Rate My Professor Will Young

Dr Will Young is an Associate Professor in Rehabilitation Psychology within the Department of Public Health and Sport Sciences at the University of Exeter, which falls under the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. He obtained his BSc in 2004 and PhD in 2009 from the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Birmingham. Young's academic career has focused on advancing understanding of human movement and performance, particularly in clinical and ageing populations. He joined the University of Exeter around 2019 and was appointed Associate Professor in Rehabilitation Psychology in 2023. His research examines the cognitive, psychophysiological, and sensorimotor factors influencing visuomotor skills, with key applications in predicting performance under pressure, optimizing skill acquisition, and developing interventions for conditions such as Parkinson's disease and balance disorders in older adults.

Young's influential work addresses how state anxiety and fear of falling exacerbate fall risk through altered gaze behavior and stepping patterns, employing innovative tools like eye-tracking, virtual reality, and auditory cueing. He leads projects such as Virtual Immersive Training And Learning (VITAL) and collaborations on freezing of gait interventions using low-cost community technologies. His publications have garnered over 3,300 citations on Google Scholar. Key works include 'How fear of falling can increase fall-risk in older adults: applying psychological theory to practical observations' (Gait & Posture, 2015; 549 citations), 'Assessing and training standing balance in older adults: a novel approach using the ‘Nintendo Wii’ Balance Board' (Gait & Posture, 2011; 438 citations), 'Auditory cueing in Parkinson's patients with freezing of gait. What matters most: action-relevance or cue-continuity?' (Neuropsychologia, 2016; 109 citations), 'Synthesis of walking sounds for alleviating gait disturbances in Parkinson's disease' (IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 2013; 108 citations), and 'Influences of state anxiety on gaze behavior and stepping accuracy in older adults during adaptive locomotion' (Journals of Gerontology Series B, 2012; 100 citations). Young contributes to teaching, supervision, and interdisciplinary partnerships with clinical groups, sports organizations, and industry, enhancing rehabilitation strategies across the lifespan.