Harris, Dr. Luke
PhD University of Alberta, BSc Acadia University
Biography
Dr. Harris completed an undergraduate degree in biology at Acadia and a doctoral degree in neuroscience at the University of Alberta. Luke then worked as a postdoctoral fellow in physical medicine and rehabilitation/exercise biochemistry (U of A) and respiratory rehabilitation/muscle biophysics (UBC, funded by the BC Lung Association). Dr. Harris began his position at UNBC in 2009, where he established the Northern BC Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) Laboratory in 2014. He enjoys teaching a variety of topics, especially human physiology.
Research and Expertise
With his students and colleagues, Dr. Harris uses near-infrared spectroscopy, or NIRS, for non-invasive investigations of hemodynamics (e.g., blood volume changes) and metabolism (e.g., oxygenation) in various body tissues. Their recent experiments have included the following:
- leg muscle hemodynamics and metabolism changes due to spasticity after stroke
- brain and respiratory muscle hemodynamics and metabolism changes in response to training with specialized respiratory exercise devices
- brain hemodynamics and metabolism during meditation, compared to during mental math
- the influence of acute bouts of exercise on brain hemodynamics and metabolism during cognitive tasks
- Biomedical
- Health
- Health and Well-being
- Neurophysiology
- English