My profile

Biography

Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science with expertise in psychophysiology and motor control. Research spans neurocognitive and sensorimotor processes underpinning skilled movement in both clinical and performance contexts. Research publications broadly cover topics such as the neural mechanisms of prosthetic hand control, gaze and EEG dynamics in visuomotor coordination, and balance and mobility challenges in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). His work employs techniques such as EEG, eye tracking, and corticomuscular coherence to investigate how attentional focus, anxiety, and cognitive load influence motor performance.

Projects

  • Cortical control of balance in developmental coordination disorder – Using EEG to investigate how the brain responds to balance challenges in children and adults with DCD, aiming to identify neural markers of fall risk.
  • Psychophysiological responses to soccer heading – Examining the acute effects of heading a football on brain activity and brain–muscle communication.
  • Neuromechanics of ACL rehabilitation – Exploring cortical and corticomuscular mechanisms supporting functional recovery following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.
  • Prosthetic hand learning and grip uncertainty – Assessing whether training with reduced grip uncertainty enhances motor learning, eye-hand coordination, and user experience in prosthesis use.
  • Expectation and balance control – Investigating how anticipatory processes shape cortical responses to balance perturbations and influence postural stability.

Teaching

Courses

Supervision

Current PhD students being supervised as director of studies or co-supervisor:

  1. 2024 - Investigating the effects of repetitive football heading upon resting state fMRI (Holly Howden-Rowley, Manchester Metropolitan University)
  2. 2023 - Longitudinally measuring the cortical and corticomuscular adaptations to Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction from pre- to post surgery (Callum Jarvis, Manchester Metropolitan University)
  3. 2022 - Can training with reduced grip uncertainty improve visuomotor control strategies when learning to use a prosthetic hand? (Mohamed Omar Mohamed, Manchester Metropolitan University)

Research outputs

Press and media

Johnny’s work exploring the effects of soccer heading upon brain health has received international attention across major news outlets. Some examples include:
 

  1. The Independent (Heading footballs immediately alters brain function, new university study finds | The Independent)
  2. Sky News (Heading footballs immediately alters brain function, study finds | Science, Climate & Tech News | Sky News)

UI Tweaks

Light Mode Dark Mode