LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY SPONSORED PHD STUDENTSHIP IN COLLABORATION WITH WORLD RUGBY - INJURY PREVENTION IN YOUTH GIRLS RUGBY UNION: UNDERSTANDING RISK AND EVALUATING PREVENTION STRATEGIES

World Rugby and the Carnegie School of Sport are looking to recruit a highly motivated individual to undertake a PhD studentship 'Injury prevention in youth girls rugby union: Understanding risk and evaluating prevention strategies'

• Full-time
• Funded (UK Fees and Stipend)
• Start date: June 2023
• Location: Leeds, UK
• Funding note: The studentship has a bursary of £17,668 per annum (pro-rata into 12 monthly payments) plus UK Fees paid initially for a period of three years

Leeds Beckett University, in collaboration with World Rugby, University of Calgary (Canada), University of Bath (England) and the Rugby Football Union are looking to recruit a highly motivated individual to join the research team at Leeds Beckett University. The PhD studentship will involve working alongside a leading international multidisciplinary research team and governing bodies to deliver a large-scale impactful research project. The candidate will have access to the world-class facilities at the Carnegie School of Sport, including the £45 million new build.

The quality of Carnegie School of Sport research is evident in the outstanding results achieved in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, where we ranked 2nd nationally when accounting for both research quality and the number of contributing staff (Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism). Within the Carnegie School of Sport, the Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) centre, led by Prof. Ben Jones and Prof. Kevin Till, undertakes high quality applied research with international and national governing bodies, and a range of professional sports teams. The CARR centre has over 60 researchers, working collaboratively to improve athlete welfare and performance. 

Research Team: 

Professor Ben Jones (Principal Investigator / Director of Studies; [Email Address Removed])

Omar Heyward (Project Lead / Supervisor; [Email Address Removed])

Dr Stephen West and Professor Keith Stokes (Advisors; University of Bath)

Professor Carolyn Emery (Advisor; University of Calgary)

Injury prevention in youth girls rugby union: Understanding risk and evaluating prevention strategies - Leeds Beckett University in collaboration with World Rugby

Rugby union is a contact sport, whereby players are required to engage in repeated physical contacts during training and match play. The tackle in rugby causes the greatest injury burden in senior men and women. The injury incidence and prevalence of girls rugby is relatively unknown. Understanding injury epidemiology in girl’s rugby and evaluating prevention strategies is a priority to enhance player welfare and injury management.

This project is being conducted across Canada and the UK. The successful applicant will work collaboratively with World Rugby, University of Calgary, University of Bath and the Rugby Football Union. The aim of the project, is to systematically examine the incidence, nature and severity of rugby injuries (and specifically head injuries) sustained in youth girls’ rugby in England and to identify ways in which the risk of injury to rugby players might be reduced.

The project will involve:

i) Prospective injury epidemiology to identify overall injury risk and specific injury patterns in a sample of schools and club teams

ii) Exploring head impacts during rugby matches using video analysis and wearable sensor technology

iii) Evaluating injury prevention approaches (e.g., injury prevention exercise programmes, law variations, tackle training)

The candidates will be expected to be based in Leeds, working both independently and collaboratively as part of a broader research team.

Further information on how to apply can be found here

We encourage applicants to discuss the project with the lead reserach team (Prof. Ben Jones and Omar Heyward)