Terri Paulson

Dr Terri Paulson completed a PhD in Sport Nutrition with the Peter Harrison Centre, Loughborough University. Terri now works within Performance Nutrition as part of the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme and England Netball.

Terri began her journey within the field of Sport Science with a BSc in Sport Science at University of Bath including a professional placement at the Lucozade Sport Science Academy where her keen interest in nutrition seemingly built.

Terri continued her education with an MSc in Sports Nutrition at Loughborough University and followed this with a PhD. Terri’s final thesis ‘Caffeine: Evidence-based guidance for use during upper-body exercise and for individuals with a spinal cord injury’ can be found here.

Terri’s keen interest for nutrition resulted in her obtaining a Sport and Exercise Nutrition register (SENr) practitioner qualification.

Terri currently holds two roles within sports nutrition:

  • Terri has been the Head of Performance Support at England Netball since April 2022, leading the sport science & medicine team to best support the England Netball Roses, Future Roses & the Academy.
  • She is also Head of Nutrition for the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) and has been since February 2023. Terri’s role involves leading a team of TASS Nutrition practitioners to best support talented athletes.

Terri's time within the Peter Harrison Centre...

Alongside her PhD, Terri worked as a Research Assistant at the Peter Harrison Centre.

Reflecting on her time within the PHC, Terri said…

It offered me the opportunity to research an area I was passionate about and find a niche area of expertise in Paralympic Nutrition. Alongside my studies I also ran a Nutrition services project with England & Wales Disability cricket which ignited the practitioner and strategist in me. The PHC were great in allowing me to pursue both my applied & academic ambitions at the same time.

Terri said that the ability to work and network with researchers & practitioners alike gave her both the confidence and skills to apply for practitioner roles at the start of her Performance Nutrition career.

A few years into her roles at the UK Sports Institute (UKSI, formerly known as the EIS), Terri took up the role of Para Nutrition Lead to help support the other EIS Para-Nutritionists. A role which Terri says she would not have been capable of without the grounding in Paralympic Nutrition and athlete support at the PHC.

Terri has recently had to give up this role within Para sport, having started the above 2 leadership roles but she is, however, taking an active role in supporting TASS practitioners to better deliver to their athletes in Paralympic sports by providing more bespoke, tailored individual support.

Terri summarised her experience in Para Sport as

a welcoming community who consistently think outside the box and problem solve to best support athletic performance.

When discussing Terri’s future goals and ambitions within the field, she expressed that she is enjoying the leadership elements of her newest roles & looks forward to developing in this space. She is also keen to encourage, support &/or manage research projects using elite athletes that can be easily translated into daily practice, especially around the female athlete.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us Terri! It has been great to hear how you have progressed within and outside of Para Sport. All the best for your future endeavours.