I am currently the lead researcher on a project funded by the Dunhill Medical Trust. I investigate how lighting, step-surface properties, and load carrying impacts on falls risk during stair negotiation in young and older adults. The broad aim is to apply this knowledge to inform the design and use of built environments, thus reducing the risk of stair falls and associated socioeconomic costs to healthcare providers. I also aim to understand why behavioural changes occur at the sensorimotor control level, and the interplay with confidence and anxiety. The work has required extensive development of novel research methodologies, such as the integration of eye tracking and motion capture during stair negotiation; custom hardware and software to control laboratory staircase lighting; and load-carrying solutions to occlude specific degrees of visual angle. The first experimental results have been published in the prestigious journal Experimental Gerontology, with another 2 papers currently in development (all expected to be rated as 4 star for the next ref cycle).