Professor Damian Bailey - Director of the Research Institute of Science and Health, University of South Wales, UK.
Professor Bailey is Director of the Research Institute of Science and Health at the University of South Wales (USW) and Visiting Professor at the Universities of Swansea (UK), Ulster (N.Ireland) and Marseilles (France).
In part, he is known for his work with elite sportspeople, previously working with the British Olympic team to “supercharge” their performance with altitude training, but he is also following a strong scientific tradition of studying how individuals cope with environmental extremes to provide a window on everyday life.
His research focuses on the factors that regulate oxygen transport to the brain and his work with surgical patients, athletes, freedivers and mountaineers, has provided a new perspective and greater understanding of ordinary people and the diseases they face as they age. With his own history of freediving and mountaineering, Damian is not one to shy away from adventure, nor is he shy of the big scientific questions. “More people are living until old age, which is associated with an increased prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases,” he says. “Can we improve the quality of life in our aging population? Can physical activity slow down the processes that contribute to age-related disease?