Natalia Galan-Lopez completed a BSc in Nutrition and Health in 2019 at University of Roehampton. She then went on to complete an MSc in Sport and Exercise Nutrition in 2020 at Loughborough University where she graduated with Distinction and a research project prize.
Through the restrictions of COVID-19, her MSc research project was survey-based looking at heat adaptation and nutrition knowledge and practices of athletes and practitioners. After collaborative work with her supervisor and world leaders on the topic, the project was published and became IJSPP top article in July 2022.
Having a strong interest in female athlete health and performance, Natalia is back in Loughborough doing a PhD in Elite Performance and Health after several years in research (at Coventry University) and involved in collaborative international research projects in elite sport. This PhD is in collaboration with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), aiming to present evidence-informed recommendations to improve the sleep of athletes as well as optimization of para-athlete and female athletes’s health and performance.
Research
Research title: Optimizing the Health and Performance of Olympic and Paralympic Athletes