Potential postgraduate research projects

Sport and Exercise Science
Potential MSc/PhD projects in sport/exercise psychology, exercise physiology, biomechanics and
coaching
The following pages contain abstracts of potential research projects for Masters by research, or PhD
applicants. If you are interested in one of the projects listed (or a related project), please contact the
member of staff listed. For general enquiries please contact Dr Elizabeth Pummell:
[email protected]
Physical activity promotion
A lack of physical activity is endemic, and contributes to a variety of chronic health conditions. Behaviour
change is complicated, and despite significant research, interventions capable of promoting sustained
activity have not been identified. Typically, programmes suffer poor adherence and maintenance of
behaviour. This project aims to explore a new avenue for physical activity intervention; using mindfulness.
Such interventions have proven effective, for example with depression. Mindfulness promotes a greater
awareness and acceptance of internal and external experiences. Individuals develop greater psychological
flexibility, thus aiding persistence. As such, there is the potential for individuals to learn to resist the
temptation to avoid activity and to facilitate behaviour change. Mindfulness is a multi-faceted concept and
an exploration of the factors most predictive of behavior change is required. The next phase will involve the
adaptation of current mindfulness programmes for physical activity and the testing of the intervention.
Psychological, physiological and behavioural outcomes will be measured to assess effectiveness. Please
note it may also be possible to apply this project to/ combine with eating behavior/ overeating.
For more information contact Dr Elizabeth Pummell: [email protected]
Exploring increases in sport parent expertise alongside athletic development
Increasing research evidence points to the critical role parents play in a young athlete’s transition through
sport (e.g. Pummell, Harwood & Lavallee, 2008). With optimal support children develop life skills, selfesteem, and a physically active lifestyle through sport. Without this many young athletes drop out, or fail to
progress. Negative parental behaviour has also been associated with outcomes such as increased anxiety
amongst young athletes (e.g. Bois, Lalanne, & Delforge, 2009). Despite the importance of the role of
parents in sport our understanding of the development of the expertise which enables them to provide the
best support is lacking (Harwood & Knight, 2015). Given that the role of the parent is significant and
continues throughout the stages of athletic development, as much attention should be paid to this as has
been devoted to coach expertise (e.g. Côté & Gilbert, 2009).
Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, this programme of research will
therefore aim to draw upon the coaching expertise literature, with the objective to analyse parents’
experiences of coping with and supporting junior athletic career transition, and the adaptation required of
parents through this process. The project will ultimately aim to develop a research foundation on which to
develop and test an intervention to build sport parent expertise.
For more information contact Dr Elizabeth Pummell: [email protected]
Relationship termination strategies in sport
Within the context of competitive sport, one of the most salient relationships that the athlete will develop
is with his or her coach. There has been considerable empirical inquiry into the coach-athlete relationship
which has resulted in important conceptual developments regarding the key constructs that distinguish
high- from poor-quality dyads. This has enhanced our understanding of the correlates of coach-athlete
relationships that are characterised by varying levels of closeness, commitment, complementarity and coorientation. More recently, researchers have begun to explore relationship maintenance strategies used by
athletes and coaches, highlighting the importance of conflict management, openness, motivation,
positivity, advice, support, and social networks. However, there is a distinct lack of understanding regarding
coach-athlete relationship termination. Indeed, although it has been acknowledged that different coachathlete relationships will vary in their duration, there is an absence of inquiry into relationship termination
as an inevitable phase of the coach-athlete relationship. Therefore, the primary aim of this project is to
explore athletes’ and/or coaches’ experiences of relationship termination under voluntary circumstances in
order to better understand (i) how this particular event is perceived by athletes and/or coaches, and (ii)
what strategies athletes and/or coaches use to terminate the coach-athlete relationship.
For more information contact Mrs Laura Martinelli: [email protected]
Warm up protocols for optimal exercise performance
Warm up (WU) is widely accepted by coaches and athletes to be a vital component of a pre competition
routine. Positive effects associated with WU have been attributed to a number of temperature and nontemperature related mechanisms such as accelerated oxygen uptake kinetics, increased anaerobic
metabolism as well as post activation potentiation of the muscles. With reported WU routines being
comparable in timing to competition, the traditional WU could inhibit performance due to raised muscle
and blood acidity and loss of energy substrates. Assessing alternative WU routines will allow for an optimal
WU methodology to be established. The focus of the research is to examine both active and passive WU
routines to establish if they might elicit the positive mechanisms without the performance limiting effects.
For more information contact Dr Owen Spendiff: [email protected]
The efficacy of nutritional supplementation practices of wheelchair athletes
Collaborative project with the Weir Archer Academy.
Athletes with physical disabilities such as Spinal-Cord Injury (SCI), Cerebral Palsy (CP) and Spina Bifida (SB)
tend to adopt any new supplements on the market basing their choice on research conducted on an ablebodied population. Currently there is limited understanding and awareness of whether these enhancing
effects of many of the supplements on the market are transferable to those with physical impairments.
Those with physical impairment such as wheelchair athletes rely on the much smaller muscle mass of the
upper body for ambulation which has been demonstrated to elicit higher energy expenditure and fatigue
related mechanisms during performance than lower body exercise at the same relative intensities.
Moreover, those with SCI depending on the level of lesion can experience a degree of metabolic
dysfunction which could affect the absorption and utilisation of many nutritional supplements. This project
will be collaboratively conducted in agreement with the Weir Archer Academy to assess the influence of
their supplementation practices on their physiological and metabolic responses to exercise and
performance.
For more information contact Dr Owen Spendiff: [email protected]
Dark Chocolate on exercise tolerance and performance
Recent studies have reported beneficial vascular improvements from the chronic consumption of dark
chocolate (DC) in patients with cardiovascular disease. DC is hypothesised to mediate Nitric oxide
production through endothelium-dependent effects; related to the ability of flavanols to supress vascular
arginase enzyme activity and is also associated with increased levels of (-)-epicatechin within the blood,
which signal the release of vasoactive components from endothelial cells decreasing the ratio of
leukotriene-prostacyclin. Nitrate rich foods such as beetroot are now established as ergogenic aids in
exercise performance due to their reduction on submaximal exercise oxygen cost and blood pressure via
similar nitric oxide (NO) mediated mechanisms. As DC consumption is associated with food categories of
high palatability together with the possible increases in NO means it could be a more attractive ergogenic
aid. Moreover, how chocolate is processed and manufactured can have significant effect on the flavanol
concentrations which could significantly affect physiological responses and more work is needed to
investigate the differences in solid and powered forms. This novel project will be focused on different
types of DC in comparison to nitrate supplements to evaluate the physiological and metabolic responses
across various intensities and durations of exercise.
For more information contact Dr Owen Spendiff: [email protected]
Musculoskeletal function in fatigued running conditions
Optimised gait during running enables appropriate attenuation of ground reaction forces, forward
progression of the body at the desired speed and minimum cost of locomotion for the velocity attained.
Muscles of the lower limb play an important role in achieving optimum gait patterns through movement of
body segments, resistance of applied loads and attenuation of impact forces, through appropriate timing
and levels of activation. Inappropriate muscle activation timing and imbalance of muscular forces have
been associated with a multitude of exercise related injuries, including stress fracture, patellofemoral pain
syndrome, medial tibial stress syndrome and muscular sprains. Implications of deviations from the
optimised gait strategy can therefore range from increased metabolic cost to physiologically catastrophic
injury by virtue of the loads applied to the musculoskeletal system. The challenges of maintaining
musculoskeletal control during sustained periods of running, potentially in a fatigued state, are substantial.
This can be further exacerbated by alterations in terrain, such as incline, altering the loading requirements
of the musculoskeletal system. Therefore, this study aims to assess localised biomechanical and
physiological effects of fatigued incline running, through use of a variety of techniques both biomechanical
(motion analysis, electromyography) and physiological (energy expenditure, inflammatory markers).
For more information contact Dr Nicola Swann: [email protected]
The effect of rehabilitation therapy on exercise-induced inflammation and tissue repair.
Exercise-induced muscle soreness and inflammation can impair subsequent physical performance, increase
recovery time and the risk of further injury. Muscle damage has also been associated to detrimental
stiffening of the arteries and increasing risk of cardiovascular events (Barnes et al., 2010). Therefore,
athletes and individuals performing physical activity are concerned in strategies that reduce the onset of
exercise-induced muscle soreness and inflammation to maintain performance and prevent the onset of
chronic injury. Therefore further research is required to determine the effectiveness of rehabilitation
therapies such as massage (foam rollers), cryotherapy (ice-bathing/cold-water) and compression garments
will help expand our understanding of the effects on the recovery process following exercise. The current
project intends to verify the ability to measure various biological markers of inflammation and tissue
recovery as well as develop a reference guide for the use of treatment and rehabilitation therapies for
chronic musculoskeletal injury. The sampling of biomarker levels may then be used in the field for
monitoring athletic and disease populations such as arthritis response to rehabilitation and recovery. The
aim of the project is to analyse biomarkers of inflammation in regard to musculoskeletal pain and exerciseinduced muscle damage. This study aims to investigate the effects of rehabilitation therapies (such as
cryotherapy, massage, stretching and compression garments) on muscle soreness and markers of
inflammation following exercise. This study also aims to identify the signalling mechanisms that occur in
response to such recovery strategies.
For more information contact Dr Hannah Moir: [email protected]
The effect of Liposomal Vitamin C on bioavailability and effect on health and/or exercise-induced
oxidative stress.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) bioavailability and synthesis is implicit in immune function and prevention of
various diseases such as cardiovascular disease and oxidative stress. Vitamin C has previously been shown
to reduce levels of reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide and may lead to the activation of redox sensitive
genes. Oral supplements are available in many forms, but there is little empirical evidence that any one
form is better absorbed or more effective than another. Establishing the impact of the bioavailability and
synthesis on various cells will be important in understanding the absorption and effect of liposomal forms
to health. This study proposes to analyse bioavailability, absorption and synthesis of vitamin C and the
impact of a liposomal form on various in vitro measures of oxidative stress and inflammation as well as
possible in vivo measures of oxidative stress and inflammation in response to exercise both under normoxic
and normobaric hypoxic conditions.
For more information contact Dr Hannah Moir: [email protected]
The effect of Glutathione on exercise-induced oxidative stress
Glutathione (GSH) is an antioxidant that through increased cellular content can greatly reduce the
occurrence of oxidative stress (Kumar & Dey, 2014). Reduced glutathione is also an indicator of oxidative
stress, whose reducing properties play a central role in metabolic pathways and the antioxidant system of
aerobic cells (Moir, 2009). The implications of this may impact upon mitochondrial biogenesis and immune
function (Atherton et al., 2005). The supplementation of glutathione may enable transcriptional activation
to provide antioxidant defence against exercise-induced oxidative stress and furthermore may aid in
exercise performance. This study aims to determine the bioavailability of supplemented glutathione on
various in vivo measures of oxidative stress and inflammation in response to exercise both under normoxic
and normobaric hypoxic conditions.
For more information contact Dr Hannah Moir: [email protected]
Exercise and diabetes/cardiovascular risk factors in south Asian and European individuals
Obesity related conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease are increasing worldwide,
and people of south Asian origin are particularly susceptible. A variety of interacting factors may explain
this elevated risk but physical inactivity and/or poor responsiveness to exercise may play a role. Physical
activity can affect glycemic control, lipid profile, inflammation and appetite. Recent research has
investigated the role of exercise to improve postprandial lipemia in south Asians. This project aims to
extend previous work to investigate the effects of exercise on metabolic markers, inflammation and
hormones of appetite regulation. This interdisciplinary project is an exciting collaboration between the
Interdisciplinary Hub for the Study of Health and Age Related Conditions (IhSHA) at Kingston University and
the Inflammation and Metabolism Research Group at Loughborough University, UK. The project will
provide expertise in human physiology testing, biochemical and immunological techniques. There may also
be an opportunity to contribute to the groups’ consultancy in exercise, nutrition and health, and public
engagement programme.
For more information contact Dr Judith Allgrove: [email protected]
Intermittent hypoxia and exercise in the treatment of obesity
Obesity is a major risk factor for chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, adverse cardiovascular events
and metabolic syndrome-related disorders. Different treatments (e.g. diet and exercise) have been applied
in order to treat body fat accumulation and the associated clinical disorders of which intermittent hypoxia
training may play a role. A hypoxic stimulus in addition to diet and exercise could potentially augment
weight loss by inducing an elevated adrenergic stress response and other metabolic changes, although the
mechanisms remain unclear. Hypoxic situations can affect the cardiovascular system, enhance glycolysis,
and improve insulin sensitivity and hormones of appetite regulation. As such, intermittent hypoxia in
addition to other treatments could be a useful non-pharmacological tool in obese patients. This project will
examine intermittent hypoxic training and exercise in obese/overweight individuals on whole body
glycemic control and hormones of appetite regulation. It will involve working with human participants and
conducting a range of techniques including physiological testing, biochemical/immunological analysis and
use of hypoxic chamber. The work may also involve collaboration with external partners (Loughborough
University) where it will be possible to perform invasive procedures (skeletal muscle and adipose tissue
biopsies) to identify tissue-specific molecular regulation of glucose and lipid disposal, storage and oxidation.
For more information contact Dr Judith Allgrove: [email protected]