Borja Martinez-Gonzalez
Borja joined the Kent and Medway Medical School as a Research Associate In September 2024, to work on a research project led by Professor Sukhwinder Shergill, aiming to explore the dynamic relationship between circadian biomarkers, sleep, cognition, and mental health. His research interests also include caffeine; circadian rhythm; cognition; endurance performance; fatigue; perception of effort; physiology; psychobiology; sleep; sport science; training load; and ultra-endurance performance.
After graduating in Sport Science and Physical Education at the University of Leon (Spain). Borja subsequently completed an MSc in Sport Science for Optimal Performance at the University of Kent (UK) and was awarded a PhD in Sport and Exercise Science from the same institution. Borja’s MSc. dissertation explored the influence of pacing strategy on cerebral and muscle oxygenation in running. His PhD thesis is entitled “Sleep deprivation and ultra-endurance performance: assessment and countermeasures.”
In his previous postdoctoral roles at the University of Kent and the University of Bologna (Italy), he provided research expertise in the field of physical and cognitive testing, with a focus on strategies to improve endurance performance: a Ministry of Defence funded project, developing and testing physical activity and cognitive tasks with the Royal Air Force, aiming to improve soldiers’ resistance to fatigue and multi-tasking performance; projects funded by ASICS and SCARPA to better understand the effects of carbon-plate running shoes on energy cost, performance, and perception of effort.
He has provided sport science support not only to various athletes competing at international endurance events including Ironman World Championships, Marathon Des Sables, Tor des Geants, and The Atlantic Rowing Challenge, but also international professional teams in various disciplines, such as cycling (UCI ProTeam), football (EFL League One), and motorsports (Rally Dakar).