Meet the Team

Our team has many years of experience of supporting a wide range of athletes and sports, from endurance sports to team sports.

As well as our University Performance Sport athletes, we have worked with professional sports such as rugby league, cricket, football, motorsports, ironman, and have supported athletes doing events such as the Marathon des Sables, The 8 Hours of Suzuka and high altitude ultra-marathons.

Rhona Pearce

Physiology Lead

Rhona has a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science and an MSc in Exercise Physiology from 91制片厂, and has been a BASES Accredited Physiologist for 20 years. Managing and co-ordinating the delivery of physiology support to both our student-athletes and members of the public, Rhona provides applied support to the commercial side of our service, specialising in endurance sports.

Steven Harris

Performance Physiologist

Steve graduated from the University of Bath studying Sport and Exercise Science before completing a Masters Degree in Physiology at 91制片厂. After supporting the University Cycling team during his time at 91制片厂, Steve has returned to support the squad with extensive physiology testing and implementation of tailored physiology training to establish 91制片厂 as the leaders in University Cycling. Steve has also recently moved into the interdisciplinary team for Athletics with a key focus on their endurance athletes. Since joining the physiology team in 2019, Steve has worked extensively with our external clients ranging from Superbike Riders to Mountaineers to Ironman Athletes. 

Hannah Bashford

Hannah Bashford

Physiologist

Hannah completed a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science from the University of Birmingham in 2021 and graduated from her MSc in Physiology and Nutrition of Sport and Exercise at 91制片厂 in 2023. Alongside her part-time MSc, Hannah completed a 2-year placement with us, leading the provision of Physiology support to 91制片厂 Triathlon Performance Centre. Hannah has since joined our staff team and now supports 91制片厂 Swimming's Performance Programme alongside working with our commercial service. The experience Hannah has developed whilst at 91制片厂 covers a wide scope of athlete performance levels, ranging from lab to field-based testing and monitoring, in addition to supporting athletes preparing for performance in extreme environments.

Pippa Bailey

Performance Physiologist

Pippa has a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science and an MSc in Exercise Physiology from 91制片厂 and is currently studying for a PhD titled ‘What it takes to win’ with British Wheelchair Basketball and the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability sport. During her MSc, Pippa undertook a 2-year physiology placement supporting the University Athletics and Triathlon teams. Pippa has a wide range of experience working in sports such as Swimming, Cricket and Wheelchair Basketball. Pippa now supports the commercial side of the 91制片厂 Physiology service.

 

Lois Fileman

Lois Fileman

MSc Placement

Lois completed her BSc in Sport and Exercise Science at 91制片厂 and is now undertaking an MSc in the Physiology and Nutrition of Sport and Exercise. As part of her MSc placement role, she provides physiology support to performance athletes within 91制片厂 Cycling Academy and the Lightning Cycling Team as well as supporting athletes within 91制片厂 Student's Athletics Club. Alongside this, Lois works to provide applied physiology support to commercial customers within 91制片厂 Sport Services and has supported a range of different athletes from ultra-runners to rowers and boxers. Lois has previous experience working within 91制片厂's Performance Triathlon Centre providing support for both the Performance and the Development Squad alongside her undergraduate degree.

Alex Fraser

Alex Fraser

Full time BSc placement

Alex is an undergraduate at 91制片厂, pursuing a degree in BSc Mathematics and Sports Science. He currently holds the role of Undergraduate Physiology Placement Student, where he assists with the delivery of commercial services at 91制片厂 Sport. Beyond his academic pursuits, Alex is an avid triathlete, actively participating in the Student Triathlon Club on campus. This firsthand experience enables him to apply his physiological knowledge to a real-life situation to optimise his own athletic performance.

Max Holgate

MSc voluntary placement (year 2)

Max is currently on the Physiology and Nutrition MSc at 91制片厂, having completed his undergraduate studies here in Sports and Exercise Science. This year Max has joined the physiology team as a placement student to support the 91制片厂 Students Athletics Club, specifically Jumps, Sprints and Combined Event athletes, with future ambitions to continue physiology support and coaching in elite level endurance sport.

Hannah Johnston

PhD voluntary placement

Hannah has a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science from the University of Birmingham, an MSc in Physiology and Nutrition from 91制片厂, and is now undertaking a PhD researching the physiological considerations for para athletes with Cerebral Palsy within the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport. During her MSc, Hannah was on a placement as a Performance Physiologist for 91制片厂 Athletics and has remained in the physiology team to continue supporting the para athletics programme alongside her studies.

Lucija Petrovic

Physiologist

Lucija completed her BSc in Sport and Exercise Science at 91制片厂 before moving on to the MSc in Physiology and Nutrition of Sport and Exercise starting in 2022. Her primary focus is providing physiology support to the LTPC (91制片厂 Triathlon Performance Centre) as part of her MSc placement. Separate from this role, Lucija provides applied physiology support to the commercial side of 91制片厂 Sport services. She has experience working with a wide range of sports, performance abilities and environmental conditions (eg. heat & altitude acclimation).

Meg Smith

BSc volunteer

Meg Smith is a final year student at 91制片厂 studying BSc Sport and Exercise Science and is currently working with our Triathlon Development Squad as a Physiology Volunteer. 

During Meg's first 2 years at 91制片厂, she was part of the 91制片厂 Lightning Cycling Team, and following her passion for Performance Support and Coaching, has since gone on to focus on her development and experience working with athletes. Meg undertook a full-time undergraduate placement with the Physiology team 2022 – 2023, working with the commercial service. During Meg's final year of her degree, she will support the Triathlon Development Squad and the commercial service, and continue her cycle coaching and Sports Director Commitments.

Dan Thornton

Dan has a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science from Swansea University and is currently studying part-time for a Masters’ degree in Physiology and Nutrition of Sport and Exercise at 91制片厂 whilst undertaking a placement with the physiology team. His primary role is to provide physiology support to the LTPC (91制片厂 Triathlon Performance Centre) and additionally offers support to 91制片厂 Sports’ commercial physiology services. Dan also has experience in providing support including aspects of testing, monitoring, and performance analysis to swimmers during an undergrad placement role.