Richard Moore BA (Hons), MSc

Senior Research Fellow

Summary

I am a Senior Research Fellow specialising in conversational AI and applied research. My focus lies in developing innovative interventions grounded in existing theory, harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to enhance education and improve people's health through conversational AI solutions. Over the years, I have gained extensive experience leading national contract research, collaborating with prominent organisations such as The Premier League, Department of Health and Social Care, and Rugby Football Union, with a particular emphasis on evaluation of programmes and interventions in sport, physical activity, and wellbeing. Now, I apply my expertise to the field of conversational AI and engage in research projects to create meaningful solutions that aim to empower individuals and transform their lives.

About

In my early career I gained experience leading evaluations on over 17 national programs in sport, physical activity, and wellbeing. Notable highlights include leading the evaluation of All Schools for the Rugby Football Union (RFU), assessing the impact of Premier League Inspires for the Premier League, and conducting a comprehensive review of the least active individuals on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care. This rich background shaped my understanding of the barriers individuals face, which ultimately sparked my exploration of conversational AI as a means to support people in overcoming these barriers.

Driven by this vision, I embarked on developing novel applications in conversational AI. In this pursuit, I am developing a chatbot called Phyllis, designed to support adolescents in overcoming barriers to physical activity and providing guidance through personalised conversations. Subsequently, I completed an Innovate UK DigiHealth pre-accelerator programme to market test the conversational agent. I've also developed a novel approach using a chatbot to facilitate discussions using family therapy approaches leveraging funding through Sheffield Children's Hospital, that aims to revolutionise therapeutic interventions using conversational AI.

In 2020 I was awarded an Early Career Research Fellowship, to spearhead conversational AI research at the university. This allowed me to establish the Conversational AI Research Cluster, overseeing a multidisciplinary team of researchers dedicated to advancing this field of research. Since then, I have been involved in various conversational AI projects, collaborating with the NHS on initiatives such as the DAFNE diabetes programme, where we developed a prototype conversational agent to help answer questions about their condition. I am also part of a national collaboration with the Royal Marsden Hospital, where we are developing a cancer prehabilitation chatbot to support individuals through their cancer journey.

In addition to my research pursuits, I am actively engaged in supporting businesses through the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC) Accelerator Programme and other initiatives. As a mentor, I lend my expertise to entrepreneurs and innovators, guiding them in developing conversational AI solutions that drive positive impacts in the domains of health and education.

I have been given the opportunity to share my insights and research findings at major international conferences, including those focused on conversational AI. Notably, I have presented at renowned industry events such as NIHR Child Health Technology Conference (2022) and RE:WORK Conversational AI Summit (2023). Furthermore, I am a reviewer for prestigious academic journals including Frontiers Child Health as well as being a reviewer for the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). I also supervise students in the fields of conversational AI and sport management. Currently, I am supervising a PhD students as part of the PERSEO program, specifically focusing on the 'Robot as Schoolmate for Enhanced Adaptive Learning' project.

As a researcher, I am dedicated to pushing the boundaries of conversational AI and harnessing its potential to make a tangible difference in people's lives. With a passion for leveraging technology to improve education and health outcomes, I strive to drive innovation, empower individuals, and foster positive change through my work.

Consultation design and delivery
Monitoring and evaluation of sport programmes particularly in schools
Innovative and interactive evaluation techniques utilising new technologies
Survey design and online survey management and reporting
Business development, marketing and promotion
Volunteering in sports clubs

Teaching

College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences

Research

Cancer Prehab Chatbot - Royal Marsden Cancer Charity part of the national pre-habilitation collaborative.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, Family Therapy Chatbot - Sheffield Childrens Hospital (NHS)

Type 1 Diabetes FAQ and carbs and cals chatbot - Dafne, National Institute of Health Research (NHS)

Phyllis - physical activity chatbot to support adolescents to overcome barriers to physical activity - DigiHealth pre-accelerator

Therapha - conversation design and development of chatbot.

Mindbehind - co-design chatbot to support students to access wellbeing support.

Evaluation of Premier League Inspires - Premier League Charitable Fund

Sheffield Children's Hospital

Royal Marsden Hospital

Premier League Charitable Fund

Therapha

Mindbehind

Publications

Journal articles

Moore, R., Vernon, T., Gregory, M., & Freeman, E. (2023). Facilitators and barriers to physical activity among English adolescents in secondary schools: a mixed method study. Frontiers in Public Health, 11. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1235086

Moore, R., Edmondson, L., Gregory, M., Griffiths, K., & Freeman, E. (2023). Barriers and facilitators to physical activity and further digital exercise intervention among inactive British adolescents in secondary schools: a qualitative study with physical education teachers. Frontiers in Public Health, 11. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1193669

Griffiths, K., Moore, R., & Brunton, J. (2020). Sport and physical activity habits, behaviours and barriers to participation in university students: an exploration by socio-economic group. Sport, Education and Society. http://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2020.1837766

Moore, R., Ramchandani, G., Bullough, S., Goldsmith, S., & Edmondson, L. (2018). The world at their feet: a combined historical ranking of nations competing in football and futsal. American Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 6 (2), 49-59. http://doi.org/10.12691/ajssm-6-2-3.

Bullough, S., Moore, R., Goldsmith, S., & Edmondson, L. (2016). Player migration and opportunity: examining the efficacy of the UEFA home-grown rule in six European football leagues. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 11 (5), 662-672. http://doi.org/10.1177/1747954116667104

Berdejo-del-Fresno, D., Moore, R., & Laupheimer, M.W. (2015). VO2max changes in English futsal players after a 6-week period of specific small-sided games training. American Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 3 (2), 28-34. http://doi.org/10.12691/ajssm-3-2-1

Moore, R., Bullough, S., Goldsmith, S., & Edmondson, L. (2014). A systematic review of Futsal literature. American Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 2 (3), 108-116. http://doi.org/10.12691/ajssm-2-3-8

Moore, R., & Radford, J. (2014). Is Futsal kicking off in England? : a baseline participation study of Futsal. American Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 2 (3), 117-122. http://doi.org/10.12691/ajssm-2-3-9

Moore, R., Al-Tamimi, A.-.K., & Freeman, E. (n.d.). A conversational agent (Phyllis) to support adolescent health and overcome barriers to Physical Activity: a co-design and evaluation study (Preprint). JMIR Formative Research. http://doi.org/10.2196/51571

Conference papers

Coleman, R., & Moore, R. (2010). The Activ8 Eatwell Social Marketing Campaign for SportNI/FSA. In All Ireland Sport Conference, Dublin, Ireland, 1 October 2010.

Book chapters

Bullough, S., Hart, G., Moore, R., & Bonner, S. (2012). The role of alternative physical activities in engaging young people. In Harris, S., Bell, B., Adams, A., & Mackintosh, C. (Eds.) Sport for sport? Theoretical and practical insights in sports development. (pp. 47-74). Leisure Studies Association: http://www.leisure-studies-association.info/LSAWEB/NewTitle/117.html

Reports

Barrett, D., & Moore, R. (2010). The Coaching Workforce Survey 2010 - Baseline Report. Northern Ireland: Sport Northern Ireland. http://www.sportni.net/NR/rdonlyres/A8EF3483-299B-4B12-B2AA-51F3A6BC523C/0/CoachingWorforceSurvey.pdf

Coleman, R., & Moore, R. (2010). A systematic review of physical activity and nutritional social marketing campaigns. Northern Ireland: Sport Northern Ireland. http://www.sportni.net/NR/rdonlyres/E579E7E0-6344-47F1-9205-E0B95E1DF64C/0/Asystematicreviewofphysciallitercayandnutirtionalsocialmarketingcampigns.pdf

Coleman, R., & Moore, R. (2010). The impact of the pilot Activ8 Eatwell initiative in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland: Sport Northern Ireland. http://www.sportni.net/NR/rdonlyres/00F0B8D4-8D69-4D1A-8DB8-6B9D831B65B0/0/TheimpactofthepilotActiv8EatwellinitiativeinNorthernIreland.pdf

Moore, R., & Taylor, P. (2009). The relative status of grounds staff in employing organisations. Milton Keynes, UK: Institute of Groundsmanship. http://www.iog.org/Resources/IOG/Documents/2012%20Fund/Relative%20Status%20of%20Grounds%20Staff%20in%20employing%20organisations-Sheffield%20Hallam.pdf

Other activities

Reviewer Frontiers

Reviewer Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

Richard Moore