Current Students and Staff

// University News

26 Oct 2016

University graduate receives prestigious international doctoral award

University graduate Dr Mustafa Sarkar has received the prestigious Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Doctoral Dissertation Award for his PhD conducted at Loughborough University.

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

Mustafa spent seven years at Loughborough University studying for undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications within the School of Sport, Exercise, and Health Sciences (SSEHS). During his time at the university, he received the Loughborough Experience Award, the Sir Robert Martin Faculty Prize, and the Head of School Postgraduate Prize for Academic Excellence.

His award-winning PhD dissertation investigated the assessment of psychological resilience in sport performers. During his programme of research, Mustafa developed and validated the Sport Resilience Scale (SRS); a measure which assesses psychological resilience in athletes. The foundation of the measure is featured in the Journal of Sports Sciences and Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science.

Mustafa, who is now a Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Nottingham Trent University, commented: "I am very honoured to receive this award from the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. I would like to thank staff at Loughborough University for their support during my PhD. Particular thanks must go to my doctorate supervisor Dr David Fletcher. Receiving this award is testament to his unwavering support and fantastic supervision."

Dr David Fletcher added: “This is a well-deserved award for Mustafa whose doctoral research was of the highest standard. His work was both theoretically and psychometrically ground-breaking, and has important practical utility for those operating in a sport context. Mustafa has become well known globally for his research on resilience so it was a pleasure to see his work formally recognised on the international stage."