RAFAEL AZEVEDO
PhD Student, University of Calgary (Canada)
01/2019-12/2022 – Calgary, Canada
Time course of neuromuscular fatigue during exercise below, above and at critical intensities of exercise across different populations (Co-Supervisor – Principal Supervisor: Dr Juan Murias)
Biography
Rafael de Almeida Azevedo, Msc, is currently a PhD candidate at University of Calgary, Canada, under supervision of Dr. Juan Murias and Prof. Guillaume Millet. From 2010 to 2015, he took his undergraduate at University of São Paulo, Brazil, in the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports. During his undergraduate studies, he first started with academic work related at the Cellular and Molecular exercise physiology Laboratory under supervision of Prof. Dr. Patrícia Chakur Brum and later continued his academic path at the Endurance Sports Research Group under supervision of Prof. Dr. Rômulo Bertuzzi. From this later experience, he was able to work and publish in topics related to fatigue in endurance exercise. From 2015 to 2017, he did his Master’s degree under supervision of Dr. Bertuzzi at University of São Paulo, which focused on neuromuscular fatigue development throughout endurance self-paced exercises, such as a 4-km cycling time trial. This project opened new opportunities in his career, ultimately leading him to an internship of 7 month at University of Calgary under the supervision of Prof. Millet and supported by Emerging Leaders in Americas Program (ELAP) from the Canadian federal government. During his stay in the Neuromuscular Fatigue Lab, Rafael could advance on his Master project and further expand his work abroad with a full PhD program starting in 2018 in Dr Murias’ groupp and supported by Eyes High Doctoral program from University of Calgary.
In June 2020, Rafael had published one book chapter and 15 journal articles. He had also participated in several conferences within different countries, such as Brazil, Canada and United States. His general research area investigates the physiological, neurophysiological and metabolic factors associated with fatigue amongst different populations, particulary focusing on aging- and sex-related differences. His ultimate goal is to understand how the fatigue symptom manifests differently in endurance exercises when variables such as exercise intensity and population are manipulated. These information could lead to target interventions in promoting a better exercise prescription and health benefits according to the context and population.
As a side hobby, Rafael Azevedo has practiced various endurance sports in competition and recreational level. Amongst his best results, he achieved 2hr 53 min marathon (Vancouver, 2019) performance, which qualified him to Boston Marathon 2020.