagement and intervention delivery. The research draws on behaviour change principles and works closely with children, families, researchers and clinical collaborators to ensure that the intervention is feasible, engaging and developmentally appropriate. 

MOTIVATE-CEW 

Andy's doctoral research focused on improving exercise and physical activity provision for children and young people living with obesity who receive care through NHS Complications from Excess Weight (CEW) services. 

The MOTIVATE-CEW programme investigated how exercise specialists, supported by mobile health technologies, could be integrated into multidisciplinary paediatric obesity care. His research included evaluating an initial intervention within the CEW service at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, working with young people, caregivers and healthcare professionals to refine the intervention, and subsequently evaluating the optimised intervention through a feasibility randomised controlled trial. 

This work has developed evidence around the feasibility and acceptability of personalised exercise support within specialist paediatric obesity services and has highlighted the importance of individualised approaches that recognise the diverse barriers children and families can experience when engaging in physical activity. 

Wider research experience 

Andy has contributed to a range of exercise, physical activity and digital health research across clinical and community settings. Previous projects include mHealth-supported physical activity interventions in paediatric diabetes, community-based weight management and sedentary adult populations. 

His earlier research experience also included laboratory-based exercise physiology research investigating vascular responses to exercise, exercise testing and indirect calorimetry, alongside research examining physiological responses to sweating. 

Across his research, Andy has experience in mixed-methods research, feasibility trials, intervention development and co-development, qualitative research, physical activity measurement, wearable technologies and the delivery of remote and in-person exercise and behaviour change interventions.