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Staff Profile

Andrew Richardson

Research Associate

Background

Dr Andrew Richardson PhD, BSc, MSc, PGCE, QTLS, AFHEA, MCIMSPA


Current Employment 


03/2024 – Ongoing – Research Associate in Gambling Harms at Newcastle University. 

I started this role on the 1st of March 2024 on full-time contract work for two and a half years based between Middlesbrough Council and Newcastle University. My role is a research associate to lead the research arm of the Associate Directors of Public Health (ADPH) North East Gambling Related Harms Programme. I am also tasked to evaluate the programme to assess if it has helped to better understand the health and well-being outcomes caused by gambling-related harms in the North East. The programme is funded by the Gambling Commission which was given to the North East ADPH to develop, implement, and evaluate a program of work relating to Gambling Related Harms in the Northeast. 


The program is hosted by Middlesbrough Council and will operate across the 12 North East authorities. The program evaluation will be undertaken by researchers from the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Northeast and North Cumbria (ARC NENC) at Newcastle University, led by Professor Eileen Kaner and Dr Katie Thomson with input from the ADPH North East gambling related harms network. The project will seek to address gambling related harm across primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. 


Since being in post I have produced and or completed the following requests. Created a research prioritisation framework and led a workshop with the regional network to assess what research projects the network would be interested in conducting over the course of the programme. From analysing the scores of the network I was able to create my work stream as a result of the needs assessment. Since compiling these scores I have been working on these projects and have published an academic slide deck into gambling related harms which is available on the ADPH North East website. My next project regarding drug and alcohol workers and gambling has completed data collection and I am now writing up the results. The third project is on gambling in video games and esports which is underway with the potential of additional work if successful with a research bid. I am also leading a systematic review which is now wrapping up the screening stages before commencing the writing. Finally, I am providing support to all local authority teams in the form of research guidance and development to their health needs assessments and pilots. 


05/22 – Ongoing - Social Media Manager and Editor – International Journal of Esports. 

This role is on a voluntary basis helping with the Social Media side for the Journal. I am assisting the Chief Editor review and produce the content by drafting posts, preparing posts ready for multiple platforms, whilst generating a larger audience for the authors, editorial board and the IJESPORTS membership base. The sites I manage personally include, LinkedIn and Twitter pages. Please see a sample of my works on LinkedIn and on Twitter. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7042572890428309505 


Twitter: https://twitter.com/IJESPORTS/status/1556668076615241729. Since I took over social media from May 2022, the LinkedIn page has grown from 436 followers to now 973 followers which is an increase of 123.17% over almost a 3 year period. Twitter has increased by 139 followers from 666 (20.87% increase over the same time period) to 805. 


Since I have been made one of the editors (July 2023), I have helped to increase the workflow and reduce the waiting times for finding peer reviewers, reviewers submitting their reviews and assigning work to other editors at the journal. I have reviewed eight papers as part of my editorial duties to date. 


Previous Employment

10/19 – 02/2024 – PhD Student in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Law. Title: Understanding the Perceptions of Physical Inactivity between Residents and Stakeholders in the Tees Valley. The rise and fall of the industry across Teesside is well documented alongside the issues of precarious work and post-industrial economies. However, what is not well explored is how the history of the area and the timeline set the foundations for the current health issues. These health problems are a concentration effect set by the geography that is based upon multiple variables which have created the environment for health inequalities and stigmas to manifest. This thesis is known as the “Tees Valley Effect” which is centered upon the high levels of sedentary behaviours, physical inactivity, health stigmas and perceptions of risks, obesogenic environments and ineffective active travel networks and policies. The methodology was based on an inductive approach using the grounded theory and mixed methods design to generate a large sample of data. Utilising online questionnaires to both residents and stakeholders during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns, generated over 1300 responses. These responses highlighted significant quantitative results that show multiple variables impact total physical activity levels. Particularly prominent was the female residents with 64.88% probability presenting with a low level of physical activity. Finally, irrespective of sex, Tees Valley residents are 41 x more likely to have a categorically low physical activity score compared to being highly active. From the qualitative data gathered and analysed using a thematic analyses approach, nine unique themes and 63 sub-themes across both groups were created. These themes covered a broad range of topics which revealed differences between residents’ and stakeholders’ experiences and observations to being physically active.


12/22 – 07/23 Senior Harm Reduction Worker, Change Grow Live, Spring House in Northampton. Change Grow Live are a charity dedicated to the belief that we can make a difference to our Service Users lives. Their core values are; "Be open, be compassionate and be bold" and our teams apply these daily offering support and respect in a safe environment, treating each user as an individual and working with them to find the right treatment and care options. The role of Senior Harm Reduction worker supports the team leader and worked to develop, implement, maintain and evaluate prevention promotion and harm reduction strategies. My role involved delivering the harm reduction and needle exchange services at Spring House to our service-users. In addition, I was tasked with running the IPED training to all staff and linked stakeholders and service-users. 


6/18 – 6/19 President Activities of Teesside University Student’s Union TUSU 

I was elected to be the President of Activities to represent student issues at Teesside University (TU). This role involved me representing the 22,000 to voice their student opinions and ensure the students are represented. TUSU is a registered charity that provides academic representation, welfare advice, retail outlet and social activities to the students at TU. As President of Activities, I was responsible for International Students, Sports Clubs, Societies, Athletic Union tour, Well Being, Careers and Volunteering. I helped with the university’s sports strategy, sat on the Board of Governors for TU and the Board of Trustees for TUSU. Finally, I also acted as the TUSU representative for all student appeals and grades across all schools. I organised and ran the first ever sports and health careers fair aimed at our school of health students. 


9/14 – 10/21  Teesside University Gym Instructor/Personal Trainer for Sport and Well Being. I have amassed over 2000 hours in the gym which involved me showing members of the public how to use the gym equipment safely. I designed personal exercise programmes to all members of the gym considering what they wanted to achieve, whether it being a specific sports performance goal or body fat reduction. Some of the fitness testing I performed included body fat percentage, blood pressure, height, weight, BMI, peak flow, grip test and sit & reach. I was the lead personal trainer for a considerable portion of my time there having the most clients out of all the staff. In my final year of working there I helped with the delivery of the Long Covid Clinic.


QUALIFICATIONS

2019 – 2024 Teesside University 

  • PhD in Social Policy (awaiting Graduation on July 11th 2024)

2021 – 2021 Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA)

  • Chartered Health and Activity Practitioner (MCIMSPA) Pass 

2019 – 2020 Teesside University 

  • Associate Fellow (AFHEA) Pass 

2019 – 2020 Teesside University 

  • Qualified Teacher Learning & Skills (QTLS) Pass

2017-2018 Teesside University 

  • Professional Graduate Certificate in Education: Education and Training (PGCE) (Pass)

2016-2017 Teesside University 

  • MSc Sport and Exercise Science (Merit)

2013-2016 Teesside University 

  • BSc Applied Sport Science (First Class Honors) 


Professional Bodies and Memberships

  • 2024-25 Faculty of Public Health (Associate Membership) / Membership number 63980
  • 2024-25 Fuse (Associate Membership)
  • 2024-25 Chartered Health and Activity Practitioner from the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) / Membership Number 464241
  • 2024-25 Esports Research Network
  • 2024-25 British Association of Sport and Exercise Scientists (BASES) Student Membership Number 114293
  • 2024-25 Virtual Sports Research Network


Funding Bids and Contribution to Projects 

I contributed to the National Lottery Community Fund Climate Action Programme. The proposal, led by Middlesbrough Environment City in partnership with four other community organizations, was successful and we were awarded around £1.6m over five years to engage young people and the local community in actions to address climate change locally (August 2020). Evidence of my involvement can be provided upon request. 


Research

Research Profile Links

Google Scholar: ‪Dr Andrew Richardson‬ - ‪Google Scholar‬

ResearchGate: Andrew Richardson (researchgate.net)

Orcid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7184-5930


Publications In Order by Year - From 2019


  • Richardson, A. and Antonopoulos, G.A., 2019. Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) users on AAS use: Negative effects, ‘code of silence’, and implications for forensic and medical professionals. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 68, p.101871. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2019.101871












  • Mbabazi, J., MacGregor, F., Breckon, J., Tolchard, B., Watson, D., Hogg, J., Kunonga, E., Nalweyiso, D.I., Teke, J., Dawson, R. and Kagugube, G.W., 2024. Exploring the barriers and facilitators to making healthy physical activity lifestyle choices among UK BAME adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review of qualitative study. Cogent Public Health, 11(1), p.2294518. Retrieved from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/27707571.2023.2294518 









Manuscripts pending Publication

  • Berger, N., Smith, P., and Richardson, A. (2025). What makes Zwift so Popular? Is e-cycling a sport, training aid or ‘just’ a game? International Journal of Esports (IJESPORTS). 


To date I have amassed 210 citations. For more information see here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ctQ-bo4AAAAJ&hl=en&authuser=2



Conference Abstracts/Presentations/Panel Discussions



  • June 16th - 17th 2025 I will be presenting my findings at the “Current Advances in Gambling Research” (CAGR) hosted by the Academic Forum for the Study of Gambling (AFSG) in Glasgow at the University of Glasgow. This is a 3-minute presentation on my project titled, “Understanding Drug and Alcohol Workers Experiences of Gambling Related Harms in treatment settings in the North East”.


Media Appearances/Contributions to Articles/Work Mentioned In (Latest is top of list)














 


 



 



Special Issue and Editorial Roles

Performance Enhancement & Health (PEH) invites submissions for a special issue on Integrity, Health and Governance Issues in Esports and Virtual Sports where I am one of the guest editors on. To achieve elite sporting performance, some athletes, coaches, sports organizations, and other stakeholders engage in behaviours that may be unethical, unhealthy, or problematic for various reasons. Link to the call for papers: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/performance-enhancement-and-health/about/call-for-papers#integrity-health-and-governance-issues-in-esports-and-virtual-sports


Performance Enhancement & Health (PEH) invited submissions for a special issue on the Enhanced Games. I was the sole guest editor for this issue as all the articles published referenced my article titled, “Enhanced Games or Enhancing Harm?”. The special issue generated 4 responses to my piece with an additional article by myself summarising the findings and asking additional questions to the Enhanced Games. Link to issue: Performance Enhancement & Health | Enhanced Games: Strengths, Threats and Opportunities for the new Sporting Event | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier 



Teaching

Previous Teaching and Coaching Experience


  • 10/2018 – 03/2020 Teesside University Course Creation and Developments – I helped to re design and structure the module (Exercise and Conditioning) on the BSc Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation Degree at Teesside University 2019/2020. I also created the MA Esports 11/2018 at Teesside University and helped to rewrite the BSc Sport and Exercise science degree 2019. Evidence for all can be provided. 


  • 10/2019 – 03/2020 Teesside University Sports Therapy Lecturer (part of QTLS submission) All students were 1st year students in the post 14 age range (between 18 – 42 years old). The lessons were a combination of theory and practical's embedded across all classes. The subjects I taught included Employability, Periodization and Exercise Selection/Planning, coaching of Upper and Lower Body compound exercises. Semester cut short due to COVID – 19. 


  • 10/2018 – 06/2019 PGCE Placements - These placements were across an array of ages and educational establishments within the Middlesbrough and Tees Valley region. They included the following: a) Teesside Students Union coaching the Teesside Barbarians Powerlifting Club (43 hours), b) Teesside University Sport and Exercise Science Department (67.5 hours) teaching students for their Level 2 Gym Instructor Award. Finally, c) Recovery Connections (mainly through the Live Well Centre which I discussed above 156.75 hours) working with drug and alcohol rehabilitation patients.



  • 03/2018 – 05/2018   Change Grow Live (CGL) - This involved working directly with members of the public either who have had a history of, or who are currently dealing with mental health issues, dual diagnosis, substance abuse, alcoholism and/or criminal offences. Role entailed similar work to my previous gym instructor work at Teesside University, demonstrating how to use the equipment, providing training and nutritional advice in addition to providing motivational support during training sessions. The role also includes the operation and maintenance of the gym building and its equipment. I induct new members into the gym by showing them the facilities operating procedures, how to use the resistance machines, demonstrate health and safety when using cardiovascular machines and free weight exercises. March 26th to April 30th (125 Hours paid work). I did volunteer in a similar role from Jan 2018 – mid March 2018 before being hired at the same company and department (30 hours of volunteering).


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