Report Card Leaders

Gráinne Hayes, PH.D.
Gráinne is an Associate Professor (B) in Exercise Physiology at the University of Limerick, Ireland. She serves as the Deputy Lead of the Measurement and Determinants of Physical Activity theme within the Physical Activity for Health Research Centre (PAfH) at the University of Limerick.

Her research interests include the measurement and analysis of habitual activity behaviours—such as sleep, sedentary behaviour, standing, and light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity—in free-living environments. She is particularly focused on the accuracy and validity of measurement methods in physical activity research and on exploring both the individual and combined effects of various components of the physical activity continuum on cardio-metabolic health. Additional areas of interest include the determinants of health behaviours across the lifespan and the implementation of effective interventions to promote positive behavioural change.

Gráinne recently contributed to the update of the National Physical Activity Guidelines for Ireland. She is currently leading the development of recommendations for measuring physical activity prevalence in the Republic of Ireland.

Her ongoing research collaborations include participation in WEALTH (Wearable Sensor Assessment of Physical and Eating Behaviours), a technology-focused project within the broader EU Joint Programming Initiative A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life (HDHL). This initiative—specifically the STAMIFY call—supports transnational research projects aimed at improving methods and tools for assessing and monitoring diet and physical activity, with the ultimate goal of enhancing public health recommendations and guidelines.

Angela Carlin, PH.D.
Angela is a Senior Lecturer in Exercise and Health at Ulster University, Northern Ireland. Her research interests include the development and evaluation of interventions to promote physical activity in children and adolescents, and the determinants of physical activity across the lifecycle. Angela has been involved in several national and international research projects and supervises doctoral students.

Angela is Principal Investigator on the Y-PATH NI project, involving the development and testing of the Youth – Physical Activity Towards Health intervention in post-primary schools in Northern Ireland. Angela’s current research collaborations also include the Walking In ScHools (WISH) Trial: A peer-led, school based walking intervention for adolescent girls, and EUMOVE, an Erasmus+ Project aimed at implementing a comprehensive set of strategies and resources to enable the educational community to promote healthy lifestyles. Angela recently led the all-island research working group for the 2022 Ireland North and South Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. Angela co-leads the Northern Ireland country card, as part of the Global Observatory for Physical Activity.