PhD Studentship: Investigating Biomechanical Factors Linked with Fear of Movement in Pregnant Women During Physical Activity and the Supportive Role of Sportswear

During pregnancy, exercise has been shown to have multiple benefits for mother and baby and is actively encouraged in health guidelines worldwide. However, there can be several barriers for women which prevent them or limit their exercising habits during these periods. Some of the identified barriers could be related to the significant anatomical, physiological, psychological and biomechanical changes that women experience, however little is understood as to how these changes affect a woman exercising. Fear of movement during pregnancy has been linked to a reduction in exercise habits however little is known about how the psychological constructs link to physical movements and the possible role that sports products could have in supporting exercise during this period. These insights can be useful for pregnant populations and sportswear manufacturers in providing knowledge for users and developing new and innovative products.

The studentship will appeal to students with a sports science, sports engineering/technology or biological engineering background. It is intended that a variety of qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques will need to be used. There is also scope to use advanced analytic techniques to determine subject specific biomechanics therefore some existing experience of using software such as Matlab, R, Python or similar would be beneficial. The direction of the PhD can be flexible and can be partially moulded to suit the strengths and interests of the successful candidate.

Applicants must have, or expect to have, at least a 2:1 honours degree (or international equivalent) with a UK master's degree (with average programme mark of no less than 65%) or international equivalent.

Funding Details

Funding Minimum

UK and International – Fully Funded

Additional Funding Information

The studentship is for 3 years and provides a tax-free stipend of £19,237 per annum for the duration of the studentship plus university tuition fees.