In our Meet the Team series we start off by chatting to Sport & Exercise Sciences Lecturer, Dr Chris Fullerton <\/p>\n
Why did you pick a career in sport?<\/b><\/p>\n
When I was 18 I went on a gap year. I didn\u2019t get the A-level results I\u2019d 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\u2019s best endurance runners, so I thought, \u2018why not go and live in those countries for several months and learn from them?\u2019 The experiences far exceeded my expectations and by the time I returned, I thought I\u2019d 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\u2019t 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\u2026\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
What do you enjoy most about teaching at Kent?<\/b><\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
What are you currently researching?<\/b><\/p>\n
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\u2019s self-manage their disease.<\/p>\n
What is your favourite sport to watch or play?<\/b><\/p>\n
I love discovering places through sport and adventure. In August last year, I cycled Scotland\u2019s 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!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"