sport science phd studentships

• International
• We are Beckett
• Accessibility
• Accommodation
• Beckett Sport
• Merchandise
• Schools and Colleges
• Skills for Learning
• Student information
• Students' Union
• Teaching and Learning Resources
• (+44) 113 812 0000
• Other contact numbers

Leeds Beckett University - City Campus, Woodhouse Lane, LS1 3HE

• Undergraduate study
• Postgraduate study
• Distance learning
• Student experience
• Chat with current students
• Degree apprenticeships
• CPD and short courses
• Information for students and applicants
• Careers support
• Stay in touch
• How to apply
• Funding your studies
• Prepare for uni

Student Blog Squad

• Chat to a student
• Mature students
• Parents' guide
• Schools and colleges

Undergraduate Applicant Days

Undergraduate open days, virtual open day.

• Research degrees
• Professional development

Postgraduate Open Days

• Information for employers
• Leeds Beckett Students' Union

Life in Leeds

Virtual campus tour.

• Apply to study
• Fees and scholarships
• Global arrival
• Support for students
• English language courses
• Study abroad
• Find your country for entry requirements
• English language requirements
• Find an agent in your country
• Applying for your visa
• Course fees and living costs
• International scholarships
• Global Village
• International Partners
• Study Abroad Partners
• Research centres
• Research Areas
• Research Excellence Framework
• Teaching and research facilities
• Research for business
• Carnegie Applied Rugby Research centre

Centre for Active Lifestyles

• Centre for Applied Social Research
• Centre for Biomedical Science Research
• Centre for Child and Adolescent Physical Literacy
• Centre for Culture and Humanities
• Centre for Dementia Research
• Centre for Entrepreneurship and Knowledge Exchange
• Centre for Health Promotion

Centre for Human Performance

• Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Citizenship, Education and Society (CIRCES)
• CollectivED: The Centre for Coaching, Mentoring & Professional Learning (in education)
• Centre for Psychological Research
• Centre for Race, Education and Decoloniality
• Centre for Research in Computer Science and Applications

Centre for Social Justice in Sport and Society

• Centre for Sport Coaching
• Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools
• Cybercrime and Security Innovation Centre
• Interdisciplinary Centre for Implant Research
• Leeds Arts Research Centre
• Leeds Sustainability Institute

Obesity Institute

The retail institute.

• Story Makers Company
• Sustainable Business Research Institute
• Architecture
• Computer science
• Culture and the arts
• Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management
• Social Sciences
• The Graduate School
• Types of research degrees
• Funded studentships
• Doctoral funding
• Our university
• Our schools
• Our community
• Work with us
• Sustainability
• Contact and find us
• Campuses and facilities
• Equality and inclusion
• Governance, leadership and structure
• Public information
• Leeds School of Arts
• School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing
• Leeds Business School
• Carnegie School of Education
• School of Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management
• School of Health
• School of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Leeds Law School

Carnegie School of Sport

• LBU Together blog
• Support. Report. Respect. A safe and inclusive community
• University Mental Health Charter
• WE CHALLENGE - the big issues affecting people and planet
• Schools and colleges outreach
• Business services
• Business consultancy
• Recruit our students

Work at Leeds Beckett

• Develop your business
• Develop your people
• Work with our students and graduates
• Leeds Beckett Business Centre
• The Knowledge Exchange
• Business news
• Get funded and innovate
• Office space, networking and mentoring
• Support for small and medium-sized businesses
• Tap into new research and insights

Help to Grow: Management

Knowledge transfer partnerships (ktps).

• Short courses and CPD

Carnegie Great Outdoors

The leadership centre, manage your preferences.

The Leeds Beckett website is designed to enable you to manage your own privacy preferences. By clicking on 'Cookies' below you can manage what data the site collects about your browsing. This will only maintain if you are on your own device or using a synched version of your chosen browser. If you are using a shared or public machine without synching your browser then there is no need to change the preferences.

Our site is built with accessibility in mind and we seek to adhere to the WACG AA levels of compliance for digital accessibility. To support that we have provided instructions on managing animations below.

Necessary cookies enable you to use all the different parts of leedsbeckett.ac.uk. Without them services that you have asked for cannot be provided. Necessary cookies can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.

Analytical cookies help us understand how people are using our websites, so we can improve them and provide a better user experience. We also sometimes get our approved partner companies to analyse how people are using Leeds Beckett Websites and they may set their own analytical cookies in order to do this.

Marketing cookies allow us to provide you with online adverts that are the most relevant and useful for you.

For more information please view our Privacy Policy

Animations & Interaction

The Leeds Beckett University website occasionally uses animations to page elements and animated gifs to add impact to pages. If you wish to stop them from playing for accessibility purposes or for personal preference then please see the guidance below. Please note that browsers sometimes change how they operate, so please refer to your browser help files to find their latest information.

How do I turn off animations?

Chrome users will need to use browser extensions. Animation Policy from Google will help you set your own preferences.

Microsoft Edge

There is currently no way to disable animations within Microsoft Edge. Users of Edge (Chromium) browser can install the Chrome extensions above and use them.

Internet Explorer

To stop animations on a single page you can just press the 'Esc' key. This will stop the animation on that page. If you wish to restart the animations you need to refresh the page. To permanently disable the playing of animated GIF images, open Internet Options > Advanced tab. Under the Multimedia section, uncheck the Play animations in webpage check-box, click Apply and Exit and then restart your computer.

Type about:config in Firefox address bar and hit Enter to open Settings. Search for the image.animation_mode flag and change its value from Normal to None. Once you restart Firefox this will disable animations.

• CARNEGIE SCHOOL OF SPORT
• Our heritage
• Physical Education
• Sport Coaching
• Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences
• Sport Management
• Executive Master of Sport Leadership
• Why Leeds for Sport?
• Careers and opportunities
• Research with impact

Carnegie Applied Rugby Research Centre

• Centre for Sport Coaching Research
• Health and Performance Hub
• Partnerships
• News, events and blog

Carnegie School of Sport Fully Funded PhD Studentships

The Carnegie School of Sport is looking to recruit four highly motivated individuals to prestigious PhD Studentships

• Full-time Fully Funded Postgraduate Research Studentship
• Start date: October 2022
• The PHD Studentships will be based in Leeds

The PhD studentship will have a bursary of £15,609 per annum (pro-rata into 12 monthly payments) plus UK Fees paid initially for a period of three years.

This is a unique opportunity for four enthusiastic and high-achieving individuals looking to undertake a PhD in a vibrant research environment.

The Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University is purposefully driven by a focus on working together to make a positive difference. Our strength is the breadth and depth of our research, which is underpinned by the disciplinary experience of our staff and students. Pursuing an inclusive and ambitious research agenda, we cross the broad spectrum of the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Our research culture is founded upon a genuine commitment and capacity to work with others on real-world applied problems, to achieve impact beyond academia. From our leading work on talent development, coaching practice, and anti-doping, to our studies on gender equality, ageing and obesity, we're looking to apply our knowledge to address some of the key issues facing our communities today.

We recognise that impact starts and ends with the societal change we seek to address, rather than the research problem or project we have created. Our research and knowledge exchange contribution are enabled by our six University-Designated Centres and Institute. We are therefore pleased to invite applications for our funded PhD Studentships from candidates wishing to carry out research under one of the research themes of our Centres or Institute:

Further details on our Centres and Institute can be found in the Project Overview Section, along with contact details of the Centre/Institute Directors for further information. We strongly advise potential applicants to discuss their project ideas with the Centre/Institute Director or with staff associated with the Centre/Institute.

Encouraging applications from under-represented groups

We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive PGR community that will bring different perspectives to our work. Therefore, we welcome applications from under-represented groups, particularly Black, Asian and people with other ethnically diverse backgrounds, women, LGBTQ+ and people with a disability. In addition, we will be encouraging proposals across our Centres/Institute that seek to address under-representation within research. All appointments will be based on merit.

Funding will consist of UK full tuition fees for three years and the award of a living stipend at UK Research Council rates (£15,609 per annum pro-rata into 12 monthly payments). Funding will be subject to satisfactory progress. A laptop will be provided and the opportunity to apply for funding to support the research project.

Centre Directors: Prof. Ben Jones ( [email protected] ) and Prof. Kevin Till ( [email protected] )

The Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) centre applies innovative scientific and analytical techniques to answer real-world practical problems within Rugby. The CARR centre aims are to 1) Enhance policy, science and coaching for application within and across all levels of rugby, specifically addressing current challenges; and 2) Develop innovative opportunities for individuals (students & staff) through our key relationships / partners to produce international quality and impactful research that enhances applied practice within and across all levels of rugby. We work closely with rugby union and rugby league professional clubs, international and national governing bodies, as well as sports technology companies, to bring together researchers and practitioners with expertise in technology, sport science, coaching, strength and conditioning and player development.

Our work centres on five research themes, which are:

• Training Load and match demands
• Talent Identification and Development
• Injury and illness
• Enhancing nutrition and psychology
• Physical Development

Centre Director: Prof. Jim McKenna ( [email protected] )

The Centre for Active Lifestyles aims to respond to the societal need to better understand and deliver Physical Activity to improve Public Health and reduce longstanding social inequalities. The Centre draws on a range of scientific areas – from Psychology to Physiology - to deliver insights and effective campaigns and interventions. We offer a distinctive, innovative, and effective approach to designing, delivering, and evaluating tailor-made programmes. Our highly translational approach blends the best of science with the cutting-edge of best practice to support individuals, groups, and/or whole communities to become more physically active.

 The Centre addresses two main themes:

• Identifying and improving community and/or service-based PA provision and
• Establishing physiological and biochemical responses and adaptations to exercise and PA

Centre Director: Prof. John O’Hara ( [email protected] )

The Centre for Human Performance research spans basic science conducted in our laboratories through to translational science on the track, on the pitch and in the mountains. Although we are interested in optimising human performance, we believe this should never compromise athlete wellbeing and welfare, and the integrity of sport. Therefore, our research also offers a critical understanding of the psychosocial, moral and cultural dimensions of sport.

Our research themes include:

• Optimising endurance performance
• Performance in extreme environment
• Musculoskeletal and orthopaedic sports medicine
• Protecting sporting integrity and welfare (PROSPER)
• Applied Practice in Football

Here in the Centre for Social Justice in Sport and Society, we work to create a fairer and equitable society through harnessing the power of sport. We achieve this through our four connected but distinct research themes covering:

• Children, Young People, and Families research
• Disability Sport and Adapted Physical Activity research
• Identities and (In)Equalities research
• Management and Governance research

We work alongside our partners to offer contextualised insights and solutions towards making sport and physical activity fairer. The Centre examines all types of sporting, leisure, physical education, and physical activities. We work to challenge inequalities across the performance domains (from participation to high-performance) and in all roles (from participant to leader). We invite your interest in applying for a PhD studentship with us and would be delighted to offer our support to you in shaping the application. We look forward to hearing from you.

Centre for Sports Coaching

Centre Director: Prof. Julian North ( [email protected] )

The Centre for Sport Coaching provides a focal point for the research and development of sport coaching in the UK and internationally.

The Centre is a partner of the International Council for Coaching Excellence, who are housed within the Carnegies School of Sport.  We work extensively with organisations such as UEFA, the Football Association, UK Sport, Sport Scotland, and Nike, amongst many others.

The Centre has links with over 40 staff affiliates, and over 80 post-graduate students, and there is extensive engagement in collaborative project working, discussion groups, and dissemination events.

Although we are happy to consider applications from highly motivated and interested students across a broad range of sport coaching issues, we have a particular interest in:

• Effective and ethical sport coaching practice to improve participant and performer development experiences and outcomes
• Coach learning, development, and education
• Coaching policy and systems

With our colleagues in the Centre of Social Justice in Sport and Society we are also very happy to explore issues of inclusion and exclusion in the coaching workforce, and wider issues of social justice in coaching. We look forward to hearing from you.

Institute Director: Prof. Carlton Cooke ( [email protected] )

The Obesity Institute is unique in applying a multidisciplinary approach to the study of obesity. It brings together strengths in nutrition, dietetics, physical activity, psychology, epidemiology, computing, arts and design and public health from across the university with our patient and public involvement members, working in coproduction with policy and practice partners to address real world priorities. Our research is also firmly embedded within our undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, professional training and education, and consultancy. Through this integration, we have the expertise to enhance the implementation, effectiveness and scalability of real-world action.

We develop novel, bespoke approaches to research that lead innovations in the field of obesity. Our team have a wealth of expertise, experience and have a track record of delivering high-impact research and consultation that draws on our academic and applied competencies. In doing so, our research and consultancy has led to many real-world impacts that have improved the understanding, prevention and treatment of obesity. Our themes include

• Public and Patient Involvement and Engagement
• System Approaches
• Tackling Disparities and Patient & Public Involvement
• Weight Management and Wellbeing

As part of your application, please provide a CV, cover letter and research proposal. The proposal should align to the above theme and include a brief literature review related to this project, with an outline of the studies that you would propose to the answer the aims of the PhD (maximum 5 pages single spaced).

We can only consider complete applications. The research degree application is complete once you have uploaded all of the following:

• Your application form (include the project reference CSS plus the Centre/Institute name
• Your research proposal, statement of purpose and CV on the Research proposal template
• Copies of your bachelors and master certificates, including transcripts
• Copy of your IELTS (or equivalent) certificate (if applicable) further information can be found on our Graduate School FAQs
• Copy of your passport

Email the documentation above) to [email protected]  

The deadline for applications is midnight on 12th June 2022

Candidates must be available for interview on 1st, 2nd, 3rd August 2022

Who to contact

• To discuss your application and project proposal please contact the Centre or Institute Director listed in the Project Overview Section
• For questions on the application process; [email protected]
• If you are applying from outside the UK it is important that you are aware of the entry and additional fee requirements by contacting [email protected] for further information

One of the largest providers of sport in UK higher education, we’re home to world-leading experts and decades of successful graduates.

Find your country

Middle East

North America

Can't find your country in our list?

Search suggestions update instantly to match the search query.

Fully-funded Professional Doctorate in Sport and Exercise Psychology: A Partnership between Norwich City Football Club and the University of Portsmouth

Funded (UK/EU students only)

Project code

SHES9220624

Start dates

September 2024

Application deadline

7 June 2024

Applications are invited for a fully-funded, full-time Professional Doctorate studentship offered in collaboration between Norwich City Football Club and the School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences, University of Portsmouth, anticipated to begin on 1 st September 2024.

The studentship provides a stipend that is in line with that offered by Research Councils UK of £ £19,237 per annum (with 4% per annum increase) as well as a waiver of tuition fees. The successful candidate will also receive weekly applied practice supervision, full access to the University’s Graduate School Development Programme, research training, and the option to undertake internal qualifications that enable applications for Associate Fellowship of Advance HE.

Costs for student visa and immigration health surcharge are not covered by this bursary. For further guidance and advice visit our international and EU students ‘Visa FAQs’ page

Athletes and coaches encounter many challenges in the pursuit of successful development in elite sport contexts, not least in terms of sustaining their wellbeing and performance. It follows that understanding and promoting environments that enable people to thrive are vital. In this project, the successful candidate will work on placement under supervision from Norwich City Football Club and University staff to: 1) deliver psychological support and project work within the Norwich City Football Club academy structure, and; 2) use these practice and research experiences to complete the requirements for a Professional Doctorate in Sport and Exercise Psychology. The primary working location for the duration of the programme will be at Norwich City Football Club’s training ground and it is expected that the successful candidate will relocate to within a reasonable daily travelling distance.

Entry requirements

General admissions.

Students will be required to have a good undergraduate degree (2:1 or above) or a conversion course in Psychology or Sport and Exercise Psychology which confers Graduate Basis for Chartered status with the British Psychological Society (BPS) as well as a Master’s degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology conferring the BPS Stage I qualification. Applicants nearing the end of either of these qualifications will be considered. The successful applicant will have excellent interpersonal and organizational skills, will be highly self-motivated, and will have a good understanding performance sport environments and applied research methods. English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 7.0 with no component score below 6.5.

How to apply

Informal enquiries are encouraged and can be made to Professor Chris Wagstaff ( [email protected] ) or Dr John Iga ( [email protected] ). 

You can apply online by submitting your CV, a 5-page research proposal, two references, copies of any relevant qualifications, and a personal statement in which you indicate your motivation for applying for the post and also outline how your experience and skill-set will contribute to the project. Please include the project code - SHES9220624 - in your research proposal.

The intended start date for this appointment is 1 st September 2024. 

The closing date for applicants is 7th June 2024 . 

We anticipate that successful candidates will be invited for interview on 21 st June and a final assessment centre on 8 th July 2024.