ECSS Glasgow 2024 Scientific Committee Biographies

Prof Davison is the President of the ECSS 2021 Glasgow Congress and a Professor of Exercise Physiology. He is an internationally-recognised exercise physiologist with 30 years experience. Specifically he has international reputation in investigating the factors that influence cycling performance and the physiological responses to cycle ergometry. Other areas of research interest include the use of exercise and physical activity to improve health and quality of life in the general population and clinical groups.

He is currently an editor of the Journal of Sport Medicine and the Journal of Science and Cycling, former editor of the Journal of Sports Sciences and have published in excess of 50 scientific papers and book chapters and is currently an expert reviewer for the Journal of Sports Sciences, the International Journal of Sports Medicine, European Journal of Sport Sciences, International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise the Welcome Trust and the Medical Research Council. He is a Fellow and former Chair and Honorary Treasurer of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences. He is the Director of the Chromosome 18 Europe Research Centre and Chair of the Research Advisory Group for the Observatory for Sport in Scotland.

When he was younger, he was also a successful competitive cyclists winning 11 medals (6 gold, 2 sliver, 3 bronze) at Scottish Championships. He also applies his research findings as a Level 3 Coach and Coach Educator for British Cycling (20 years) and has coached riders to win British Championships and compete at Commonwealth and Olympic Games level.

Professor Zoe Knowles is Professor of Engagement and Learning at Liverpool John Moores University. She is a Health and Care Professions Council Registered Practitioner Psychologist and British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences Fellow. She is currently Chair of the BASES Psychology Division and a National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement Professional. Her research areas include practitioner development through reflective practice, psycho-social determinants of physical activity and creative methodologies within intervention design and evaluation. She has worked with children and young people, clinical populations, elite athletes, community groups and is an Expert advisor with the Active Wellbeing Initiative programme.

Dr Ailsa Niven is a Senior Lecturer in Physical Activity for Health and Programme Director of MSc Physical Activity for Health at the University of Edinburgh. Ailsa is a BPS Chartered and HCPC Practitioner Psychologast (Sport and Exercise). Ailsa's research interests focus on the psychological determinants and consequences of physical activity, with a current focus on High Intensity Interval Exercise, and walking behaviour.

Professor Vish Unnithan is a Professor of Paediatric Exercise Physiology. He has published over 100 papers, primarily in the field of paediatric exercise physiology. His research interests have ranged from exploring the underlying mechanisms of the high energy cost of movement seen in children with cerebral palsy to cardiorespiratory and cardiovascular issues relating to the elite child athlete. His current areas of research lay in: talent identification, performance analysis and cardiac morphology and function in elite youth footballers. He is working on a number of collaborative projects with English Premier League clubs and FC Barcelona in Spain. He is also a former President of the North American Society for Pediatric Exercise Medicine and a current Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Professor Chris Easton is a Reader in Exercise Physiology at University of West of Scotland. His research is broadly centred on exercise and health but has two principal strands of focus. The first is establishing the impact of modulating nitric oxide bioavailability, via the diet and exposure to sunlight, on parameters of cardiovascular health and exercise performance in different populations. The second strand is validating novel mobile methods of assessing physiological and health outcomes in free-living populations for application in health services.

Geraint is a Professor in the School of Applied Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University and Research lead for the Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences Group. He is an associate editor on the Journal of Science and Cycling and a founding member of the UK Exercise Immunology Research Group.

He has extensive experience of support work and research within off road cycling and was appointed Lead Academic at the Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland (MTBCOS) in 2014. MTBCOS is an Innovation Project funded by the Scottish Funding Council with a remit to promote Effective Knowledge Exchange between the HE sector and the Scottish mountain bike industry, delivering economic benefits to Scotland. Geraint is regularly invited to present nationally and internationally on the commercial opportunities model developed by MTBCOS.

As an exercise physiologist Professor Sculthorpe's research interested span a number of related disciplines. His primary research area regards the acute and chronic assessment of cardiovascular adaptations to exercise in older individuals. Within this area he has a particular focus on ultrasound assessment both of cardiac and vascular structures with a specific specialism in strain and strain rate imaging. In addition, he has a significant applied experience having implemented exercise training programs to benefit the health and quality of life of different populations, including both athlete and clinical cohorts.

More recently his work has focused more closely on exercise and cardiovascular health in different patients groups including patients with diabetes, slow healing wounds, long-term catheters, as well as people with multiple sclerosis. He also has extensive experience of systematic reviews and meta-analysis and has recently joined the Cochrane Collaboration Continence group.

Dr Hayley McEwan is a Senior Lecturer in Sport Coaching at University of the West of Scotland. Hayley completed her PhD on the training and development of sport psychologists. Hayley’s research interests are in sport psychologist development, professional judgement and decision making (PJDM), and the use of think aloud protocols in athlete and practitioner studies. Hayley is a BASES accredited sport scientist and provides sport psychology support to athletes and coaches.

Dr. Ugbolue is a bioengineer by profession and lecturer in biomechanics within the Division of Sport and Exercise, University of the West of Scotland. His research focusses on applied biomechanics with strong interests in musculoskeletal mechanics, sport biomechanics, spinal injury and rehabilitation, and gait analysis. Previously he was an honorary research fellow in rehabilitation sciences at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow; and a postdoctoral fellow in hand and wrist biomechanics at the University of Pittsburgh, USA.

He is currently a reviewer for various peer reviewed journals and continues to publish widely within the fields of clinical and sports biomechanics.

Dr Stephanie Valentin is a lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of the West of Scotland. As an experienced musculoskeletal physiotherapist, her first area of research is spinal biomechanics in health and low back pain, with a particular focus on the structural, mechanical and electrophysiological properties of the spinal muscles. Her second area of research is centred around exercise interventions for injury risk reduction in sport, with a particular focus on running-related injuries.