AASP is an international professional organisation that promotes the field of sport and exercise psychology. The award, which recognizes the completion of an outstanding dissertation by an AASP doctoral student member, was presented at the organisation’s recent annual conference in New Orleans.

Rachel spent seven years at Loughborough studying for undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications within the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences (SSEHS).

During her time at the University, she was a member of the Hockey 1st Team, most notably captaining the side to BUSA Gold in 2008. She also received the Sir Robert Martin Award for her catalogue of academic and non-academic achievements.

Rachel’s award-winning PhD dissertation examined and assessed the organizational stressors that sport performers encounter. During her programme of research, Rachel developed and validated the Organizational Stressor Indicator for Sport Performers (OSI-SP); a measure which assesses the frequency, intensity, and duration of a range of organizational stressors encountered by sport performers. Her research featured in the Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology.

Rachel said: “I would like to thank staff at Loughborough University for their support during my PhD. Particular thanks must go to my doctorate supervisors Dr David Fletcher and Professor Kevin Daniels, who provided fantastic support throughout the dissertation process.”

Since finishing her PhD, Rachel has secured employment at the University of Bath as a Sport and Performance Psychology lecturer.