Aerospace Medicine & Physiology Research Group

The Aerospace Medicine & Physiology Group is made up of physiologists and doctors from various specialities including aerospace medicine, anaesthesia and respiratory medicine.

Our mission is to advance the science of aerospace medicine and physiology and thereby optimise health and performance in aviation and space flight, with a vision to be a pre-eminent academic centre of excellence in aerospace medicine and physiology. We aim to:

Perform world-class research addressing important scientific and operational research questions.
Optimise the health and safety of passengers and crew during air and space travel.
Exploit novel translational research opportunities offered by aerospace environments to advance mainstream healthcare and clinical medicine.
Support the development of air and space vehicles and associated life support and protection systems.
Be the academic partner of choice in aerospace medicine for the military and commercial industry.

We collaborate widely with other universities, the military, airlines, space agencies and commercial industry. Our experience includes normobaric and hypobaric hypoxia/altitude studies, high altitude fieldwork, decompression sickness, thermal stress, research on commercial airlines and general aviation flights, microgravity studies on parabolic flights, high G centrifuge studies, and test and evaluation of aircraft life support systems.

Members

Visual symptoms and G-LOC during centrifuge-simulated suborbital spaceflight
Britton, J., Pollock, R., Green, N. D. C., Hodkinson, P., Mitchell, S., Stevenson, A. T. & Smith, T., 2022, Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance. Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference paper › peer-review
Physiological effects of centrifuge-simulated suborbital spaceflight
Smith, T., Pollock, R., Britton, J., Green, N. D. C., Hodkinson, P., Mitchell, S. & Stevenson, A. T., 2022, Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance. Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference paper › peer-review
Effects of intravenous iron on hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and maximal exercise capacity during sustained (8 h) hypoxia in healthy volunteers
Talbot, N. P., Cheng, H., Smith, T., Dorrington, K. L. & Robbins, P. A., 2018, European Respiratory Journal. Vol. 52 (Suppl. 62). p. PA2477 Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference paper › peer-review
Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction during air travel
Smith, T., 2020, Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance. Vol. 91. p. 220 Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference paper › peer-review
Ventilation, respiratory drive and breathing mechanics during sustained +Gx acceleration relevant to suborbital spaceflight profiles
Pollock, R., Stevenson, A., Jolley, C., Rafferty, G., Estrada-Petrocelli, L., Segal, M., Tank, H., Menden, T., Leonhardt, S. & Smith, T., 2019, Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance. Vol. 90. p. 295 Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference paper › peer-review
Impairment of gas exchange in the lung during sustained +Gx acceleration relevant to suborbital spaceflight profiles
Stevenson, A., Pollock, R., Tank, H., Magor-Elliott, S., Couper, J., Richmond, G., Abid, N., Hodkinson, P., Ritchie, G., Robbins, P. A. & Smith, T., 2019, Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance. Vol. 90. p. 294 Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference paper › peer-review
Oh G: The x, y and z of human physiological responses to acceleration
Pollock, R. D., Hodkinson, P. D. & Smith, T. G., Dec 2021, In: Experimental Physiology. 106, 12, p. 2367-2384 18 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review. DOIs: https://doi.org/10.1113/EP089712
Perioperative management including dual cell salvage in a Jehovah's Witness patient undergoing major urological surgery
Smith, T. G., Anastasescu, I., Wight, J. M., Danaee, A., Nair, R. & O'Brien, T. S., Nov 2021, In: Clinical Case Reports. 9, 11, e05098. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review. DOIs: https://doi.org/10.1002/ccr3.5098
Anaesthetists and aerospace medicine in a new era of human spaceflight
Smith, T. G. & Buckey, J. C., Apr 2022, In: Anaesthesia. 77, 4, p. 384-388 5 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review. DOIs: https://doi.org/10.1111/anae.15580
Dynamic Lung Behavior under high G acceleration monitored with Electrical Impedance Tomography
Menden, T., Alcain, GB., Stevenson, A., Pollock, R., Tank, H., Hodkinson, P., Jolley, C., Smith, T., Leonhardt, S. & Walter, M., 2021, (Accepted/In press) In: Physiological Measurement. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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PhD Students:

Flight Lieutenant Richard Vail – RAF
Squadron Leader Joe Britton – RAF
Mr Tim D'Oyly – QinetiQ

Visiting and Emeritus Staff:

Wing Commander Jemma Austin – Chief of the Air Staff Trenchard Fellow, RAF
Dr Des Connolly – Senior Fellow and Senior Scientist, QinetiQ
Wing Commander Jo D’Arcy – Consultant and Whittingham Professor of Aviation Medicine, RAF
Professor David Gradwell – Emeritus Professor of Aerospace Medicine
Dr David Green – Education Coordinator for the European Astronaut Centre, ESA
Wing Commander Nicholas Green OBE – Consultant in Aviation Medicine, RAF
Professor David Newman – Visiting Professor of Aerospace Medicine
Professor Thais Russomano – Visiting Senior Lecturer
Dr Alec Stevenson – Principal Scientist, QinetiQ

Our partners

UK Space Agency

Royal Air Force

QinetiQ

UK Civil Aviation Authority

Contact us

thomas.g.smith@kcl.ac.uk

Aerospace Medicine & Physiology Research Group

Members

James Clark

Irene Di Giulio

Stephen Harridge

Peter Hodkinson

Caroline Jolley

Julie Keeble

David Newman

Ross Pollock

Gerrard Rafferty

Thomas Smith

Visual symptoms and G-LOC during centrifuge-simulated suborbital spaceflight

Physiological effects of centrifuge-simulated suborbital spaceflight

Effects of intravenous iron on hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and maximal exercise capacity during sustained (8 h) hypoxia in healthy volunteers

Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction during air travel

Ventilation, respiratory drive and breathing mechanics during sustained +Gx acceleration relevant to suborbital spaceflight profiles

Impairment of gas exchange in the lung during sustained +Gx acceleration relevant to suborbital spaceflight profiles

Oh G: The x, y and z of human physiological responses to acceleration

Perioperative management including dual cell salvage in a Jehovah's Witness patient undergoing major urological surgery

Anaesthetists and aerospace medicine in a new era of human spaceflight

Dynamic Lung Behavior under high G acceleration monitored with Electrical Impedance Tomography

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