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Swansea University has launched a new collaborative PhD project with the UK Sports Institute (UKSI), the UK’s leading provider of science, medicine, technology and engineering services to Olympic and Paralympic sports.
The project, led by academics from Swansea’s Sport Analytics specialist area, builds on a growing research programme at the University which uses advanced data analytics to tackle real‑world performance challenges in elite sport.
As part of the Applied Sports Technology, Exercise and Medicine (A-STEM) Research Centre, the project team works closely with UKSI and a range of major sporting organisations — from Swansea City AFC, the Scarlets and the Ospreys, to Swim Wales and INEOS Grenadiers — and includes Professors Liam Kilduff, Neil Bezodis and Laura Mason, and Drs Mark Waldron and Rowan Brown.
Drawing on their combined expertise in sports performance science, statistics, machine learning and computer science, the team aims to accelerate how data is translated into high-performance decision-making across a range of sports in the UK.
The project will apply a framework — recently developed by the Swansea team in collaboration with industry and academic partners — to support data-informed practice in elite sport.
It will also use advanced modelling approaches — including machine learning, digital twin models and, where appropriate, AI techniques — to generate innovative solutions that help high-performance sports make clearer, more confident choices.
Neil Bezodis, Professor of Sports Biomechanics and Technology at Swansea University, said: “We always work closely with our partners to design and conduct research that will genuinely impact high-performance sport. We’re therefore very proud of our longstanding relationship with UKSI, and excited about the potential for this project to further influence their practice, as well as that of the sports they work with.”
Dr Matt Parker, Director of Performance Innovation at UKSI, said: “Our ongoing relationship with Swansea has helped us to access research capabilities which have unearthed and validated performance impact across a broad spectrum of sports over several Olympic and Paralympic Cycles, covering the full spectrum of performance support, including biomechanics, psychology, physiology and more recently Data Science. Liam, Neil and the team at A-STEM bring a rigorous approach to science alongside a performance-first attitude, and they have a strong track record of delivering value against competition timelines in complex scenarios.”
Dave Thomas, Senior Performance and Innovation Consultant (Technology) at UKSI, added: “Partnering with the A-STEM Research Centre in running this PhD allows us to build on existing work with Swansea in developing and applying new and novel methods for finding meaningful performance levers within complex and often messy datasets. Hopefully, it also offers aspiring practitioners the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the British Olympic and Paralympic effort, while gaining valuable experience in High Performance Sport and developing a cutting-edge analytical skillset.”
This PhD opportunity builds on Swansea University’s extensive portfolio of high-performance collaborations — from applied sports analytics projects that have informed the technical strategies of national governing bodies working in partnership with UKSI, to the development of novel heated garments for athletes’ pre-competition preparation, delivered in partnership with the Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating.
Learn more about Swansea University’s Sport and Exercise Sciences department.