Program Overview

---

Sport and Health Sciences

Overview

Our research is broadly established around the following topics:

• Physical Activity and Health Across the Lifespan
• Human Movement Science
• Integrative Physiology
• Food and Nutrition
• Children's Health and Exercise

Contact

Programme Directors: Dr Conny Guell and Dr Richard Pulsford

Research Overview

Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Exeter has a long-standing and international reputation for leading research in the field. Our world-renowned academics are recognised for their groundbreaking and innovative work within the academic community.

Research Themes

The Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism

Research focus:

1. How diets rich in inorganic nitrate (‘5-a-day’, Mediterranean, or DASH diets) influence physical and cognitive wellbeing across the lifespan, and how a persons microbiome might influence the benefits they can get from a healthy diet.
2. Skeletal muscle bioenergetics, and oxygen delivery and utilisation, as modulators of exercise (in)tolerance in health and disease

Bioactives and Exercise (BioActivEx)

This group is interested in the effects of ‘bioactives’ and exercise on musculoskeletal, cognitive, vascular and metabolic ageing, and exercise performance.

Biomechanics (ExBirt)

This group uses biomechanical tools to understand: our musculoskeletal system; how humans control movement and how that relates to performance, injury, health and disease; and to advance the design of aids like footwear, exoskeletons and prosthetics.

C. Elegans for Human Muscle Health

This group is interested in using C.Elegans (small 1mm worms) as models of human aging and muscle health. Their aim is to understand signals that regulate muscle health in youth and older age in order to inform new therapies that optimise exercise responsiveness and promote healthy aging.

Children’s Health and Exercise

The Children’s Health and Exercise Research Centre initiates research in paediatric exercise science to enhance our understanding of exercise, physical activity and sport that determines health and well-being. We are interested in optimising exercise, physical activity, and sport across a range of different paediatric groups, including healthy school-aged children, children with chronic diseases and talented young athletes.

Food Nutrition and Health

Our research spans a broad range of topics ranging from paediatric dietetics; bioactives and the gut microbiome; to the role of food in planetary and public health. We work with local partners in the Southwest of England, as well as throughout the UK, Europe, and internationally to improve the science, policy, and practice related to food, nutrition, and health and wellbeing.

Head Impacts, Brain Injury and Trauma (ExHIBIT)

This group comprises scientists from a variety of research backgrounds (physiology, motor control, psychology, nutrition, medicine), which allow them to uniquely examine the consequences of head impacts from a powerful, interdisciplinary perspective.

This research allows better understanding of player welfare, and the link between head impacts and health outcomes.

Nutritional Physiology

This group’s research interests are focused on human skeletal muscle metabolism in response to exercise and nutrition, how this adapts with exercise training, physical inactivity and ageing, and how we can affect adaptation and performance with novel nutritional, exercise or pharmacological interventions.

Physical Activity and Health Across the Lifespan

This group aims to enhance our understanding of the relationship between physical activity and health across the lifespan. To do this they work across disciplines, using and combining methods from experimental and clinical research, epidemiology, data science, and implementation science.

Psychology

This group is interested primarily in understanding the cognitive, psychophysiological and sensorimotor determinants of human performance, especially visuomotor skills. This allows predictions regarding how actors such as pressure and fatigue interact to influence performance and learning, and creation of effective interventions.

Virtual Immersive Training and Learning

This research group works across disciplines including cognitive psychology, pedagogy, human factors, user design, data science and neuroscience to explore the use of Virtual and Immersive Technologies for training learning and therapy.

How to Apply

Normally a strong background in the field of study at undergraduate level or an MSc in a related subject that would underpin the knowledge required to conduct independent research as an MPhil/PhD student. This would usually require a good 2:1 BSc degree for UK students.

Start Date

You can start in September, January or April but we strongly encourage a you to enrol in Term 1 in September as induction events are focused around this start date. However, we do permit MSc by Research/MPhil/PhD students to enrol either at the start of Term 1, Term 2 or Term 3 (see the University's term dates), or on the 1st of any other month except August, September and October.

Requirements for International Students

If you are an international student, please visit our international equivalency pages to enable you to see if your existing academic qualifications meet our entry requirements.

English Language Requirements

International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2 : view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.

PhD and Research Programme Application Process

The information below applies to self-funded PhD, MPhil and Masters by Research applicants, but if you are applying for a funded PhD studentship, please follow the specific instructions related to that application.

• Pinpoint your PhD research area
• Investigate whether this area is available at Exeter
• Ensure that you meet our English language entry requirements (international students only)
• Approach your potential supervisor(s) and confirm that they are willing to support your application
• In consultation with your potential supervisor(s) construct and refine your PhD research proposal
• Apply online

PhD studentships pages can be accessed in our Funding lists on Finance tabs under each research topic page, and are also available from the Postgraduate Research search results pages on this site, on the PhD projects tab.

Full details of the application process can be found on our Apply now webpage.

Fees and Funding

Tuition Fees per Year 2025/26

• Home : £5,006 full-time; £pro-rata part-time
• International : £28,600 full-time

For those studying for more than one year, our fees are expected to increase modestly in line with Consumer Price Inflation measured in December each year. More information can be found on our Student Finance webpages.

Tuition Fees per Year 2024/25

• Home : £4,786 full-time; £pro-rata part-time
• International : £27,500 full-time

For those studying for more than one year, our fees are expected to increase modestly in line with Consumer Price Inflation measured in December each year. More information can be found on our Student Finance webpages.

Current Available Funding

Award| Value| Application Deadline| Description ---|---|---|--- Assessing the impact of progressive organic farming standards on the nutritional quality of dairy products, PhD, funded. | 4 Year Studentship | Wed 30th Jul 2025 | The University of Exeter’s Department of Public Health and Sports Sciences is inviting applications for a 4 year PhD studentship funded by Yeo Valley to commence in October 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. For eligible students the studentship will cover Home tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,780 for 4 years full-time, or pro rata for part-time study. The student would be based in St Luke’s campus in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences but with some work carried out at University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship 2025/26 | 20% reduction in the first year tuition fee | There is no application for this award. You will be automatically considered. | A tuition fee discount for University of Exeter alumni who start a postgraduate degree with us in 2025/26 University of Exeter Class of 2025 Progression Scholarship | 20% reduction in the first year tuition fees | There is no application for this award. You will be automatically considered. | A tuition fee discount for current University of Exeter students completing a degree in 2025 and progressing directly to a standalone postgraduate programme with us in 2025/26

Supervision

You can expect:

• High-quality research supervision to develop and nurture your potential
• A tailored supervision approach to help best suit your requirements
• Accessible supervisors who are enthusiastic about working directly with postgraduate research students
• Regular timetabled meetings with your supervisor
• 'Open door' policy to all postgraduate students - instant access to world-leading researchers who will share their expertise and ideas with you
• Regular meetings with your supervisory team, other members of your research group, and mentors

Find a supervisor

Please note: You will only be able to pursue a research degree with us if we can offer appropriate supervision. Your supervisors will provide the necessary support and guidance and so need to have expertise in your chosen research field. You may join a research team or work with specific members of staff.

We strongly recommend that you informally approach your potential supervisor(s) with your research proposal before submitting a formal application to study. This will enable you to find out if they feel they would be able to supervise you and whether they believe your research proposal needs further refinement.

Facilities

Located on the historic St Luke's Campus, Sport and Health Sciences at Exeter occupies three buildings: the Richards Building, Haighton and Baring Court. Each building houses several teaching and research laboratories, and computer suites.

Teaching Labs

The teaching labs are predominantly used for practical classes and individual data collection activities for dissertations and are equipped with: Lode cycle ergometers, Monark cycle ergometers, Biodex isokinetic dynamometer, Woodway treadmills, Non-motorised treadmill, Cortex on-line gas analyser, Capillary blood sampling analysers used in exercise testing, Bioelectrical impedance analysers for body composition analysis, Anthropometrical equipment, ECG analysers and blood pressure monitors.

Exercise Physiology

The exercise physiology labs include: exercise physiology, blood analysis, DEXA, body composition, vascular physiology, MRI simulation, muscle strength laboratory, magnetic resonance centre, magnetic stimulation Unit, biomechanics laboratories, psychology laboratories.

Biomechanics Laboratories

Biomechanics research aims to improve our understanding of injury mechanisms of the lower limb, identifying ways to reduce the incidence of injury and aid rehabilitation. The School has three biomechanics laboratories; two for motion analysis and one a dedicated gait analysis lab.

Psychology Laboratories

The psychology laboratories contain treadmills, cardiorespiratory monitoring equipment, cycle ergometers and computers. Simulated sports performance environments for activities such as basketball and golf enable the study of 'visuomotor control and learning' using sophisticated eye-tracking technology.

Sports Facilities

There are extensive sports facilities across both the St Luke's and Streatham campuses. Visit the University Sports website for full details.