- PhD, SFHEA, Distinguished Teaching Fellow, School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Northumbria University, Newcastle
I'm a sport and exercise scientist at Northumbria University. My research looks at how people can get the most from as little training as possible, especially minimal-dose resistance training for older adults, alongside biomechanics, strength and conditioning, and wearable technology.
I started out as a personal trainer, then moved into Olympic weightlifting and strength & conditioning. I taught for a while as a freelance tutor, assessor and internal quality assurer, before going back into education for my degrees and doctorate, working with a few professional sports clubs along the way. So I've spent as much time on gym floors as in the lab. My PhD in Applied Health and Exercise Science looked at low-dose strength training for older adults, and that work has since been used by the likes of Newcastle City Council's Health and Wellbeing Board to help inform its Our Decade of Moving initiative. I'm also a Senior Fellow of Advance HE and a Distinguished Teaching Fellow, and I love making exercise science useful to people who just want to know what works.
Experience
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2022–presentNon-Executive Director, Power Through Sport CIC
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2019–presentSenior Lab Tech, SFHEA, Distinguished Teaching Fellow - School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Northumbria University, Newcastle
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2025–2025Reviewing Editor, Springer Nature
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2016–2024Tutor, Assessor and Internal Quality Assurer, British Weight Lifting, 1st4Sport, NCFE and freelance
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2021–2022Consulting Biomechanist, Newcastle Eagles WBBL
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2019–2020NEET Tutor (Hitz Programme), Rugby Football Union
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2018–2019Founder, Olympic Weightlifting Education Ltd
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2017–2018Head of Teaching and Internal Quality Assurance, Acacia Training Ltd
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2010–2015Personal Trainer, Sport Central, Northumbria University
Education
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2026International Universities Strength and Conditioning Association (IUSCA), IQF Level 1 Certificate in Strength and Conditioning
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2025Northumbria University, PhD, Applied Health and Exercise Science
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2019Northumbria University, MRes, Exercise Science (Distinction)
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2018Northumbria University, BSc (Hons), Applied Sport Sciences with Coaching
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2017HABC, Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement
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2017HABC, Level 3 Award in Education and Training
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2017HABC, Level 4 Award in Understanding the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice
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20151st4sport / British Weight Lifting, Level 1 Award in Coaching Weight Lifting
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20151st4sport / British Weight Lifting, Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Weight Lifting
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2015One Awards (Newcastle College), Access to HE Diploma, Sports Studies
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2014NCFE, Level 2 Principles and Preparations for Coaching Sport
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2013Les Mills, BODYPUMP Instructor
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2013CYQ, Level 3 Certificate in Personal Training
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2011Newcastle Kettlebell Academy, NKC Level One Kettlebell Instructor
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2010Gateshead College, Higher National Diploma, Sports Studies
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2010Gateshead College (CYQ), Level 2 Diploma in Exercise and Fitness Instructing
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2009Gateshead College (Edexcel), BTEC National Diploma in Sport (Development, Coaching and Fitness)
Publications
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2026Activity contextualisation and terrain classification via wearables in Parkinson's, Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine
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2026Multi-modal gait assessment in Parkinson's disease: a pilot study examining the impact of terrain and environment, Gait & Posture
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2026Multimodal machine learning mobility assessment in Parkinson's disease within supervised and unsupervised settings, Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation
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2025A randomised comparative effectiveness trial exploring two lower-dose resistance training modalities on quality of life, functional capacity and strength in healthy, untrained community-dwelling older adults, Advanced Exercise and Health Science
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2025The effects of the conventional deadlift and Romanian deadlift on muscle activation and joint angles at a submaximal intensity, Graduate Journal of Sports Science, Coaching, Management, and Rehabilitation
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2025A narrative review of velocity-based training best practice: the importance of contraction intent versus movement speed, Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism
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2025A breakdown of the gait cycle: biomechanics basics (book chapter), Gait, Balance, and Mobility Analysis (Elsevier)
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2024Comparison of low-dose maximal-intent versus controlled-tempo resistance training on quality-of-life, functional capacity, and strength in untrained healthy adults: a comparative effectiveness study, BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation
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2023Wearables for running gait analysis: a systematic review, Sports Medicine
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2023The effect of lower inter-limb asymmetries on athletic performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis, PLOS ONE
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2022Effects of maximal- versus submaximal-intent resistance training on functional capacity and strength in community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis, BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation
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2022Exploring human activity recognition using feature level fusion of inertial and electromyography data, 44th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC)
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2022Suitability of a low-cost wearable sensor to assess turning in healthy adults, Sensors
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2022Comparison of the effects of velocity-based vs. traditional resistance training methods on adaptations in strength, power, and sprint speed: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and quality of evidence appraisal, Journal of Sports Sciences
Grants and Contracts
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2026Blood flow restriction to optimise resistance training in older adults
- Role:
- Co-investigator
- Funding Source:
- UKHAIC Flexible Talent Mobility Account
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2025Blue Zone Consortium: AI-based bike fitting tool for older adult cyclists
- Role:
- Co-investigator
- Funding Source:
- BBSRC
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2025Reaching Communities grant
- Role:
- Co-investigator
- Funding Source:
- National Lottery Community Fund
Professional Memberships
- Senior Fellow, Advance HE (SFHEA)
- Distinguished Teaching Fellow
Contact Liam for
- General
- Media request
- Speaking request
- Consulting / Advising
- Research collaboration
- Research supervision
- Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne
- Website
- Facebook: LiamTPN
- Instagram: _liamtpn
- LinkedIn: liamtp-n
- Article Feed
- ORCID
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- Joined
