PGR Student Life

Our diverse and vibrant national and international Postgraduate Research (PGR) community is at the heart of our Department. We are truly committed to investing in the next generation of researchers, educators and leaders.

Being part of our Sports and Exercise Sciences community

We are known for our highly supportive and ambitious research culture, which strives to cultivate the environment needed for all PGR students to fulfil their potential as skilful, innovative and courageous thinkers. Supervisory teams take a personalised approach, working with their students to provide intellectual guidance, methodological training, and career development opportunities.

Alongside the wealth of support and opportunities provided by the University's Doctoral College and College structure, PGR students in the Department of Sport & Exercise Sciences benefit from a variety of activities designed to foster personal growth, networked connections, fun and curiosity. These include:

• Annual department PGR conference
• Picturing Research event.
• Student Voice committee
• Termly PGR themed Pop-Up sessions in response to student requests (Example previous sessions: How to write; PGR careers beyond academia; the 3-minute thesis).
• Weekly departmental seminar series.
• Opportunities to gain valuable teaching experience and gain professional accreditation
• Pot-luck lunch picnics, Riverbank Walk and Talks, PGR Coffee, Green Lane Run Club, Student led socials...and much more!

Our PGR students have dedicated office space in our Department buildings alongside 24-hour access to bookable study space in the Bill Bryson Library.

Read more about a typical 'day in the life' of a PhD student!

Gallery

PGR Conference 2026

Wolfson Institute for Health & Wellbeing Early Career Research Conference

Pot Luck Picnic

University PGR Culture and Community Day

Doctoral College Impact Workshop - 'Why Not Change the World?'

Picturing Research 2025 

Our postgraduate researchers created an image to depict their research. The contributions reflect the varied, impactful, international and discipline spanning nature of PGR research within the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences.