Professor George Havenith

Our surroundings affect our bodies in a multitude of ways – not always positively. Studying our bodies’ responses to various environmental stressors provides experts with data that can protect and save lives. Professor Havenith’s research – spanning four decades – has driven change in the development and design of protective apparel as well as sports performance clothing; guided health and safety policy; and improved our understanding of human responses to extreme environments like severe heat, cold and altitude.

My research covers two main topic areas. On the one hand, human thermal physiology and environmental ergonomics. On the other, heat and mass (vapour) transfer through clothing.

Though they are quite distinct in terms of research methods and knowledge, they interact across most of my work, and are complemented with a third area – clothing ergonomics.

Over the years, via international collaborations, my research has explored a variety of environmental stressors like heat, cold and altitude. Given the already noticeable impact of climate change, my recent focus has been on protecting people from heat impacts in a warming world.

Understanding the impact of heat on workers’ productivity is relevant in the calculation of the economic impacts of climate change. Finding low-energy solutions to improve working conditions should safeguard workers from heat exposure without adding an additional burden on the climate. The expertise we’ve developed has been used in optimising clothing design (from athletes to workers in protective clothing), building design, and in health and safety guidance.

Several of the research methods and clothing heat transfer equations that my team and I have developed over the years are now incorporated in ISO, ASHRAE and EN standards – ensuring that equipment and clothing are fit for purpose and provide optimal protection and performance.

For example, our work around body mapping guides sportswear designers in deciding how to use specific fabrics and design features to help keep athletes warm in the cold and cool in the heat. A couple of our high-profile successes in this area include supporting the development of Team GB’s ClimaCool® apparel and Team GB’s track cycling Hot Pants – both in cooperation with adidas.

The body mapping data we’ve compiled is also used in the design of human simulators – manikins used to analyse thermal comfort as well as the heat and moisture transfer properties of clothing. Incidentally, we use some of these manikins in our research – Newton, Ralph and Victoria are our three thermal manikins, and each has specific features for different applications.

Our data highlights the natural processes our bodies use to regulate temperature, and how these processes show strong variations between individuals and across different areas of our bodies. We’ve also demonstrated that our bodies’ regional responses vary according to age and gender.

From this, we’ve developed our body maps of sweating rates, skin temperature as well as temperature and wetness sensitivity for children, young adults, the elderly, and for males and females.

As part of a pan-European consortium, we’ve been involved in the Horizon 2020 project, Heat Shield – addressing the negative impact of increased workplace heat stress on health and productivity across manufacturing, construction, transportation, tourism and agriculture.

Together, we’ve produced a framework to promote workplace health and productivity in the context of global warming. Specifically, we’ve conducted over 800 physiological lab studies to chart the impact of temperature, humidity, wind and sunshine on physical work capacity. Our models can be used to estimate the economic impact of climate change, but also to evaluate various mitigation methods for their efficacy.

During the pandemic, we were asked by the journal Temperature to formulate guidance on measuring fever by non-contact methods, including infra-red cameras used in airports. Our paper provides ways to optimise the reliability of these measurements, but also warns that in many cases they may provide a false sense of safety.

Following a further request by the British Occupational Hygiene Society, we discussed and summarised practical cooling solutions for healthcare and industry workers during the pandemic – due to its need for extra protective clothing.

Alongside my research, I advise several well-known international companies on thermal physiology and clothing science – most notably adidas and Decathlon. In addition, I’ve provided expert witness testimony that has helped the Armed Forces to revise its heat illness prevention procedures, particularly during training exercises – safeguarding against future fatalities.