Barbara Halmai

Barbara had joined the Exeter Head Impact and Brain Trauma (ExHIBIT) research group for a Master's by Research project and received a UKRI DTP studentship in Healthcare Technologies to continue her research as a PhD candidate. She specializes in the effects of head impacts and vibration on human functionality in sports and occupational settings.

Research interests:

Evaluating repetitive head impacts and subclinical brain injuries poses a significant challenge to researchers and healthcare professionals. Barbara's main interest lies in utilising advanced technologies, such as inertial measurement units and virtual reality, to explore changes in cognition, eye movements, neuromotor and postural control following exposure to head vibration. Her research primarily focuses on extreme sports, such as downhill mountain biking, but also extends to occupational fields (e.g., transportation and heavy industry). The goals of her research are to 1) identify problems in brain function post-exposure to mitigate the risks of further injuries and accidents; 2) increase awareness of potential threats to brain health and function in both the short and long term; and 3) inform safety decisions and guidelines in activities involving repetitive impacts or vibration transferred to the head.