Group
Performance Physiology and Engineering (PPE) Research Group
Unit(s) of assessment: Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism
Research theme(s): Health Innovation
Overview
The Performance Physiology and Engineering Group at Nottingham Trent University led by Dr. Jack Ashby conducts multidisciplinary research which seeks to identify the key physiological and engineering factors which ensure optimal outcomes and results in High Performing Individuals, Teams and Organisations.
The research areas of the group include (but are not limited to): thermoregulation in adverse environments; training and load optimisation; clothing and textiles development and testing; tissue engineering; mechanobiology; injury assessment and monitoring; 3D scanning; and infrared thermal imaging, human performance modelling and prediction, impact mechanics, equipment optimisation, and machine learning.
The group’s members have collaborated with a variety of sporting, commercial and charitable sources including: Kurio Compression; Huub Design; England Hockey; Loughborough Students Hockey Club; Silverstone Sport Engineering Hub; and the UK Sports Institute. The Performance Physiology and Engineering Group is committed to the co-creation of meaningful impact by working directly and collaboratively with all interested parties such as athletes, support staff and organisations, to translate multidisciplinary research findings into original and creative field practices that elicit optimal outcomes and results for High Performing Individuals, Teams and Organisations.
Research Group Researchers
Jack Ashby
Senior Lecturer
Department of Sport Science
Caroline Sunderland
Associate Professor
School of Science & Technology
Katy Griggs
Principal Lecturer
School of Science & Technology
Rachel Malcolm
Senior Lecturer
School of Science & Technology
Steve Faulkner
Senior Lecturer
School of Science & Technology
Lívia Rocha dos Santos
Associate Professor
School of Science & Technology
Dr Helen Karditsas
Lecturer
School of Science & Technology
Philippa Jobling
Lecturer
School of Science & Technology
Paul Felton
Senior Lecturer
School of Science & Technology
Ryan Williams
Senior Lecturer
School of Science & Technology
John Morris
Associate Professor
School of Science & Technology
Charlotte Apps
Senior Lecturer
School of Science & Technology
John Hough
Senior Lecturer
School of Science & Technology
Postgraduate Students and Technical Staff
The Performance Physiology and Engineering (PPE) Research Group is supported by our postgraduate students and technical staff:
Collaborations and Partners
The research group collaborates with the following companies and universities:
Internal Partners and Collaborators
- Human Factors and Performance research group
- Medical Engineering Design research group
Industry Partners and Collaborators
- Kurio Compression
- Loughborough Students Hockey Club
- England Hockey
- Cycling New Zealand
- High Performance Sport New Zealand
- Team Emirates NZ
- Precision Fuel and Hydration
- MitoQ
- Pentlands Group
- British Cycling
- Huub Design
- Parcours
- Isobar compression
- Silverstone Sport Engineering Hub
- UK Sports Institute
- British Swimming
- British Rowing
- Vorteq
External Academic Partners and Collaborators
- University of Derby
- University of Valencia
- Loughborough University
- Kings College London
- Mansoura University
- University of Waikato
- La Trobe University
- Eastern Institute of Technology
- Ghent University
- Birmingham University
- Manchester Metropolitan University
Research Projects
The application of infrared thermal imaging as a tool to assess and monitor musculoskeletal injury. (Dr Jack Ashby & Dr John Morris)
Optimising the design, support and adjustability of sports bras for pre- and post-natal women. (PhD studentship: Katie Reeves, Supervisor: Dr Katy Griggs)
Evaluation of breast support and sports bra knowledge of female university students. (Dr Katy Griggs)
Performance, training and injury in elite field hockey players. (PhD studentship: Matthew Stone, Supervisor: Dr Caroline Sunderland)
The effect of combined cooling on cognitive function, neuromuscular function, and exercise performance in games players in the heat. (PhD studentship: Stacey Cowe, Supervisor: Dr Caroline Sunderland)
Funding:
Currently awarded research funding:
BCSRC (MyAge) Funding: The validity and reliability of three-dimensional scanning to examine limb volume. Quality Related Funding:
1. Evaluation of breast support and sports bra knowledge of female university students.
2. The application of infrared thermal imaging as a tool to assess and monitor musculoskeletal injury.
Publications:
Ashby, J., Lewis, M., Sanchis-Sanchis, R., Sunderland, C., Barrett, L. A., & Morris, J. G. (2021). Customised pressure profiles of made-to-measure sports compression garments. Sports Engineering, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12283-021-00350-5
Ashby, J., Lewis, M., Sunderland, C., Barrett, L. A., & Morris, J. G. (2023). The Reliability and Validity of a Portable Three-Dimensional Scanning System to Measure Leg Volume. Sensors, 23(22), 9177. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23229177
Malcolm, R., Cooper, S., Folland, J. P., Tyler, C. J., & Sunderland, C. (2022). The Influence of a Competitive Field Hockey Match on Cognitive Function. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2022.829924
Malcolm, R., Cooper, S., Folland, J. P., Tyler, C. J., & Sunderland, C. (2018). Passive Heat Exposure Alters Perception and Executive Function. Frontiers in Physiology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.00585
Cousins, B. E. W., Morris, J. G., Sunderland, C., Bennett, A. M., Shahtahmassebi, G., & Cooper, S. B. (2022). Training and match demands of elite rugby union. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Publish Ahead of Print(1). https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000004237
Griggs, K. E. (2024). Wheelchair satisfaction and recommended improvements of manual wheelchairs in the UK. Disability and Rehabilitation Assistive Technology, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2024.2359473
Griggs, K.E. and Vanheusden, F.J. (2022). Integrated fan cooling of the lower back for wheelchair users. Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1177/20556683221126994
Griggs, K., Havenith, G., Price, M. J., & Goosey-Tolfrey, V. L. (2019). Evaporative heat loss insufficient to attain heat balance at rest in individuals with a spinal cord injury at high ambient temperature. Journal of Applied Physiology, 127(4), 995–1004. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00893.2018
Reeves, K.,James, R.M., Griggs, K.E. and Mears, A.C. (2024). Assessing current maternity/nursing sports bras and providing recommendations for future product development. Research Journal of Textile and Apparel. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/RJTA-12-2023-0138/full/html
Faulkner, S. H., Philippa Jobling, Griggs, K. E., & Petros Siegkas. (2024). Individual aerodynamic and physiological data are critical to optimise cycling time trial performance: one size does not fit all. Sports Engineering (Print), 27(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12283-023-00446-0
Orlando, G., Pugh, J. K., Faulkner, S., Balducci, S., Sacchetti, M., Pugliese, G., Nimmo, M. A. (2023). Muscular Adaptations to Concurrent Resistance Training and High-Intensity Interval Training in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Pilot Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(18), 6746–6746. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20186746
Civil, R., Brook, M.S., Santos, L., Varley, I., Elliott-Sale, K.J., Lensu, S., Ahtiainen, J.P., Kainulainen, H., Koch, L.G., Britton, S.L., Wilkinson, D.J., Smith, K., Atherton, P.J., & Sale, C. (2024). The effects of endurance trainability phenotype, sex, and interval running training on bone collagen synthesis in adult rats. Bone, 117257–117257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bone.2024.117257
Santos, L., Tarum, J., & Ball, G. (2022). Artificial Intelligence Analysis Identified Novel Genes Linked to Age-related Changes In Human Skeletal Muscle. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 54(9S), 631–631. https://doi.org/10.1249/01.mss.0000882996.86108.42
Cowe, S., Cooper, S., Malcolm, R., Hall, L., Donkin, D., & Sunderland, C. (2024). The effect of a combined cooling intervention on cognitive function in the heat during an intermittent running protocol. European Journal of Sport Science, 24(9), 1287–1301. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsc.12178
Pugh, C. F., Paton, C. D., Ferguson, R. A., Driller, M. W., & C. Martyn Beaven. (2024). Acute physiological responses of blood flow restriction between high‐intensity interval repetitions in trained cyclists. European Journal of Sport Science, 24(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsc.12107
Siegkas, P., Lane, C., & Apps, C. (2024). Plantar pressure distribution using personalised 3D printed lattice insoles with distributed stiffness. Engineering Research Express, 6(2), 025529. https://doi.org/10.1088/2631-8695/ad4435
Haowlader, S., Magistro, D., Apps, C., Bencsik, M., & Bisele, M. (2024). The effects of minimal shoes in combination with textured and supportive insoles on spatiotemporal walking gait parameters in healthy young adults. Footwear Science, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1080/19424280.2024.2410296