Last October, the Peter Harrison Centre (PHC) welcomed ten new doctoral researchers, marking an exciting step in the continued growth and evolving scope of the Centre's research. As their projects begin to take shape, we are delighted to showcase the wide range of academic backgrounds, professional experiences, and shared curiosity that each new researcher brings to the PHC community.
To help everyone get to know our newest cohort, we are sharing a short series of introductions. Each feature spotlights one doctoral researcher, offering insight into their journey to doctoral study, their previous experience, and the questions driving their PhD research.
This is the fifth article in the series and introduces Liam Readle.
Liam completed his undergraduate degree in Strength and Conditioning at The Open University before undertaking a master’s degree in Strength and Conditioning at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. His undergraduate research examined the effectiveness of an eight-week strength training programme on rate of force development (RFD) outcomes in para-athletes. Building on this foundation, his master’s research explored the biomechanical determinants of speed in wheelchair basketball, with a particular focus on propulsion and performance-relevant variables. His master’s research poster was awarded a prize at the UK Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA) Conference, recognising his passion for para-sport research.
Liam is an accredited Strength and Conditioning coach with extensive applied experience working with wheelchair athletes across performance and developmental settings. Alongside his coaching practice, he brings a unique lived perspective as a wheelchair athlete himself, having competed in wheelchair basketball for 14 years. This dual practitioner athlete background underpins his commitment to evidence based, athlete-centred practice within parasport.
Liam is currently undertaking a PhD at the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport, which he started in October 2025, titled 'Investigating the Physiological and Biomechanical Demands of Wheelchair Rugby Gameplay with Implications for Load Monitoring'. Conducted in partnership with Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby, his doctoral research aims to provide a detailed understanding of the internal and external demands of elite wheelchair rugby competition to inform training prescription, load monitoring, and performance optimisation. His PhD is supervised by Dr Thomas O’Brien, Professor Vicky Tolfrey, and Dr Richard Blagrove.
Over the coming weeks, we will continue to introduce the rest of our doctoral cohort. Each profile offers a closer look at the people behind our research and the ideas shaping the future of the Peter Harrison Centre.
Look out for the next introduction soon.