PhD Studentships Available
Wednesday 17 April 2013
As part of the School of Sport and Education's vision for 2013/14 and beyond we have six full-time PhD studentships available across our Research Centres and Groups, start dates as stated.
Brunel Centre for Sport, Health and Wellbeing (BC.SHaW)
BC.SHaW is looking to recruit two PhD students with interest in the following topics:
- Dr Daniel Rhind and Dr Laura Hills invite applicants for a PhD studentship commencing 1st October 2013 relating to a project entitled “Blowing the Whistle on Abuse: Developing Safer Organisational Cultures”. Specifically this research will investigate the current safety cultures in UK sport as well as the factors which facilitate cultural change. This research will take the innovative step of applying techniques used in high risk industries such as aviation, nuclear plants and oil platforms to understand and effect culture change in sport. Experience of undertaking qualitative research related to child protection in sport would be advantageous. For informal discussions about this project, please contact Dr Daniel Rhind by e-mail at daniel.rhind@brunel.ac.uk;
- Dr Louise Mansfield, Professor Tess Kay and Professor Alison McConnell invite applicants for a PhD studentship commencing 1st October 2013 relating to a Health and Sport Engagement (HASE) project which aligns with the Sport England Get Healthy Get into Sport strategy 2012 by examining the effectiveness of local sport/health providers in engaging the least active in sport activity. It combines innovative forms of community sport delivery with robust procedures for generating original knowledge, understanding and evidence of the contribution of sport to health outcomes. The research will employ mixed qualitative and quantitative methods in understanding inactivity, measuring health and wellbeing outcomes, and monitoring and evaluating processes of design and delivery of the HASE project. or informal discussions about this project, please contact Dr Louise Mansfield by e-mail at louise.mansfield@brunel.ac.uk;
Centre for Sports Medicine and Human Performance (CSMHP)
CSMHP is looking to recruit two PhD students with interest in the following topics:
- Dr Daniel Bishop, Professor Mark Williams and Dr Claudia Gonzalez invite applicants for a PhD studentship commencing 1st February 2014 relating to a sport anticipation project entitled “Identifying and Enhancing the Neuropsychological Mechanisms Underpinning Expert Perception”. In time-constrained domains, experts allocate visual attention and extract relevant information more effectively than novices; a process typically underpinned by efficient visual search patterns. The aim in this programme of research is to examine immediate and learning-related changes in visual search and associated neural activity when visual information is limited (e.g., reduced viewing time). These data will facilitate theoretical understanding of skilled perception and lead to the development of perceptual-training programmes to improve visual information extraction and anticipation across many domains. Applications from those with a postgraduate qualification in neuroscience, experimental psychology, motor behaviour, sport psychology or a related area are welcomed. Experience of eye tracking would be desirable. For informal discussions about this project, please contact Dr Daniel Bishop by e-mail at daniel.bishop@brunel.ac.uk;
- Dr Nicholas Linthorne and Dr Thomas Korff invite applicants for a PhD studentship relating to a biomechanics project commencing 1st October 2013 entitled “A Novel Approach to Understanding Motor Performance in Athletes and Children: Do Body Dimensions Play a Role?” The execution of a motor task is mainly determined by the performer’s muscle strengths and coordination patterns. However, the dimensions of the performer might also play a substantial role. The aim of this study is to understand the role of the mass of the arm segments on throwing performance. In this project you will use 3-D motion analysis and mathematical models to investigate the effects of changes in the mass of the arm segments on throwing velocity among athletes and children. For informal discussions about this project, please contact Dr Nicholas Linthorne by e-mail at nick.linthorne@brunel.ac.uk;
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) including PPP
PPP is looking to recruit two PhD students with interest in the following topics:
- Dr Michael Allen and Professor Mike Watts invite applicants for a PhD studentship commencing 1st October 2013 relating to a science-based pedagogy project entitled “Exploring and Improving Preschool Children’s Understanding of Key Ecological Concepts”. It is well established that citizens’ understanding of ecology is vital for the successful conservation of the environment. However, young children’s comprehension of ecology concepts has been shown to be limited, or even incorrect. The intention of the project is to help young children become more environmentally-literate by addressing a clear gap in our current knowledge about how children aged 2-5 years understand and learn ecological concepts. The project will help young children to become more environmentally-literate and thus ultimately produce a more ecologically informed populace. For informal discussions about this project, please contact Dr Michael Allen by e-mail at michael.allen@brunel.ac.uk;
- Dr Gwen Ineson and Dr Heather Mendick invite applicants for a PhD studentship commencing 1st October 2013 relating to a professional practice and policy evaluation project entitled “Developing Young Children’s Number Sense Post National Numeracy Strategy”. The successful candidate will carry out in-depth qualitative research in year 4 classes in two schools to explore how calculation policy and practice impact on young children’s relationship with numeracy in the classroom context. The recently proposed mathematics curriculum emphasises Michael Gove’s interest in ‘traditional’ skills. The result of this is likely to be a reduced focus in classrooms on building ‘number sense’ and thus it is timely to re-explore the impact of current policies and practices on how young children develop their sense of numeracy. For informal discussions about this project, please contact Dr Gwen Ineson by e-mail at gwen.ineson@brunel.ac.uk
Eligibility
Applicants must have a good undergraduate degree (upper second or first) in a Sport Sciences, Education or related discipline and preferably hold a relevant master’s degree.
Studentships of £12,980 plus Home/EU tuition fees for a maximum of three years are available to support successful applicants. Each student is required to contribute 150 hours towards the teaching- and learning-related activities of the School of Sport and Education in each academic year.
How to Apply
Please e-mail the following to our Research Administrator at sse-pgrcourses@brunel.ac.uk:
- An up-to-date CV;
- Information about the teaching and learning activities you have experience in and/or could support;
- A single-page (A4 single-spaced) personal statement indicating why you would be suitable for the project of your choosing. If you are applying for more than one project you will need to provide a personal statement for each application;
- Names and contact details for three referees (two academic and one personal).
Please state the name of the project you are applying for at the top of your personal statement.
Closing date for applications is 12.00 Noon on Friday 10th May 2013.
Queries should be directed to our Research Administrator on +44 (0)1895 266 492 or sse-pgrcourses@brunel.ac.uk
