Dr Pooya Soltani
School of Health & Society
Current positions
Senior Lecturer in Digital Health and Society
Biography
I use game-based and new media approaches to improve human performance, engagement, and wellbeing, across sports, health, and creative fields. My work sits at the intersection of research, education, and real-world application.
My current focus areas include:
1- Ambient voice technology: Exploring its role in nursing and clinical environments
2- Esports and decision-making: For talent identification, risk-taking behaviour, and using esports as a vehicle for empathy development
3- Sports officiating: Researching video assistant referee systems and how new technologies still introduce judgement errors
4- Clinical applications: Using interactive and game-based tools with diabetic patients and those at risk of falls
5- XR and assistive technologies: For teaching, training, accessibility, and public engagement
On the applied side, I regularly collaborate with SMEs on development, consultancy, and public engagement projects, moving research off the shelf and into use.
Areas of Research
Games for health (rehabilitation, physical activity, empathy)
Serious games (sports, health, military, education, diabetes, ADHD, dementia)
Sports technology (VAR, caffeine, wearables, AR, VR, XR)
Decision-making (avatars, caffeine, sports, risk taking)
Ergogenic aids (caffeine)
Virtual reality (sports, simulation, education, rehabilitation)
Esports (expertise)
Metaverse
Medical device evaluation (EPR)
Digital health (education, CPD, AI, AVT, agents)
Areas of Supervision
Games for health (rehabilitation, physical activity)
Serious games (sports, health, military, education, diabetes, ADHD)
Sports technology (VAR, caffeine, wearables)
Decision-making (avatars, caffeine, sports)
Ergogenic aids (caffeine, VR)
Virtual reality (sports, simulation, empathy, education, rehabilitation)
Esport
Metaverse
Medical device
Digital health
AI in health (AVT)
Qualifications
-
Sports Sciences (Biomechanics and Human Energetics)
2012 - 2016 -
Exercise Physiology
2008 - 2011 -
Sports Sciences
2005 - 2008