Dr Shaun Phillips (SFHEA)

Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Physiology; Head of the Human Environmental Resilience Research Network (HERRN)

Biography

Background

I completed my BSc in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Bedfordshire and my MSc in Exercise Physiology at Loughborough University, before gaining my PhD in Exercise Physiology at the University of Edinburgh.  I taught at Abertay University as a teaching fellow and as lecturer in sport and exercise science and year 3 and 4 programme leader for six years, before leaving Abertay to join The University of Edinburgh in January 2015.

Qualifications

  • Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy, 2020
  • Level 2 Accredited Phlebotomist, Phlebotomy Training Services, 2013
  • PGCert Academic Practice, Abertay University, 2013
  • PhD Exercise Physiology, University of Edinburgh, 2011
  • MSc Exercise Physiology, Loughborough University, 2005
  • BSc(Hons) Sport and Exercise Science, University of Bedfordshire, 2004

Responsibilities & affiliations

I have provided exercise physiology support to a variety of athletes and organisations, including high performance triathletes, footballers and basketball players, Hibernian and Heart of Midlothian FC, the FIA Young Driver Excellence Academy, Scottish Institute of Sport, and the male and female senior Hockey teams.  

Undergraduate teaching

  • Programme: BSC (Hons) Applied Sport Science. Teaching:  Research and Statistics in Sport Science 3; Sports Physiology 4; Environmental Physiology 4; dissertation supervision

Postgraduate teaching

  • Programme: MSc Strength and Conditioning. Teaching: Training Science; dissertation supervision.

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Areas of interest for supervision

I would be willing to discuss PhD projects within the areas of fatigue and human performance, high-intensity interval exercise for health, and the assessment of physiological resilience, fatigue, and performance in hot environments and how the impact of heat on these parameters can be mitigated.

Current PhD students supervised

Hongyu Ran (PhD): The effect of protocol parameters on affective responses to reduced-exertion high-intensity interval exercise.

Sian Salmon (PhD):  Physiological and nutritional demands of dancers.

Guy Stern (PhD):  Exercise modalities for improving and mantaining functional capacity in healthy older adults.

Past PhD students supervised

Guy Stern (PhD):  Exercise modalities for improving and mantaining functional capacity in healthy older adults.  Completed August 2025.

Nicholas Lam (PhD):  Exploring the presence of mental fatigue in elite orienteering training and competition.  Completed May 2025.

Cam Zhao (PhD): Effects of unilateral vs. bilateral resistance training on lower body muscle strength and sport-specific performance in adolescent rugby union players.  Completed October 2021.

Guy Stern (MRes): A comparative examination of the effect of high-intensity interval exercise and moderate-intensity continuous exercise on functional movement, peak power output, and health-related quality of life, in healthy males and females aged 50-70 years.  Completed November 2020.

Wendy Timmons (PhD):  Hypermobility in young athletes.  Completed September 2020.

 

 

Research summary

  • Fatigue, resilience, and human performance, with and without environmental stressors.  I am interested in human performance in a broad sense (sport and exercise performance, occupational performance, academic performance, performance of daily life tasks).  As Head of the Human Environmental Resilience Research Network (HERRN), I am developing multidisciplinary research and applied work aligned with The Physiological Society’s aim to place physiology at the heart of tackling climate change. 

Affiliated research centres

Project activity

Current research projects include investigation of the integrated physiological response (network physiology) to acute and chronic exposure to environmental stressors, particularly heat and altitude.

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