The UK’s European university

ENDURANCERESEARCH PARTNERSIN INDUSTRY DAYSchool of Sport and Exercise SciencesUniversity of Kent, Medway

1www.kent.ac.uk/sportsciences

EVENT PROGRAMME

Welcome to the University of Kent’s Partners in Industry Day, this event is part ofour year long Endurance Research Becon project.

The University of Kent is regarded as the beacon for endurance research in the UK, Europe and beyond.In celebration of the University of Kent’s 50th anniversary the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences havean exciting event planned for the Partners in Industry Day at Medway Park.

The event will encompass presentations and workshops from world-leading authorities in the field of enduranceresearch. Topics to be covered include respiratory health and performance, a sports science research laboverview, the impact of environmental and atmospheric conditions on performance and field research throughscientific expeditions. The aim of the event is to foster new collaborations and investment in research projectsthat are mutually beneficial to both the industry partners and the Endurance Research Group.

Arrivals 11.00-11.30

Welcome and overview of research and consultancy 11.30-12.00

Kent Innovation and Enterprise 12.00-12.30

Lunch (with a tour of the facilities) 12.30-13.15

Workshop choice 1 13.15-14.00Respiratory ClinicSports Science research lab overviewEnvironmental chamber/nutrition and clothingField research and scientific expeditions

Workshop choice 2 14.05-14.50Respiratory ClinicSports Science research lab overviewEnvironmental chamber/nutrition and clothingField research and scientific expeditions

Final summary and departure 14.50-15.00

2 Endurance Research Group

The University of Kent’sendurance research groupproduces and advancesknowledge in enduranceand exercise performance.Research is conducted inexercise tolerance for anykind of performance inwhich resistance tofatigue is important, aswell as traditionalendurance sports .

Respiratory ClinicThis workshop will enable you toexplore the diagnosis andinterventions we currently have inplace for athletes who reportexercise respiratory symptoms. Theworkshop will demonstrate thecurrent practices we have in placeto help identify the cause of therespiratory symptoms. Theworkshop will also involve adiscussion about the next steps inthe diagnosis and care of athleteswith exercise respiratory symptoms.The workshop will be taken by DrJohn Dickinson (Head of theRespiratory Clinic) who has over 12years experience of working withOlympic athletes who reportexercise respiratory problems.

Sports Science researchlab overviewThe SSES research lab overviewworkshop will focus on the researchcapabilities of the Sports Sciencelaboratory. The workshop willhighlight the range of world-classexercise testing equipment availableand discuss recent research theschool has produced from thelaboratory. In addition the workshopwill provide an overview andpractical demonstration of some ofthe novel research we have recentlybeen conducting investigating themechanisms of central andperipheral fatigue during exercise.

Environmental chamber/nutrition and clothingSSES has recently upgraded theirenvironmental chamber, spendingover £120,000 on a spacious facilitythat can simulate temperaturesbetween -25 °C to +55 °C, relativehumidity from 20% to 95%, andaltitudes up to 7000+ m. The Schoolhas already worked with leadingSports Clothing manufacturers,testing the thermoregulatoryproperties of their clothing. We havealso worked with leading SportsNutrition companies testing theeffects of various nutritionalproducts. Combined with researchexpertise in nutrition, full wet-labfacilities and the ability to obtain andanalyse multiple biomarkers in-house, the School can providediverse testing of both climatic andnutritional manipulations before,during and after exercise.

The school has vast experience inthe field of Sports Nutrition and wehave worked with a number ofpartners in this area. This includespartnerships and studiesinvestigating the effects of variousproducts on enhancing exerciseperformance, recovery, immunefunction and reducing illness inathletes. Combined with highlyadvanced methods to measureperformance (and otherparameters) we have full wet-labfacilities and the ability to obtain andanalyse multiple biomarkers in-house. Together, this allows us tobetter establish the mechanismsthat explain (for example) observedperformance benefit and hencepublish these in the best scientificjournals in this area.

Field research andscientific expeditionsProfessor Samuele Marcora willpresent his scientific expeditionriding a motorbike from London toBeijing to investigate fatigue inmotorbike riders. This presentationwill serve as an example of therange of physiological andpsychological measurements thatcan be taken in the field toinvestigate human performance innatural settings rather than the lab.The presentation will be followed byhands-on experience with some ofthe research equipment used duringthe expedition.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

3www.kent.ac.uk/sportsciences

Dr Andy GalbraithSenior Technician & LecturerE: A.Galbraith@kent.ac.uk

Andy is anexpert inenduranceperformanceand he hasworked with arange ofathletes,

predominately endurance runners,from a recreational level tointernational standard. His currentresearch is focused around thedistance-time relationship and itsuse in endurance training andperformance.

Dr Glen DavisonLecturerE: G.Davison@kent.ac.uk

Glen is a BASESAccredited sportand exercisescientist inPhysiologySupport. He hasworked withamateur and

professional/elite athletes from arange of sports. His currentresearch is the area of Nutrition andExercise Immunology.

Dr Mark BurnleySenior LecturerE: M.Burnley@kent.ac.uk

Mark’s currentresearch interestis thephysiologicalbasis of thecritical powerconcept and itsrelationship to

the neuromuscular fatigue process.Specifically, oxygen uptake andmetabolic responses to exercise andthe power-duration relationship.

Dr Lex MaugerSenior LecturerE: L.Mauger@kent.ac.uk

Lex’s researchinterests are inthe role ofexercise-inducedpain on fatigueand pacing, andthe use of self-pacing in testing

for maximal oxygen uptake andexercise performance.

Dr James HopkerSenior LecturerE: J.G.Hopker@kent.ac.uk

James hasextensiveexperience inenhancingcycling efficiencyand regularlyprovidesscientific advice

to athletes from amateur toprofessional level in cycling, triathlon,athletics, football, rugby and cricket.

Professor Louis PassfieldHead of SchoolE: L.Passfield@kent.ac.uk

Louis leads theschool’sProfessionalDoctorateprogramme andhas publishedresearch inoptimising

exercise and training, particularlyin the area of cycling performance.

Professor SamueleMarcoraDirector of ResearchE: S.M.Marcora@kent.ac.uk

Samuele’sresearchintegratesexercisephysiology withmotivationpsychology andcognitive

neuroscience to ultimately improveperformance of endurance athletes.

Dr John DickinsonHead of the Respiratory ClinicE: J.W.Dickinson@kent.ac.uk

John is a BASESaccredited Sportand ExercisePhysiologistinvestigatingrespiratoryproblems inathletes. He is

also the head of the university’srespiratory clinic and a UK Sportadvisor for asthma diagnosis.

STAFF PROFILES

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RESEARCH OVERVIEW

We are a research-intensive School of Sportand Exercise Sciencewithin a leading UKUniversity.

Kent ranked in the top 20 of UKuniversities according to the 2015Guardian University Guide. We haverecognised expertise in the fields ofphysiology, nutrition, respiratoryhealth, endurance exercise, sportstherapy and biomechanics. The2015 Guardian University Guideranks the school 10th for SportsSciences amongst UK universities.

Research from the School of Sportand Exercise Sciences at theUniversity of Kent directly impactson the performance of athletes.Our research has made a positiveimpression on the training andperformance of coaches andathletes from British Cycling, GBBoxing, GB Swimming, ProfessionalFootball clubs, NHS, EnglishInstitute of Sport (EIS) and theMinistry of Defence.

We have research projects fundedby grants from UEFA, World Anti-Doping Agency and the Ministry ofDefence. Our specialist laboratoriesand clinics have recently beenenhanced by a £850,000 investmentto further improve the £11 millionproject, developing Medway Parkas a regional center of sportingexcellence. These investments havebeen instrumental in advancing ourability to conduct the research thatenables athletes to reach their peakperformance.

We have a vibrant researchcommunity made by most of ouracademic staff and an increasingnumber of PhD students. Ourresearch community is divided in twomultidisciplinary research groups:• Endurance Research Group and• Sports Therapy, Physical Activityand Health Research Group.

The general aims of these groupsare to overcome the barriers oftraditional scientific disciplines (egexercise physiology, sportpsychology, and biomechanics) andcreate a dynamic researchenvironment in which academicsand PhD students from differentdisciplines interact to answercomplex research questions. Theseresearch groups are supported bya network of research services atschool, faculty and university level,and state-of-the art scientificequipment in various laboratorieslocated at our base, MedwayBuilding, and Medway Park.

World-leading researchThe University of Kent ranked 18thin the UK for research intensity inSports and exercise sciences(Leisure and Tourism) research’according to the ResearchExcellence Framework 2014.

Endurance Research Group

5www.kent.ac.uk/sportsciences

FURTHERINFORMATIONSchool of Sport and Exercise SciencesUniversity of KentMedway BuildingChatham MaritimeKent ME4 4AG

E: sportsciences@kent.ac.ukT: +44 (0)1634 888858F: +44 (0)1634 888890www.kent.ac.uk/sportsciences

DPC 11894404/15