My profile

Biography

My main responsibility is Head of Department. I oversee development and delivery of the Department’s academic vision for world-class education, research and knowledge exchange in Sports and Health Sciences within the Manchester Metropolitan University Institute of Sport.

I am Professor of Musculoskeletal Physiology with research interests in muscle ageing (sarcopenia), muscle wasting following disuse or disease processes, fatigue and recovery of physical function using nutrition, exercise and technology interventions.  My research has relevance for patients with muscle impairments and for athletes wanting to improve sports performance.

I am a member of the Scientific Review Panel at the European College of Sport Sciences (ECSS), expert reviewer for The European Space Agency funding panel and formerly Director of University Alliance Doctoral Training Alliance in Applied Biosciences for Health working across 14 UK universities (2015 - 2019).

Projects

Ongoing projects include:

1. The changes affecting central and peripheral nervous systems that contribute to chronic fatigue in fibromyalgia syndrome

2. The effect of short term limb immobilisation on motor unit structure and function and skeletal muscle cellular signalling

3. The effect of skeletal muscle damage on muscle metabolism and cardiovascular function

4. Motor unit remodelling in old age: contributions to muscle wasting and muscle weakness in sarcopenia

5. Novel nutritional interventions to preserve the neuromuscular junction

Teaching

Recent undergraduate teaching contributions

Introduction to Public Health (L4); Systems Physiology (L4); Applied and Environmental Physiology (L5); Health and Exercise Physiology (L5); Dissertation Projects (L6)

Recent Postgraduate Research contributions

Supervision of PhD students across several projects

Research outputs

Career history