Funded studentships
Our transdisciplinary PhD projects cover aspects of women's reproductive health and wellbeing in relation to sport and exercise.
Successful candidates will explore a range of topics relating to the role of sport and exercise on the health and wellbeing of women at different stages of life.
These topics include the effects of the menstrual cycle, barriers to exercise during pregnancy, and the role of exercise for women living through perimenopause and menopause.
Our studentship topics
We are delighted to have successfully recruited to the opportunities described below, but please review the projects in which our students are engaged.
The physiological and perceptual effects of the menstrual cycle on performance in female athletes
Student: Meg Smith
Supervisors: Dr Emma O'Donnell, Dr Richard Ferguson, Dr Laura Barrett and Dr Nikki Milne (Assistant Dean of Research for Health Sciences and Medicine - Bond University, Australia)
Meg is investigating whether hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle influence physiological responses, perceptual experiences and performance in female cyclists.
By combining experimental physiological data with athletes’ self-reported experiences, she aims to bridge scientific evidence and real-world athlete experiences to better support female performance.
The effect of the menstrual cycle on breast movement and support requirements during physical activity
Student: Bahira El-Mantawi
Supervisors: Dr Rebbeca Grant, Dr Emma O’Donnell and Professor Andy Harland
Bahira's research explores how breast characteristics and biomechanics change across the menstrual cycle and how these fluctuations influence support needs during physical activity.
She aims to inform the design of supportive garments and exercise recommendations that better support women’s bodies throughout the cycle, improving comfort and encouraging greater participation in physical activity.
Examining fear of movement as a barrier to sport and exercise in pregnant and postpartum women
Student: Morgan Rogers
Supervisors: Dr Emma Pullen, Dr Aimee Mears, Professor Emily Rousham and Dr Ines Varela-Silva
Morgan is examining the embodied experience of maternal fear and anxiety related to movement, physical activity and exercise across the perinatal period, conceptualised as fear of movement.
She is exploring how fear interacts with the physiological and embodied changes that occur across each trimester and into the postpartum period, and how these experiences shape women’s engagement with exercise.
Her study aims to develop an empirically informed conceptualisation of fear of movement and to generate a clearer understanding of how it is experienced throughout pregnancy, supporting the development of more responsive and effective physical activity interventions.
An investigation of biomechanical changes in women during pregnancy and their implications for sports product design
Student: Rue Rupprecht
Supervisors: Dr Aimee Mears, Dr Emma Pullen and Professor Emily Rousham
Navigating midlife and exercise: understanding motivation, barriers and pathways to engagement
Student: Morgan Miller
Supervisors: Dr Gemma Witcomb, Dr Florence Kinnafick and Dr Carolyn Plateau
Morgan's research investigates how ageing anxiety, body image and menopause‑related experiences shape women’s exercise motivation.
She is also examining the influence of fitness professionals and exercise environments on decision‑making and sustained engagement in physical activity.
Her overarching aim is to identify strategies that enhance exercise participation among women over 40 and to inform inclusive, evidence‑based practices for supporting this population.
'They think it's all over. It is now': the experience of professional female football players in England leaving the game
Student: Mariama Ifode-Blease
Supervisors: Dr Gemma Witcomb and Dr Susana Monserrat-Revillo