physical activity PhD Projects, Programs & Scholarships

Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached for UK and EU students, though the amount may depend on your nationality. Non-EU students may still be able to apply for the project provided they can find separate funding. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Background. There are over 2 million people in the UK living with or beyond cancer. The number of people diagnosed is increasing, but the number dying is decreasing, leading to more people surviving after a cancer diagnosis.

The gendered experience of body image in physical activity spaces

Brunel University London
Sport, Health and Exercise Science

Dr C Kerner, Dr L Hills, Dr A John

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

There is a growing concern over young people’s body image and the detrimental impact that a negative body image can have on well-being, including physical activity participation.

Physical Activity and Health of Young Adults - A Self Funded PhD

Liverpool Hope University
School of Health Sciences

Dr B Dagger, Dr M Jackson

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Young adults are an often overlooked population with regards to health monitoring and intervention. However, research suggests that emerging adulthood is a critical window during which lifestyle habits are formed and continue into older adulthood.

Young People, Social Media and Physical Activity Education

University of Birmingham
School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences

Dr V Goodyear

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Introduction, Aims and Research Questions. The idea that social media has an effect on young people’s health is compelling (Orben & Przybylski, 2019).

Physical activity, energy expenditures, and time use in agriculture and rural livelihood

University of Reading
School of Agriculture, Policy and Development

Dr G Zanello

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

The limited uptake of agricultural innovations with proven productivity-enhancing potential and the translation of productivity increases into improvements in nutrition are two major development challenges facing Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs).

Using a novel 3D co-culture model to define metabolic flux maps of different cancer cell types in response to physical activity

Loughborough University
School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences

Dr M Morris, Dr A Islam, Prof M.P. Lewis

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

During exercise, and in the presence of sufficient oxygen, glucose is metabolised by muscle cells to produce pyruvate, a metabolic intermediate which is fed into the Kreb’s cycle in the mitochondria to produce large amounts of energy.

Effectiveness of novel workplace-based exercise interventions for improving general health and well-being

University of Stirling
Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport

Dr N Vollaard, Dr G Ryde

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Public health guidelines recommend that people should take part in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week to improve health.

Markers of Expertise in Sport and Physical Activity: Triangulated Approaches

Brunel University London
Sport, Health and Exercise Science

Dr D Broadbent, Dr D Bishop, Dr A Cocks, Dr A Nowicky

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

The aim of this project is to adopt a mixed methods approach to determine the various factors – innate, learnt, and environmental – that ultimately contribute to skill acquisition and/or expertise within a specified domain.

Digital Technologies and teacher/coach continuous professional development (CPD) in physical activity education

University of Birmingham
School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences

Dr V Goodyear

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Through social media, and advances to virtual and augmented reality, digital technologies have evolved into interactive spaces where people connect, collaborate, and share information with the communities they create and participate in.

Leeds Beckett University
Carnegie School of Sport

Carnegie School of Sport

Funding Type

PhD Type

Social Sciences Research Programme

Social Sciences Research Programmes present a range of research opportunities, shaped by a university’s particular expertise, facilities and resources. You will usually identify a suitable topic for your PhD and propose your own project. Additional training and development opportunities may also be offered as part of your programme.

The PhD opportunities on this programme do not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

The Carnegie School of Sport is an increasingly attractive destination for those wanting to work on projects of real-world significance that are co-produced with practitioners, industry experts and policy-makers in the world of sport and physical activity.