Richard Burden is the Head of Human Science at Mint Diagnostics.

Richard completed a BSc in Sport and Exercise Studies at Roehampton University, a master’s degree in applied sports science from St Mary’s University and a PhD from the University of Surrey, examining ‘The Influence of Iron Deficiency and Iron Repletion in the Endurance Athlete’.

Richard’s research focuses on iron metabolism and haematology and interests include biomarkers of training adaptation, recovery and the female athlete. He has a number of research collaborations with academic institutions including University College London, Loughborough University and Harvard University as well as with elite sport national governing bodies and professional sport. He is also Senior Consultant Editor (Elite Sport) for the journal Experimental Physiology.

Richard is also Technical Lead Physiologist at the English Institute of Sport where he provides leadership in the innovation and delivery of physiology support to British Olympic and Paralympic Sport. Richard has provided physiological support to a number of Olympic and Paralympic endurance athletes and organisations across three Olympic cycles including GB Rowing Team and the British Olympic Association’s Intensive Rehabilitation Unit, and individual Olympians such as Stephanie Twell and Paralympic champion David Weir.

Emma Ross is Female Health and Performance Lead at Mint Diagnostics.

Emma is a Fellow of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science. She completed her PhD in Exercise Physiology at Brunel University, is an Honorary Lecturer at The University of Kent and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Brighton.

Emma is leading the way in providing education and support to women and female athletes and to those supporting them.  

While Head of Physiology at the English Institute of Sport, Emma led the delivery of the physiology support services to Olympic and Paralympic sport throughout the Rio and Tokyo Olympiads. In this role she developed and led a ground-breaking campaign to improve support of female athletes within high performance sport. Through this programme she delivered education for coaches, athletes and sports practitioners to help them better understand the exercising female, the relationship between biology, behaviour and emotion in the context of health, training and sports performance in females. 

Emma recently founded Thrive Revolution to broaden the reach of education and support to women, and those who coach, treat and train them. Emma has delivered education primarily around menstrual health, the menstrual cycle and sports performance into elite sports, school sports academies, participation sports clubs and workplaces.  She has also founded The WellHQ which is an online platform which offers revolutionary education programmes for active women – and anyone who trains, coaches, manages or parents active females.