Dr Lee Romer
Reader - Human and Applied Physiology

Research area(s)

Dr Romer’s research centres on the cardiorespiratory responses, integrative interactions and physiological constraints that determine exercise performance. His work has demonstrated that the respiratory muscles are susceptible to fatigue and that targeted respiratory muscle training can enhance performance across a range of settings. More recent investigations have extended these findings by identifying cardiovascular consequences of respiratory muscle work, respiratory muscle fatigue and arterial hypoxaemia, with downstream effects on locomotor muscle function and overall exercise tolerance. 

Collectively, these studies in healthy individuals have important translational relevance for clinical and applied contexts in which respiratory muscle function is compromised or ventilatory loads are elevated, including cardiorespiratory and neuromuscular disease. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles in these areas, including several invited scholarly reviews. In addition, he has contributed invited chapters to leading international textbooks commissioned by organisations such as the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), American Physiological Society (APS), British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He has delivered multiple invited presentations at international conferences, including keynote lectures at major scientific meetings

His research programme has been supported by external funding bodies, including the Canadian Lung Association, UK Sport, British Paralympic Association, Integrated Spinal Rehabilitation Foundation, The Royal Society, The Physiological Society and the Nuffield Foundation. He has been awarded fellowships by ACSM, BASES and The Physiological Society in recognition of sustained scholarly contribution and service to these organisations and their disciplines. He has served multiple terms as Associate Editor and held editorial board appointments for leading journals in the field and is currently Senior Editor for Experimental Physiology - a flagship journal of The Physiological Society. He maintains a network of national and international collaborators, with ongoing projects spanning the UK, EU, USA and Canada.