Sport and exercise science PhD

We welcome students to the University of Brighton to study Sport and exercise science PhD based in specialist laboratories with expert supervision and a supportive research community.

We offer PhD study in both full and part time modes and welcome students with significant professional experience, who are able to use and share the career skills they have developed, as well as those who have recently completed first degrees and wish to take advantage of their academic momentum.

Our specialist laboratories provide facilities where supervision by experienced experts will structure and develop your project in one of our specialist areas: Environmental Extremes, Exercise for Health and Well-being, Expertise and Cognitive Neuroscience, Fatigue and Exercise, Genomics.

Our international level of research excellence influences policy and engages communities. We hope that through our research and innovation, communities are inspired and supported to engage in safe and effective exercise for better health, wellbeing and performance.

Much of our work has real-world application and staff are well-connected to a variety of sporting and health organisations such as the Great Britain Paralympic team (Dr Gary Brickley and Professor Nick Webborn), GB swimming and the English Institute of Sport (Dr Jeanne Dekerle), World Anti-Doping Association (WADA; Professor Yannis Pitsiladis and Professor Nick Webborn), International Olympic Committee (IOC; Professor Yannis Pitsiladis), the International Sports Medicine Federation (FIMS; Professor Yannis Pitsiladis), the fire service (Dr Alan Richardson), fall prevention and cardiac rehabilitation programmes (Dr Louisa Beale), and industrial partners such as Bodychillz Ltd and Crossbridge Scientific Ltd (Dr Neil Maxwell).

Many of our graduates continue in academia, becoming lecturers or post-doctoral researchers. Other jobs include physiologist at the English Institute of Sport (EIS) and clinical physiologists.

Apply to 'sport, service Management & tourism' in the portal

Key information

Our sport and exercise laboratories are all accredited by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) and include:

A molecular genetics laboratory with biobanking;
Two human physiology laboratories (immunology, endocrinology, haematology, biochemistry);
A biomechanics laboratory with motion analysis equipment, various EMG systems and an immersive screen;
Two exercise physiology laboratories where aerobic/anaerobic endurance, power and strength assessments as well as body composition, cardiac and pulmonary screening can be carried out;
An environmental laboratory with purpose-built environment chamber where we can simulate different climates by controlling the temperature (-20 to +50°C) and relative humidity (20 to 95 per cent), and a 1.13m x 1.13m x 1.5m water immersion tank;
A research-based laboratory with an hypoxic chamber measuring 35.84 m3 (3.2m x 4m x 2.8 m) can decrease the fractional concentration of inspired oxygen from 20.93% (normoxic) to 11% enabling the simulation of altitudes up to an equivalent of ~5000m.

As a Sport and Exercise Science PhD student at Brighton you will benefit from:

a supervisory team comprising 2-3 members of academic staff. Depending on your research specialism you may also have an additional supervisor from another School, another research institution, or an external partner from government or industry. 
desk space and access to a computer in a space specifically designed for research students. There are a range of facilities on the Eastbourne campus including various catering options.
access to a range of electronic resources via the University’s Online Library, as well as to the physical book and journal collections housed within the Queenwood Library and other campus libraries.

Academic environment

It is today well accepted that exercise is beneficial to physical health, mental health, and well-being. The fitness industry is booming in the UK and exercise-based programmes such as cardiac rehabilitation or fall prevention programmes are spreading across the Nation. Olympic Games every four years inspire all generations to engage in sport, with more and more sport scientists involved with athlete’s or team’s preparation. In this context, if you join our research team as a post-graduate research student, you will join us to address the challenge of happier, healthier and fitter living, using exercise as a critical vehicle.As a Sport and Exercise Science PhD student you will be based in the School of Sport and Service Management, which operates from our Eastbourne Campus. You are likely to be a member of one of our Research and Enterprise Groups:

Sport and Leisure Cultures Research and Enterprise Group

Sport and Exercise Science and Sport Medicine Research and Enterprise Group.

Our school has a dynamic and vibrant research community of around 20 part-time and full-time PhD students in Sport and Exercise Science. PhD students form an integral part of our school and take an active role in a range of intellectual and social activities.

Our post-graduate research students value what may be seen as a small-size PhD provision: each student receives personal attention and guidance throughout their doctoral study. The close mentorship process forms the foundations of a successful research degree, and subsequent career. Our PhD students rapidly become members of our academic team with various opportunities to contribute to the life of our department: consultancy projects, world-leading collaborative research, seminars, journal clubs, engagement within our community, teaching, etc.

Our community of PhD students also has a vibrant social life through which our post-graduate research students build life-long relationships. The Brighton Doctoral College offers a training programme for postgraduate researchers, covering research methods and transferable (including employability) skills. Academic and technical staff also provide more subject-specific training.

Our specialist sport and exercise science laboratories:

Environmental Extremes Laboratory (Lead: Dr Neil Maxwell)

Our internationally renowned research addresses the challenges of environmental extremes on human health and function. We develop and evaluate interventions using basic and applied scientific methodologies to influence health, occupational activity and human performance practice and policy. Individuals with and without disease (e.g. elderly, breast cancer survivors, type 2 diabetics) engaging with physical activity are informed from our research how to embark in safe and effective exercise in environmental extremes and reduce the risk of illness. Occupationally, we work with fire instructors and have conducted product testing to support industry. We investigate how to optimise sporting performance in environmental extremes.

Exercise for Health and Well-being Laboratory (Lead: Associate Professor Peter Watt)

The research within this lab encompasses a range of methods and applications, from cell and molecular approaches to whole body measures and application. At the cellular level we are particularly interested in stem cell responses to exercise and application to health and injury recovery. The group has also experience and opportunities for research into lifestyle modifications such as exercise and nutritional interventions in special populations (e.g. elderly; sedentary; physically disabled, heart conditions or overweight).

Aim of interventions may be either to reduce health risks in these populations or to optimise health and assist performance and recovery, with some work conducted with paralympians more specifically.

Some recent work has focussed on tendinopathies; cardiac damage and marathon running; mindfulness eating, eating disorders and exercise; acute and chronic effects of exercise on metabolism and health.

Expertise & Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory (ExCeL) (Lead: Dr Nick Smeeton)

Researchers within ExCeL examine human performance and learning, motor behaviour and its sub-areas of skill acquisition and expert performance, cognitive and behavioural neuroscience, and psychophysiology. Current research projects investigate cognition in gait and locomotion; sensory processing in exercise, the development and improvement of expert performance; and practice, training and acquisition/learning. They conduct this work across a range of domains, including sport and exercise; education; and medical.

Fatigue and Exercise Laboratory (Lead: Dr Jeanne Dekerle)

We are specifically interested in the mechanisms of fatigue during exercise and want to understand better the physiological and behavioural limitations to exercise. Our findings give exercise scientists, clinicians or other practitioners evidence for the development of robust science-based interventions such as effective training programmes or ergogenic aids. These may be to enhance human exercise tolerance or more broadly to improve overall physical fitness.

Our group also seeks to explore the relationship between physical exercise, psychophysiological stress and well-being. We see physical exercise as a potent stressor to human homeostasis for long-lasting beneficial effects on human health. More specifically, we want to understand better how exercise can treat chronic physiological dysfunctions in some populations (chronic fatigue, mental health, musculoskeletal conditions).

Our work finds impact in the areas of health, sport and wellbeing.

Genomics laboratory (Lead: Professor Yannis Pitsiladis)

Our laboratory is set up to apply systems biology approaches to anti-doping research (with particular reference to the detection of recombinant human erythropoietin, blood doping and testosterone) and to the field of sport and exercise science and medicine in general. Other active projects include the Sub2 marathon project and the Athlome Project, with the aim to promote clean, high performance marathon running, and to characterise the genomic/transcriptomic/proteomic landscape of human performance in both health and disease. Our recent research is funded by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Some of our supervisors

Dr Louisa Beale

I have supervised/am supervising PhDs in the following areas:-

Exercise cardiologyDetraining and muscle functionHeat sensitivity in breast cancer survivorsHigh intensity interval trainingWomen’s decisions to exercise in pregnancy

Dr Jeanne Dekerle

Jeanne is the postgraduate research (PGR) coordinator for her school (School of Sport and Service Management) so feel free to contact Jeanne for any PGR-related queries.

Jeanne also supervises PhD students who are interested in the study of exercise tolerance, training, fatigue (traits and state of subjective fatigue), affect, and fatigability (task failure; perceived effort; neuromuscular fatigue). If you are interested in these topics, Jeanne is very happy to be contacted by prospective students.

Specific areas of inquiry might include (and overlap on):

Exercise intensity domains, anaerobic capacity and neuromuscular fatigue;Fatigue and fatigability in special populations;Perceived fatigue, perceived effort, affect, interoception, exercise tolerance and exercise adherence;Fatigue and fatigability in swimming

Dr Paul Ford

Paul supervises PhD students investigating expert performance and its related-areas of skill acquisition, motor behaviour, coaching, perceptual-cognitive skill, talent identification and development, and football science. He is happy to be contacted by prospective students, especially those who see themselves contributing to the Sport and Exercise Science and Sports Medicine Research and Enterprise Group (SSESM) and its Expertise & Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory (ExCeL).

Specific areas of interest include (and overlap between):

deliberate practice, early specialisation and diversificationpractice and instructioncoaching behaviour and expertiseperceptual-cognitive skill - decision making, visual search, knowledge structures, motor skillhigh performance sports environmentstalent id; performance analysis

Dr Fergus Guppy

My primary supervisory interests are in how lifestyle interventions (exercise and diet) can be used to improve health, focussing on body composition, bone and metabolic health.

I am also interested in open science, and how we can apply these practices (including pre-registration, registered reports and pre-print publications) in order to improve access to publically funded work.

Dr Neil Maxwell

Dr Neil Maxwell has a strong history of supporting PhD students in the Environmental Extremes Lab and he sees the research students as integral to this vision and success moving forward.

His priority is for new PhD students to align to the existing research themes, but he is open to new ideas and lines of research enquiry. For information from the Doctoral College on the PhD programme, details of our graduates and supervisors and the application process itself, please follow the link here.

Within the Environmental Extremes Lab, Neil helps to ensure the research students have the opportunity to:

work within dynamic and supportive research teams, often that includes collaboration with external partnerspresent and participate in our monthly seminars (NB. One of our more experienced PhD students leads the seminar programme)receive funding to cover the cost of presenting at one national and one international conference during their PhD registrationcontribute to the environmental extremes taught modules within the undergraduate and postgraduate degreestake part in meetings, activities and events that link to the public, communities and, or industryjoin research funding bid teams to develop skills on sourcing external grantsbe part of a vibrant research student community that is very supportive, works hard, but has fun as well!

Look at the career map that shows our PhD students' career destinations, many of whom Neil supervised.

Dr Alan Richardson

At present i am currently looking to help supervise students interested in extreme enviornment physiology, specifically interested in occupational and health based applications to severe heat or hypoxic exposure.

Dr Nicholas Smeeton

Nick supervises PhD students in the area of motor control, experimental psychology and cognitive and motor neuroscience. He is happy to be contacted to discuss potential projects on clinical exercise science, rehabilitation and sports and expert performance. There would be particular benefit to potential PhD students if their proposed programme of research fitted into one of the following areas:

- Sensory processes during exercise, interoception, vision, audition

- Cognition and gait, dual tasks, prefrontal cortex

- Action observation, visuo-motor coupling, inter- and intra-person coordination

- Anticipation, decision-making, expert performance

Recent PhD student supervision

Jake Butterworth (September 2015 – September 2019)Regulating exercise behaviour through interoceptive and exteroceptive feedbackWill Abbott (January 2015 – May, 2019)

GPS tracking to monitor and prescribe training loads for academy football players

James Wrightson (September 2011 – 2016)The effects of current stimulation transcranial direct stimulation applied during virtual reality exercise trainingKarl Stevenson (2008 – 2016)Assessing the ecological validity of an anticipation skill test in cricket battingDaniel Wilkinson (2008 – 2012)The effects of hyperammonia on cerebral physiology and cognitive function

Prof Nick Webborn

My most recent PhD student, Catherine Payne, completed her thesis on the use of ultrasound elastography in the Achilles tendon to measure the biomechanical properties of the tissue over the course of a rehabilitation program. Following on from the multiple validation studies already been published (see refs), this ground-breaking research has been well received in the tendon research community internationally. Catherine presented at an international conference in September and 2-3 further journal publications are anticipated over the coming year. Further collaborative research with the school of the Podiatry using this tool for assessment of gout in the Achilles tendon commenced this year with Simon Otter. Another internal collaboration included the School of Architecture and Design with students designing and creating protective wear for one of the ParalympicsGB alpine skiers used at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games.

British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine (BASEM) research bursary award for £13,940 for work on Interoception as a Marker of Sensitivity to Exercise in Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with my colleague Nick Smeeton.

As a team physician with the British Paralympic Association I became interested in the area of illness and injury prevention from a practical perspective but this later became my research focus after joining the International Paralympic Committee’s Medical Committee in 2001. In 2002 I undertook the first injury survey at a Paralympic Games and now sixteen years on continue this with an international group of researchers and I am recognised as the most widely published author in the area of Paralympic Sports Medicine worldwide. This includes being noted as the only sports medicine doctor in the top five of most cited authors in the area of Disability Sport research (Khoo S, Li C, Ansari P. The Top 50 Most Cited Publications in Disability Sport: A Bibliometric Analysis. Percept Mot Skills [Internet]. 2018;125(3):525–45. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/0031512518760350). I have now attended ten Paralympic Games with the momentum for research in this area extending into many different and more sport specific areas which are more amenable to research funding. The IPC Medical Committee has now been recognised by the IOC Medical and Scientific Department as a very reputable and credible group and received $100k last year for an ongoing project on the shoulder in wheelchair athletes for which the University of Brighton should soon receive $20k. This year a separate application was made directly from the University of Brighton for $100k for research into injuries in Blind Football which has support from the international federation (IBSA) and the IPC. The next phase planned is a Wellcome Trust bid with partners at Harvard University (US), Stellnbosch (SA) and Lund University (SWE) which is under preparation.

My work in the area of thermoregulation in athletes with spinal cord injury has often been in partnership with Prof Vicky Goosey-Tolfrey, Professor in Applied Disability Sport and Director of the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport at Loughborough University. We have collaborated on a variety of projects over a 20+ year period and in August 2018 I was appointed as Honorary Clinical Professor in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University to further the research collaboration.

Research Outputs

Authored books:

Webborn, A.D.J. Exercise on Prescription GP Referral Schemes - Handbook for General Practitioners. East Sussex, Brighton and Hove Health Authority, 1996 ISBN 1 899 063 021.

Academic journal papers (refereed):

Payne C, Watt P, Webborn N. Shear Wave Elastography Measures of the Achilles Tendon: Influence of Time of Day, Leg Dominance and the Impact of an Acute 30-Minute Bout of Running. Appl Sci [Internet]. 2018 Jul 18 [cited 2018 Sep 6];8(7):1170. Available from: http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/8/7/1170Grobler L, Derman W, Blauwet CA, Chetty S, Webborn N, Pluim B. Pain Management in Athletes With Impairment. Clin J Sport Med [Internet]. 2018 May 16 [cited 2018 Jul 8];1.Tuakli-Wosornu Y, Mashkovskiy E, Ottesen T, Gentry M, Jensen D, Webborn N. 2018. “Acute and Chronic Musculoskeletal Injury in Para Sport.” Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America29(2):205–43.Kissick, James and Nick Webborn. 2018. “Concussion in Para Sport.” Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America29(2):299–311.Janse Van Rensburg, Dina Christina, Martin Schwellnus, Wayne Derman, and Nick Webborn. 2018. “Illness Among Paralympic Athletes.” Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America29(2):185–203.Warner MB, Wilson D, Heller MO, et al.Scapular kinematics in professional wheelchair tennis players. Clin Biomech2018;53:7–13. doi:10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2018.01.022Derman W, Blauwet C, Webborn N, et al.Mitigating risk of injury in alpine skiing in the Pyeongchang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games: the time is now! Br J Sports Med2018;52:419–20. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-098864 Payne C, Watt P, Cercignani M, Webborn N. Reproducibility of shear wave elastography measures of the Achilles tendon. Skeletal Radiol [Internet]. 2018 Jun 19 [cited 2018 Jul 8];47(6):779–84. Smith AD, Alleyne JMK, Pitsiladis Y, Schneider, C, Kenihan, M, Constantinou D, Webborn, N. Early Sports Specialization: An International Perspective. Curr Sports Med Rep 2017;16. doi:10.1249/JSR.0000000000000425Derman W, Schwellnus MP, Jordaan E, Runciman P, Blauwet C, Webborn N, et al. Sport, sex and age increase risk of illness at the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympic Games: a prospective cohort study of 51 198 athlete days. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(1).Derman, W., Runciman, P., Schwellnus, M., Jordaan, E., Blauwet, C., Webborn, N., Stomphorst, J. (2017). High precompetition injury rate dominates the injury profile at the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympic Games: a prospective cohort study of 51198 athlete days. Br J Sports Med. 2018 Jan;52(1):24-31. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2017-09803Webborn N, Blauwet CA, Derman W, et al. Heads up on concussion in para sport. Br J Sports Med Published Online First: 10 July 2017. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-097236Payne C, Webborn N, Watt P, et al.Poor reproducibility of compression elastography in the Achilles tendon: same day and consecutive day measurements. Skeletal Radiol2017;:1–7. doi:10.1007/s00256-017-2629-W. Derman, M. P. Schwellnus, E. Jordaan, P. Runciman, P. Van de Vliet, C. Blauwet, N. Webborn, S. Willick, and J. Stomphorst, “High incidence of injury at the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympic Games: a prospective cohort study of 6564 athlete days,” Br. J. Sports Med., p. bjsports–2016–096214, Jun. 2016.W. Derman, M. P. Schwellnus, E. Jordaan, P. Runciman, P. Van de Vliet, C. Blauwet, N. Webborn, S. Willick, and J. Stomphorst, “The incidence and patterns of illness at the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympic Games: a prospective cohort study of 6564 athlete days,”Br. J. Sports Med., p. bjsports–2016–096215, May 2016.The Road to Rio: Medical and Scientific Perspectives on the 2016 Paralympic Games. Blauwet CA, Lexell J, Derman W, Idrisova G, Kissick J, Stomphorst J, Wosornu YT, Van de Vliet P, Webborn N. PM R. 2016 Jul 16. pii: S1934-1482(16)30258-1Morton S, Chan O, Webborn N, et al.Tears of the fascia cruris demonstrate characteristic sonographic features: a case series analysis. Muscles Ligaments Tendons J;5:299–304. 2016 Pitsiladis YP, Tanaka M, Eynon N, et al.Athlome project consortium: A concerted effort to discover genomic and other ‘omic’ markers of athletic performance. Physiol Genomics2016;48. doi:10.1152/physiolgenomics.00105.2015Blauwet CA, Cushman D, Emery C, et al. Risk of Injuries in Paralympic Track and Field Differs by Impairment and Event Discipline: A Prospective Cohort Study at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Am J Sports Med Published Online First: 26 February 2016. doi:10.1177/0363546516629949Webborn N, Morrissey D, Sarvananthan K, et al. Acute tear of the fascia cruris at the attachment to the Achilles tendon: a new diagnosis Br J Sports Med 2015;49:1398-1403.Webborn N, Williams A, McNamee M, et al.Direct-to-consumer genetic testing for predicting sports performance and talent identification: Consensus statement. Br J Sports Med2015;49:1486–91. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2015-095343Webborn N, Cushman D, Blauwet CA, Emery C, Derman W, Schwellnus M, Stomphorst J, Van de Vliet P, Willick SE. The Epidemiology of Injuries in Football at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. PM&R 2016 Jun;8(6):545-52. doi:10.1016/j.pmrj.2015.09.025.Willick SE, Cushman D, Blauwet CA, Webborn N, Derman W, Emery C, Schwellnus M. The Epidemiology of Injuries in Paralympic Powerlifting at the London 2012 Paralympic Games: an analysis of 1411 athlete-days. Scand J Med Sci Sports. ePub ahead of print. PMID 26453890.Webborn N, Dijkstra HP. Twenty-first century genomics for sports medicine: what does it all mean? Br J Sports Med2015;49:1481–2. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2015-095643Combes A, Dekerle J, Webborn N, Watt P, Bougault V & Daussin FN. Exercise-induced metabolic fluctuations influence AMPK, p38-MAPK and CaMKII phosphorylation in human skeletal muscle. Physiol Rep. 2015 Sep;3(9). doi: 10.14814/phy2.12462.Taylor L, Mauger AR, Watkins SL, Fitch N, Brewer J, Maxwell NS, Webborn N, Castle PC. Precooling Does Not Improve 2000 m Rowing Performance Of Females In Hot, Humid Conditions. J Strength Cond Res. 2014 Jun 6Webborn N, Walter E, Venn, Galloway R & Pitsiladis Y. Exertional Heat Stroke - Supplement for athletes with a disability. Position statement of the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine. http://www.fsem.co.uk/news/position-statements/e/exertional-heat-stroke-supplement-for-athletes-with-a-disability.aspx September 2014Webborn N. London 2012 Paralympic Games: bringing sight to the blind? Br J Sports Med. 2013; 47: 402-403 Willick S, Webborn N, Emery CA, Blauwet C, Pitt-Grosheide P, Stomphorst J, Van de Vliet P, Patino Marques NA, Martinez-Ferrer JO, Jordaan E, Derman W, Schwellnus M. The epidemiology of injuries at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Br J Sports Med. 2013; 47: 426-432Schwellnus M, Derman W, Jordaan E, Blauwet C, Emery C, Pit-Grosheide P, Patino Marques N, Martinez-Ferrer O, Stomphorst J, Van de Vliet P, Webborn N, Willick S. Factors associated with illness in athletes participating in the London 2012 Paralympic Games: a prospective cohort study involving 49 910 athlete-days. Br J Sports Med 2013; 47: 433-440Schwellnus M, Derman W, Jordaan E, Blauwet C, Emery C, Pit-Grosheide P, Patino Marques N, Martinez-Ferrer O, Stomphorst J, Van de Vliet P, Webborn N, Willick S. Illness and injury in athletes during the competition period at the London 2012 Paralympic Games: development and implementation of a web-based surveillance system (WEB-IISS) for team medical staff. Br J Sports Med 2013; 47: 420-425Watura C, Barton C, Webborn N, Maffulli N, & Morrissey D. Sports injuries at the Olympics: a review of incidence related data from past games and the implications for future multi-sport events. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 47(17), 2013Castle PC, Kularatne BP, Brewer J, Mauger AR, Austen RA, Tuttle JA, Sculthorpe N, Mackenzie RW, Maxwell NS, Webborn AD. Partial heat acclimation of athletes with spinal cord lesion. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2012 May 17. Webborn N. Lifetime injury prevention: the sport profile model. Br J Sports Med. 2012 Jan 4.Webborn N, Van de Vliet P. Paralympic medicine. The Lancet. 2012;380 (9836):65-71Webborn N, Willick S, Emery CA. The Injury Experience at the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games. Clin J Sport Med. 2012 Jan;22(1):3-9.Castle P, Mackenzie RW, Maxwell N, Webborn AD & Watt PW. (2011) Heat acclimation improves intermittent sprinting in the heat but additional pre-cooling offers no further ergogenic effect. Journal of Sports Sciences, 29 (11). pp. 1125-1134Etheridge, T, Atherton, P.J., Wilkinson, D.J., Selby, A., Rankin, D., Webborn, N, Smith, K and Watt, P. (2011) Effects of hypoxia on muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and anabolic signaling at rest and in response to acute resistance exercise Endocrinology and Metabolism, 301 (4)Webborn, N. "What Do You Mean, A Wheelchair Athlete?" Current Sports Medicine Reports: September/October 2011 - Volume 10 - Issue 5 - pp 246-247 Webborn, N., M. J. Price, et al. (2010). "Cooling strategies improve intermittent sprint performance in the heat of athletes with tetraplegia." British Journal of Sports Medicine 44(6): 455-460.Bhambhani, Y., J. Mactavish, et al. (2010). "Boosting in athletes with high-level spinal cord injury: knowledge, incidence and attitudes of athletes in paralympic sport." Disability & Rehabilitation 2010;32(26):2172-90.Webborn, A, Watt, P & Castle, P. The Use Of Diagnostic Ultrasound To Evaluate The Optimum Depth For Muscle Biopsy Of The Vastus Lateralis Muscle Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2009 - Volume 41 - Issue 5 - p 204Webborn, A. D. J. 'Novel approaches to tendinopathy', Disability & Rehabilitation, Volume 30, Issue 20 - 22 2008 , pages 1572 - 1577 John W Orchard, Thomas M Best, Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt, Glenn Hunter, Bruce H Hamilton, Nick Webborn, Rod Jaques, Dean Kenneally, Richard Budgett, Nicola Phillips, Caryl Becker, and Philip Glasgow The early management of muscle strains in the elite athlete: best practice in a world with a limited evidence basis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, Mar 2008; 42: 158 - 159. Castle, P, MacDonald, A, Philp, A, Webborn, A, Watt, P and Maxwell, N. Precooling leg muscle improves intermittent sprint exercise performance in hot, humid conditions. Journal of Applied Physiology, 100 (4). pp. 1377-1384,2006. Webborn, N., Willick S. and Reeser, J. C. Injuries among disabled athletes during the 2002 Winter Paralympic Games. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 38 (5). pp. 811-815, 2006V Goosey-Tolfrey, P Castle, and N Webborn Aerobic capacity and peak power output of elite quadriplegic games players British Journal of Sports Medicine, Aug 2006; 40: 684 - 687.Webborn, N., et al., The effect of two cooling strategies on thermoregulatory responses of tetraplegic athletes during repeated intermittent exercise in the heat. J Appl Physiol, 2005: p. 00784.2004.Castle P, Wragg C, Spencer M, McNaught-Davis P, Webborn N and Maxwell N. Bias and limits of agreement between rectal and telemetry pill measurement of core temperature in humans, during intermittent sprint exercise while under heat stress. Poster presentation - 7th Congress of the International Society for Adaptive Medicine, 20-23 August, 2003, University of California, San Diego. Webborn, N. "Caution re take home messages." British Journal of Sports Medicine 37(2): 187, 2003Webborn, A.D.J. Medical considerations associated with travelling with athletes with disabilities. Your Patient and Fitness, 14 (1), 10-16, 2000Craig A, Dinan S, Smith A, Taylor A, Webborn N. The Newcastle exercise project. National quality assurance framework will guide best value and practice in GP exercise referral schemes [letter]. British Medical Journal 2000;320(7247):1474.Webborn, A.D.J. Fifty years of competitive sport for athletes with disabilities: 1948-1998. British Journal of Sports Medicine 33(2): 138, 1999.Webborn, A.D.J. ‘Boosting’ performance in disability sport. British Journal of Sports Medicine 33(2): 74-75, 1999Webborn, A.D.J. Evaluation of physical activity. [Letter]. British Journal of Sports Medicine 33(2): 141, 1999.Webborn, A.D.J. Foot injury - tennis, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise - Vol. 31 (5) supp., 342, 1999.Bailey, M., Webborn, A.D.J., James, D. Validation of predicted oxygen uptake for a submaximal treadmill protocol used within GP referral schemes Journal of Sport Sciences 16 (1): 35, 1998.Taylor, A.H. Doust, J.D., Webborn, N. Randomised controlled trial of exercise on prescription scheme. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 52:595-601, 1998.Webborn, A.D.J., R.J. Carbon & B.P. Miller. Injury rehabilitation programs: "What are we talking about?" Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, 6, 54-61, 1997.British Journal of Therapy & Rehabilitation Vol. 4 (5), 226-227, 1997. Webborn, A.D.J. Sports, Spondylolysis, and Spondylolisthesis[Letter]. Physician and Sportsmedicine. 25(1):16, 1997. Webborn, A.D.J. Sinus Tarsi Syndrome Case presentation, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise - Vol. 29 (5) supp., 300, 1997. Webborn, A.D.J. General practitioner knowledge of prohibited substances in sport.[Letter]. British Journal of Sports Medicine 31(3):259, 1997.Webborn, A.D.J. Exercise prescription in primary care.[Letter]. British Journal of General Practice 47:526-527, 1997.HALO - A protocol for collaboration in Exercise on Prescription between Practices and Leisure Centres in East Sussex. Ver 2.0 - 1996. East Sussex,Brighton and Hove Health Authority. ISBN 1 899063 013 - Editor Dr.A.D.J.Webborn .Webborn, A.D.J. Systematic review of physical activity promotion strategies.[Letter]. British Journal of Sports Medicine 30(3):268, 1996.Webborn, A.D. Prescribing exercise in general practice. Scheme in East Sussex has a database [letter; comment].British Medical Journal309(6963):1229-1230, 1994. Webborn, A.D.J. Heat-related problems for the Paralympic Games, Atlanta 1996. British Journal of Therapy & Rehabilitation Vol. 3 (8), 429-436, 1996.Webborn, A.D.J. Role of a Medical Officer for the British Paralympic Association. Physiotherapy in Sport. Volume XVIII,3, 17-18. 1995.Webborn, A.D.J. Exercise, health and prescription exercise - implications for fundholding practices. National Association of Fundholding Practices Yearbook. 228-231, 1995

Chapters in edited books

Webborn, Nick. Sport, Exercise and Disability, in ABC of Sports Medicine 4th edition, p89-92, 2015, Wiley-Blackwell, London. Nick Webborn and Larissa Trease, 'The athlete with a disability'. p.960-971 in Clinical Sports Medicine, Edited by: Brukner P and Kahn K, 2006 McGraw-Hill, 4th Edition 2012 ISBN: 978-0070998131Julian Redhead and Nick Webborn, ‘Athletes with a disability’, p.271-276 in Emergencies in Sports Medicine, Edited by Julian Redhead and Jonathan Gordon. Due 2012 Oxford University Press.Nick Webborn. ‘The disabled athlete in ball sports’, p.817-830 in Acute and chronic finger injuries in ball sports. Sports and Traumatology (Springer Eds) 2012.Nick Webborn, Disability Sport, p.213-226 in the Oxford Handbook of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Edited by Domhnall MacAuley, 2nd Edition Nick Webborn & Stuart Willick, Sports Medicine, p.74-78 in The Handbook of Paralympic Sports. The Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine, An IOC Medical Commission Publication. Ed. Vanlandewijck, Y. Blackwell Publishing –2010.Nick Webborn, ‘The travelling athlete’ in Wheelchair Sports p.87-98 Ed. Goosey-Tolfrey V. 2010, Human Kinetics ISBN-13: 978-0736086769 Nick Webborn, Disability Sports, p.436-453 in Sports Injury. Eds. Cathy Speed and Mike Hutson. April 2011 Oxford University Press ISBN13: 9780199533909Nick Webborn, Paralympic Sport in Epidemiology of Injury, p.475-488 In Olympic Sports. Volume XVI of The Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine, An IOC Medical Commission Publication. Eds. Caine, Dennis / Harmer, Peter / Schiff, Melissa. Blackwell Publishing - Oct 2009 ISBN: 9781405173643Nick Webborn and Victoria Goosey-Tolfrey. Spinal Cord Injury in Exercise Physiology in Special Populations, p. 309-334 Ed. Buckley J,2008 Churchill Livingstone ISBN: 9780443103438Nick Webborn, 'The disabled athlete', p.778-786 in Clinical Sports Medicine, Edited by: Brukner P and Kahn K, McGraw-Hill, 3rd Edition 2007 ISBN: 0074715208Nick Webborn, A Neuropathic model to the etiology and management of Achilles tendinopathy, p.145-159 in Tendinopathy in Athletes, Volume XII of the Encyclopaedia of Sports Medicine, Edited by: Savio Woo, Per Renstrom and Steven Arnoczky, 2007 Blackwell Publishing ISBN: 9781405156707Nick Webborn, Disability Sport, p.657-674 in the Oxford Handbook of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Edited by Domhnall MacAuley, 2006 Oxford University Press. ISBN13: 9780198568391Webborn, A.D.J. Disability Sport, p.107-115 in Essential Sports Medicine, edited by Richard Higgins, Bryan English and Peter Brukner, 2006 Blackwell Publishing, Oxford. ISBN-13: 978-1-4051-1438-7Webborn, A.D.J. Children and Sport, p.88-96 in Essential Sports Medicine, edited by Richard Higgins, Bryan English and Peter Brukner, 2006 Blackwell Publishing, Oxford. ISBN-13: 978-1-4051-1438-7Webborn, A.D.J. Sport and Disability, p.76-79 in ABC of Sports Medicine 3rd edition, 2005 BMJ Publishing, London. ISBN 0-7279-1813-3Webborn, A.D.J. Sports in children with physical disabilities /Medical problems of disabled child athletes, p. 437-446 in Sports medicine for specific ages and abilities. 2001 Churchill Livingstone. ISBN 0-4430-6128-9Webborn N, Delivering an exercise prescription for patients with disabilities, p.105-112 in Physical activity for patients: an exercise prescription, 2001 Royal College of Physicians. ISBN 1-86016-128-6Webborn, A.D.J. Sport and Disability, p.63-67 in ABC of Sports Medicine 2nd edition, 2000 BMJ Publishing, London. ISBN 0-7279-1366-2

Official Reports:

Dept of Health (2001). Exercise Referral Systems: a National Quality Assurance Framework. London, Dept of Health. Co-author.Webborn N, Road Races – Medical Aspects of Road Race Organisation and Provision, 2002 National Sports Medicine Institute, London. ISBN 0-9526657-2Department of Culture, Media & Sport (2002). 'Sport in the UK - Improving Safety and Medical provision'London, DCMS. Co-author.‘At least five a week’ – Evidence of the impact of physical activity and its relationship to health – A report from the Chief Medical Officer. 2004 – Expert reviewer.Boosting in athletes with High Level Spinal cord injury- Incidence, knowledge and attitudes of athletes in Paralympic sport, report for the World Anti-Doping Association 2009 http://www.wada-ama.org/rtecontent/document/Bhambhani_Project_Summary.pdf

For further supervisory staff including cross-disciplinary options, please visit research staff on our research website.

Entry requirements

The normal entry requirements for registration for the degree of MPhil and EngD are:

A first or second class honours degree, or other qualification which is regarded by the University of Brighton as being equivalent, and which is normally relevant to the programme of study.
Appropriate research or professional experience at postgraduate level. An application made by someone with this experience will be considered on its own merits and will normally require independent academic references

All EngD students require an industrial partner for the professional placement.

The normal entry requirements for registration for the degree of PhD are:

We require candidates to have a recognised Masters degree or other qualification which is regarded by the University of Brighton as being equivalent, and which is normally relevant to the programme of study proposed
Substantial appropriate research or professional experience at postgraduate level which resulted in published work, written reports or other appropriate evidence of accomplishment. An application made by someone with this experience will be considered on its merits and will normally require independent academic references
Exceptionally, a first class honours degree, or other qualification which is regarded by the University of Brighton as being equivalent, and which is normally relevant to the programme of study proposed, where there is clear evidence of work at postgraduate level. An application made by someone with this experience will be considered on its merits and will normally require independent academic references

The normal entry requirements for the EdD (Professional Doctorate) are:

A qualification, normally at Masters level in a relevant subject or appropriate research experience. An application made by someone with research experience but with no Masters level qualification will be considered on its merits and will normally require independent academic references.
Applicants will normally have at least four years of appropriate professional experiences.

English language requirements

For applicants whose first language is not English, the minimum standard of English competence accepted is normally equivalent to the following International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores:

Normally we require an overall score of 6.5 with 6.5 in reading and writing, 6.0 in listening and speaking. There are exceptions to this and they are as follows:

Research degrees in Arts and Humanities and Health Professions require 7.0 overall, 7 for writing, and none below 6.5.
Research degrees in Brighton Business School and the School of Sport and Service Management: 7.0 overall, 7 for writing, and none below 6.0.
Research degrees in Engineering, and Environment and Technology requires a minimum of 6.0 in each component

All SELT (Secure English language tests) must have been obtained within the preceding two years of the course start date.

Important information regarding changes to the approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) list:

The University of Brighton will continue to accept non-SELT tests such as ‘IELTS Academic’ and ‘Pearson Test of English Academic’, as long as your test results meet the course requirements.

If you are concerned that you might not reach the required level for the course, and therefore may need to take an English Language course, we would recommend that you take the ‘IELTS for UKVI Academic’ at an approved test centre details of which can be found on the government website.

If you have taken an English language test not listed here, please contact the Doctoral College for advice at Brighton-Doctoral-College@brighton.ac.uk.

Before you apply

We encourage potential applicants to look at the research currently taking place within the university and to find a suitable supervisor to support the proposal and assist with the application

If you are in doubt about whether we can offer the appropriate supervision, please contact the Doctoral College.

Application Deadlines

We operate a rolling intake so students can make applications at any time throughout the year. Start dates will always be on the first working day of the month and will normally be determined as follows:

UK/EU students: Normally one month after an offer is made

International students: Normally three months after an offer is made

Professional Doctorates and programmes with a taught component usually have one intake a year, which is normally at the start of October.

The university cannot guarantee that you can start at your requested date

Making an online application

All applications are made online and for most disciplines an approach to a lead supervisor is recommended, following which you will have help and support with. The RSAs can provide you with advice from your initial enquiry through to when a decision is made on your application, so help is always at hand.

The research proposal
Some areas recruit students to specific research projects, but in these instances you would still be expected to take ownership and shape it into an independent piece of work which would normally make an original contribution to knowledge. Other areas expect applicants to propose a research topic of their own prior to considering for them for admission.

We advertise PhD projects on our Funding and Opportunities page, so unless you are applying to an advertised project you would normally need to apply with a research topic of your own choosing.

Guidance for writing a research proposal – General or Arts specific.

If you are unsure if we can supervise your research topic, please get in touch with Brighton Doctoral College. In some instances we may have to tell you that we cannot supervise as it would not be in your best interests to accept you if we are unable to provide the necessary facilities and supervision.

Online applications can be made via our online portal.

Documents to include with your application
When you make your application please make sure you include the following:

Evidence of your degree(s) – you need to provide copies of your degree certificates and transcripts. Official translations should be provided where appropriate. If your degree has not yet been awarded please note this on your application form.
Evidence of English language (EU/International applicants) – this is normally an IELTS or Pearsons certificate. All language tests must have been obtained within the preceding two years of the course start date. If you cannot provide a language test, please contact us for advice.
References - you need to provide two references and one of these must be from your most recent period of study. All references must have been written within the last 12 months and need to be signed, dated and stamped with the organisation's stamp or on headed paper. Alternatively, you can provide contact details for your referees as part of the application process and we will contact them on your behalf.
Passport – please provide a copy of the photo page and where applicable a copy of your current visa. These documents can be uploaded to the ‘Education’ tab.

After you apply

Your Research Student Administrator (RSA) will assess your application to make sure you meet our entry requirements and you have provided all of the required documentation.

The complete application will be reviewed by the appropriate Director of Postgraduate Studies who will assess if we can offer supervision. If we can identify potential supervisors, your application will be sent to them for consideration. If we are not able to supervise you we will notify you of this as soon as possible.

It normally takes around four–six weeks to reach a decision on postgraduate research applications. However, this can be delayed if your application is incomplete and we require additional information from you. If you have not had a decision on your application within eight weeks please contact your RSA via the application portal.

If we have supervisors who are interested in supervising your project, you will be invited to attend an admissions interview. This can be held via Skype if you are not in the UK.

Types of offer

Conditional

If we have made you a conditional offer, the conditions will be stated in your offer letter. When you have met these conditions you should provide this to your RSA. When you have met all the conditions of your offer, we will provide you with a new offer letter.

Except where indicated in the offer letter, there are no specific deadlines for meeting the conditions of your offer. However make sure you leave enough time after meeting the conditions to make arrangements to start your course, for example if you need to arrange accommodation or a visa.

Unconditional offers

An unconditional offer has no conditions. You just need to let us know whether or not you wish to accept or decline our offer of a study place and you do this by accepting/rejecting the offer via the new applicant area.

Deferring your offer

If you have been made an offer of study, and for unforeseen circumstances you cannot attend at the start of your course, you may ask to defer your place to the next admission point.

To request a deferral you should contact your RSA via the new applicant area. Please note that a change of start date is at the discretion of your supervisors and Director of Postgraduate Studies. It is not automatically given and you may be asked to apply again.

Normally applicants are only permitted to defer their start date a maximum of two times.

Withdrawing your application

If you wish to withdraw your application please notify your research student administrator via the new applicant area and they will update your application for you.

Post offer

CAS number
International students who require a Tier 4 to study in the UK will need to apply for a CAS number. A CAS is a unique reference number that is 14 digits long that is given to you by the University of Brighton. It confirms to the Home Office that you have accepted an unconditional offer and met with the Home Office requirements regarding length of study in the UK and academic progression.

As part of your unconditional offer you will be asked to complete a visa questionnaire. Our visa compliance team will then review your eligibility and issue a CAS number as appropriate.

More information is available on our international pages.

Tuition fee deposit

If you are self-funded we cannot issue you with a CAS until you have paid your tuition fee deposit. We would advise that you pay this as soon as possible so that you are able to make your visa application in plenty of time.

More information about the tuition fee deposit and how to pay it is available international student fees page.

If you are a funded student you will need to provide proof of your sponsorship before the tuition fee deposit can be waived.

See more information on visa applications.

ATAS statement

You will need to obtain an ATAS certificate every time you make a Tier 4 Student application if you are studying or going to study one of the following research degree programmes:

Pharmacy
Biomedical Sciences
Healthcare Professions
Physiotherapy
Occupational Therapy
Engineering
Environment
Civil Engineering
Built Environment
Computing
Mathematical and Information Sciences
Information Technology.

Where an ATAS statement is required, the process of how to apply for this will be provided in your offer letter so do read your offer letter carefully.

For details about the scheme and how to apply for your ATAS certificate visit the Foreign and Commonwealth Office information about ATAS.

ATAS Certificates can take up to two months to be issued so you must apply for your certificate in plenty of time. The process of applying for an ATAS statement will be detailed in your offer letter.

Fees and funding

Funding

Undertaking a research degree requires an intellectual and financial commitment. The majority of students are self-funded; some are funded by their employer, through industrial partners, Research Councils and University studentships.

Learn more about the funding opportunities available to you.

Tuition fees academic year 2018–19

Standard fees are listed below, but may vary depending on subject area. Some subject areas may charge bench fees/consumables, this will be decided as part of any offer made. Fees for UK/EU and international students on full-time and part-time courses are likely to incur a small inflation rise each year of a research programme.

MPhil/PhD

Full-time	Part-time
£4,260 (UK/EU)	£2,130 (UK/EU)
£14,400 (international)	N/A
£12,690 (international tuition fee for those students registered in the School of Humanities or in the Brighton Business School)	N/A

Professional doctorate

Full-time	Part-time
N/A	£2,672.50 (UK/EU)

EngD UK/EU only

EngD
Full-time	Part-time
£5,520 (UK/EU)	N/A
£15,830 (international)	N/A

PhD by Publication

Full-time	Part-time
N/A	£2139 (UK/EU)

Contact Brighton Doctoral College

Email the team at Brighton-Doctoral-College@brighton.ac.uk detailing your enquiry. Please provide as much detail as possible as this will help us address your questions promptly and thoroughly.