Profile
Dan Gordon
My CV
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Education:
Bolton Institute of Higher Education (1991-1993), University of Northumbria at Newcastle (1993-1996), Essex University (1997-1998)
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Qualifications:
HND (Business and Leisure Management), BSc Hons (Sports Science), MSc (Sports Science: Fitness and Health), Ph.D. (The Oxygfen Uptake Work-Rate Relationship : Factors Limiting VO2max and the Implications For Exercise Stress Testing in the Field
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Work History:
Exhall Grange School (1996-1997): Assistant Teacher of PE, Cambridge Regional College (1998-2000): Lecturer in Sports Science, Anglia Ruskin University (2000-): Lecturer in Exercise Physiology
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Current Job:
Principal Lecturer: Exercise Physiology and Director of Research at the Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences
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I live with my wife Lynne (we have been married for 11 years), in a 300 year old farm house, where there are holes in the walls and the floors are far from flat. We have a son (Daniel), yes it can get confusing who lives and works in Macclesfield as a design engineer. We have two dogs called Harry and Winnie, who are better than watching TV. Harry is a 4-year old Labrador who thinks he is still four months old and Winnie is a rescue dog, she is a cross between a Labrador and vizsla and is bonkers . We currently have 6 chickens, all of which are named after sci-fi characters and a cat called Nelson. I am a Sci-fi fan and a huge Star Wars and Star Trek fan. As well as being an Exercise Physiologist I am a former Paralympic cyclist and competed for Great Britain in three Sports; swimming, athletics and track cycling. I am actually registered blind, I have what is termed optical albinism which means that I am very short sighted, what most people see from 20 metres away I can only see from 2metres away. This though has not stopped me pursuing my career and sporting dreams.
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I am an exercise physiologist which means I use sport and exercise to teach science and the functioning of the human body and at the same time explore how the human body works and how we can get athletes to run, jump, swim and cycle faster or how we can get all people and children more physically active. I give two lectures a week and the rest of my time is devoted to me working with my research assistant and my research students. We get to work in some really cool labs collecting data such as oxygen uptake, heart function, muscle function and blood chemistry. My research at the moment is focused on what allows us to pace ourselves during exercise and how this could be of benefit to marathon runners and even military personal.
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My Typical Day:
There is no such thing as a typical day, each day comes with its own challenges and excitement which is what makes my job so much fun.
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If there was a typical day it would probably look something like this. Individual tutorials with my undergraduate and postgraduate students. Give a lecture for 2 hours followed by running a laboratory practical session for an hour . I would then catch up with student enquiries via email and other general enquiries. I would meet with my research assistant and discuss data collection and analysis. If I was in the lab this could be an all-day affair running from 08:00 – 21:00.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I will make a series of interactive talking heads with scientists showing how they use sports science in their work
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Optimistic, passionate, talkative
What did you want to be after you left school?
Physiotherapist
Were you ever in trouble at school?
I got into trouble, but never got caught for the trouble i caused. I was at a bording school, so mischief in the evenings and weekends was a common practice.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Everything from Guns n’ Roses through to Jean Michel Jarre and Slow Moving Millie
What's your favourite food?
Tough deciiosn here, i do love a really hot curry, but am also a fan of a burger and fries
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1. That i could still be competing for Team GB, im just to old now. 2. That i could actually play golf, im so bad and it annoys me.
Tell us a joke.
Question. What does a scientist create when he goes to the bathroom? Answer. Brownian motion
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