Dr Joseph Welch PhD, MRes, BSc (Hons)

School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences
Assistant Professor in Respiratory Physiology

Contact details

Telephone: 0121 414 6977
Email: j.f.welch@bham.ac.uk

Dr Welch is a physiologist with expertise in the neural control of breathing, respiratory mechanics, diaphragm fatigue, phrenic nerve stimulation, and exercise physiology. His research focus is to understand how breathing: a) responds and adapts to physiological stressors such as exercise, disease and hypoxia; b) interacts with other body systems; and c) impacts human health and performance.

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Qualifications

PhD in Kinesiology, University of British Columbia (Canada)
MRes in Sport and Exercise, University of Derby (UK)
BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science, University of Derby (UK)

Biography

Dr Welch received his BSc (Hons) and MRes in Sport and Exercise Science from the University of Derby (UK). He completed his PhD in Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia (Canada) under the supervision of Professor Bill Sheel. His thesis examined sex differences in diaphragmatic fatigue. Dr Welch completed post-doctoral training at the University of Florida (USA) Breathing Research and Therapeutics Centre, mentored by Professor Gordon Mitchell and Dr Emily Fox. His research investigated the mechanisms of acute intermittent hypoxia induced respiratory motor plasticity in healthy individuals, and its potential therapeutic effects in people living with chronic spinal cord injury. Dr Welch joined the University of Birmingham as Assistant Professor in September 2022.

Teaching

Human Physiology & Exercise (Year 1)
Control of Human Movement (Year 2)
Applied Exercise Physiology (Year 2)

Postgraduate supervision

Dr Welch invites applications for postgraduate research at both the master’s and doctoral levels. Please contact him to express your interest in postgraduate supervision.

Research

Research theme: Rehabilitation and Motor Control
Special interest research groups: Integrative Physiology of Exercise, and Neuroscience and Brain Health

Research Interests:

Control of breathing
Respiratory muscle fatigue
Exercise physiology
Neuroplasticity
Phrenic nerve stimulation
Intermittent hypoxia

View publications in the National Library of Medicine

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Welch, JF, Dale, EA, Nair, J, Davenport, PW, Fox, EJ & Mitchell, GS 2025, 'A case report of long-latency evoked diaphragm potentials after exposure to acute intermittent hypoxia in post-West Nile virus meningoencephalitis', Journal of Neurophysiology, vol. 133, no. 2, pp. 522-529. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00406.2024

Oneda, G, Moresco, G, Leonel, DF, Hoinaski, L, Welch, JF, Koch, S & Cruz, R 2025, 'Modelling lung deposition of fine particulate matter in males and females during urban cycle commuting', Atmospheric Pollution Research, vol. 16, no. 5, 102467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2025.102467

Hodgkiss, DD, Balthazaar, SJT, Welch, JF, Wadley, AJ, Cox, PA, Lucas, RAI, Veldhuijzen van Zanten, JJCS, Chiou, S-Y, Lucas, SJE & Nightingale, TE 2025, 'Short- and long-term effects of transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation on autonomic cardiovascular control and arm-crank exercise capacity in individuals with a spinal cord injury (STIMEX-SCI): study protocol', British Medical Journal Open, vol. 15, no. 1, e089756. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-089756

Welch, JF, Cretney, BR, Mitchell, GS & Balanos, GM 2025, 'Ventilatory long-term facilitation at rest increases the feedforward contribution to subsequent exercise ventilatory responses', Journal of Applied Physiology, vol. 138, no. 2, pp. 426-438. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00737.2024

Welch, J, Vose, AK, Cavka, K, Brunetti, G, DeMark, LA, Snyder, H, Wauneka, CN, Tonuzi, G, Nair, J, Mitchell, GS & Fox, EJ 2024, 'Cardiorespiratory Responses to Acute Intermittent Hypoxia in Humans With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury', Journal of Neurotrauma, vol. 41, no. 17-18, pp. 2114-2124. https://doi.org/10.1089/neu.2023.0353

Nair, J, Welch, J, Marciante, AB, Tingting, H, Qing, L, Fox, EJ & Mitchell, GS 2023, 'APOE4, age and sex regulate respiratory plasticity elicited by acute intermittent hypercapnic-hypoxia', Function. https://doi.org/10.1093/function/zqad026

Reinhard, PA, Archiza, B, Welch, J, Benbaruj, J, Guenette, JA, Koehle, MS & Sheel, AW 2023, 'Effects of hypoxia on exercise-induced diaphragm fatigue in healthy males and females', Physiological reports, vol. 11, no. 2, e15589. https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.15589

Burt, JS, Davenport, MP, Welch, J & Davenport, PW 2023, 'fNIRS analysis of rostral prefrontal cortex activity and perceptions of inspiratory loads', Respiratory physiology & neurobiology, vol. 316, 104113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resp.2023.104113

Welch, JF, Nair, J, Argento, PJ, Mitchell, GS & Fox, EJ 2022, 'Acute intermittent hypercapnic-hypoxia elicits central neural respiratory motor plasticity in humans', The Journal of Physiology, vol. 600, no. 10, pp. 2515-2533. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP282822

Molgat-Seon, Y, Dominelli, PB, Peters, CM, Kipp, S, Welch, JF, Parmar, HR, Rabbani, T, Mann, LM, Grift, GO, Guenette, JA & Sheel, AW 2022, 'Predictors of expiratory flow limitation during exercise in healthy males and females', Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, vol. 54, no. 9, pp. 1428-1436. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002938

Vose, AK, Welch, JF, Nair, J, Dale, EA, Fox, EJ, Muir, GD, Trumbower, RD & Mitchell, GS 2022, 'Therapeutic acute intermittent hypoxia: a translational roadmap for spinal cord injury and neuromuscular disease', Experimental Neurology, vol. 347, 113891. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2021.113891

Perim, RR, Sunshine, MD, Welch, JF, Santiago, J, Holland, A, Ross, A, Mitchell, GS & Gonzalez-Rothi, EJ 2021, 'Daily acute intermittent hypoxia enhances phrenic motor output and stimulus-evoked phrenic responses in rats', Journal of Neurophysiology, vol. 126, no. 3, pp. 777-790. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00112.2021

Welch, JF, Perim, RR, Argento, PJ, Sutor, TW, Vose, AK, Mitchell, GS & Fox, EJ 2021, 'Effect of acute intermittent hypoxia on cortico-diaphragmatic conduction in healthy humans', Experimental Neurology, vol. 339, 113651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2021.113651

Review article

Welch, JF & Mitchell, GS 2024, 'Inaugural Review Prize 2023: The exercise hyperpnoea dilemma: A 21st‐century perspective', Experimental Physiology, pp. 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1113/ep091506

Dempsey, JA & Welch, J 2023, 'Control of breathing', Seminars in respiratory and critical care medicine. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-1770342

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