Overview:

Ben joined Hartpury University in 2013 and is a Senior Lecturer in Strength & Conditioning and the Course Leader for the MRes Sport & Exercise Science degree. He has lead the curriculum design of both undergraduate and postgraduate strength & conditioning provision as well as being a Course Leader at FdSc, BSc, MSc and MRes levels . Throughout this time he has developed key industry links across professional sport to support research collaborations, student internships and knowledge exchange activities.

Ben's main research focus is on applied training methods in athletic populations and to date has ~30 peer-reviewed publications. He has a key interest in long-term athletic development in which he completed his PhD investigating Lower-Body Eccentric Resistance Training Practices in Youth Athletes with no corrections. Currently, Ben is undertaking research that focuses on injury prevention methods in youth female athletes. This work is supported via the award nominated Hartpury Youth Performance, Education & Research (HYPER) intitiative which Ben has co-led since 2022.

Ben has worked extensively with athletes for nearly 20 years including professional athletes and international teams. He currently provides strength and conditioning support to several individual athletes. He is an Accredited Strength and Conditioning Coach (ACSS) with the UK Strength and Conditioning Association (since 2012) and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (since 2011).

Ben has impacted the wider strength and conditioning industry throughout his career. Notably, he sat on the CIMSPA Professional Develoment Committee for Performance Sport working on projects to raise the professional standards across the industry for NGB's, professional bodies and higher education institutions. His work with CIMSPA involved the development of the Graduate Strength and Conditioning Coach professional standards for university degrees in the UK. In 2026, Ben was part of an invited group of experts from across the world to develop the International Qualification Framework (IQF) Level Descriptors for the strength and conditioning profession to help shape and suppport the future development of the profession globally. 

Ben currently acts at the External Examiner at St Mary's University for their BSc Strength and Conditioning Science degree and is part of the Editorial Board for the International Journal of Strength and Conditioning journal. 

Taught Modules:

• Skill Acquisition in Strength and Conditioning (MSc)
• Physical Profiling and Testing for Athletes (MSc)
• Applying Sport and Exercise Research (MRes)
• Youth Physical Development (BSc)

Current Research Areas: 

• Resistance Training for Youth Athletes.
• Eccentric Resistance Training Modalities.
• Skill Acquisition Strategies for Athletic Performance.
• Female Athlete Injury Prevention Programmes.

• Rory Kavanagh (PhD - 2023-Present): Effects of Neck Strength on Concussion Risk Factors in Female Rugby Union Athletes.
• Valeria Chevez-Reyes (MRes - Completed 2025): Effects of Mental Fatigue on ACL Risk Factors during Cutting in Female Athletes.
• Aaron Clarke (MRes - Completed 2025): The use of Individualised GPS Speed Thresholds in Female Rugby Union Players.
• Thibaut Bounias (MRes - Completed 2024): Effects of Nordic Eccentric Hamstring Strength in Youth Female Athletes.
• Liam Moore (MRes - Completed 2024): In-Situ Assessment and Monitoring of Deceleration in Soccer Players.
• Hannah Larkin (MRes - Completed 2024): Countermovement Jump Force-Time Analysis in Females at Risk of REDs.
• Rob Anderson (MRes - Completed 2023): Seasonal Changes in Physical Qualities Across Rugby Union Playing Standards.
• Gerard McGinty (MRes - Completed 2023): Optimal Match Format to Develop the Technical and Physical Attributes of Young Soccer Players.