Last October, the Peter Harrison Centre (PHC) welcomed ten new doctoral researchers, marking an exciting step in the continued growth and evolving scope of the Centre's research. As their projects begin to take shape, we are delighted to showcase the wide range of academic backgrounds, professional experiences, and shared curiosity that each new researcher brings to the PHC community.
To help everyone get to know our newest cohort, we are sharing a short series of introductions. Each feature spotlights one doctoral researcher, offering insight into their journey to doctoral study, their previous experience, and the questions driving their PhD research.
This is the eighth article in the series and introduces Imogen Dhanda.
Imogen completed her undergraduate degree in Sport and Exercise Science at Nottingham Trent University, where her dissertation focused on exploring parents’, carers’, and support workers’ impressions of inclusivity for pupils with learning disabilities in Physical Education. This research has been published in the Journal of Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy and can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2025.2553286
Following her BSc, she completed an MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Loughborough University, where her research focused on coaches' perspectives on the applicability of the 5Cs for autistic youth.
For the last 4 years, Imogen has worked as a support worker at Nottingham Mencap, supporting individuals of all ages with SEND. She has recently become a Lead Sport and Exercise Coach at Nottingham Mencap, where she supports individuals, either 1-2-1 or in groups, to engage in physical activity to promote physical health, wellbeing, and inclusion.
Imogen's PhD is funded by MGS ESRC. Her research focuses on making community-based sport inclusive for SEND youth. Imogen is interested in developing an inclusive coaching framework that can support the psychosocial development of youth with SEND and coaches' understanding of SEND. By using both participatory research and co-production, she intends to produce research with practical value that truly supports the individuals central to this PhD.
Over the coming weeks, we will continue to introduce the rest of our doctoral cohort. Each profile offers a closer look at the people behind our research and the ideas shaping the future of the Peter Harrison Centre.
Look out for the next introduction soon.