Dr Paul Ansdell

My research focuses on how age, sex, and hormonal status interact to determine physiological function in health and disease.

Examples of our work include studies of how the menstrual cycle and menopause influence central nervous system function in healthy females, as well as females with multiple sclerosis; as well as studies of how the physiological responses to exercise differ between males and females.

Currently my work is funded by research councils (BBSRC), charities (MS Society) and industry, and our group is made up of postgraduate students, Ph.D candidates, and postdoctoral researchers. 

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• Female cyclists' experiences of saddle sores and the effect on cycling, Burnie, L., Burt, P., Lindsay, K., Heron, N., Ansdell, P., Pastorio, E., Hicks, K., Brown, N. 2 Jan 2026, In: Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
• Motor unit adaptations contribute to the repeated bout effect following damaging resistance exercise, Hayman, O., Ansdell, P., Angius, L., Thomas, K., Howatson, G., Kidgell, D., Skarabot, J., Martinez-Valdes, E., Goodall, S. 15 Jan 2026, In: Journal of Applied Physiology
• Aerobic capacity and cardiopulmonary variables are not different between premenopausal, late premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal women, Rattley, C., Ansdell, P., Armstrong, M., Felton, M., Dewhurst, S., Yendole, K., Neal, R. 18 Aug 2025, In: Physiological Reports
• Comparison of predicted aerobic capacity to measured aerobic capacity in menopausal women: an analysis of three methods, Rattley, C., Felton, M., Ansdell, P., Dewhurst, S., Neal, R. 2 Nov 2025, In: Climacteric
• Corticospinal, reticulospinal, and motoneuronal contributions to fatigability during a sustained contraction of the elbow flexors, Hayman, O., Brownson-Smith, R., Atkinson, E., Spillane, P., Baker, S., Goodall, S., Howatson, G., Thomas, K., Ansdell, P. 5 Dec 2025, In: Experimental Physiology
• Experiences of athletes in a simulation based applied sports science university assessment: Identifying areas for improvement, Jones, T., Ansdell, P. 1 Jun 2025, In: Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education
• Female Brain and Endocrinological Research Veteran (FemBER-Vet) Study: A study protocol for identifying endocrinological, lifestyle and psychosocial determinants of brain health outcomes in female veterans for future intervention success, Watermeyer, T., Atkinson, E., Howatson, G., McGill, G., Dodds, C., Ansdell, P., Udeh-Momoh, C. 22 Jan 2025, In: PLoS One
• Identifying gender gaps on sports degrees: a retrospective case study, Bradburn, R., Quinn, E., Avner, Z., McCullogh, N., Hayman, R., Johns, K., Cook, P., Peart, D., Ansdell, P. 1 Nov 2025, In: Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education
• Lessons Learned From a No-Cost Menstrual Cycle Symptom Tracking Intervention in Field Hockey: A Mixed-Methods Study, Crawford, L., McNulty, K., Hicks, K., Hall, E., Ansdell, P. 2025, In: Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal
• Reticulospinal function can be measured in the tibialis anterior using the StartReact method, Hayman, O., Atkinson, E., Ansdell, P., Angius, L., Thomas, K., Howatson, G., Kidgell, D., Skarabot, J., Goodall, S. 1 Jun 2025, In: Advanced Exercise and Health Science

Padraig Spillane The effects of endogenous and exogenous sex hormones on female cortical and motoneuronal neurophysiology Start Date: 01/10/2022

I am a co-lead of the Women's Sport and Wellbeing Interdisciplinary Research Theme.

I am also the Theme Lead for Human, Environmental, and Exercise Physiology within the Physiological Society.