The Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Institute (SESRI) aims to facilitate, co-ordinate and to carry out high quality research and to promote a vibrant culture of research and scholarship within Ulster University and in partnership with health providers, sports governing bodies and other centres of excellence.
Focused research excellence and impact
SESRI endeavours to:
- Advance knowledge in our chosen areas of research through the achievement of high quality research outputs and by developing further both interdisciplinary and collaborative research.
- Facilitate the translation of sport and exercise knowledge into intellectual assets that impact positively on the economy, society and culture.
- Contribute to enriched teaching and the learning experience of our students.
Our objectives are to:
- to develop further the culture where research, discovery, creativity and innovation are encouraged and appropriately supported;
- to produce high quality outputs from our chosen areas of research when assessed against international standards of excellence;
- to provide an optimum environment within which high quality interdisciplinary research will be fostered, be sustainable and vibrant;
- To attract substantial external research funding exceeding national benchmarks for the discipline in addition to other sources of income.
- to facilitate the translation of knowledge into intellectual assets that impact positively upon the economy, society and culture;
- to disseminate effectively the outputs and impacts of our research and innovation on an international scale, and communicate effectively these outcomes;
- ensure staff professional development is fostered and encouraged;
- to attract, train, develop and progress high quality postgraduate researchers and early career research staff; and
- to integrate research further within curriculum design and delivery to enhance the learning experience of our students.
Our main centres for research are:
Facilities
There are four main laboratory areas in the SESRI, a biochemistry lab, physiology lab, biomechanics lab, and an innovative biomechanics-field lab in the university's indoor running track.
Biochemistry lab equipment includes, a range of spectrophotometers; a Bruker EMX electron paramagnetic resonance spectrophotometer; a DNA microarray scanner; an Agilent 2100 analyser; HPLC; a microplate reader; and Electrophoresis.
Physiology equipment includes a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), which measures bone composition; metabolic analysis and nutritional assessment systems; and a number of gold standard physiology activity monitors.
Biomechanics equipment for analysing sports movement includes a series of force platforms; a 12-camera passive motion capture system; and a quadruple movement analysis CODA motion analysis system.
The £1.275 million funding for the project came from the Department for Employment and Learning's research capital investment fund, and has brought some of the most up-to-date exercise and sport analysis equipment to the University
Learn more about our labs and take a virtual tour at Biomechanics Lab