Dr Zoe Saynor

Zoe currently works with colleagues to deliver teaching on the following modules: 

• Foundations of Health Sciences – Year 1
• Applied Health Sciences – Year 1 (module coordinator)
• Clinical Physiology Research Project – Year 3
• Undergraduate research projects
• MPhil and PhD Research Supervisor

Externally, she has contributed to the development of national and international training on clinical exercise testing and training, and delivers teaching to key stakeholder groups (medical staff, patients and caregiver forums) globally.

She delivers invited teaching on a number of courses focused on clinical exercise physiology and rehabilitation, including the Cambridge – UCLA Course on Clinical Exercise Testing and Interpretation, Edinburgh Practical Course on Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Paediatric Respiratory Disease, and various courses for physiotherapists and exercise professionals via the European Cystic Fibrosis Society and CFPhysio.com.

Zoe is an Associate Professor in Clinical Exercise Physiology, honorary researcher at the University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, and one of the first registered clinical exercise physiologists in the UK. As a clinical exercise physiologist and retired international athlete (rugby union), she specialises in physical activity and exercise in the prevention and management of long-term conditions, as well as long-term athlete health.

Zoe’s academic training includes a BSc in Sports Science and MSc in Exercise Rehabilitation (Bangor University), followed by a PhD in Paediatric Clinical Exercise Physiology (University of Exeter), which focused on understanding and developing tools to evaluate exercise limitation of children and adolescent with cystic fibrosis. Prior to joining the University of Southampton, she established and led the Physical Activity, Health and Rehabilitation research group at the University of Portsmouth (2014-2024).

Zoe has competed nationally and internationally in the sport of rugby union, and her mixed-methods research primarily focuses on the interplay between health, physical activity and exercise, across diverse populations and the lifespan, ranging from chronic diseases like cystic fibrosis, to long-term athlete health of elite sportspeople. She explores person-centred strategies to assess and maintain long-term mental and physical health and well-being, and the integration of these into practice. At the heart of everything she does is enabling safe and appropriate physical activity and exercise for all.

Her research is currently centred on the role of exercise testing, training, and nutrition in the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases, as well as understanding and enhancing long-term athlete health (particularly females). Her current and previous clinical research has spanned the lifespan, from pre-pubertal children to the elderly, and has involved working with people with the following health conditions: cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, kidney disease, arthritis, joint hypermobility, cancer, Raynaud's, inflammatory bowel disease, and long-COVID.

She enjoys teaching allied health professionals globally and has been a visiting academic at several national and international institutions. She holds leadership roles within esteemed organisations, such as The Physiological Society, European Cystic Fibrosis Society, European College of Sport Science, Clinical Exercise Physiology UK, and the Rugby Players Association. Her leadership extends to influencing national and internation policies through taskforce participation, media engagements, and government advisories. She is a globally recognised leader in her field, with frequent invitations to speak at international forums.

She actively contributes to the scientific community as an Associate Editor (Sport and Exercise Medicine and Health) at the European Journal of Sport Science (the flagship journal of the European College of Sport Science), and as a member of several editorial boards. She is also a peer reviewer for numerous internationally recognised scientific journals, reviewer for national and international funding bodies, and have served as an external advisor for Research Excellence Framework submissions.

She remains deeply connected to elite sport, through research and national and international player welfare advisory roles, including Chair of the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA) Women’s Welfare Advisory Board.