Sport and Human Performance

IAHP research aims to optimise the health, performance, and development of athletes and other active populations, such as armed and emergency services, across their lifespan. This research is completed with local, national, and international industry and sporting partners including UK Sport, the MOD (Army), the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), Sport Wales, Welsh Weightlifting, Welsh Rowing, Squash Wales, Mapei Sports.  

One of our goals is to understand and enhance sport and human performance by investigating the factors influencing, and methods for improving performance during sport and exercise. To better understand what leads to optimal performance, we examine both physiological and psychophysiological causes and investigate performance changes to stress, such as heat, cold, altitude, sleep loss, and nutritional restriction. Our research also develops and examines the influence of novel exercise training and recovery methods, sleep, and diet interventions, which include electroencephalogram (EEG) neurofeedback

We also examine key factors in the development, health, and wellbeing of athletes across and beyond their careers, e.g., illness and injury risk monitoring and mitigation, and a multidisciplinary approach to understanding long-term athlete and talent development.

In the future IAHP aims to develop new methods to optimise human health, performance, and development of athletes from participatory through to elite sport.