Accepting PhD Students

PhD projects

Sam Lucas is an integrative physiologist whose primary research interests are focused on the mechanisms that regulate human cerebral blood flow in health and disease. He has a specific interest in how cerebral blood flow is regulated with ageing and during stress (especially hypoxia, exercise, orthostatic, thermal and cognitive) and the resultant impact on function (e.g., breathing control, neurophysiological and psychological responses). His research direction is to continue to expand knowledge in this area, as well as investigate how and what forms of exercise best improve brain and systemic vascular function. This work will improve our understanding of the role that exercise can play in improving brain and vascular health, as well as how exercise can best be utilised in disease populations with known impairment (e.g., dementia, diabetes, hypertension, chronic heart failure); including those that are unable undertake ‘traditional’ exercise programmes.

Dr Lucas is currently supervising four doctoral researchers and welcomes applications in his areas of interest.