This page gives an overview of the PhD projects currently underway within SPARC. Use the links below to see PhDs from our specialist research areas.
Sport Engineering Research Group
Overuse shoulder injuries among male competitive volleyball players in Kuwait
Tasneem Alnaser
Measuring representative learning design in tennis
Emma Anderson
Cricket fast bowler development methodology at national and international level
Harvey Anderson
Player location and event detection for combat sport using computer vision
Shaun Barratt
A Health and Wellbeing Survey of the Australian parkrun population
Charlotte Benkowitz
Dynamic balance in elite level sport
Leona Brayne
The effect of hybrid turf on player movement in football
Francesca d'Andrea
Developing an Improved Methodology for the Assessment of Public Order Helmet Efficacy
Will Dawber
Community-based physical activity and mental health; a case study of parkrun
Allison Dunne
Modelling game-style and strategy in elite tennis
Anna Fitzpatrick
Kinematics of the wrist in elite boxers
Ian Gatt
Effect of helmet liner characteristics during impacts with compliant bodies
Daniel Haid
Nonliner Measures of Movement Variability to Inform Return-to-Sport in Young People Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Adam Kennerley
The dynamic interaction between a football and surface in match play
Katie Mills
The impact of using a spectrum of pedagogical approaches on age grade rugby: the development of grass roots rugby union through the lens of coaches, players and parents
Tim Robinson
Effect of step strategy on the clearance of the first hurdle
Lee Rowley
Use of a novel device to measure the ‘break point’ angle of the Nordic Hamstring Lower
Emma Sconce
Examining the role of donor sports for skill acquisition in team sports using an ecological dynamics framework
Ben Strafford
Assessing human morphology using statistical shape analysis
Michael Thelwell
Investigation of the biomechanical effects of football shoes on the ankle joint
Manuela Trejo Ramirez
Effect of artificial grass construction on player perceptions and biomechanics of the shoe surface interface
Thomas Wills
Physical Activity, Wellbeing and Public Health Research Group
Exploring optimal strength training prescriptions for older adults
Claire Appleby
Overreaching and overtraining in resistance trained athletes
Lee Bell
Non-pharmacological interventions to treat sarcopenia in patients with chronic heart failure
Alex Bugg
Behaviour change in older adults playing walking football
Rachel Cholerton
Optimising secondary prevention and quality of life following early cardiac rehabilitation
Gabriella Frith
Critical appraisal of the exercise guidelines for people with multiple sclerosis
Liam Humphreys
Investigating the primary effects of cannabidiol in relation to sport performance and recovery
Jane Ingram
The feasibility of aerobic exercise training in the acute phase of stroke
Nikolaus Kudiersky
Efficacy of a vegan diet for weight loss
Shane Nugent
The effects of polyphenol supplementation on recovery in professional soccer players
Lee Rickards
Nutritional considerations for climbing
Edward Smith
Impact of impairment on thermoregulation and performance of para-athletes in the heat
Joshua Surgeoner
Velocity based training
Stephen Thompson
Physiological and energetic demands of squash training and performance
Oliver Turner
Physical activity and cardiovascular disease risk in women with polycystic ovary syndrome
Amie Woodward
Physical education experiences and environments across key stages
Kirsty Hemingway
How augmented verbal instruction can be used by coaches to guide learners' search for performance solutions in football
Gérard Jones
The effectiveness of motivational interviewing when used in physiotherapy with people who have musculoskeletal conditions
Madeleine Nicholson
Exploring forms of life in youth player development in a Swedish professional football academy
Mark O'Sullivan
Exploring forms of life in rugby league
Martyn Rothwell
Sports Industry Research Group
The social impact of sport on crime in England
Joshua Dean
Physical education subject leaders: PE experts or sport development officers?
Kim Longbon
Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre
Exploring the impact of service co-location on health, social and economic outcomes
Natalie Grinvalds
GTA
A critical examination of competitive balance in elite rugby union in England
Ellie Catlin
Thermoregulation and cooling methods during simulated tennis match-play in hot environments
Matthew Debney
The use of blood flow restricted exercise to improve physical function in people with peripheral vascular disease
Thomas Parkington
Physical activity in young-onset dementia
Chloe Shaw