The Dunsmore Scholarship for MScR Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences

The Dunsmore Scholarship for MScR Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences is designed to attract the most talented and deserving candidates to our MSc by Research in Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences. This competitive scholarship will recognise one student who combines academic excellence, a passion for research and financial need in pursuit of their career goals. The award will fully fund the tuition fees for one UK fee status student coming to study on the MScR programme who wants to apply to one of the following research projects:

Project one

“The effect of dietary nitrate on parameters of exercise performance and health”

Our previous research work has shown that supplementing the diet with nitrate can increase nitric oxide availability and improve cardiovascular health and exercise performance. Depending on the student’s preference, this project will explore novel therapeutic or ergogenic applications of dietary nitrate or the physiological mechanisms that underpin these responses.

Project two

“Effect of menstrual cycle phase on movement adaptability”

There is growing interest in understanding how the menstrual cycle might affect women’s health and performance in sport and physical activity. While some research suggests a link between menstrual phase and musculoskeletal injury risk, other research finds no significant association. This inconsistency highlights a need for more nuanced research, particularly around on movement adaptability (e.g., coordination, variability) as an indicator of movement health. Investigating movement adaptability alongside hormonal markers as well as menstrual cycle symptom severity will aid understanding of menstrual cycle phase on injury risk and performance factors.

Project three

“The effects of exercise snacking on cardiometabolic health and cognitive function in overweight and obese individuals”

The concept of Exercise Snacking (ES), performing frequent short bouts of planned exercise lasting 3-5 min, has emerged as a promising, time-efficient alternative for those with busy lifestyles. The short bout of exercise is performed multiple times across the day to interrupt prolonged sedentary behaviour and accumulate moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. ES allows for an accessible and scalable exercise intervention that may have significant benefits for cardiometabolic health and cognitive function outcomes. Therefore, this project aims to identify an effective dose of ES on these outcomes, to be repeated multiple times per day, in comparison to control (no exercise) and continuous exercise performed in one bout.

Project four

“Exercise Immunology – Using Exercise to Enhance the Immune System’s Regenerative Capabilities”

Ageing reduces immune function, including the immune system’s ability to repair muscle, cardiac, and vascular tissues, contributing to conditions like cardiovascular disease and sarcopenia. Exercise improves immune health, but whether it can restore immune‑driven tissue repair is unknown. This MSc by Research project investigates how different exercise types influence human immune cells and their capacity to support tissue regeneration. You will work with participants, analyse exercise‑induced immune changes, and test their effects using cell‑based models. Training includes exercise testing, blood sampling, immune cell isolation, flow cytometry, functional assays, and cell culture. The project suits students interested in exercise physiology, immunology, ageing, or translational research.