Dr Germano Gallicchio

Sport and Exercise Sciences Lecturer (Teaching & Research)

g.gallicchio@bangor.ac.uk

0000-0002-2180-8848

Dr Germano Gallicchio

View Dr Germano Gallicchio’s profile on the Bangor Research Portal

Areas: Psychophysiology; Neuroscience

Bio. My background is in Psychology. In 2007 I received a BSc in Psychological, Cognitive, and Psychobiological Sciences from the University of Padova (Italy) followed in 2009 by an MSc in Experimental Psychology and Cognitive-Behavioural Neuroscience. It was during these years that I developed my passion for psychophysiology. After completing my MSc degree, I continued working as a research assistant at the Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, and then at the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham (UK). I then returned to Italy to sit the State Examination for Psychology, which is necessary for the professional practice in psychology. While continuing my personal study in psychophysiology, I decided to formally study Sport and Exercise Sciences and in 2013 I completed a double MSc awarded jointly by Lund University (Sweden) and the University of Leipzig (Germany). In 2014-15 I worked as a research assistant at the Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg (Austria), deepening my study of electrophysiological signal processing. I returned to the UK in 2015 to start an ESRC-funded PhD in Psychophysiology at the University of Birmingham while at the same time completing a PGCert in Advanced Research Methods and Skills. As part of my doctoral training, I had the opportunity to visit the Cognitive Motor Neuroscience Laboratory of the University of Maryland. In 2018 I started a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at the School of Sport, Exercise, and Health Sciences, Loughborough University. Since 2020 I have been a Lecturer at the School of Psychology and Sport Science, Bangor University, where I am a member of the research institutes for the Psychology of Elite Performance (IPEP) and for Applied Human Physiology (IAHP).

Research. I use and develop methods of computational psycho/electrophysiology to study the modulatory effect of cognitive processes (e.g., motor control, working memory, perception), psychological states (e.g., mental fatigue), and disease (e.g, essential hypertension) on biological systems (e.g., cortical, cardiovascular, ocular, somatic) and their interplay (e.g., cross-frequency cross-system coupling).  

Teaching. I organize and teach several modules for the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences within a wide area that, within my lectureship at Bangor, has spanned psychophysiology, psychology, biomechanics, and anatomy. I supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students. Since 2022 I have been a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Admin. In addition to being a personal tutor for some students, I hold/have held the following roles:

  • 2024-25 Lead of Internationalisation for Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences
  • 2023-25 Reviewer in the Research Ethics and Governance Committee
  • 2022-24 Lead of the School of Psychology and Sport Science Research Colloquia
  • 2020-22 Admission Tutor for the School of Sport, Health, and Exercise Sciences

Email: g.gallicchio (at) bangor.ac.uk

Office number: 303.1

Office address: University Normal Site, George Building, Holyhead Rd, Bangor LL57 2PZ

Student meetings: 

  • Tutorial: A 15-min meeting that can be booked through this page. If you would like the meeting to last longer than 15 minutes, please book multiple contiguous sessions.

Please note that these meetings are run online using MS Teams.

  • Professional: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
    2022
  • PG Cert in Advanced Research Methods and Skills
    University of Birmingham, 2015–2018
  • PhD: Psychophysiology
    University of Birmingham, 2015–2018
  • MSc: Sport Sciences with Specialization in Sports Psychology
    Lund University, 2011–2013
  • MSc: Sports Science: Diagnostic and Intervention
    University of Leipzig, 2011–2013
  • MSc: Experimental Psychology and Cognitive-Behavioural Neuroscience
    University of Padova, 2007–2009
  • BSc: Psychological, Cognitive, and Psychobiological Sciences
    University of Padova, 2004–2007

In addition to teaching modules (see table below), I supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students  (e.g., Dissertations, Research Project, Sport and Exercise Science Practitioner).

Example topics/questions for UG and PG supervision:

  • What task characteristics contribute to mental fatigue the most? How can we counter mental fatigue?
  • Optimal preparation, monitoring, and control of skilled actions, such as target sports.
  • Can individuals perceive and self-regulate their biological activity (e.g., cardiac parameters)?
2024-252023-242022-232021-222020-21
 JXH-1057 Applied Biomechanics and AnatomyJXH-1057 Applied Biomechanics and AnatomyJXH-1020 BiomechanicsJXH-1020 Biomechanics
 JXH-1055 Foundations of Sport and Exercise PsychologyJXH-1055 Foundations of Sport and Exercise PsychologyJXH-1055 Foundations of Sport and Exercise PsychologyJXH-1027 Psychomotor Behaviour 
 JXH-3089 Psychophysiology of Sport and ExerciseJXH-2054 Psychophysiology of Sport and Exercise   
JXH-3042 Stress and PerformanceJXH-3031 Stress and PerformanceJXH-3031 Stress and PerformanceJXH-3031 Stress and PerformanceJXH-3031 Stress and Performance

bold = Module Organizer

Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=i3h3GbMAAAAJ&hl=en

Software: https://github.com/GermanoGallicchio

Current PhD supervision:

  • Thipkanlaya Jaiaue (primary supervisor)
  • James Hodgetts
  • Liam Hardman
  • Kitty Forster
TOPIC: Please, look at my recent publications to have an idea of my research area. FUNDING: No funded positions at the moment (July 2024). SKILLS: Statistical proficiency and ambition are fundamental. The ability to code (e.g., MATLAB, R, Python) is desirable.

2024

2023

2022

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2023

  • Christopher Ring

    One-week visit funded by the Higher Education Funding Council Wales (HEFCW)

    Jun 2023

    Activity: Hosting an academic visitor (Host)
  • University of Granada

    visit to Prof Andrés Catena funded by Taith

    May 2023

    Activity: Visiting an external academic institution (Visiting researcher)

2022

  • Electrophysiology as a tool for studying the preparation and control of skilled action

    22 Jun 2022

    Links:

    Activity: Invited talk (Speaker)
  • BU-IIA Funded Project: Cardiac cycle effects on cognition in hypertensive individuals

    Hypertension (elevated arterial blood pressure) is a medical condition affecting one in five adults in Wales. Remarkably, even prior to showing clinical evidence of cerebrovascular damage, hypertensive individuals develop mild cognitive functional deficits affecting working memory and attention. The objectives of this project are to (a) provide new evidence for aberrant cognitive processing (working memory and attention) in newly-diagnosed and unmedicated hypertensives through behavioural data and electroencephalographic signals (EEG), (b) improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of hypertension by determining the extent to which aberrant cognitive processing due to hypertension are moderated by the phase of the cardiac cycle wherein target stimuli are presented (cardiac cycle effect), and (c) identify a small portion of the data allowing to predict the severity of cognitive decline without the need for patients to undergo long testing sessions and operators to perform complex EEG signal processing.

    Funding awarded through the Bangor University Innovation and Impact Award (Research Wales Innovation Funding). Value = £6947

    1 Apr 2022 – 31 Mar 2023

    Activity: Other (Recipient)

2021

2020

2018

  • University of Maryland , USA

    visit to Prof Bradley Hatfield, funded by ESRC

    2018

    Activity: Visiting an external academic institution (Visiting researcher)
Professional affiliations:
  • Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR)
  • Italian Strength & Conditioning Society (ITASCS)

Previous positions (other institutions)

  • 2018 → 2020 Research Fellow, School of Sport, Exercise, and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, UK
  • 2018 (1 month) Visiting Doctoral Researcher, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, USA
  • 2015 → 2018 Doctoral Researcher and Teaching Assistant, School of Sport, Exercise, and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK
  • 2014 → 2015 Research Assistant, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Austria
  • 2010 → 2011 Research Intern, School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK
  • 2009 → 2010 Research Intern, Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy
  • 2008 → 2009 Research Intern, Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy
  • 2006 → 2007 Research Intern, Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy

Ad hoc reviewer for:

  • Psychophysiology
  • Biological Psychology
  • Physiology & Behavior
  • Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback
  • Experimental Brain Research
  • NeuroImage
  • Neuroscience Letters
  • Brain Topography
  • Frontiers in Psychology
  • European Journal of Sports Science
  • Psychology of Sport & Exercise
  • Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology
  • Sport, Exercise & Performance Psychology

Up-to-date list here