Alice Burgin
After four and a half years of hard work, Dr Alice Burgin is embracing the moment as she celebrates her PhD
“I feel really proud to be graduating,” said Alice. “I was always motivated through the tough days by the thought of graduation and feeling that pride alongside my peers.”
Alice’s research explored the short-term and long-term responses to different types of short bouts of high-intensity, apparatus-free exercise in women, who she said typically experience different and greater barriers to regular exercise and physical activity than men. She was awarded a full-time, University of Worcester funded PhD studentship.
“I wanted to do a PhD in this area as I am passionate about removing barriers to physical activity for those who would benefit most and wanted to create new knowledge and evidence on how to do this in novel ways,” said Alice.
“Importantly, I found that a similar intensity can be reached with short bouts of bodyweight-based exercise, such as star jumps, compared with using an exercise bike. This is important for those without access to a gym or specific exercise equipment at home, especially in a year when this has been even harder to access and we have all had limits on when we can leave the house!” Her research also looked at whether it is possible to manipulate appetite and eating behaviours through this type of exercise.
Following her PhD, Alice spent time in Australia working as a Project Officer, doing strategic writing and planning at a not-for-profit organisation delivering physical activity programmes in schools in Australia. She has just secured a job as a Research Officer at the Youth Sport Trust as part of the Research Team, demonstrating the impact that physical activity has on children and youth, focusing particularly on those who will benefit most.
She added: “One thing I noticed straight away at Worcester was the friendly community, so I am looking forward to seeing all the friends who helped me along the way on graduation day. I am also really thankful to the Research School for all of the extra opportunities that I was able to take up outside of my PhD while at the University of Worcester. I really think the experiences and the skills I gained helped me in my recent role.”