Mark Ross

Mark Ross is a Lecturer in the School of Applied Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University with research expertise at the intersection of exercise physiology, immunology, and cardiovascular health. His work focuses on angiogenic cells, particularly endothelial progenitor cells and angiogenic T-cells, and their role in vascular repair mechanisms.

Dr. Ross's primary research interests include the cellular mechanisms of vascular repair following exercise, with emphasis on how aging, type 1 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease affect these processes. His work examines exercise-induced mobilization of angiogenic cells across different populations, the impact of exercise intensity and duration on immune cell responses, and the relationship between endothelial function and clinical conditions like diabetes and cancer.

His publication record shows a consistent trajectory from 2017 to 2025, evolving from foundational work on angiogenic cells in aging to more recent investigations of ultra-endurance exercise effects on T-cell populations. This progression demonstrates expanding scope while maintaining core focus on exercise immunology and vascular health across diverse clinical populations.

Dr. Ross has successfully secured multiple research grants including a £58,079 award from the ENU Development Trust for research on exercise training to attenuate chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity, a £19,951 grant from the Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation for studying residual beta cell function and exercise in type 1 diabetes, and smaller grants from the Scottish Funding Council and British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences.

As an academic supervisor, he served as Director of Studies for PhD research on angiogenic T-cells and endothelial progenitor cells (2011-2016), working closely with Prof Geraint Florida-James and Dr Eva Malone. His research collaborations extend across the Biomedical Science Research Group and Sports, Exercise and Health Science Research Group within the university.