Centre for Health and Applied Sport and Exercise Research (CHASER)

A proven track record of delivering ground-breaking insights
CHASER has a proven track record of delivering ground-breaking insights and impacts in health and applied sport and exercise research.

Our strong ties with local and international partner organisations ensure that this work stands the test of time, whilst also providing a foundation for further, ongoing research.

See our CHASER research group pages for more on the projects listed below, and the wider range of initiatives we’re working on.

Past projects

Developing Physical Employment Standards (PES)

Our research to develop Physical Employment Standards (PES) provides organisations with a framework of physical tests or assessments, which are based on the demands of their job role(s).

The process for developing PES typically involves four phases of research: (1) Identifying the most critical physically demanding tasks performed in a job role; (2) quantifying the physical demands of these tasks; (3) developing physical tests based on the demands of the job which can be used in-service to assess serving personnel on a regular basis; and (4) developing pre-employment tests to select potential applicants which are empirically linked to the in-service tests and standards.

See CHASER’s Occupational Performance Research Group to find out more.

The Clem Burke Drumming Project

The Clem Burke Drumming Project was founded in 2008 by the Blondie drummer Dr Clem Burke, Professor Steve Draper (Hartpury University) and Professor Marcus Smith (University of Chichester).

What initially set out to examine the physiological demands of playing ‘live’ during one-off and multiple gigs has grown into a long-term project exploring the physical, mental and health benefits of drumming.

The findings from our pioneering work, using the latest magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, are showing the transformative potential of drumming.

You can find out more about the Clem Burke Drumming Project on their website.

The Hidden Powers of Anthocyanin-rich Blackcurrants

Building on prior research in epidemiology, which evidenced various health benefits of anthocyanin-rich foods, CHASER researchers have provided novel and robust evidence for the benefits of anthocyanin-rich blackcurrant (and blackcurrant supplementation) in athletic and non-athletic populations.

The first study in this programme of research examined whether blackcurrant affected common exercise physiology parameters. It provided an essential observation: taking anthocyanin-rich blackcurrant powder for seven days can lower exercise intensity-related blood lactate during intermittent incremental exercise.

This effect on substrate metabolism is known to occur by biological adaptations after long-term endurance exercise training, so our research indicates the incredible potential for anthocyanin-rich supplementation to affect human physiology.

Another industry-funded study demonstrated that taking anthocyanin-rich blackcurrant extract had a meaningful endurance-enhancing effect on a cycling time trial, and further exercise performance studies have shown an enhancing effect for a variety of exercise modalities (intermittent high-intensity running, sprint running, and sports climbing), indicating the broad application of anthocyanin-rich supplementation in sports.

See CHASER’s Nutritional Supplementation Research Group to find out more.

Sexual Health in the Over ForTy-fives (SHIFT)

Sexual Health In the over ForTy-fives (SHIFT) was part of the Interreg VA 2Seas programme, running from March 2019 to September 2022.

The University was awarded funding for the project from the European Regional Development Fund of over €4m. SHIFT was a cross-disciplinary project, involving Chichester researchers from the CHASER centre, as well as colleagues with expertise in psychology in the University’s POWER Centre. It also involved partners from the UK, the Netherlands, France and Belgium.

See our SHIFT page to learn more about this project.

Our members publish regularly with leading journals and academic publishers.

The quality of our work was recognised clearly in the University of Chichester’s Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism submission in the REF 2021 research assessment exercise, with 65% of our outputs judged to be of either 3* (internationally excellent) or 4* (world leading) quality, in terms of originality, significance and rigour.

Browse our recent publications on our ChiPrints page.

How we’re helping create change

CHASER research has made meaningful change in a wide range of ways – particularly in the areas of physical education, women’s leadership in sport, integrated caring science, the sports nutrition industry and occupational performance.

This impact is clearly reflected in the University of Chichester’s Sport and Exercise Science, Leisure and Tourism impact submission in the REF 2021 assessment, 83% of which was judged to be either of 3* (very considerable) or 4* (outstanding) in terms of reach and significance.

Preventing and mitigating injury in sport, leisure, and the workplace through evidence-based interventions

Injury and impaired physical performance are key concerns in sport, leisure and workplace settings, resulting in significant personal and financial costs to individuals and organisations.

Our researchers have informed the development of evidence-based strategies to mitigate injury risk and optimise physical performance in elite sport, physically demanding occupations (including in the UK Armed Forces, NATO and the RLNI) and marine leisure activities.

The impact of this research has been felt in a range of sectors. It has influenced the professional practice and guidance of government agencies, organisations and employers across the globe; it has influenced equipment procurement policies within certain industries, providing competitive advantages; and it has supported technical and process innovations in a number of relevant commercial organisations.

Influencing international policy

The University’s Occupational Performance Research Group (OPRG) has conducted human performance research for various armed forces and emergency services organisations.

Through this, it has helped develop new Physical Employment Standards for the UK Ministry of Defence, new policy for the recruitment and retention of National Ambulance Unit personnel, and new NATO guidelines for implementing and managing physical employment standards.

This research has informed policy and practice for government organisations at an international level.

 See CHASER’s Occupational Performance Research Group to find out more.

Industry impacts from supplementation research

Research by CHASER members on the effects of anthocyanin-rich blackcurrant on human physiology, exercise performance, exercise metabolism and health has contributed towards substantial benefits in the international sport nutrition industry.

These have included an increased consumer awareness of blackcurrant supplementation, changes to the guidance of national high-performance sporting organisations, enhanced product demand across a range of sports organisations (and among the general public), and the development of new products.

See CHASER’s Nutritional Supplementation Research Group to find out more.

Step-by-Step

The Step-by-Step initiative secured more than €2.6m of EU funding in its €4.3 million cross-border partnership, as part of the EU Interreg 2 Seas Programme 2014-2020 (co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund) over a four-year period, from 2017-2021. It involved ten organisations from the UK, the Netherlands, France and Belgium.

Step-by-Step aimed to empower men to move on from poor health and/or isolation and into healthy social participation or active engagement in the labour market, bringing their talents and abilities back into the light and making a positive change to society at large.

The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences Student Conference April 2024

The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) is the leading body for accredited sports science degrees and qualifications in the UK. Each year, it holds a student conference aimed at promoting engagement, acknowledgement, and networking; with this year’s edition held at Manchester Metropolitan University.

The Institute of Applied Sciences funded two students (Marcus Peach [Sport and Exercise Science (BSc)] and Jessica Talbot [Sport & Exercise Biomechanics (MSc)]) to attend the conference and present their research projects.

Marcus was awarded a ‘Free Communication’ for his undergraduate dissertation, which consisted of a 10-minute presentation with 5-minutes for questions. This is the highest level of presentation for students at the conference, with only projects with specific research excellence, impact, and rigour being considered. Marcus’ dissertation project examined the physiological and cognitive effects of a cold environment on walking with load.

When asked about the experience of the conference and presenting, Marcus said: “It was an excellent opportunity to network with like-minded students who are further along their university careers than myself. The majority of students were MSc or PhD level. I loved presenting in front of the crowd, I thought I’d be nervous but I actually enjoyed myself! I felt proud to be selected for the presentation and wanted to do my project justice by performing well”.

Jessica Talbot was allocated a Poster Presentation, consisting of a summary poster for her undergraduate dissertation. Her research project investigated the peak angular momentum generation and success rate of single, double, and attempted-triple pirouettes in dancing.

During the poster presentation session, Jessica had the opportunity to talk to other attendees about her research. Notably, Jessica’s poster was the only dance science project at the conference, highlighting the quality of her project, her knowledge, and the uniqueness of the course content available at the University of Chichester.

Following her attendance, Jessica said “it was a great experience to be given the opportunity to present my work and listen to other people’s work within my field and other disciplines. Being the only dance science research project at the conference initially felt intimidating but equally an achievement to have been picked to present. The conference was a wonderful experience to be a part of and provided a useful insight into the running and atmosphere of academic conferences for the future”.

Both students enjoyed their experiences and would recommend that other students attend the BASES student conference to present their research in the future.

Dr Phil Birch, who leads the 3^rd year research project module, added “having delivered a keynote at last year’s BASES Student Conference, I have witnessed the benefits of students disseminating their research to both fellow students and scholars. The conference provides a supportive environment for students to not only discuss current trends in research, but also provides a fantastic opportunity to explore their career aspirations”.

Find out more about our BASES Endorsed undergraduate degrees in sport and exercise science, or go directly to our  Dance Science & MSci Dance Science courses and MSc Sport and Exercise Biomechanics course pages.

Professor Mike Lauder

Executive Dean Faculty of Health, Science & Engineering

Email: m.lauder@chi.ac.uk