Muscle metabolic adaptations to dietary nitrate supplementationSport and Health Sciences – MPhil/PhD (Funded)

About the Award
The University of Exeter’s College of Life and Environmental Sciences, in partnership with James White Drinks Ltd., is inviting applications for a fully-funded PhD studentship to commence in September 2018. For eligible students the studentship will cover UK/EU tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £14,777 for 3 years full-time. The studentship will be awarded on the basis of merit.

Location:
Department of Sport and Health Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, St Luke’s Campus, Exeter.

Academic Supervisors:
Prof Andy Jones, University of Exeter
Dr Anni Vanhatalo, University of Exeter
Dr Lee Wylie, University of Exeter

Project Description:
Dietary inorganic nitrate, in the form of nitrate-rich natural beetroot juice, can reduce the O2 cost of exercise and enhance performance in certain conditions and populations. The purpose of this PhD studentship is to further our understanding of the mechanistic bases and practical applications of nitrate supplementation in sport and exercise. The project will benefit from specialist research facilities for exercise physiology and relevant biochemical analyses at the Sport and Health Sciences. The outcomes of this PhD programme will make a significant novel contribution to current knowledge on the ergogenic potential of dietary nitrate and its mechanistic bases.

Entry requirements:
Applicants for this studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in Sport Science or an appropriate related area of science. Applicants with a Lower Second Class degree will be considered if they also have Masters degree and/or have significant relevant experience.
If English is not your first language you will need to have achieved at least 6.5 IELTS and no less than 6.0 in any section by the start of the project. Alternative tests may be acceptable (see http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/english/).