Physical Literacy staff
Research team
Lawrence Foweather is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Physical Activity and Health in the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University. His research focuses on factors that influence physical activity and sport participation in children and young people, designing and evaluating interventions to increase physical activity, as well as sport for development programmes. Lawrence is the principal investigator for the physical literacy consensus statement project and will lead work packages 1 (Evidence review) and 4 (Expert panel – consensus and co-development).
Inimfon Essiet
Inimfon Essiet is a physical literacy project officer in the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University and a Cotutelle PhD student in the School of Health and Social Development at Deakin University, Australia and the Centre for Sport, Exercise and Life Sciences at Coventry University, UK. She has a MSc in Public Health from the Universiti Putra Malaysia. Her research interests focus on the assessment of physical literacy and examining the socioecological influences on physical activity participation. For her PhD, Inimfon designed and validated an assessment tool for use by teachers in assessing children’s physical literacy. Inimfon will assist in project coordination and management. She will support the consensus and co-development work with the expert panel (work package 4) and will support each work package as required.
Liezel is a Research Assistant in the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University. Her work experience was gained at four universities in three countries (South Africa, England and Wales), and include sports management, teaching, research and impact tracking. Her primary research interest lies in children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviours, with a specific focus on the measurement of these behaviours using mixed methods approaches. Liezel is leading work package 1 and will conduct the evidence review.
Mike Duncan is professor of Sport and Exercise science and deputy Director of the centre for Sport, Exercise and Life Sciences at Coventry University. He is a BASES accredited sport and exercise scientists and a chartered scientist with the Science Council. He has published over 300 peer reviewed journal publications predominantly in the area of children’s physical activity and health, motor development, and movement behaviour. Mike is leading work package 2, the national consultation on physical literacy involving key stakeholders.
Dr Andy Daly-Smith
Dr Andy Daly-Smith is an Associate Professor (Reader) in children's physical activity and health at the University of Bradford (UK) and HVL (Norway). Within Bradford he co-leads the Centre for Applied Education Research and research on the JUMP project; the UK’s first whole-systems approach to physical activity for children and young people. For HVL he leads the ERASMUS funded ACTivate project focussed on improving teachers’ adoption and implementation of Physically Active Learning. Andy’s personal research focusses on the implementation and effectiveness of whole-school approaches to physical activity. Andy is leading work package 3 - the children and young people insight work - with Jade Morris and Daniel Bingham, and he will also support work package 4 given his expertise in co-development.
Dr Daniel Bingham
Dr Daniel Bingham is a public health scientist and academic whose work concentrates on children and young people’s movement behaviours such as physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep, along with the associated inequalities, health and well-being outcomes. Dr Bingham has a keen interest and actively works in the areas of the epidemiology of movement behaviours; the measurement of movement behaviours; the correlates, determinants and theory of movement behaviours; the development and evaluation of complex health and movement behaviour interventions. Daniel is leading work package 3 – the children and young people insight work – with Andy Daly-Smith and Jade Morris.
Dr Jade Morris
Jade is a Postdoc Research Fellow at the University of Bradford in the physical activity and healthy childhood within Faculty of Health Studies and Wolfson Centre for Applied Health Research. Jade is the Secretariat for the International Society of Physical Activity and Health. Jade is a mixed-methods researcher with ongoing interests in children and young people’s physical activity, mental health, and whole school approached to physical activity promotion. Together with Andy Daly-Smith and Daniel Bingham, Jade is leading work package 3, the children and young people insight work.
Dr Kiara Lewis
Kiara Lewis is Head of the School of Sport and Exercise at the University of Gloucestershire. Following a Degree in Sport and Recreation and a Masters in Sport and Exercise Science, Kiara worked for East Lancashire Health Authority to promote health and fitness through a variety of interventions. She has worked in Higher Education since 1997 leading on sport, exercise and fitness education. In 2015 she gained a PhD in ‘Engaging Children and Young People in Physical activity’ and continues to research how we can increase sport and exercise participation and the mental and physical health impacts of being active. Kiara and Will Roberts are leading work package 5, the second national consultation on the draft consensus statement text.
Will Roberts is a Senior Lecturer in Sports Development and Coaching at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. He is an experienced coach developer, supporting coaches within organisations such as Sport England, UK Coaching, the Premier League, The Football Association, GB Hockey, the Lawn Tennis Association. He is an active researcher and focuses primarily on supporting coaches, coach educators and policymakers to understand and develop pedagogical frameworks to support play and physical activity. He is co-creator of the Boing Kids project and has served as Vice Chair (Research) of the International Physical Literacy Association (IPLA). Together with Kiara, Will is leading work package 5, the second national consultation on the draft consensus statement text.
Advisors
A/Prof Lisa Barnett
Lisa is a Professor in Physical Activity and Health at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University and President of the International Motor Development Research Consortium. Her internationally leading work focuses on developing ways to measure physical literacy and how to improve physical literacy via partnerships with industry and researchers from multiple countries. Lisa developed the pictorial scale for Perceived Movement Skill Competence; used in 35 countries. She was a key player in the development of the Australian Physical Literacy definition and framework. She co-leads the physical literacy special interest group for the Australasian Society of Physical Activity.
Hannah graduated with a BSc in Sport and Exercise Sciences from the University of Birmingham, and an MSc in Applied Sport Psychology at Cardiff Metropolitan University, whilst also working in primary school physical education. Between 2016 and 2019, she completed her doctoral studies at Liverpool John Moores University, focusing in the assessment of physical literacy on children. Hannah is now an Assistant Professor in Physical Activity Behaviour Change in the School of Health and Human Performance at Dublin City University. Her primary research interests focus on participatory research methods and the promotion of health and physical activity in young people. Hannah was a member of the research team involved in the All-Island (Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland) Physical Literacy Consensus Statement.
Dr Wesley O’Brien, is a Lecturer in Physical Education and Coaching Science, working on the B.Ed Sports Studies and Physical Education Programme, in the School of Education, at University College Cork (UCC). He is currently supervising postgraduate research in the fields of physical education, wellbeing, physical activity, physical literacy and sport participation. Wesley is an advocate for increasing physical literacy, in conjunction with teacher, parental and community involvement; such project examples include Y-PATH, Sport for Life, Project Spraoi, Gaelic for Girls and Project FLAME. Wesley is actively involved in Gaelic Games and is presently coaching the UCC Senior Hurling team. Wesley was a member of the research team involved in the All-Island (Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland) Physical Literacy Consensus Statement.
Dr Cara Shearer
Cara is a researcher within the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University while also working as a National Club Manager for Scottish Athletics. After completing a PhD in 2019 titled ‘Physical Literacy Assessment Among Primary School Children’ Cara has continued to advocate for physical literacy within both research and practice. Ongoing research interests include physical literacy assessment, physical activity promotion, national sport participation and sport for health, whilst current work has a particular focus on supporting children and young people within the education system.
