Improving human function research
Our research seeks to improve performance across a number of sporting, occupational, and clinical activities.
Our research
Our research theme from the Department for Health seeks to understand the mechanisms underlying impaired, fundamental and expert human function. We use this knowledge to create, apply, and evaluate interventions to enhance functional performance across a number of sporting, occupational, and clinical domains.
We focus on a broad range of sport, clinical, and occupational populations. Our goal is to conduct significant research to understand the limits and then to realise the potential of human physiological, motor and cognitive function and organisational performance.
Our work operates at multiple levels. Basic science studies aim to develop an understanding of fundamental mechanisms, while applied and implementation studies focus on the evaluation of whole-body responses and group/population effects.
Our research approach is multi- and inter-disciplinary in nature and is based on a number of core disciplines, including biomechanics, pedagogy, physiology, and psychology.
We value our close working relationships with key stakeholder partners who are involved in all aspects of our research – on steering groups, as participants, and as funders. These close working relationships improve the quality of our research outputs and accelerate the translation of the research into policy and practice, an aspect of our research that we pay very close attention to.
Our research group and centres
The research currently streamed through the following research groups/centres:
- Centre for Health, and Injury & Illness Prevention in Sport (CHi2PS)
- Clinical Rehabilitation and Exercise Medicine
- Centre for Motivation and Health Behaviour Change
Our projects
- Improving elite sports performance
- Injuries and illnesses
- Playing With Fire - Enhancing the Health & Fitness of UK Fire and Rescue Service Personnel
- Reduction in scrum-related injuries in Rugby Union due to global rule change in scrum engagement
- Reducing injuries in youth and adult rugby union: Activate is rugby’s global injury prevention exercise programme