in the Sports Engineering Research Group (SERG) at the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC), within Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) – members of the Sheffield Multimodal Imaging Centre (SMIC)
At the end of July, at Hallam’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC) in Attercliffe, we are holding a body measurement training course. On the final day of the training (2nd August) there will be an assessment in which course attendees are required to measure 3 models each. Doing so will allow us to assess their precision. However, we need volunteers (aged 18 year+) to participate as these models.
The session will last ~ 3 hours (12:00-15:00) and each model will receive a £50 Love2Shop voucher. You will be have a series of body measures (a video of these measures can be found here) taken using tape measure and callipers. Each measurement session will take ~15 minutes and you will be measured no more than 6 times. You will be required to wear form fitting non compressive clothing. If you do not have suitable clothing we can provide some. We would also recommend that you bring some loose clothing to wear on top in between measurement sessions, again if you do not have suitable clothing we can provide some.
If you are interested in volunteering please get in contact. Or if you know of somebody else that might be interested, please share this opportunity with them.
Are you a parent/guardian, or do you work with children (of any age)? If so, we need to know your opinion on a new app to assess overweight and obesity in children, through an online survey. The survey takes ~10min and you could win one of 20 £40 Love2Shop vouchers. To learn more follow this link or contact Dr Alice Bullas (a.bullas@shu.ac.uk).
We are after 400+ responses, so if you could please share it far and wide that would be super-duper! Thank you!
Are you or someone you know a golfer aged 18 years and above, who plays golf at least 4 times per year? If so, we would love for you to come and take part in our new research study exploring the impact of golf grip size on player comfort. Everyone who takes part in the study will receive a £25 Amazon voucher. All the study involves is providing subjective comfort ratings when using clubs fitted with different sized grips and having a few simple measures of your hand collected. For more information follow this link to see the participant information sheet Participant Information Sheet_Golf Pride.pdf – Google Drive or feel free to contact Dr Mike Thelwell (m.thelwell@shu.ac.uk).
Following her recent blog article publication with the Conversation, Dr Alice Bullas was invited on the national BBC radio PM news programme (21/06) to discuss BRI vs BMI (00:55:00): https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00208ps.
Ahead of this years ISAK conference in London (5th-7th August 2024), Dr Alice Bullas in the Morphology Research Theme of the Sports Engineering Research Group, will be running:
ISAK level 1 accreditation training course (31st July – 2nd August 2024)
ISAK level 2 accreditation course (30th July – 2nd August 2024)
ISAK level 1 and 2 re-accreditation (2nd August 2024) at the AWRC 09:30-17:00.
Both courses will be taught an understanding of the theory of anthropometric applications through asynchronous online content (received 2 weeks ahead of practical sessions) and in person practical sessions over consecutive days.
During the final day you will undergo a practical examination in which your inter and intra anthropometrist error will be assessed. After the course you are required to collect 20 anthropometric profiles, achieving appropriate intra anthropometrist error, to achieve ISAK accreditation.
Once accredited, the ISAK certificate is valid for 4 years, after which point you can undertake re-accreditation at the same level or complete a full course at a higher level.
This course is an official ISAK registered course and is delivered by an ISAK accredited level 3 instructor, and anthropometry specialist in the Morphology Research Theme, Dr Alice Bullas.
The cost of this course includes the training course, ISAK membership registration, digital ISAK manual royalty fee, and lunch and refreshments each day.
ISAK LEVEL 1 (External: £450 / Internal: £250)
This ISAK level 1 course is designed for those required to collate a restricted profile of anthropometric measurements and skinfolds: 4 base measures, 8 skinfolds, 6 girths and 3 bone breadths. BOOK HERE
ISAK LEVEL 2 (External: £550 / Internal: £300)
This ISAK level 2 course is designed for those required to collate a restricted profile of anthropometric measurements and skinfolds: 4 base measurements, 8 skinfolds, 13 girths, 9 lengths and heights, and 9 breadths and depths. Please note, to attend the ISAK level 2:
• Attendees must have been ISAK Level 1 accredited for at least 6 months prior to starting this course.
• You will need to provide your name and email address registered with ISAK and the date of when your accreditation is expiring. If your accreditation has already expired, then approval must be sought from ISAK for you to complete the course. Please contact Dr Alice Bullas (a.bullas@shu.ac.uk) if you require assistance with this. BOOK HERE
This course is the re-accreditation (one day examination) for the ISAK level 1 and 2 course. This consists of a three-subject practical exam in which Inter-tester TEM targets (of 12.5% for each skinfold and 2.5% for each of the other measures), must be met. This is an in person practical examination session over 1 days (typically 9:30am – 5:00pm). BOOK HERE
ADDITIONAL INFO:
After the course you are required to collect 20 anthropometric profiles, achieving appropriate intra anthropometrist error, to achieve ISAK accreditation.
Once accredited, the ISAK certificate is valid for 4 years, after which point you can undertake re-accreditation at the same level or complete a full course at a higher level.
This course is an official ISAK registered course and is delivered by an ISAK accredited level 3 instructor, and anthropometry specialist in the Morphology Research Theme, Dr Alice Bullas.
The cost of this course includes the training course, ISAK membership registration, digital ISAK manual royalty fee, and lunch and refreshments.
Please note,
• Candidates whose previous accreditation has expired for more than two years are ineligible for re-accreditation, unless there is a medically-certified reason for their not having been able to re-accredit within that entire period. In the absence of that, these candidates must redo the complete Level 1 course if they wish to regain their accreditation.
• No candidate can be admitted to a re-accreditation workshop if any unresolved disciplinary or administrative issue exists between them and ISAK. Therefore, it is compulsory for the candidate to contact the ISAK Secretariat to confirm approval for reaccreditation ahead of booking onto this course. This email confirmation should then be forwarded to the course leader – Dr Alice Bullas (a.bullas@shu.ac.uk).
If you are interested in attending please get in contact with Dr Alice Bullas
Monday 13th – Friday 17th May – Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC), Attercliffe, Sheffield.
Volunteers needed to have their bodies manually measured to help anthropometrist gain their ISAK body measurement accreditation. Measurement will take ~60 minutes at SHU AWRC, and you can get a copy of the measurements (including body size and body fat estimations).
Interested? Contact Dr Alice Bullas (a.bullas@shu.ac.uk)
Wednesday 17th, Tuesday 23rd & Monday 29th of April 10:00 – 15:00 – Collegaite Campus, Sheffield.
Volunteers needed to have their bodies manually measured to help fellow students gain their ISAK body measurement accreditation. Measurement will take <30 minutes at SHU Collegiate Campus, and you can get a copy of the measurements.
Interested? Contact Dr Alice Bullas (a.bullas@shu.ac.uk)
Paid opportunity to work in the Morphology Research Theme for up to 210 hours (6 weeks at 35 hours/week) between June and August 2024 – on a full or part time basis. The primary project we need your help on is”Investigation of advanced body measurement in chemotherapy dosing and service development”, though we have several other activities you would also be able to get involved in (within the theme of morphology / human body measurement).
Project summary Currently within chemotherapy, estimates of a patient’s body surface area (BSA) obtained using simple body measures – height and weight – are used to calculate drug dosages. However, the accuracy of BSA for calculating dosage has been heavily criticised in previous literature, potentially reducing the effectiveness of treatment for patients with atypical body types. Three-dimensional (3D) surface imaging and advanced body measurement techniques can provide oncology practitioners with improved tools for prescribing chemotherapy dosages that are valid for individuals, regardless of their body type. The Morphology Research Theme within the Sports Engineering Research Group at the AWRC are conducting a programme of research to address this issue and develop methods for determining optimised chemotherapy dosages for patients receiving treatment for cancer.
In addition, the theme is also developing a commercial offering called the ‘Advanced Human Body Measurement’ service. This service will open the laboratory and our expertise to members of the public, sports clubs and weight loss groups, enabling them to benefit from advanced body measurement techniques, for example monitoring changes to their body following a weight loss programme. We are seeking an intern to contribute to the work of the Morphology Research Theme in the following areas: o Recruitment and scheduling of research participants. o Assist in ongoing data collection, involving 3D scanning and body composition measurement of research participants. o Assist in retrospective analysis of a historical health dataset investigating rates of dose reductions for patients with early breast cancer. o Assist in drafting a research publication based on findings of retrospective analysis.
Specific skills and experience required for this project We are looking for candidates that have experience of working with the public and/or research participants. The applicant should be proactive and have experience of working independently. An interest in health and wellbeing research and the area of health assessment is desirable. If you have experience of data processing or working with large datasets this is desirable but not essential. We will cater to the skills, experience and desires of the successful candidate.
Project location Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC) Home working may be available
Project delivery This project can be completed either on a full-time or a part-time basis depending on the intern’s preference/availability. If completed on a part-time basis we would require the student to be available a minimum of 2 days per week. The salary is £13.45 per hour (£12.00 basic hourly rate; £13.45 including holiday pay allowance).
More information about this opportunity can be found on the SHU vacancies website.
The UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (FLF) is a prestigious funding opportunity designed to support exceptional researchers and innovators in the UK. Funded by the UK government, it supports early career scientists, engineers, and researchers the chance to develop their leadership potential and conduct ambitious, transformative research across a wide range of disciplines. Through this program, fellows are empowered to drive innovation, address societal challenges, and make significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge and the betterment of society. In December 2023 it was announced that I was one of 75 FLF recipients – securing ~£1.6million and the first ever UKRI FLF for Sheffield Hallam University (SHU).
During the application process I found reading blogs of, and chatting with, previous awardees massively encouraging and informative. Thus, I figured it was only fair I repaid the favour – consequently in this blog I will be reflecting on my experience of the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship application process.
Background
But first let me set the scene a little … Following the completion of my PhD in 2018 and subsequent employment with the Sports Engineering Research Group at SHU, I had a novel research specialism to those around me. This meant there was no senior academic bringing in funding or projects within my field for me to assist on. And being a new ‘Dr’ meant I had neither the previous experience in grant writing or research projects to be successful in being awarded such funding or projects myself. Thus, I worked on everything and anything I could contribute to in order to justify my employment. Whilst this allowed me to develop a massively broad spectrum of experiences and skills sets, it meant trying to a grasp of my specialism on the side.
However, in 2019 I was awarded an Innovate UK ICURe award. This provided me the opportunity to travel the world to meet and talk with experts in my specialism about research and innovation – with the focus of commercialism.
Whilst at the end we deemed commercialisation (at that time) to not be suitable, I left with the most profound understanding of my specialism and – most importantly an idea!
This idea was this was that body measures underpin life as we know it; from the trivial: the shape of the chair you’re sat on, the clothes you are wearing and the dimension of your devices, to the critical: the design of your seat belt, your qualification for medical treatments and the dosages of those treatment. However, children – particularly those from ethnic minority backgrounds, are poorly represented within the anthropometric databases that such items and decisions are based upon, as well as the guidelines and standards used to create them. Which, for the trivial items is an annoyance but for critical items jeopardises – such as in the assessment of health – poses a risk to life. As such I became set on critically evaluate the body measurement measures and methods used in the assessment of child health, with a focus on childhood obesity.
Overflowing with enthusiasm, I headed back home to pursue this idea at SHU. Then BAM! … Covid. Funding calls were cancelled and projects suspended. For the next year I explored every avenue that would allow me to push this idea forward, seeking and engaging in opportunities and experiences that would ensure I have the necessary skills sets to tackle this idea once the world re opened.
In Spring 2021, whilst on maternity leave, I was awarded a Early Career Researchers Fellowship internally, from SHU. This fellowship awarded me with time (6 months) to solely work on the progression of this idea upon my return from maternity leave. I attended conferences, wrote papers, spoke with experts in the field – seeking and engaging in every opportunity and experience that would allow me to progress this idea. Moreover, having returned from maternity leave I felt possessed with determination – if I was to leave my child at child care then the reason for me doing so needed to be excellent, I needed to be contributing or working towards something that would make an impact. Then, at the end of this fellowship – the timing really was truly super! UKRI announced round 7 of their FLF scheme.
I had always olged at the FLF scheme, since becoming aware of it in 2019, with Dr Dan Humphrey’s award at the University of Sheffield. But I had always felt it was something a little too ambitious for me. But in September 2022 the FLF call came at a timely and critical point, whereby I had built a substantial network and ambitious research vision. However, substantial support in scale, flexibility, and duration – beyond that of a standard project grant, was essential to realise and maximise impact of a research vision of this scale and complexity.
Internal selection
For round 7 UKRI capped the number of applicants each institution / business could submit. Within SHU this meant an internal selection process of two stages in which the ‘outline’ of your application progressively got larger.
Written application
Once I had the green light from SHU I worked on finalising the written application. This included:
discussions with experts in the field to finalise methods.
liaison with existing FLF fellows, locally and within similar specialisms.
identification and agreement from the co-investigators, project partners and mentors.
internal and external (including co-investigators, project partners and mentors) review, and rewriting based on the feedback.
itemisation of costings.
confirmation of the support provided by SHU, project partners, sub-contractors and mentors.
liaison with SHU research & innovation support staff.
My dyslexia means that writing is a challenge. Thus, for me, writing this application took a lot of time. From starting the application; in September, to submission; in the first few days of December, took ~450 hours of which I had to compress into the 3 months before submission, alongside my regular work. The support of the SHU research & innovation support staff was invaluable in providing guidance, motivation and support.
To combine the FLF with personal responsibilities and extend the total duration of the fellowship to accommodate longitudinal data collection, I write in that I was to complete the FLF on a part-time basis (0.8FTE; 100% working time). In hindsight I wish I had enquired with existing FLF fellows as to their starting salary, and costed in my family to join me on my international secondments.
Reviewers comments / response to reviewers
In May 2023 I received the comments from reviewers, and submitted my response to reviewers. This was 5 1/2 months after submission. Thus, the first task was to ensure I refamiliasered myself with my application. As you are restricted on space in which to respond, I then went through and categorised each statement from the reviewers into theme, sub theme and connotation to ensure I could address every comment and collate all similar comments. In responding I tried to retain a concise, positive, honest and graceful approach.
Interview
At the start of August 2023 I was informed I had been selected for interview. Ahead of the interview, I had 3 mock interviews, using the example questions provided by UKRI. These mock interviews were extremely helpful in ensuring I was able to communicate my ambition and research in the most clear and concise manner, calm my nerves and ensure I had my environmental ‘set up’ correct.
The interview itself, in the middle of September 2023, was very quick; only 30 minutes (including a 5 minute presentation). All the guidance from UKRI was helpful and true to their description. As it was online I ensured I was set up early and video called a colleague just before the interview to ensure that all my call settings were correct.
Outcome
It took 6 weeks from interview to outcome was 6 weeks, and I was a nervous wreck for every single one of those days. I know people say don’t put all your eggs in one basket, but I definitely had – and my nerves knew it! I am so very grateful to have been awarded this fellowship, and to be provided the opportunity to pursue my research vision. I hope that by identifying the most accurate and suitable measures and methods to assess child obesity and health we will ensure accurate diagnosis and monitoring to underpin treatment for individuals and the planning of appropriate services. Ultimately, with the aim is to reduce child obesity rates and improve child health and wellbeing in the UK and globally.
If you have any questions or queries about my project please don’t hesitate to get in contact. To keep up to speed with progress of my fellowship please give me a follow on Linkedin and Twitter.
