Faculdade de Motricidade Humana

The focus of the Neuromuscular Biomechanics is to investigate the response of the musculoskeletal system to mechanical stimulation and to ascertain the role of this response to optimized human performance, as well as on the understanding and prevention of pathological conditions related to mechanical loading.

João Magalhães' current research interests focus on the graded and dose-response relationships between sedentary behavior and physical activity, with obesity, metabolic and other chronic diseases across the life span, and related mechanistic and prevention models, with a special focus on exercise interventions on people with type-2 diabetes.

Further interests are on the assessment of Energy Expenditure and Physical Activity Using reference methods (doubly labeled water) and objective methods (proportional actigraphy, and combined sensors using heart rate and motion sensors).

Cláudia Minderico is a research fellow of CIPER. She holds a Bachelor degree in Physical Education and Sport from Faculty of Human Kinetics, a Bachelor degree in Nutrition Sciences from the Higher Institute of Health Sciences – Egas Moniz, a Master degree in Clinical Nutrition from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and a PhD in Physical Fitness and Health in the specialty of Body Composition by the Faculty of Human Kinetics. Her main research areas of interest are the investigation in clinical nutrition in health, body composition and athletic performance of high-performance athletes and recreation practitioners, clinical nutrition in healthy growth, development and aging, clinical nutrition in the prevention and therapy of specific pathologies, and nutritional prescription in programs of control and management of the weight. She is author of several pedagogical and scientific articles in the field of Clinical Nutrition, Sports Nutrition and Body Composition and Invited lecturer of several master’s and post-graduate courses in the field of Sports Nutrition. Currently she is in charge of the nutrition service of the Portuguese Olympic Committee.

Veronica Vleck did her PhD on training and injury in Elite triathletes and is currently a full-time Research Fellow, funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. She has extensive University and international lecturing experience in sports and exercise physiology and psychology, and is a former Laboratory Director of the National Sports Medicine Institute of the UK. She has over twenty years of experience in coaching and/or providing sports science support to all levels of athlete, from novices through to World Age Group Champions, National Squads and Olympic medallists.