In our Meet the Team series we start off by chatting to Sport & Exercise Sciences Lecturer, Dr Chris Fullerton
Why did you pick a career in sport?
When I was 18 I went on a gap year. I didn’t get the A-level results I’d hoped for and was unsure about going to university. Around that time, I was just starting to really get into distance running and loved the idea of spending some time abroad immersing myself in a different culture. I knew that Kenya and South Africa were home to many of the world’s best endurance runners, so I thought, ‘why not go and live in those countries for several months and learn from them?’ The experiences far exceeded my expectations and by the time I returned, I thought I’d best decide what I want to do next. It just so happened that later that summer, I was invited to my local university to undergo some physiological testing; and an impromptu chat with the staff influenced my decision to enrol on a degree course in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Lincoln. I didn’t give much thought to future careers but believed the experience would open up a wealth of opportunities. University and thence my career has been anything but a deliberate plan; I only applied to become a lecturer as a result of an unexpected job opening at Kent! Right place, right time, and all that…
What do you enjoy most about teaching at Kent?
Mentoring students on applied project work, such as dissertation projects and case study assignments, as I can discuss ideas and theories with students rather than teaching them per se.
What are you currently researching?
Most of my research has stemmed from my PhD on how and why people fail to maintain self-control. I am focused on developing this work further by examining the use of self-regulatory skills to help athletes manage emotion and stress responses for performance. In addition to this, I am involved in research that looks at how exercise can help people with Parkinson’s self-manage their disease.
What is your favourite sport to watch or play?
I love discovering places through sport and adventure. In August last year, I cycled Scotland’s North Coast 500 route. This year, however, I have decided to focus on running having achieved a championship-qualifying performance for both the 2020 London and Berlin marathons. No doubt I will try to go bikepacking in between training for these events!