Dr Louise Burnie

Assistant Professor

School: Sport Exercise and Rehabilitation

After completing an MEng in Civil Engineering at Imperial College, Louise worked as a Structural Engineer in large multidisciplinary engineering consultancies for 7 years in London and New Zealand. She returned to university to study an MSc in Sports Biomechanics at Loughborough University, graduating in 2014. Louise then studied for a PhD in Sports Biomechanics at Sheffield Hallam University which involved working with British Cycling and the English Institute of Sport. In 2019, Louise was appointed as a Research Assistant at Swansea University on a joint project between the Applied Science, Technology, Exercise and Medicine Research Centre and the Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating to develop new printed products which included printed heaters and pressure sensors. Louise started as a Senior Lecturer at Northumbria in November 2021 and teaches Sport Biomechanics on the undergraduate degree programmes. Louise's main area of research is cycling biomechanics and the influence of factors such bicycle setup, training and sex.

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Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Louise’s main research interests are understanding coordination in human movement and how this can be manipulated to improve human performance. She has a particular interest in cycling biomechanics, coordination and performance. There is a lack of sports science research into female athletes and female athlete health. To address this lack of knowledge Louise has several research projects around the female cyclist. This includes investigating the effect of sex differences and menstrual cycle on the performance, physiology, and biomechanics during cycling, and capturing the lived experiences and perceived effect of the menstrual cycle and saddle sores on cycling training and performance.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Female cyclists' experiences of saddle sores and their effect on cycling, Burnie, L., Burt, P., Lindsay, K., Heron, N., Ansdell, P., Pastorio, E., Hicks, K., Brown, N. 3 Feb 2026, In: Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
Agreement and reliability of gait metrics measured using the stride smart system in the AlterG treadmill compared to Xsens, Lyons, M., Lindsay, K., Burnie, L. 1 Dec 2025, In: Foot
The impact of heated garments on substitute performance in soccer match-play, Cowper, G., Goodall, S., Hicks, K., Burnie, L., Fox, K., Coyles, A., Briggs, M. Oct 2025, In: Journal of Thermal Biology
The influence of passive heating garments worn in temperate and cold conditions prior to simulated performance for male soccer substitutes, Cowper, G., Goodall, S., Hicks, K., Burnie, L., Fox, K., Duffy, D., Briggs, M. 21 Feb 2025, In: Physiological Reports
AGREEMENT AND RELIABILITY OF GAIT METRICS MEASURED USING THE STRIDE SMART SYSTEM IN THE ALTERG TREADMILL COMPARED TO XSENS, Lyons, M., Burnie, L., Lindsay, K. 15 Jul 2024, ISBS 2024 Conference Proceedings, NMU Commons
Physiological mechanisms associated with the use of a passive heat intervention: positive implications for soccer substitutes, Cowper, G., Goodall, S., Hicks, K., Burnie, L., Fox, K., Keenan, A., De Martino, E., Briggs, M. 1 May 2024, In: European Journal of Applied Physiology
Testing protocols and measurement techniques when using pressure sensors for sport and health applications: A comparative review, Burnie, L., Chockalingam, N., Holder, A., Claypole, T., Kilduff, L., Bezodis, N. 1 Jun 2024, In: Foot
THE INFLUENCE OF BODYWEIGHT ON SPATIOTEMPORAL PARAMETERS DURING WALKING ON THE ALTERG TREADMILL, Burnie, L., Lyons, M., Lindsay, K. 15 Jul 2024, ISBS 2024 Conference Proceedings, NMU Commons
Biomechanical measures of short-term maximal cycling on an ergometer: a test-retest study, Burnie, L., Barratt, P., Davids, K., Worsfold, P., Wheat, J. 3 Aug 2023, In: Sports Biomechanics
Commercially available pressure sensors for sport and health applications: A comparative review, Burnie, L., Chockalingam, N., Holder, A., Claypole, T., Kilduff, L., Bezodis, N. 1 Sep 2023, In: Foot

PGR Supervision

Rosemary Anderson TBC Start Date: 01/03/2026
Elisa Pastorio Sex differences and the effect of the menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptives on cycling performance, physiology, and biomechanics Start Date: 01/10/2023