Peter Francis

Dr. Peter Francis is a Lecturer in the Department of Health and Sport Sciences at South East Technological University. His research focuses on musculoskeletal health, aging populations, and sports performance. He leads industry-funded projects investigating footwear impacts on mobility and injury risk in diverse terrain activities, and interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder-related footwear challenges. His work spans systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and clinical case studies.

Research interests include muscle strength dynamics, age-related muscle degeneration, and biomechanical adaptations in athletes. He employs ultrasound imaging and functional assessments to study skeletal muscle morphology and sarcopenia. Notable contributions address plantar fasciitis treatment via barefoot running and soccer player muscle contractility variations.

Current projects (2023-2025) explore footwear's role in energy expenditure, musculoskeletal structure, and injury prevention for long-distance terrain activities, as well as ASD-related footwear experiences. He collaborates with Dr. Dowling on both initiatives.

Advising and grants: Principal Investigator on two industry-funded projects totaling 24 months. Research outputs include 30 peer-reviewed articles with interdisciplinary focus. Active in geriatric muscle studies and sports biomechanics.