Next in the Meet the Team series we chat to Senior Lecturer and Director of Innovation, Dr Lex Mauger
Why did you pick a career in sport?
I played a lot of sport when I was at School and my favourite subject was PE. When it came to choosing what to study at university I wanted to make sure I did something that I was genuinely passionate about, and Sport and Exercise Science seemed allow me to better understand the scientific principles underpinning the sports that I played. I obviously loved studying this so much at university that I never left – it’s just that I’m the one teaching it now.
What do you enjoy most about teaching at Kent?
When a student shares your passion for the subject and wants to go beyond what is delivered in a lecture or seminar. That enthusiasm for learning is what university should be about, and my role is at its most fun and exciting when I am able to help guide and support students in their search for a deeper understanding of their subject.
What are you currently researching?
My research predominantly focusses on furthering our understanding of how the pain that we experience during intense exercise impacts our performance. To explore this experimentally I artificially increase the intensity of pain experienced during exercise using an intramuscular injection of saline. I then use techniques like transcranial magnetic stimulation and peripheral electrical stimulation to identify if and how this pain causes fatigue. My other main project in this area is funded by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and investigates the performance enhancing effects of analgesics (pain killers) in endurance sport.
What is your favourite sport to watch or play?
To watch, I don’t think you can beat a day at the test match cricket with a few beers. To play, without a doubt football, although it’s been a few years since I last put my boots on and I don’t think my hamstrings would be up to the challenge any more.