John Noone

Dr John Noone is an Assistant Professor in Sport and Exercise Physiology in the Department of Sport Science and Nutrition at Maynooth University. His research focuses on skeletal muscle metabolic adaptation to exercise, physical inactivity, ageing and chronic disease, with particular emphasis on mitochondrial energetics and dynamics. He combines human physiological assessment, muscle tissue analysis and cellular models to investigate mechanisms relevant to metabolic health, physical function and sporting performance.

John graduated with first-class honours in Sport Science and Health from Dublin City University. Following pre-doctoral research at Karolinska Institutet investigating skeletal muscle circadian biology, he completed a PhD at Dublin City University in 2021. Funded by the European Space Agency and Enterprise Ireland, his doctoral research examined the effects of physical inactivity on skeletal muscle metabolic function.

He subsequently held postdoctoral research fellowships at Trinity College Dublin and AdventHealth’s Translational Research Institute in Orlando, Florida. At Trinity, he developed human skeletal muscle models of cancer cachexia and investigated cannabinoid receptor-targeted approaches to preventing muscle degeneration. At AdventHealth, his work examined exercise-associated mitochondrial adaptations through the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC), alongside research on muscle bioenergetics, ageing and cardiorespiratory fitness through the Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging (SOMMA).

Before joining Maynooth University in 2026, John was an Associate Professor (B) in Sport and Exercise Physiology and Course Director for the BSc in Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Limerick. His current research interests include exercise-related metabolic imprinting in muscle cells, NAD⁺ metabolism and cannabinoid receptor signalling, and mechanisms of muscle preservation during inactivity and hibernation.

At Maynooth, John coordinates Fundamentals of Exercise Science and Physiological Measurement and Exercise Testing. His teaching connects molecular exercise physiology with practical assessment, critical evaluation of evidence and applied sport and exercise science.