Dr Anna Robins
School of Health & Society
Current positions
Senior Lecturer
Biography
Anna is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader in Lifestyle Medicine, specialising in Human Physiology, Exercise Physiology, Nutrition, and Eating Behaviour. She began her academic journey in Exercise and Health Science before pursuing postgraduate study in Exercise and Nutrition Science at the University of Chester, driven by a strong interest in the relationship between exercise, health, and nutrition.
During her MSc, Anna taught part‑time in Exercise and Health Science at the º£½ÇÂÒÂ× for 18 months before securing a full‑time Lectureship in Human Physiology and Exercise Sciences in 2003. She later completed her Doctorate at the University of Liverpool, focusing on eating behaviour. Her research examined the glycaemic response to dietary manipulation and its impact on physiological and psychological outcomes, allowing her to integrate her dual interests in exercise performance and nutrition.
Since 2003, Anna has led the degree programme initially known as BSc (Hons) Exercise and Health Sciences. The programme has since evolved through several iterations—including Exercise, Physical and Health and Nutrition, Exercise and Health—and is now delivered as Nutrition and Exercise as Medicine. Alongside her passion for promoting healthy lifestyles within the general population, Anna continues to maintain a strong interest in using nutrition to optimise athletic performance. As a Registered Nutritionist, she has worked with sports clubs, athletes, and coaches for more than 20 years, with much of her work centred on nutrition support for weight‑category sports, particularly boxing. She currently delivers nutrition education to coaches at England Boxing.
Anna and colleagues within the Nutrition and Exercise as Medicine teaching and research team have also developed and delivered a weight‑management programme at the º£½ÇÂÒÂ×. This proof‑of‑concept initiative has produced very promising results. The team supervises several postgraduate students whose research contributes to ongoing enquiries in obesity and weight management.
Anna also continues to enjoy physiological testing, working alongside long‑standing colleague Dr Paul Sindall to assess highly trained and elite athletes in the Exercise Physiology Laboratories. Their work typically involves VO₂max/peak assessment, anaerobic threshold testing, and speed/lactate profiling.
Areas of Research
The use of lifestyle for the management and treatment of long term conditions.
Dietary interventions for improvements in health and or performance in varied population groups.
Areas of Supervision
Dietary interventions for improvements in health and/or performance
Lifestyle interventions (exercise and/or diet based) for long term conditions
Anna teaches the following modules with aligned level of study:
Human Physiology L4
Exercise Physiology L5
Applied Nutrition and Dietary Analysis L5
Eating Behaviour and Dietary Interventions L6
Encouraging Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours L7
Qualifications
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PhD
2002 - 2008 -
MSc Exercise and Nutrition Science
2000 - 2001 -
Exercise and Health Science
1997 - 2000