Sport Psychology; Sport Management: Fully Funded PhD Studentship in Research Integration for Sport Experiences: Improving Knowledge Translation and Implementation in Youth Sport (RS768)

Funding provider: Faculty of Science and Engineering

Subject areas: Sport Psychology; Sport Management 

Project start date: 1 October 2025 (Enrolment open from mid-September) 

Supervisors: Dr Kurtis Pankow, Dr Tom Love, Prof Camilla Knight, Dr Bo Wen

Aligned programme of study: PhD in Sport and Exercise Science 

Mode of study: Full-time 

Project description: 
Sport science is an inherently applied field, and yet sport organisations often cite an inability to effectively interpret and apply research evidence to practice. Financial and staff knowledge limitations are among the most commonnly reported reasons for the underutilisation of research evidence in sport organisations – research is expensive to access and hard to interpret. Knowledge translation is a field of research aimed at reducing the research-to-practice gap.

The purpose of this PhD is to explore the impact of knowledge translation in a youth sport charity organisation. Working with Greenhouse Sports, a London-based youth sport charity, the PhD holder will:

1. Conduct a case study of Greenhouse Sports’ previous experiences of research evidence;
2. Work with Greenhouse Sports to identify their needs in using research to support their work moving forward;
3. Develop a model of knowledge translation that can inform knowledge translation moving forward. 

Applicants for PhD must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) in Sports Science or similar relevant science discipline. See - Country-specific Information for EU and International Candidates.

English Language: IELTS 6.5 Overall (with no individual component below 6.5) or Swansea University recognised equivalent. For further information, please see the Swansea University English Language Entry Policy.
If you have any questions regarding your academic or fee eligibility based on the above, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with the web link to the scholarship(s) you are interested in.

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend at UKRI rate (currently £19,237 for 2024/25).

Additional research expenses of up to £1,000 per year will also be available.

Scholarship open to UK and international fee-eligible applicants. 

International students: Fully if the applicant is successful in being offered a SUIPRES Scholarship as outlined below. 

Swansea University is pleased to offer the Swansea University International Postgraduate Research Excellence Scholarship (SUIPRES). This is a competitively awarded Scholarship open to overseas PhD and Professional Doctorate applicants eligible for the international rate of tuition fees who can demonstrate excellence in academic achievement.   

The SUIPRES Scholarship covers the difference between the International and the Home tuition fee for the duration of the PhD/Professional Doctorate programme. Successful candidates will be charged fees aligned to the UK rate per year, this is £4,786 for 2024/5 increasing annually in line with UKRI (United Kingdom Research and Innovation), usually 3%. The scholarship will be offset against your tuition fee liability  

All International applications will be considered for a SUIPRES Scholarship. You will be informed whether a SUIPRES Scholarship will be offered within your offer letter. 

To apply, please complete your application online with the following information:

1. Course choice – please select as per preferred mode of study, either:

Sport and Exercise Science / PhD / Full-time / 3 Years / October

In the event you have already applied for the above programme previously, the application system may issue a warning notice and prevent application, in this case, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk where staff will be happy to assist you in submitting your application.

1. Start year – please select 2025
2. Funding (page 8 on the application process) –

• ‘Are you funding your studies yourself?’ – please select No
• ‘Name of Individual or organisation providing funds for study’ – please enter ‘RS768 Youth Sport'

*It is the responsibility of the applicant to list the above information accurately when applying, please note that applications received without the above information listed will not be considered for the scholarship award.

One application is required per individual Swansea University led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University led research scholarship awards.

NOTE: Applicants for PhD/EngD/ProfD/EdD - to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University you are required to complete an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form in addition to your programme application form.  

Please note that completion of the EDI Monitoring Form is mandatory; your application may not progress if this information is not submitted.

As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via email):

• CV
• Degree certificates and transcripts (if you are currently studying for a degree, screenshots of your grades to date are sufficient)
• A cover letter including a ‘Supplementary Personal Statement’ to explain why the position particularly matches your skills and experience and how you choose to develop the project
• One reference (academic or previous employer) on headed paper or using the Swansea University reference form. Please note that we are not able to accept references received citing private email accounts, e.g. Hotmail. Referees should cite their employment email address for verification of reference
• Evidence of meeting English Language requirement (if applicable)
• Copy of UK resident visa (if applicable)
• Confirmation of EDI form submission

Informal enquiries are welcome; please contact Kurtis Pankow at k.d.e.pankow@swansea.ac.uk 

*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co- funding of a scholarship project is applicable.