Postgraduate community

Here at the Centre for Physical Activity, Sport and Exercise Sciences, we have a vibrant post graduate student community to whom we provide an exciting and supportive environment to pursue graduate studies. You will benefit from access to a world-class laboratory environment with industry standard research and teaching facilities, and become a part of a multi-professional team of renowned academics, researchers and clinicians.

Current students

Current PhD students

Name	Thesis Title	Director of Studies
Mahnoor Adil	Effect of Hypoxia (Low Oxygen) on Macropharge Gene Expression	Dr Bernard Burke
Ellis Baderinwa	Crizotinib induced cardiotoxicity and potential strategies to reduce observed damage	Dr Afhab Hussain
Victoria Barton	Motor competence and the isotemporal substitution of physical activity, sedentary time and sleep in children	Dr Cain Clark
Chris Ross (part-time)	The effects of carbohydrate and caffeine ingestion on intermittent sprint cycling in the heat	Dr Neil Clarke
Austine Ehibhatiomham	Investigating the thermostability and activity of Dypib manganese active-site mutants from Pseudomonas fluorescents Pf-5 towards lignolytic substrates	Dr Sebastien Farnaud
Sophie Fletcher	Assessment of the cardiac work-loop to identify drug-induced changes in contractility using rat papillary muscles	Professor Helen Maddock
Louise Gates	Psycho-social Interventions for Adults with Intellectual Disabilitiy and Associated Mental Health Conditions	Dr Laurence Baldwin
Richardo Goncalves- Martins	Cognitively-demanding physical activity effects on cognition and academic performance in primary school children	Dr Emma Eyre
Peter Griffin	Modelling activation of the CGRP receptor	Professor Christopher Reynolds
Phillip Heritage (part-time)	Physiological Responses to seat Angle in Sit Cross-Country Skiing (funded by AAEC Community College)	Dr Sam Oxford
Thomas Hames	What are the Athletic Performance Implications of a Life Saving Organ Transplant on the Body?	Dr Mike Price
Raja Idris	TBC	Professor Helen Maddock
Hateem Kayani	Effect of Hypoxia (Low Oxygen) on Macrophage Gene Expreession - Development of New Hypoxia Targeted Gene Therapy Strategies	Dr Bernard Burke
Fatmah Khalefah	The effects of hypoxia on LPS-induced IL-10 gene expression in macrophages	Dr Kate Harvey
Chelsey Lawson	Fundamental movement skills, physical activity and motivation for physical activity in British primary school children	Professor Michael Duncan
Lorena Mejuto Miranda	Acyl Protein Thioesterases, Substrate Interactions, Pathophysiology	Dr Jennifer Greaves
Sophie Mowle	The Effect of Recreational Football Training on Health and Fitness Markers in Older Adults	Professor Michael Duncan
Richard Morgan	Intrinsic rick factors in development and academy players for prolonged participation in rugby	Dr Michael Price
Sheriden Morley	Psycho-Social Interventions for the Treatment of Depression	Dr Laurence Baldwin
David Mutigwa	Cardiac injury miRNA profile in cancer patients treated with radiotherapy	Dr Hardip Sandhu
Kayleigh Orchard	The molecular basis of human tendon pathologies: Studying both epigenetic and global gene expression profiles	Dr Stu Raleigh
Angela Polenco	TBC	Dr Elizabeth Bailey
Nicole Pratt	TBC	Dr Sam Oxford
Harriet Rehmert (nee Ng)	The effect of head-up tilt on consciousness for persons in a severe prolonged disorder of consciousness	Dr Doug Thake
Hassan Sadozai (part-time by publication)	Dissection of the tumour microenvironment in human cancers using in silico methods	Dr Bernard Burke
Sharn Shelley	The effects of age and obesity on contractile function of skeletal muscle	Dr Jason Tallis
Karl Spiteri	Physical activity and sedentary behaviour during retirement transition in Maltese Civil Servants (funded through the Maltese Government)	Professor David Broom
Charles Steward	Hot water immersion as an adjunct to exercise training	Dr Tom Cullen
Ryan Tamilio	Can caffeine be used as an effective nutritional supplement to enhance the effects of resistance training	Dr Neil Clarke

COVID-19 PhD Studentships

Name	Thesis Title	Director of Studies
Sara Anisi	Development of a leukocyte activity assay to predict COVID-19 disease severity	Professor Derek Renshaw
Elena Bini	The Effects of COVID-19 on Transplantee's Relationship with Sport and Home Exercise	Dr Mike Price
Holly Brown	The gut microbiome as a predictor of COVID-19 disease severity	Professor Derek Renshaw
Francesca Denton	Remotely prescribed and monitored home-based clinical exercise rehabilitation during imposed movement restrictions due to public health crises	Dr Gordon McGregor
Michael Fishwick	A study into improving virus-load measurement and preventing false negative in detection	Professor Sebastien Farnaud
Rebecca Fowler	The impact of personal protective equipment (PPE) worn during the COVID-19 pandemic on health care workers performance and risk of heat stress	Dr Sarah Davey
Natalia María Galán- López	Heat illness and health of emergency first responders wearing personal protective clothing in hot weather during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond	Dr Benjamin Lee
Colby Glover	Does vitamin D enhance Covid-19-relevant in vitro immune responses in leukocytes from Caucasian and South Asian individuals?	Dr Honglin Dong
Beau Harris	Military heat stress management: Exploring the role of inter-individual factors and previous SARS-CoV-2 infection on heat strain during military tasks	Dr Benjamin Lee
Jarod Zvartau Hind	Effect of Hypoxia on Macrophage Responses to Coronaviruses	Dr Bernard Burke
Ludovico Pipito	Molecular modelling of SARS-CoV-2 – ACE2 interactions and drug discovery of potential disruptor	Dr Giuseppe Deganutti
Ruth Postlethwaite	An investigation of immune system activity in obese/diabetic following an exercise intervention	Professor Michael Duncan
Sophie Power	WE are active and In this toGetHer (WEIGH)	Professor David Broom
Mushidur Rahman	Novel echocardiography methods to quantify cardiac structural and functional implications of Covid-19	Professor Djordje Jakovljevic
Roxana Rujan	Molecular Dynamics Applied To G Protein Coupled Receptors	Professor Christopher Reynolds
Sophie Russell	Cardiovascular implications and physical activity in middle-age and older people with a history of Covid-19	Professor Djordje Jakovljevic
Andrei Sandu	Virucidal activity of novel Nano-Engineered impregnated filters	Dr Phillip Gould
Alexander Waddell	Development and Evaluation of a Home-Based Exercise Programme in People with Peripheral Arterial Disease	Dr Amy Harwood
Tal Weizmann	Novel approaches to the structure, allostery and drug binding of proteins relevant to SARS-Cov2 infection	Professor Christopher Reynolds
Rory Williams	Novel Therapeutics to treat Covid-19	Dr Phillip Gould

Current MScR students

Name	Thesis Title	Director of Studies
Max Lyons Donegan	Optimising sled loading to promote the development of explosive power in elite youth soccer players	Dr Jason Tallis
Andy Frampton	Neuromuscular Activation Characteristics and Injury Risk Analysis In Elite Female Footballers	Dr Neil Clarke
Alexandra Kirby	The effects of superhero media on male body image: An exploration of attentional biases and mediating factors	Professor Mike Duncan
Zachary Taylor	Examining the visual search strategies and cognitive processes of skilled golfers during preparation and execution of short game shots	Dr Neil Clarke
David Walkland	Characterising the cooling capability of a liquid cooled suit for use in EOD operations in hot ambient conditions	Dr Doug Thake

Industry funded studentships

The Centre supports a range of co-funded PhD studentships for Business. They provide financial support for collaborative projects by contributing matching funds for a research studentships, which covers the fees and living costs for the student and contributes to research costs.

The project is developed by the business with support from the University. The industrial partner will have a highly motivated and qualified graduate student to undertake research that they, in collaboration with the supervising scientist, can direct to ensure all research goals are met.

Name	Thesis Title	Director of Studies	Sponsor
Lee Bunch	Injury causation in elite cyclists with a proposed focus on the relationship between neck strength and concussion	Dr Sam Oxford	British Cycling
Alex Dallaway	The Effects of Health Ageing on Muscle Morphology, Strength and Biomechanical Function of the Lumbar Spine in Younger and Older Men	Professor Michael Duncan	University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW)
Clara Ferreira (part-time)	The Role of Somatostatin Receptors in the Treatment of Neuroendocrine Tumours	Professor Derek Renshaw	Abcam
Alex Edward Georgiou (part-time)	Synovial fluid and its effects of mesenchymal stem cells	Dr Phillip Gould	Cell Therapy Sciences (CTS)
Alexandru Ifode	Beetroot Betanin as Natural Antioxidant and Anti-Cancer Agent: effect of betanin on proliferation of epithelial and colorectal cancer lines	Dr Igor Morozov	Agrial Fresh Produce
Richard Kite	Developing and Monitoring Performance Characteristics in Academy Footballers	Dr Neil Clarke	Coventry City Football Club (CCFC)
Matthew Lamaudiere	Active Gut Microbiota; the missing link in treating colon cancer	Dr Igor Morozov	University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW)
Adam Linekar	Understanding the excitation contraction coupling of human myocardium using the work loop assay	Professor Helen Maddock	InoCardia
Jorge Lopez- Fernandez	An integrated intervention model to improve behavioural change involving an active lifestyle in inactive populations	Dr Elizabeth Horton	Inglesport Go-Fit
Richard Powell	High-intensity interval training in coronary artery disease: a secondary analysis of cardio-metabolic health data from a multi-centre RCT	Dr Gordon McGregor	University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW)
Daniel Ray	Bioleaching of Metals from Waste Printed Circuit Boards for Precious Metal Recovery and Reduced Toxicity	Dr Sebastien Farnaud	Network 2 Supplies Ltd (N2S)
Ismael Serrablo Torrejon	Structured Exercise interventions to improve lipid profile in inactive adults	Dr Elizabeth Horton	Inglesport Go-Fit
Estera Sevel (MSCR)	Evaluating the Startwell Programme for Movement and Eating Behaviours in Pre-Schoolers	Professor Michael Duncan	Birmingham Community Healthcare
Brett Staniland	An integrated intervention model to improve cardiovascular risk factors in inactive populations	Dr Elizabeth Horton	Inglesport Go-Fit
Patrick Tran	Optimisation and validation of inotropic afterload and preload responses of the human myocardium	Professor Helen Maddock	University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW)
Nadja Willinger	Member acquisition and retention strategies for the UK physical activity sector	Dr Elizabeth Horton	UK Activepwo
Elliott Woolmer	An Assessment of Biomarkers to Measure Immune Responses, Changes in Fitness and Fatigue in Elite Soccer Players Across a Season	Dr Jason Tallis	Birmingham City Football Club

Trailblazer studentships

The Centre has been successful in several Trailblazer Studentships which are co-funded from the doctoral college for CU researchers to undertake transformative, cross-disciplinary, cross-national, and cross-sector research.

The calls are aligned to the University’s Research Strategy, the Global Challenges Research Fund, the Industrial Strategy, Stern and Dowling Reviews, and UK Research and Innovation’s Strategic Prospectus. The scheme supports Early-Career Researchers develop their research practice and work together as teams.

Name	Thesis Title	Director of Studies
Ahmed Abdelmageed Saad Elwakeel	The Role of NF-kBin Tumour-Associated Dendritic Cells	Dr James Bennett
Campbell Menzies	Hot water immersion as an adjunct to exercise training	Dr Tom Cullen
Jayini Thakore	The failure of oncometabolites to adapt the type 2 diabetic heart and kidneys to hypoxia	Dr Mike Dodd

Joint international doctorates

Coventry University have a number of Cotutelle PhD programmes with international universities.

One of these is with Deakin University (Australia) which offer research students with an unparalleled international experience, working alongside world-class researchers across two continents. Cotutelle students start the programme at either Coventry or Deakin Universities depending on their chose project and spend one year at the partner institution. As a result they gain unique exposure to different cultural and scientific environments and substantially increase their employability after graduation.

The Centre currently has four PhD students studying through this route:

Name	Thesis Title	Director of Studies
Inimfon Essiet	Dose Response Effects of a Fundamental Movement Skill Intervention on Motor Competence, Physical Activity and Health of Girls in Australia	Professor Michael Duncan
Theresa Heering	Effects of Motor Competence Interventions on Childrens’ Physical Activity and Health	Professor Michael Duncan
Alethea Jerebine	The risk of playing it safe: The trade-off between children’s health and injury when providing challenging play environments to children	Professor Michael Duncan
Jiani Ma	Effects of Motor Competence Interventions on Childrens’ Physical Activity and Health	Professor Michael Duncan

The University also has a Cotutelle arrangement with Stellenbosch University in South Africa and the Centre currently supporting two PhD students through this scheme:

Name	Thesis Title	Director of Studies
Gestel Kuyler	Polymers for G-Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR) isolation and investigation	Professor Mark Wheatley
Rebecca Murray	Using lipid nano-particles to study G-protein-coupled receptors	Professor Mark Wheately

Coventry University has been working with the Indonesian government to develop a progragramme to recruit PhD candidates who are funded by the Ministry of Research, Technology and HE (MoRTHE or often known as DIKTI in Bahasa) and Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA).

The candidates are lecturers of colleges and universities across Indonesia, who are looking to upgrade their qualifications to doctoral level. This is part of a strategic drive to improve the Higher Education sector as a key enabler for human capital development. The Centre has been successful in securing one of the fully funded scholarships:

Name	Thesis Title	Director of Studies
Ratna Yuliani	Isolation and Characterisation of Active Antimicrobial Compounds from Longan Leaves (Dimocarpus longan) and in-vivo Studies of Their Antimicrobial Activity	Professor Sebastien Farnaud

EU funded studentships

Doctoral Training Alliance (DTA) Studentships

Coventry is one of 15 universities in the UK to receive EU-funding as part of University Alliance’s Doctoral Training Alliance (DTA). The Centre has been successful is securing two of these prestigious awards.

The DTA is the UK’s largest doctoral training programme of its kind, was launched in 2015 to create a new model closely aligned to industrial strategy and priority challenges, producing industry-ready graduates. The training aims to produce independent, highly-employable researchers with expertise and skills in strategically-important research areas:

Name	Thesis Title	Director of Studies
Ayesha Judge	Investigating the multi-organ protective role of the incretin hormones	Dr Mike Dodd
Saffron Peck	Identification and characterisation of vesicular and non-vesicular secretory proteins which lead to altered cell polarity dynamics	Dr Chris Mee

In addition, the Centre has been awarded a prestigious DTA3/COFUND PhD Studentship which extends the existing doctoral training initiatives in Applied Biosciences for Health, Energy and Social Policy internationally, with the support of a grant from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD Fellowship programme.

Name	Thesis Title	Director of Studies
Caroline Lozahic	CUAB02 - Adaptive mRNA processing mechanisms in the heart at Coventry University	Dr Hardip Sandhu