The primary goal of the research conducted in the Thermal Ergonomics Laboratory is to understand the reason why thermoregulatory responses are almost always different between different people. Projects investigate whether the source of variability is physiological (e.g. body size, fatness) and/or psychological (e.g. thermal perception, sensations of fatigue). By mapping out the interactions betwee
n the various factors influencing human thermoregulation, we can:
1) Better advise people how to safely navigate through periods of extreme
heat (e.g. heat waves) and extreme cold
2) Ensure that athletes (both professional and recreational) and workers
(indoor and outdoor) conduct their regular activities without risking
their health through individually-catered exposure and hydration
guidelines
3) Provide effective temperature and hydration management to babies
during pre, peri and post-operative care
4) Advise specific populations (e.g. spinal cord injury athletes,
sympathectomy patients, multiple sclerosis patients) how to better
mitigate thermal stress during exercise and heat waves
