Cranlea Human Performance Ltd & Carnegie School of Sport Fees Funded Masters by Research (MRes) Investigating factors associated with longitudinal changes and individual variability in Haemoglobin mass in athletes

Funding will consist of the UK full tuition fee for one year.

A laptop will be provided and the opportunity to apply for funding to support the research project.

Factors associated with longitudinal changes and individual variability in Haemoglobin mass in athletes.

Athletes will often carry out training camps at altitude in order to benefit from the physiological effects of the acclimatisation process with the aim of improving sea-level performance (Mujika et al., 2019). In most cases the primary reason cited is to stimulate an increase in haemoglobin mass, which in turn is expected to increase maximal aerobic capacity (Schmidt and Pommer, 2010). While it is often the case that athletes and sports teams will measure the efficacy of altitude training camps by monitoring haemoglobin mass pre- and post-altitude camps (e.g. Numella et al., 2021; Hauser et al, 2017), the question remains as to how long any positive adaptations are maintained and to what extent haemoglobin mass changes throughout the training and competition calendar in response to normal sea-level training and racing. Several factors have been associated with moderating the individual haemoglobin mass response to altitude training camps, such as serum ferritin levels, inflammation, duration and magnitude of exposure to hypoxia, illness, sex, and training (Numella et al, 2021), but so far research has not been reported that demonstrates how the haemoglobin mass changes over a longer period of time.

Therefore, the purpose of this research study is to measure the changes in haemoglobin mass over a training and racing year and identify factors that are associated with any variations both individually and between groups.

This Masters by Research provides an exciting opportunity to develop our existing research on aspects of hypoxia and endurance performance, and further develop relationships with local high performance athlete groups and coaches. The successful application will develop a variety of practical skills including the carbon monoxide rebreathing technique within our brand-new Carnegie School of Sport building. 

Applicants are encouraged to discuss their proposals with Dr Matt Barlow (matthew.barlow@leedsbeckett.ac.uk) or Dr Barney Wainwright (barney.wainwright@leedsbeckett.ac.uk)

1. Hauser A, Troesch S, Saugy JJ, et al. (2017). Individual hemoglobin mass response to normobaric and hypobaric “live high–train low”: a one-year crossover study. J Appl Physiol. 123:387-393.
2. Mujika I, Sharma AP, Stellingwerff T. Contemporary Periodization of Altitude Training for Elite Endurance Athletes: A Narrative Review. Sports Med. 2019 Nov;49(11):1651-1669. doi: 10.1007/s40279-019-01165-y.
3. Nummela A, Eronen T, Koponen A, Tikkanen H, Peltonen JE. (2021). Variability in hemoglobin mass response to altitude training camps. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 31:44–51. https://doi. org/10.1111/sms.13804
4. Schmidt W, Prommer N. (2010). Impact of alterations in total hemoglobin mass on VO 2max. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 38: 68–75. https://doi:10.1097/JES. 0b013e3181d4957a. 

As part of your application, please provide a CV, cover letter and research proposal. The proposal should align to the above theme and include a brief literature review related to this project, with an outline of the studies that you would propose to the answer the aims of the MRes (maximum 5 pages single spaced).

We can only consider complete applications. The research degree application is complete once you have uploaded all of the following:

1. Your application form (include the project reference C2)
2. Your research proposal, statement of purpose and CV on the Research proposal template
3. Copies of your bachelors certificates, including transcripts
4. Copy of your IELTS (or equivalent) certificate (if applicable) further information can be found on our Graduate School FAQs
5. Copy of your passport

Email the documentation above) to researchadmissions@leedsbeckett.ac.uk 

The deadline for applications is midnight on 10th July 2022

Candidates must be available for interview 1st, 2nd or 3rd August 2022