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Overview

Professor Caroline Dodd-Reynolds

Head of Department


Affiliations
AffiliationTelephone
Head of Department in the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences
Head of Department, Professor in the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences
Department Representative in the Durham Research Methods Centre
Fellow of the Durham Research Methods Centre
Fellow of the Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing

Biography

Professor Caroline Dodd-Reynolds joined Durham University in 2014 and she is currently co-Head of the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences. She completed her PhD at the Children’s Health and Exercise Research Centre at the University of Exeter in 2005. Professor Dodd-Reynolds is an interdisciplinary academic who leads research into understanding physical activity inequalities. She has a particular interest in physical (in)activity as situated in the lives of children and young people and led conceptualisation of ‘physical activity insecurity’ in relation to this. She is also interested in application of place-based social and physical activity-related inequalities data arising from national/large datasets.

Professor Dodd-Reynolds has a wealth of educational and academic quality assurance experience, having been External Examiner at five institutions, academic lead for validation of numerous undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and formerly Director of Education in the Department.

Professor Dodd-Reynolds’ research has been supported by a range of funders and organisations, including Sport England, NIHR SPHR, and Fuse the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health.  Her work employs mixed and qualitative methods and she works with the premise that methodological approach should follow the research need and not be bounded by discipline. Her most recent PI project, funded by SPHR, is collaborative with Sheffield, Newcastle and Birmingham Universities, as well as public partner Youth Groups. The research considers how physical activity could feel more safe, joyful and inclusive for LGBTQIA+ young people and uses a co-production approach with creative methods to explore lived experiences of physical activity insecurity. Non-academic outputs from this project include an SPHR Impact Case Study, a co-produced zine, and a series of blogs for SPHR, Fuse and the Conversation.

Publication Information 

  • ResearchGate Papers here
  • Scopus Profile here

Media Interviews 

Professor Dodd-Reynolds welcome media interviews connected to physical activity and inequalities. areas of research expertise.

PhD Supervision 

Professor Caroline Dodd-Reynolds welcomes expressions of interest from potential PhD students in the research areas noted.

Research interests

  • Physical activity inequalities primarily in the public health landscape
  • Young people at-risk of marginalisation
  • LGBTQIA+ young people
  • Physical activity insecurity
  • Local and place-based insight from national and largescale physical activity databases

Esteem Indicators

  • 2025: Shortlisted for a Fuse Award in Excellence in Public Involvement and Engagement:
  • 2024: Member of HEPA Europe Socially Disadvantaged Groups working group:
  • 2022 - 2026: External Examiner Newcastle University: BSc (Hons) Exercise Biomedicine; BSc Sport and Exercise Sciences
  • 2020: Physical Therapy Reviews Editorial Board Member:
  • 2013: Associate Member of Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health and Durham lead for the Fuse Physical Activity Network.:
  • Chief External Examiner University of Gloucestershire: Faculty of Business, Computing and Applied Sciences
  • Topic Board Editor: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
  • Working Groups:
    • Fuse’ Physical Activity Working Group

Publications

Journal Article

Supervision students