Dr Oliver Runswick is a Senior Lecturer in Performance Psychology and Deputy Director of the BSc in Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. Ollie joined King’s in January 2020 to develop modules in performance psychology and expertise for the BSc in Psychology and BSc in Sport and Exercise Medical Sciences courses.

He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Chartered Psychologist, and a CASES Accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist. He is Editor in Chief of Perceptual and Motor Skills, an Associate Editor at the European Journal of Sport Science, Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Sport Sciences, and Chair of the Expertise and Skill Acquisition Network.

Research interests

Ollie is co-lead of the Multidisciplinary Occupational Research for Performance and Health (MORPH Lab) and a member of the Spacesuit Physiology Laboratory, IoPPN Virtual Reality Lab and ADHD Lab. His academic interests focus on applied research across the main themes of (i) future technology in sport, exercise, and health, (ii) neurodiversity and mental health in human performance, and (iii) applied vision and cognitive sciences.

Ollie applies his work in a variety of domains, including sport, education, aerospace, military, and clinical populations and is experienced in delivering consultancy and contract research in these areas. Working closely with high-performance sport and aerospace organisations.

Ollie currently supervises PhD students working on:

• Applications of virtual reality in sport and exercise
• Neurodiversity in sport and high performance
• Vision, perception, and cognition in performance domains (sport and space flight)
• Learning and performing complex motor skills
• Future technology in high-performance settings (XR and AI)

Teaching

Ollie leads modules on ‘Psychology of Human Performance and Expertise’ and ‘Applied Performance Psychology’, available to both BSc in Psychology students and BSc in Sport and Exercise Medical Sciences students. He is also Deputy Director (Industry and Employability) of the BSc in Psychology programme.

Expertise and public engagement

Ollie has worked with a range of external partners, including the UK Sports Institute, England and Wales Cricket Board, the Premier League, and aerospace companies. In addition to appearing in numerous print outlets and popular podcasts, Ollie has communicated his research with the British Council’s GREAT talks series in India, appeared on TV and Radio, and regularly delivers invited keynote talks.