Matthew Roberts

BSc

Pronouns: He/him
  • Research Associate (Exercise, Inflammation and Chronic Disease)

Matthew completed his PhD in 2020 at Â鶹ֱ²¥ University under the supervision of Professor David Stensel, Dr James King, and Professor David Webb. His thesis focused on the effect of exercise on blood vessel function and cardiovascular disease risk markers in South Asians.

Since January 2020, Matthew has worked as a Research Associate at Â鶹ֱ²¥ University, working with Professor Lettie Bishop as part of the Lifestyle Theme of the NIHR-funded Leicester Biomedical Research Centre.

Matthew’s research interests span the effects of exercise on immunity, inflammation, and infection in the general population and those with specific long-term conditions. Matthew has recently been conducting studies in people living with long-covid and a form of chronic inflammatory arthritis: Axial Spondyloarthritis.

Matthew has expertise in exercise physiology, metabolic health, and immune function. His research focuses on the interaction between obesity, ethnicity, physical activity, inflammation, immune function, and chronic disease. Matthew is active in research, having been involved in over 15 peer-reviewed journal articles since 2020. He has also been an invited reviewer for Obesity (2023 & 2022), Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease (2023), Journal of Sport Sciences (2023), International Journal of Obesity (2023 & 2022 & 2021), American Journal of Preventive Medicine (2022), and Exercise Immunology Reviews (2021).

Current research projects include:

  • Exercise as an anti-inflammatory management in people living with Axial Spondyloarthritis.
  • Ageing of the immune system in people living with Axial Spondyloarthritis.
  • The effect of sleep quality and stress on the immune system and inflammatory profiles.
  • Mechanisms driving higher risk of cardiovascular disease in ethnic minorities.
  • Functional assays investigating the movement of immune cells into metabolically active tissues.

Matthew also has experience in leading and managing NHS clinical trials through his work with people living with Axial Spondyloarthritis.

Matthew is a member of the Endocrinology Society and the Midlands Innovation Flow Cytometry group. He has served as a peer reviewer for Obesity, Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease, Journal of Sport Sciences, International Journal of Obesity, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, and Exercise Immunology Reviews.

Matthew regularly disseminates his research at national and international conferences such as the British Rheumatology Society, British Society for Spondyloarthritis, Midlands Rheumatology Society, and European Congress on Obesity. Matthew has recently won awards for his presentations from The British Society for Spondyloarthritis (2022) and the Midlands Rheumatology Society (2023).

Matthew has also given the following internal and external invited guest lectures:

  • Exercise as an anti-inflammatory management for people living with AxSpA (Birmingham University Special Interest Group, 2024).
  • Exercise as an anti-inflammatory management for chronic disease (Â鶹ֱ²¥ University, 2024).
  • My chronic back pain is Axy-what? (Â鶹ֱ²¥ University Public Lecture Series, 2023).
  • Exercise and cardiovascular health in South Asian and White European populations (Â鶹ֱ²¥ University Public Lecture series, 2019)

Featured publications

  • Roberts MJ, Hamrouni M, Wadley AJ, Bishop NC. . Physiol Rep. 2023 Nov;11(22):e15883.
  • Shen T, Thackray AE, King JA, Alotaibi TF, Alanazi TM, Willis SA, et al. . Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2024 Jan;56(1):63–72.
  • Malaikah S, Willis SA, Henson J, Sargeant JA, Yates T, Thackray AE, et al. . Int J Obes (Lond). 2023 Oct;47(10):1000–7.
  • Malaikah S, Willis SA, Henson J, Sargeant JA, Yates T, Thackray AE, et al. . Appl Physiol Nutr Metab = Physiol Appl Nutr  2023 Jun;48(6):436–44.
  • Daynes E, Baldwin M, Greening NJ, Yates T, Bishop NC, Mills G, et al. . Trials. 2023 Jan;24(1):61.
  • Hamrouni M, Roberts MJ, Bishop NC. . Obes Res Clin Pract. 2023;17(1):82–5.
  • Bishop NC, Wadley AJ, Hamrouni M, Roberts MJ. . Proc Nutr Soc. 2023 Feb;82(1):13–21.
  • Roberts MJ, Thackray AE, Wadley AJ, Alotaibi TF, Hunter DJ, Thompson J, et al. . Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2023 May;55(5):794–802.
  • Roberts MJ, Leonard AN, Bishop NC, Moorthy A. . Musculoskeletal Care [Internet]. 2022;20(3):516–28. 
  • Hamrouni M, Roberts MJ, Bishop NC. . J Sports Sci. 2022 Oct;40(20):2267–74.
  • Hamrouni M, Roberts MJ, Bishop NC. . J Phys Act Health. 2022 Dec;19(12):837–41.
  • Hamrouni M, Roberts MJ, Thackray A, Stensel DJ, Bishop N. . BMJ Open. 2021 Nov;11(11):e055003.
  • Wadley AJ, Roberts MJ, Creighton J, Thackray AE, Stensel DJ, Bishop NC. . Exerc Immunol Rev. 2021;27:54–66.
  • Alotaibi TF, Thackray AE, Roberts MJ, Alanazi TM, Bishop NC, Wadley AJ, et al. . Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2021 May;53(5):1021–32.