PhD opportunities

Find out more about PhD opportunities available with our UNESCO Chair team: a large, vibrant, world-class community of academics, doctoral researchers, and students with multidisciplinary expertise in the contributions of sport, physical activity, and physical education to development.

New approaches to global investment in women’s sport

Join our UNESCO Chair team to investigate these new approaches to global investment in women’s sport. Key questions here include: What are the most prominent approaches to investing in women’s sport? Which stakeholders are most active in this area? To what extent do these new investment approaches promote gender inequality in and through sport? How might these investments be adapted or changed in future, to have greater impact in developing women’s sport?

Strengthening the Voices of Young People in Sport for Development and Peace (SDP)

Help to advance the contribution of young people to shaping SDP and enhance the effectiveness of SDP policies and programmes. Key questions you will answer include: How do young people experience and view SDP programmes, as participants and volunteers? How do they see their involvement in SDP within their wider personal and social contexts? In what ways might young people be given greater voice within SDP?

Advancing Physical Activity Policies and Strategies in the Global South

This PhD will focus on how national physical activity policies and strategies may be developed and implemented in the global South to protect global health and wellbeing. Key questions include: What are the challenges faced by specific nations in regard to physical activity? How can policies and strategies fulfil the physical activity needs of specific population groups? How can these policies and strategies draw on local and national cultural traditions to increase physical activity levels?

Care to Play? Exploring Trauma-informed Approaches within Youth Sport

Childhood trauma is now recognised as a significant issue affecting increasing numbers of young people globally (WHO, 2020). Trauma results from young people encountering adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and can have lasting effects on their learning and development, as well as their health and wellbeing (Howard, 2021). Examine how current practice within youth sport contexts is seeking to manage the impact of trauma on increasing numbers of young people.