Dr Ian-Ju Liang
Postdoctoral Research Assistant
Population Health and Genomics, School of Medicine
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Contact
Biography
Dr Ian-Ju Liang is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Chronic Pain Research Group. Her work focuses on supporting physical activity engagement in people with chronic pain. She is currently involved in two major projects: C-Picture, which aims to identify individuals with chronic pain using primary care data, and SUSSED, which explores barriers and motivators for physical activity in this population.
Before joining Dundee, she worked at the University of Bath leading interdisciplinary research focused on promoting health in older adults and exploring exercise physiology such as investigating personalised digital prehabilitation prior to major elective surgery. She completed her PhD in Health at the University of Bath, where she conducted a cross-cultural study on exercise interventions to improve physical function, cognition, and wellbeing in older adults. Dr Liang also holds a Master’s in Physical Education from National Cheng Kung University, and a BSc in Sports Medicine from Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan.
Alongside her academic work, Dr Liang serves on the research committee for the National Physical Fitness Instructor Certification Regulations under Taiwan’s Ministry of Education, Sports Administration. Her expertise spans sports medicine, health promotion, and mixed-methods research, with a focus on developing evidence-based interventions to improve health and quality of life.
Research
Dr Liang’s research interests lie at the intersection of physical activity, chronic pain, and health promotion. She is particularly focused on developing sustainable, personalised interventions and digital tools that enable individuals with long-term conditions to increase and maintain physical activity in ways that are meaningful to them.
Current projects
- SUSSED (SUstainable Self-effective Exercise Development): A behavioural science-informed project exploring capability, opportunity, and motivation to engage in physical activity in people with chronic pain.
- C-Picture (Chronic Pain Identification Through Using Electronic Records): A collaborative project focused on the development and validation of an algorithm to identify people with chronic pain using primary care data.
Previously, Dr Liang led research investigating the impacts of synchronous online exercise programmes in older adults, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Her earlier training and professional work centred on injury prevention, sport and exercise science, and the promotion of physical activity in ageing populations.
Research projects
Project team
Research project
Understanding barriers to increasing physical activity in chronic pain
Research project
Development and validation of an algorithm to identify people with chronic pain through primary care-based records.