Oriel Research Team logo with a stylized figure walking, wrapped in a ribbon design, and the text 'Oriel Research Team' with the tagline 'Optimising Research for Inclusion and Equity in Later Life Mobility'.
A young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair smiling, wearing a red dress with floral embroidery, standing in front of a plain white wall.

ORIEL Lead: Ríona Mc Ardle

Senior Research Fellow/ NIHR Three Schools Dementia Career Development Fellow

Public Patient Involvement and Engagement Lead, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre’s Digital Health Theme

Inequities Lead, Technology Empowered Dementia Independence (TEDI) EPSRC Dementia Network Plus

Email: riona.mcardle@newcastle.ac.uk

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ORIEL’s vision is to advance an inclusive and equitable future for later-life mobility by transforming how we understand, measure, and support movement in real-world settings through digitally-hybrid solutions.

We work to generate meaningful digital mobility outcomes across ageing and neurodegenerative conditions, including multiple dementia subtypes, Parkinson’s disease, and advanced later-life ageing, and in those who support them, such as carers and families.

Through robust digital health solutions, advanced analytics, and participatory research within local, national and global settings, ORIEL aims to identify digital biomarkers of mobility change, co-design mobility support strategies, and accelerate the responsible implementation of digital tools into diverse health and social care systems.

Central to our vision is digital inclusion: ensuring that innovations in mobility monitoring and support work for everyone, particularly under-served, under-represented, and marginalised groups across cultural, economic, and geographical contexts.

ORIEL Team

  • Young man with curly hair smiling, wearing a cream-colored short-sleeve collared shirt, standing inside a bookstore or library.

    Jack Lumsdon

    ESRC NineDTP PhD Student

    PhD Title: Cross-contextual comparison of physical activity in people with Parkinson’s in the UK and Sub-Saharan Africa: Exploring the influence of disease related and socioecological factors

    Supervisors: Dr Ríona Mc Ardle, Dr Tash Fothergill-Misbah, Professor Katie Brittain

    Email: j.lumsdon2@newcastle.ac.uk

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  • A young woman with long dark hair and light skin smiling outdoors in front of a metal barrier with a Newcastle University banner. She is dressed in a black outfit and wearing earrings and a necklace, with modern buildings in the background.

    Megan Hanrahan

    Newcastle NIHR BRC PhD Student / Research Assistant

    PhD Title: Measuring what matters - a representative exploration of experiences of mobility loss in people with Parkinson’s disease and their carers to inform digital mobility assessment

    Supervisors: Dr Ríona Mc Ardle, Professor Katie Brittain

    Email: megan.hanrahan@newcastle.ac.uk

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  • A smiling woman with dark hair and a nose ring wearing a black shirt, backpack, and a lanyard that reads 'The Catalyst,' standing inside a modern building with curved staircases and a light-colored ceiling.

    Jenny Wales

    Newcastle NIHR BRC PhD Student

    PhD Title: Characterising Sedentary Behaviour Across the Spectrum of Cognitive Impairment Using Digital Technology (SedCog)"

    Supervisors: Dr Ríona Mc Ardle, Dr Silvia Del Din, Dr Chloe Hinchcliffe, Professor Alison Yarnall

    Email: j.wales3@newcastle.ac.uk

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  • A woman with dark hair, smiling, wearing a white embroidered blouse and earrings, standing in front of a brick wall.

    Abigail Dsouza

    Research Assistant

    Email: abigail.dsouza@newcastle.ac.uk

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  • Young woman with long brown hair, wearing a black and white striped sweater and a lanyard with an identification badge, standing in a hallway near elevators with posters on wall and blue accents.

    Aoife Hampson

    Research Assistant / Psychology Placement Student

    Email: a.hampson2@newcastle.ac.uk

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  • A young woman with long brown hair and glasses, wearing a purple sweater and a lanyard and badge, standing inside a building near elevators.

    Ella Willoughby

    Research Assistant / Psychology Placement Student

    Email: e.willoughby2@newcastle.ac.uk

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ORIEL Studies

  • Logo with a walking person icon and the text "ActivDem".

    ActivDem

    Identifying modifiable psychosocial outcomes to maintain physical ACTIVity and promote independence in DEMentia

    Funder: NIHR Advanced Fellowship, NIHR Three Schools Dementia

    Principal Investigator: Dr Ríona Mc Ardle

    Team members: Jenny Wales

    This study is linked to the DETERMIND cohort (PI: Professor Sube Banerjee, University of Nottingham)

    Website
  • Logo with two abstract human figures embracing, surrounded by a semi-circle, and the word 'EMBrAce' below in red capital and lowercase letters.

    EMBrACe

    Enhancing Mobility support for people with dementia: Bridging the gap between needs And Care

    Funder: NIHR Three Schools Dementia

    Principal Investigator: Dr Ríona Mc Ardle

    Co-investigators: Prof Katie Brittain, Prof Louise Robinson, Prof Lynn Rochester, Dr Andrew Kingston, ProfYvonne Birks (Uni of York), Dr Manpreet Bains, Dr Rupinder Bajwa (Uni of Nottingham), Prof Vicki Goodwin, Dr Abi Hall (Uni of Exeter), Prof Angel Chater (Uni of Bedfordshire)

    Team members: Abigail Dsouza

    Website
  • A colorful logo featuring two stylized human figures holding hands inside a heart shape with green, orange, and blue colors, and the text "ActivDyd" beneath it.

    ActivDyad

    Investigating the social and environmental contexts of habitual walking ACTIVities in older adult DYADs: A feasibility study

    Funder: Art of Healthy Ageing Network, UKRI

    Principal Investigator: Dr Ríona Mc Ardle

    Team members: Jenny Wales

    Website
  • Book cover titled 'What Gait Analysis Tell Us About Dementia and Its Subtypes' featuring an illustration of a person walking with a brain image on their head, symbolizing brain and behavior study.

    GaitDem

    What can gait analysis tell us about dementia and its subtypes? An integrated study of brain and behaviour

    Funder: Alzheimer’s Society, Newcastle’s NIHR Biomedical Research Centre

    Principal Investigator: Professor Lynn Rochester

    Study Lead: Dr Ríona Mc Ardle

    Find out more
  • Graphic with an orange walking person icon and the text 'DMS Atypical' and 'CHARACTERISING DIGITAL MOBILITY SIGNATURES OF ATYPICAL DEMENTIA' in orange on a beige background.

    DMS Atypical

    Characterising digital mobility signatures of atypical dementia

    Funder: Alzheimer’s Research UK

    Principal Investigator: Dr Keir Yong, UCL

    Newcastle Lead & Co-Investigator: Dr Ríona Mc Ardle

    Team members: Dr Cameron Kirk, Dr Silvia Del Din (Co-I)

    More information
  • Logo with colorful stylized figures and text that reads 'Ensuring Diversity & Equity in Parkinson's Research & Care' and 'Measuring what matters – to whom it matters' in orange.

    Measuring What Matters

    Measuring what matters - in whom it matters - ensuring diversity and equity in Parkinson’s research and care

    Funder: Michael J Fox Foundation

    Principal Investigator: Professor Katie Brittain

    Co-investigators: Dr Ríona Mc Ardle, Prof Lynn Rochester, Dr Alison Keogh (Trinity College Dublin)

    Team members: Jack Lumsdon, Megan Hanrahan

    Website
  • Outline of Africa with three icons overlayed: a heart with a medical cross and hands, a document with a magnifying glass, and a person's midsection outline, symbolizing healthcare and medical research.

    Measuring what matters: Africa

    Measuring what matters: A cross-cultural mapping of the meaningfulness of validated digital mobility outcomes in people with Parkinson’s disease in Ghana and Kenya

    Funder: Centre for Transformative Neuroscience, Newcastle University

    Principal Investigator: Dr Ríona Mc Ardle

    Co-Investigators: Dr Tash Fothergill-Misbah, Prof Katie Brittain, Prof Richard Walker, Prof Lynn Rochester

    Team members: Jack Lumsdon, Abigail Dsouza

  • Logo with four stylized people walking on a map of Africa, with the text "Stepping Forward Together. Mobilising Lived Experience to Strengthen Parkinson’s Mobility Awareness Across Sub-Saharan Africa."

    Stepping Forward Together

    Stepping Forward Together: Mobilising Lived Experience to Strengthen Parkinson’s Mobility Awareness Across Sub-Saharan Africa

    Funder: International Science Partnerships Fund

    Principal Investigator: Dr Ríona Mc Ardle

    Co-Investigators: Dr Tash Fothergill-Misbah, Professor Katie Brittain

    Team members: Abigail Dsouza, Jack Lumsdon, Ella Willoughby, Aoife Hampson

  • Logo for Co-producing Equitable Dementia Support, featuring icons of diverse people, a house with a heart, and colorful leaves, with text about evaluating and improving day care and almshouse services.

    The Greatham Project

    Co-producing equitable dementia support: evaluating and improving day care and almshouse services to enhance wellbeing, inclusion, and social connection in areas of high deprivation

    Funder: Research Excellence Development Award, Newcastle University

    Co-investigator: Prof Katie Brittain

    Team members: Aoife Hampson, Ella Willoughby

    This project is in partnership with the Greatham Foundation, Hartlepool

    Website
  • TEDx logo with stacked and rotating orange and white cups next to the bold white letters 'TED'

    TEDI

    Technology Empowered Dementia Independence Network

    Funder: EPSRC Network Plus

    Principal Investigator: Professor Arlene Astell, Northumbria University

    Inequities Lead: Dr Ríona Mc Ardle

    Website