Dr Samantha Fawkner

Dr Samantha Fawkner (PhD, SFHEA)

Deputy Head of Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences (ISPEHS) / Senior Lecturer in Physical Activity and Health

Moray House School of Education and Sport, ISPEHS
University of Edinburgh

Tel: +44 (0)131 650 9778
Email: s.fawkner@ed.ac.uk

Street: Moray House School of Education and Sport, SL 2.26
City: University of Edinburgh (Holyrood Campus)
Post code: EH8 8AQ

Biography

Background

I joined the University of Edinburgh as Senior Lecturer in Physical Activity and Health in November 2011. My reseach focuses on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and health in young people. I am also passionate about teaching. I currently co-direct the MSc Physical Activity for Health, and teach on both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. I am currently the depute director of the Institute of Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences in the School of Education and Sport.

Qualifications

Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy, 2018
Level 3 accredited anthropometrist, International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry, 2017
PGCert in Academic Practice, Heriot Watt University 2004
PhD Paediatric Exercise Physiology, University of Exeter, 2002
BSc(Hons) Sport and Exercise Science, University of Exeter, 1999

Responsibilities & affiliations

I am a member of the Physical Activity for Health Research Centre (PAHRC)

Teaching & PhD supervision

Undergraduate teaching

BSc Applied Sports Science
BMedSci Physical Acticity for Health

Postgraduate teaching

MSc Physical Activity for Health (Co-course director)
MSc Strength and Conditioning

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Current PhD students supervised

Chuchu Li - The effect of classroom-based interventions that reduce sedentary behavior on school-aged children’s psychological and educational outcomes
Nicky Laing- Why older adults start and continue to walk with walking groups
Eva Coral Almeida - The role of standing desks on musculoskeletal disorders
Helen Weavers- The effect of a resistance training intervention on physical activity levels in youths.

Past PhD students supervised

Mhairi MacDonald- Walking for health in adolescent girls
Chuang-Yuan Chiu- Building Individual 3D Human Models from Depth Images
Laird Yvonne- Social support for physical activity in adolescent girls

Research

Research summary

My PhD was in paediatric physiology, and focused on young people's responses to exercise, particularly non-steady state exercise and the oxygen uptake kinetic response, and I have an interest in the important role of growth and maturation on the exercise response in normal and 'athletic' children.

In the last decade, my research has primarily focussed on physical activity and sedentary behaviour in young people, specifically exploring low active groups (particularly adolescent girls), measurement of physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and interventions to encourage positive behaviour change.

My current research interests include

Role of standing desks in schools on changing sedentary behaviour and optimising the learning environment
The role of personal health monitoring in the classroom on positive behaviour changes and digital health literacy
The potential role of walking interventions in adolescent girls to enhance physical activity

Research activities

View activity on Research Explorer

Projects

Project activity

Funded research since 2008

2013 Knowledge Exchange Grant, College of Humantities and Social Sciences, University of Edinburgh. £2,202 awarded to Samantha Fawkner - Woking together with the Hibernian Community Foundation to develop a programme to increase physical activity in adolescent girls
2012 Paths for All; £45,000 awarded to Ailsa NIven and Samantha Fawkner – Walking for Health in older adults. PhD studentship.
2012 West Lothian Community Health and Care Partnership; £4,500 awarded to Samantha Fawkner and Ailsa Niven - Physical activity and nutrition status in families in West Lothian.
2010 West Lothian Community Health and Care Partnership; £17,000 awarded to Samantha Fawkner and Ailsa Niven - Physical activity in primary and secondary school children in West Lothian.
2009 Scottish Government; SPARColl Physical activity for health PhD studentship - £61,000 awarded to Samantha Fawkner and Ailsa Niven - Walking for health in adolescent girls
2009 The Nuffield Foundation - £7447 Ailsa Niven and Samantha Fawkner – A qualitative investigation of the psychological determinants and consequences of walking for health.
2008 Scottish Funding Council; Knowledge exchange on public policy in Scotland - £54,174 awarded to Samantha Fawkner and Ailsa Niven - Increasing physical activity for health in hard to reach groups
2008 Chief Scientist Office; Small Grant award - £47,645 awarded to Samantha Fawkner, Ailsa Niven and Alasdair Thin - The potential health benefits for adolescent girls of active computer gaming.
2008 Paths to Health; £5,000 awarded to Samantha Fawkner, Ailsa Niven and Edward Finch – A pilot study to investigate active and sedentary behaviour in a work environment

Publications

The effect of resistance training interventions on ‘the self’ in youth : A systematic review and meta-analysis (14 pages) 3 Jul 2019 In: Sports Medicine - Open, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1-14
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-019-0205-0
Contribution to journal › Article (Published)
Real world, real people : Can we assess walking on a treadmill to establish step count 3 recommendations in adolescents? 19 May 2019 In: Pediatric Exercise Science, pp. 1-7
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/pes.2018-0213
Contribution to journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print)
Comparison of automated post-processing techniques for measurement of Body Surface Area from 3D photonic scans (8 pages) 29 Mar 2019 In: Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 227-234
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21681163.2018.1492971
Contribution to journal › Article (Published)
The effect of resistance training interventions on fundamental movement skills in youth : A meta-analysis (16 pages) 1 Dec 2019 In: Sports Medicine - Open, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1-16
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-019-0188-x
Contribution to journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print)
The effect of resistance training interventions on weight status in youth : a meta-analysis (16 pages) 20 Aug 2018 In: Sports Medicine - Open, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 1-16
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-018-0154-z
Contribution to journal › Article (Published)
Automated body volume acquisitions from 3D structured-light scanning (8 pages) 27 Jul 2018 In: Computers in Biology and Medicine, vol. 101, pp. 112-119
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiomed.2018.07.016
Contribution to journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print)
Savouring our mistakes : Learning from the FitQuest project (13 pages) 1 Jun 2018 In: International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction , vol. 16, pp. 55-67
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2017.12.003
Contribution to journal › Article (Published)
A grounded theory of how social support influences physical activity in adolescent girls (14 pages) 6 Feb 2018 In: International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 1-14
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2018.1435099
Contribution to journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print)
How to make an engaging infographic? (2 pages) 1 Aug 2017 In: British Journal of Sports Medicine, pp. 1183-1184
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-097023
Contribution to journal › Editorial (Published)
How much walking should be advocated for good health in adolescent girls? (8 pages) 2 Jan 2017 In: Journal of Physical Activity and Health, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 59-66
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2015-0391
Contribution to journal › Article (Published)

View all 37 publications on Research Explorer

This article was published on 25 Feb, 2020