My research interests fall broadly under the banner of enhancing sport performance. Currently most of my work is focused upon middle and long-distance running, with projects looking at aerobic interval training. One PhD student (Sherveen Riazati) is looking at how fatigue effects running gait, in particular the role of muscle strength. A second PhD student (Arran Parmar) is investigating the acute responses to, and recovery from, aerobic interval training. In addition to this I'm interested in the relative age effect and quantifying training loads.

Phil is the longest serving member of the sport science staff having joined the University in 1991 during which time he has fulfilled a number of senior roles, including 14 years as Programme Leader and currently as admissions tutor. His main teaching areas encompass fitness testing, the physiology of training, particularly aerobic training, and the physiology of endurance exercise.

Phil is a BASES accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist, a Chartered Scientist and has, in the past, been an accredited anthropometrist with ISAK. His PhD was titled ‘Physiological factors affecting running performance’ and his current research falls broadly under the banner of enhancing athlete performance. Within this Phil’s main interests are: how fatigue effects running gait, in particular the role of muscular strength; aerobic interval training, quantifying training and the relative age effect. In addition, Phil has provided sport science support for Premier League football teams, a professional cricket team, and international runners, including the local athletes who were involved in Dame Kelly Holmes ‘On Camp with Kelly’ scheme.

The practical application of his work also fuels some of Phil’s interests outside of work. Phil is a UK Athletics Level 4 middle-distance running coach, coaching for a local athletics club. He has coached GB U23, GB Students, GB U20, and GB U18 runners, along with Inter-Counties, British Universities and England Schools medallists. Previously, he has been UK Athletics Regional Coach for Endurance Events. Phil is one of the few BASES Accredited Physiologists and Level 4 coaches in the UK.