Last October, the Peter Harrison Centre (PHC) welcomed ten new doctoral researchers, marking an exciting step in the continued growth and evolving scope of the Centre's research. As their projects begin to take shape, we are delighted to showcase the wide range of academic backgrounds, professional experiences, and shared curiosity that each new researcher brings to the PHC community.
To help everyone get to know our newest cohort, we are sharing a short series of introductions. Each feature spotlights one doctoral researcher, offering insight into their journey to doctoral study, their previous experience, and the questions driving their PhD research.
This is the sixth article in the series and introduces Sarah Schönenberg.
Sarah completed her undergraduate degree in Nutritional, Food and Consumer Sciences, earning First-Class Honours for her thesis on relative energy deficiency in professional ballet dancers. She then pursued a Master’s degree in Human Movement Sciences, completing dual specialisations in Sports Nutrition alongside Health and Rehabilitation. Her academic training integrates performance physiology, clinical and performance nutrition, and movement disorders, reflecting a strong commitment to bridging athletic optimisation with inclusive health practice.
Prior to starting her PhD, Sarah gained hands-on experience in applied, and research settings. As a registered dietitian she provided evidence-based nutritional counselling within an interdisciplinary medical centre in Germany, supported performance nutrition initiatives for athletes, and contributed to thermophysiological research at Maastricht University. At the Special Olympics World Games 2023, she directly supported athletes with intellectual and physical disabilities as a Healthy Athletes volunteer, further shaping her commitment to inclusive, athlete-centred research.
Sarah began her PhD at Loughborough University in October 2025 within the ParaFit 2032 cluster under the supervision of Dr Matt Maley, Dr Thomas O’Brien, and Professor Vicky Tolfrey. Her research investigates thermal responses in female and male Para athletes across different impairments and sporting environments, with a particular focus on sweat distribution and thermal sensitivity mapping.
In addition, Sarah is exploring targeted cooling interventions and hydration strategies to develop sex-and impairment-specific recommendations. Her work aims to inform clothing design, contribute to inclusive sport policy, and enhance athlete safety and performance in increasingly heat-stressed competitive settings.
Over the coming weeks, we will continue to introduce the rest of our doctoral cohort. Each profile offers a closer look at the people behind our research and the ideas shaping the future of the Peter Harrison Centre.
Look out for the next introduction soon.