Mashaer Alyami

  • Doctoral Researcher
Start date: October 2023
Primary supervisor: Professor Richard Giulianotti
Secondary supervisor(s): Dr Emma Pullen

Mashaer earned a MSc in Sport Management, Politics and International Development from Loughborough University, where her research examined sport diplomacy through the perspectives of Saudi expatriates. She also holds a MSc in Kinesiology from California State University San Marcos, where her research focused on gait asymmetry biomechanics, and a BSc in Sports Medicine and Non-Profit Management from Pepperdine University.

She has a long-standing interest in research, beginning with early work in biomechanics and now focusing on sport’s role in global development. She has led initiatives promoting gender equity, public health, and sustainable development through sport, and worked with national authorities to formalise kinesiology licensing in Saudi Arabia, becoming the first practitioner to receive this formal accreditation. Her work integrates qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluate impact and engage diverse stakeholders in research and practice.

Alongside her PhD, she is a University Teacher within the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences and co-leads the Loughborough UNESCO Student Network (LUSN), supporting student-led work on gender equity, sustainability, and cultural diversity.

Mashaer’s PhD research explores the role of sport in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Saudi Arabia, with particular emphasis on SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). 
Research interests include:

  • Sport and sustainable development
  • Gender and sport
  • Sport policy and governance
  • Health promotion through sport
  • Sport diplomacy in the Gulf region
  1. Alyami, M., & Nessler, J. A. (2021). Walking on a Vertically Oscillating Platform with Simulated Gait Asymmetry. Symmetry, 13(4), 555. https://doi.org/10.3390/sym13040555
  2. Al Attar, W. S. A., El Fiky, A. A., Alyami, M., Khaledi, E. H., Qasem, A., Alkabkabi, F. M., ... & Sanders, R. H. (2021). 320 Sport-Related Concussion awareness and knowledge among worldwide sports physical therapists.
  3. Al Attar, W. S. A., Alharbi, S., Alraddadi, Y., Alyami, M., Alhosaini, S., & Ghulam, H. S. (2022). The FIFA 11+ Kids Injury Prevention Program: Awareness, Implementation, and Opinion of Children's Football (Soccer) Coaches. Sport Mont, 20(2).
  4. Al Attar, W. S. A., Alarifi, S., Alramadhani, I., Aljabri, M., Alyami, M., Alsufiany, M., ... & Ghulam, H. S. (2021). The FIFA 11+ Injury Prevention Program Still Not Implemented by the Majority of Professional and Semi-professional Soccer Players and Coaches Globally. The Open Sports Sciences Journal, 14(1).
  5. Al Attar, W. S. A., Alramadhani, I., Aljabri, M. M., Ghulam, H. S. H., Alyami, M., Alarifi, S., & Sanders, R. H. (2021). 419 The fédération internationale de football association (FIFA) 11+ injury prevention program: Awareness, implementation and opinion of worldwide professional and semi-professional soccer players and coaches.
  6. Fasel, G. J., Kononenko, K., Rothballer, A., Angelo, A., Alyami, M., Brandt, T. G., ... & Freeman, M. P. P. (2015, December). A Study of the Different classes of Poleward-Moving Auroral Forms. In 2015 AGU Fall Meeting. AGU.
  7. Al Attar, W. S. A., Bizzini, M., Alzahrani, H., Alarifi, S., Ghulam, H., Alyami, M., ... & Sanders, R. H. (2023). The FIFA 11+ kids injury prevention program reduces injury rates among male children soccer players: A clustered randomized controlled trial. Sports Health, 15(3), 397-409 – Awarded the 2024 Sports Health T. David Sisk Award for Best Original Research Paper