Wolfson JRF Represents Oxford at the Southern University Powerlifting Championships

Wolfson Junior Research Fellow Dr Pin-Chun Chen represented the University of Oxford at the Southern University Powerlifting Championships in Bristol, marking her first official International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) meet.

Despite running on just 4.5 hours of sleep, Pin-Chun described the day as “the happiest day of my life! I loved every second of it.” Competing in the 69kg class, she achieved a total of 337.5 kg with a GL score of 70.56, improving on all her previous personal bests since February.

Alongside her success on the powerlifting platform, Pin-Chun recently published new research in The Journal of Neuroscience (Chen et al., 2025), advancing understanding of the neural mechanisms that support memory and sleep. As a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Experimental Psychology, she explores how brain activity during rest and sleep contributes to memory consolidation and cognitive health.

Pin-Chun is passionate about empowering women in both science and sport, seeing strength training as a powerful metaphor for resilience in research. She said, “I hope to inspire more women to pursue their goals fearlessly, whether that’s in the lab or in the gym.”

Congratulations to Dr Chen on her fantastic academic and athletic achievements, and for representing the University with excellence and spirit.