Biography

Alex is a researcher and PhD student at Sheffield Hallam University, working within the Physical Activity, Wellbeing and Public Health research group. Alex’s interests lie in the use of physical activity for treating and preventing disease, healthy ageing, and the importance of strength and muscle in ageing/quality of life.

ISTRC 2023 summary

I thoroughly enjoyed attending the ISTRC conference. As a PhD student, the opportunity to hear from world-leading researchers, that I have referenced frequently since beginning my PhD journey, was inspiring. The conference made me more aware of the vast range of research being done around Sarcopenia and healthy ageing. Becoming more aware of this has already changed the trajectory of my PhD studies and made me confident that this is the area of research I wish to pursue in my academic career. Getting to discuss my research and poster presentation with other researchers and answering their questions also helped me to consider different approaches for future studies.

The conference also provided the opportunity to network and get to know other researchers. I was able to connect with researchers from around the world and learn more about the work being done globally to learn more about and combat sarcopenia. Meeting other PhD students was also a valuable experience. After discussing our ups and downs during our studies, and hearing stories from the speakers, I feel more at ease about the PhD and the overall learning experience.

I particularly liked the emphasis on the inter-disciplinary focus of the conference. It felt like all backgrounds were equally welcome and respected.

The conference was fantastic and if there is another ISTRC conference in the future I would recommend anyone take the time to attend.