Dr Gareth Wiltshire

BSc, MSc, PhD SFHEA

Pronouns: He/him
  • Senior Lecturer in the Sociology of Physical Activity and Health

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Gareth Wiltshire

Gareth joined the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences in 2019 having previously held lectureships at the University of Bath, Cardiff Metropolitan University and Nottingham Trent University. His research aligns with both the sport and health research priorities within the school and he has a strong interest in methodology. Gareth’s teaching and learning contributions include delivering on topics related to the Sociology of Sport as well as Research Methods, mostly working with students studying Sport Management and its related fields of Sociology, Politics and International Development.

Gareth’s most cited research papers contribute to the advancement of qualitative methodologies, including scholarship on the philosophy of science (critical realism), innovations in data analysis, and the use of Large Language Models.

His more applied research is focused on understanding how social processes contribute to people’s engagement in sport and exercise with a focus on outcomes for health and illness. This includes a sustained interest in parkrun, socioeconomic inequalities, and sport and exercise for organ transplant recipients.

Gareth’s research activities have been funded by the British Academy, the Foundation for Sociology of Health and Illness, the World Transplant Games Federation, and Spirit of 2012.

Please visit the QUAiL website for information about our British Academy-funded project exploring the use of Large Language Models for analysing qualitative data.

Gareth currently participates on an expert advisory group for the ESRC’s Data Driven Futures project and has also served as a research grant reviewer for the British Academy.

He plays an active part in supporting research that engages with critical realism, including serving on the Board of Trustees for the Centre for Critical Realism, acting as the Managing Editor for the Routledge Studies in Critical Realism Book Series, and as a member of the Editorial Committee for the Journal of Critical Realism.

In the past, he has also been a member of the Research Advisory Group for parkrun research, has been the Co-Chair of the World Transplant Games Research Initiative, and has acted as a peer reviewer for a wide range of journals, including: Social Science and Medicine; BMJ Open; Qualitative Health Research; Sport, Education and Society; Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health; International Review for the Sociology of Sport; Health Promotion Journal of Australia; International Journal of Qualitative Methods.

Gareth has acted as an internal and external examiner for multiple doctoral examinations.

Featured publications

Methodology

Sport and exercise through illness

Sociology of physical activity and health