Please call the press office on 01509 223491 to arrange an interview with Dr Mark Burnley. Bookings can also be made online at globelynx.com.
Mark graduated from the University of Brighton with a BSc in Sport Science and a PhD in Exercise Physiology. He was appointed Lecturer in Exercise Physiology at Brighton in 2001, where he also completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice, before taking up a lecturing post at Aberystwyth University in 2002. He subsequently moved to the University of Kent in 2012 to join the Endurance Research Group as a Senior Lecturer in Exercise Physiology. In 2021 he was appointed Reader in Clinical Exercise Physiology at the University of Wolverhampton.
Mark joined º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ in July 2022 as a Senior Lecturer in Exercise Physiology.
Mark is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine, the Physiological Society, and is a section editor of the European Journal of Sports Science. His primary academic interest is the physiology of endurance exercise. Like many exercise physiologists, he is a keen recreational runner lacking any discernible talent.
Mark is a world authority on the kinetics of pulmonary oxygen uptake and the related concepts of exercise intensity domains and the power-duration relationship. His research has included ground-breaking studies in exercise testing, the physiology of neuromuscular fatigue, and the application of non-linear dynamics to muscle force fluctuations.
Specific topics that Mark has investigated include the effect of prior 'priming' exercise on oxygen uptake kinetics and performance, the development of a 3-min all-out test to determine the critical power, the role of critical torque in the mechanisms of neuromuscular fatigue during isometric contractions, and the effect that such fatigue has on the complexity of torque output and motor control.
PhD opportunities
If you would like to explore self-funded PhD opportunities in any of the above topics, Mark is happy to review proposals.
Mark is a section editor in Physiology and Nutrition for the European Journal of Sport Science. He is also an editorial board member for the Journal of Applied Physiology, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, and the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. He has served as a peer reviewer for 22 scientific journals.
Mark has served as a physiological consultant for elite coaches and athletes, and regularly shares his expertise across media platforms, including the BBC World Service, Sky News, Runner’s World, Cycling Weekly, and a variety of performance-related podcasts.
Featured publications
Burnley M., Bearden S.E. & Jones A.M. (2022). Polarized training is not optimal for endurance athletes. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 54, 1032-1034.
Norbury R., Smith S.A., Burnley M., Judge M., Mauger A.R. (2022). The effect of elevated muscle pain on neuromuscular fatigue during exercise. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 122,113-126.
Pethick J, Winter S.L. & Burnley M. (2021). Physiological complexity: influence of ageing, disease and neuromuscular fatigue on muscle force and torque fluctuations. Experimental Physiology, 106, 2046-2059.
Pethick J., Winter S.L. & Burnley M. (2021). Fatigue-induced changes in knee-extensor torque complexity and muscle metabolic rate are dependent on joint angle. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 121, 3117-3131.
Pethick J., Winter S.L. & Burnley M. (2021). Did you know? Using entropy and fractal geometry to quantify fluctuations in physiological outputs. Acta Physiologica, e13670.
Yilmaz K., Burnley M., Böcker J., Müller K., Jones A.M. & Rittweger J. (2021). Influence of simulated hypogravity on oxygen uptake during treadmill running. Physiological Reports, 9, e14787.
Hunter B., Greenhalgh A., Karsten B., Burnley M. & Muniz-Pumares, D. (2021). A non-linear analysis of running in the heavy and severe exercise domains. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 121, 1297-1313.
Pethick J., Casselton, C., Winter S.L. & Burnley M. (2021). Ischemic pre-conditioning blunts loss of knee extensor torque complexity with fatigue. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 53, 306–315.
Pethick J., Winter S.L. & Burnley M. (2020). Physiological evidence that the critical torque is a phase transition not a threshold. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 52, 2390–2401.
Pethick J., Winter S.L. & Burnley M. (2019). Relationship between muscle metabolic rate and muscle torque complexity during fatiguing intermittent isometric contractions in humans. Physiological Reports, 7, e14240.
Jones A.M., Burnley M., Black M.I., Poole D.C. & Vanhatalo A. (2019). The maximal metabolic steady state: redefining the 'gold standard'. Physiological Reports, 7, e14098.
Burnley, M. & Jones, A.M. (2018). Power-duration relationship: physiology, fatigue, and the limits of human performance. European Journal of Sport Science, 18, 1-12.
Pethick, J., Winter, S.L., & Burnley, M. (2018). Caffeine ingestion attenuates fatigue-induced loss of muscle torque complexity. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 50, 236–245.
Poole, D.C., Burnley, M., Vanhatalo, A., Rossiter, H.B. & Jones, A.M. (2016). Critical power: an important fatigue threshold in exercise physiology. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 48, 2320-2334.
Pethick, J., Winter, S.L. & Burnley, M. (2016). Loss of knee extensor torque complexity during fatiguing contractions occurs exclusively above the critical torque. American Journal of Physiology Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 310, R1144-R1153.
Pethick, J., Winter, S.L. & Burnley, M. (2015). Fatigue reduces the complexity of knee-extensor torque fluctuations during maximal and submaximal intermittent isometric contractions in humans. Journal of Physiology, 593, 2085-2096.
Burnley, M., Vanhatalo, A., Fulford, J. & Jones, A.M. (2010). Similar metabolic perturbations during all-out and constant force exhaustive exercise in humans: a 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy study. Experimental Physiology 95, 798-807.
Burnley, M. (2009). Estimation of critical torque using intermittent isometric maximal voluntary contractions of the quadriceps in humans. Journal of Applied Physiology 106, 975-983.
Burnley, M. & Jones, A.M. (2007). Oxygen uptake kinetics as a determinant of sports performance. European Journal of Sport Science 7, 63-79.
Vanhatalo, A., Doust, J.H. & Burnley, M. (2007). Determination of critical power using a 3-min all-out cycling test. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 39, 548-555.
Burnley, M., Doust, J.H. & Vanhatalo, A. (2006). A 3 min all-out test to determine peak oxygen uptake and the maximal steady state. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 38, 1995-2003.
Burnley, M. Doust, J.H., Ball, D. & Jones, A.M. (2002). Effects of prior heavy exercise on VO2 kinetics during heavy exercise are related to changes in muscle activity. Journal of Applied Physiology 93, 167-174.
Burnley, M., Jones, A.M., Carter, H. & Doust, J.H. (2000). Effects of prior heavy exercise on phase II pulmonary oxygen uptake kinetics during heavy exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology 89, 1387-1396.