Dr. Emma Kavanagh is a Reader in Sport Psychology in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences. She began her academic career at Brunel University, graduating with a master’s degree in Sport Psychology, before completing her PhD at Bournemouth University. Emma has an international research profile focused on interpersonal violence, safeguarding, and violence prevention in sport. She is an HCPC-registered sport and exercise psychologist with extensive experience working in high-performance environments, preparing athletes and teams for major global competitions, including the Commonwealth, Olympic, and Paralympic Games. In recognition of her contributions to sport science, she was awarded a Fellowship by the Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (CASES).
Emma's research centres on critically examining interpersonal violence (IV) in sport, safeguarding and violence prevention. Her work has focused on adult and young people’s experiences of abuse within the (elite) sport ecosystem, safeguarding, gender-based violence and mental health in sport. Most recently her work has introduced the topic of online abuse in sport, advancing understanding of the specific threats online spaces pose to athletes and wider sporting communities and how online tools can augment IV. Her work is focused on exploring and effectively safeguarding against modern threats to safety in sport. Her interests lie in early intervention and primary prevention, as well as education programme development on abuse in sport. She specialises in qualitative research methodology, including collaborative co-design approaches. She is committed to trauma and violence informed research approaches and aims to tackle complex societal issues through the lens of sport.
- Invited Expert Member, International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus writing group on safeguarding and interpersonal violence in sport
- Expert panel member on integrity in sport, Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (CASES)
- Invited Expert Member, IOC Clean Esports Safeguarding Working Group
- Expert panel member, Safe Sport International (SSI) research advisory
- Research Chair in Security and Integrity in Sport, Laval University, Canada
- Member, Editorial Board, The Sport Psychologist
- Member, Advisory board, Journal of Sport Sciences
- External faculty member, IOC certificate in safeguarding in sport
- Facilitator and mentor, the Women in Sport High Performance Pathway
Consultancy and Enterprise
Emma is an HCPC registered sport and exercise psychologist and chartered sport and exercise scientist, with over 20 years experience of working across Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Sport. She has supported elite athletes and teams on the world stage, including her current role as the Sport Psychology and Mental Health Lead for Team England for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. She is a qualified supervisor and reviewer for CASES trainee sport and exercise psychologists on the SEPAR pathway. Emma was awarded a fellowship by CASES for services to the sport and exercise sciences both nationally and internationally.