Head of School of Sport Science and Physical Activity

Martyn has worked in higher education since 2001 and for the past 10 years, this has been in various leadership and management roles in higher education institutes.

From 2001 to 2016 this was at Oxford Brookes University, starting as a research technician and leaving as Subject Lead for the sports programmes.

Prior to joining the University of Bedfordshire he was Associate Head of School at Coventry University with oversight of a range of courses in the Life Sciences, with a particular focus on the sport and exercise disciplines. As part of this role, the focus was also on the development of international opportunities for students and staff, with projects running in North America, Europe and Asia.

From a research perspective, he works across a broad area related to exercise tolerance and this has included working with physical activity in children, acute exercise and training response in neurological populations, and also the impact of exercise intensity for the individual training response in healthy and athletic populations. Most recently it has focused on the neuromuscular response to endurance training using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

As a BASES accredited physiologist, he has worked with athletes across a spectrum of sports from professional football to GB rowers.

Qualifications

• PhD in Exercise Physiology
• MBA Leadership and Management in HE
• PGCert in Higher Education
• Fellow of the HEA
• BASES Accredited and Professional member

Research Output and External Income

• In the region of £150,000 external income through research and industry consultancy activities
• PhD and MSc director of studies completions

Publications

Referred articles in Academic Journals

• Morris, M.G et al (2008). Relationships between muscle fatigue characteristics and markers of endurance performance. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, December, Volume 7, Issue 4, 431-436.
• Ramsbottom, R, Kinch, R.F, Morris, M.G and Dennis, A (2008). Changes in maximal and submaximal physiological and metabolic variables before and after a one-week European mountain trek. Journal of Sports Sciences; 26(S2): S1–S143.
• Dennis A, Morris M, Salbany F, Kinch R (2008) Training response to a generic rowing training program: A case study of an elite lightweight female rower. Journal of Sports Sciences 26: S1-S143
• Ramsbottom, R, Kinch, RF, Morris, MG, and Dennis, A (2007). Practical application of fundamental concepts in exercise physiology. Advances in Physiology Education. December;31(4):347-51.
• Morris, MG et al (2010). Muscle contractile characteristics: Relationship to high-intensity exercise. European Journal of Applied Physiology. Sep;110(2):295-300
• Morris, M.G et al (2012). Alterations in peripheral muscle contractile characteristics following high and low-intensity bouts of exercise. European Journal of Applied Physiology, Volume 112, Issue 1, 337-343.
• Morris, M.G et al (2013). Motor impairment and its relationship to fitness in children. BMJ Open 2013;3:e002909. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2013-002909
• Feltham M. G., Collett J., Izadi H., Wade D. T., Morris M. G. Meaney A. J., Howells K., Sackley C., Dawes H. (2013). Cardiovascular adaptation in people with multiple sclerosis following a 12-week exercise program suggests deconditioning rather than autonomic dysfunction caused by the disease. European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine. epub ahead of print.
• O’Leary, T., Morris, M.G., Collett, J and Howells, K.F.H (2014) Reliability of single and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation in the vastus lateralis muscle. Muscle Nerve, 52(4), pp605-15.
• O'Leary, T., Morris, M.G., and Collett, J (2014). High but not moderate-intensity fatiguing cycling increases short-interval intracortical inhibition. Journal of Sport Sciences, Vol. 32, Suppl. 2, s4–s7, dx.doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2014.968371.
• Gibbons, B., O'Leary, T.J., Jakeman, J.R., and Morris, M.G. (2015). The effect of nitrate supplementation on muscle contractile characteristics following a high intensity. Journal of Sports Sciences. Vol. 33, Supplement 1, s68–s71, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2015.1110329
• O'Leary, T., Morris, M.G., Collett, J and Howells K. (2015). Central and peripheral fatigue following non-exhaustive and exhaustive exercise of disparate metabolic demands. Scand. J. Med. Sci. Sports. doi: 101111/sms.12582
• Thomas, A.G., Dennis, A., Rawlings, N.B., Stagg, C.J., Matthews, L., Morris, M.G., Kolind, S., Foxley, S., Jenkinson, M., Nichols, T.E., Dawes, H., Bandettini, P.A., and Johansen-Borg, H. (2016). Multi-modal characterization of rapid anterior hippocampal volume increase associated with aerobic exercise. NeuroImage,131, pp162-70.
• Retortillo-Garcia, S., Gacto, M., O’Leary, T.0., Noon, M., Hristovski, R., Balague, N, and Morris, M.G. (2019). Cardiorespiratory coordination reveals training-specific physiological adaptations. European Journal of Applied Physiology DOI: 10.1007/s00421-019-04160-3

Referred and published conference proceedings

• Morris, M.G et al (2006). Muscle Contractile Characteristics and Aerobic Measures of Endurance Performance. BASES Annual Conference, University of Wolverhampton (Oral)
• Morris, M.G et al (2008). Alterations in muscle characteristics following continuous and intermittent bouts of exercise. BASES Annual conference Brunel University (Poster)
• O’Leary, T., Morris, M.G., and Collett, J (2014) High but not moderate-intensity fatiguing cycling increases short-interval intracortical inhibition. BASES Annual Conference Day 1. Free Communications – Physiology and Nutrition, Journal of Sports Sciences, 32:sup2, 4-7, DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2014.968371
• O’Leary, T., Morris, M.G., and Collett, J (2014) The reliability of magnetic stimulation for measurements of neuromuscular function in the knee extensors. BASES Annual Conference Day 2. Posters – Physiology and Nutrition, Journal of Sports Sciences, 32:sup2, 78-86, DOI:10.1080/02640414.2014.968399
• Gibbons, B., O'Leary, T.J., Jakeman, J.R., and Morris, M.G. (2015). The effect of nitrate supplementation on muscle contractile characteristics following a high intensity. Journal of Sports Sciences. Vol. 33, Supplement 1, s68–s71, dx.doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2015.1110329