Following prior successful cohorts in 2023 and 2024, we have recruited a third cohort of Sports Engagement Ambassadors. They will develop and deliver activities that connect research with various sport audiences.
Welcome to our 2025 ambassadors:
Aria Appoo (medical student)
"I am a third year medical student at Lady Margaret Hall college. During a research project at the Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, I came to understand the importance of public engagement with research to further the field of neuroscience. I am passionate about making sport accessible to everyone and preventing injuries so that sport can be a lifelong hobby to support mental and physical health. I play squash, enjoy the occasional dance class, and am trying to get into running."
Harry Manship (PhD Student, Podium Institute for Sports Medicine & Technology)
"I am an Engineering Science DPhil Student within the Podium Institute for Sports Medicine & Technology. My research focusses on developing a screening protocol to aid in the detection of Femoroacetabular Impingement – a common hip condition in contact sports. My aim is to develop a novel medical imaging methodology to be able to accurately identify impingement. I have always loved competing at and watching different sports. I can think of no better way to combine this passion with my research interests than as a Sports Engagement Ambassador!"
Erik Vanegas (PhD Student, Podium Institute for Sports Medicine & Technology)
Erik's research focuses on preventing and predicting sudden cardiac death in youth athletes. By applying interpretable and explainable artificial intelligence to ECGs, Erik expects to gain more insight into the cause-effect relationship between the 'athlete's heart' and sports-related cardiac arrests. He graduated from the Technical University of Berlin with a Bachelor and Master of Science degree in Engineering Science, specialising in numerical methods, simulation, and control theory. Besides being a competent engineer, he is a certified EMT (Rettungssanitäter), working full-time for almost a year in Berlin before his DPhil, and currently volunteering as a community first responder for the South Central Ambulance Service. He describes his motivation for becoming a sports engagement ambassador to 'make research accessible and impactful beyond academia, empowering individuals to make informed decisions about cardiac health and safety in sports.