Rate My Professor Mark Ross

Mark Ross is an Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise Physiology at Heriot-Watt University, within the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society and the Institute for Life and Earth Sciences. He holds the positions of Director of Research for the Sport and Exercise Science department, Programme Director for the BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science, and Chair of the EGIS Research Ethics Committee. Ross earned his BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science with First Class Honours from Heriot-Watt University in 2009, where he was awarded the James Watt Medal. He subsequently completed an MRes in Exercise Physiology at Waterford Institute of Technology in 2011 and a PhD at Edinburgh Napier University, investigating the influence of age and physical activity on circulating endothelial progenitor cells. Before joining Heriot-Watt University, Ross served as a Lecturer in Exercise Physiology at Edinburgh Napier University, acting as Programme Leader for their BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science degree from 2018 to 2022.

Ross's research examines how immune cells contribute to inflammation and tissue repair, with a focus on using exercise to modulate the immune system, reduce inflammation, and promote repair processes. His work employs immunological techniques, including flow cytometry, to assess immune cell number, activation, and function in human samples from acute and long-term exercise interventions. Core research interests encompass exercise physiology, immunology, ageing, flow cytometry, physical inactivity, T-cells, monocytes, macrophages, cardiovascular health, tissue repair, and regeneration. Prominent publications include 'Exercise-induced skeletal muscle angiogenesis: impact of age, sex, angiocrines and cellular mediators' (European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2023), 'The exercise IL-6 enigma in cancer' (Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2023), 'Vascular Manifestations of COVID-19–Thromboembolism and Microvascular Dysfunction' (Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, 2020), 'Lower resting and exercise-induced circulating angiogenic progenitors and angiogenic T cells in older men' (American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 2018), and 'Resistance exercise increases endothelial progenitor cells and angiogenic factors' (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2014). His scholarship has garnered over 1,100 citations, advancing knowledge in vascular ageing, angiogenesis, and exercise-induced immune responses.