Career journey 

Dr Callum Osler teaches physiology at the University of Derby, supervising students within the Sport and Exercise Science discipline area. He is also a researcher in the Human Sciences Research Centre. His research has primarily focused on understanding the control of human balance. 

Questions and Answers

What inspired you to work and/or study physiology? 

I was first inspired to consider physiology way back at school, when I was studying A-level PE or sport. That’s when I first came across physiology as a topic area. 

What inspired you to join The Physiological Society? 

My supervisors when I was doing my PhD. They had both been members for quite a long period of time and encouraged me to sign up. It gave me the opportunity to disseminate my research as a PhD student.

What do you enjoy the most about working in physiology?

Getting in the lab and collecting data. Nowadays, I don’t get quite as much time in the lab myself as a lecturer, but that sort of experience of getting students to collect data and then bring it to me and have a discussion about what it means is, I think, still the thing I enjoy the most.

What’s been the most exciting part of your career?

Travelling to conferences.

What’s been the biggest challenge of your career?

When I went from being a postgraduate researcher and a postdoctoral researcher to doing my first lecture in post. I think that’s probably true for a lot of academics. So that meant going back to textbooks, it meant going back to my own notes I took as a student sometimes, and now there’s a few late nights writing lecture slides.

How has being a member of The Society benefited your career?

Being a member has benefited me in a number of ways. I think at the start of my career, the main benefit, to be honest,was being able to apply for travel grants. Since I became a rep in particular, The Society has really benefited me by allowing me to apply for grants to support engagement and outreach work which we do here at the university.

Why do you think physiology is important as a career and in the future? How do you feel physiology or your area of research has an impact on the world?

I think physiology is a really important career for a number of reasons. I think as a physiology teacher, I think that it’s important to make sure that students who graduate from our degrees have the required knowledge and skills to go off and work in a physiology related career.

What do you enjoy the most about being a part of The Society?

The thing I enjoy most is probably having that connection to a community of people, and I’m really quite proud of that association with a long-standing and well-regarded society, like The Physiological Society is.

What would you say to others looking to join The Society? 

I would encourage anybody to consider becoming a member of The Society. It’s been really positive for me. The Society has been very, very generous to me over my career. So I encourage them to have a look look at the events which the society puts on, have a look at the grants which they offer and sign up.