PhD Studentship: Comfort, Fit and Function: The Role of Sports Apparel and Equipment in Female Para-athlete Performance

Sports apparel and equipment are critical determinants of an athlete’s performance and overall experience. Despite this, research focused on female para-athletes, particularly regarding apparel and equipment design, remains limited. Female para-athletes face distinct challenges, including limited clothing options, poor fit, and discomfort, which can impede athletic performance. Apparel specifically engineered to meet their needs has the potential to mitigate these issues by reducing physical strain, improve comfort, and support mobility during prolonged training or competition. This research aims to investigate the specific sports apparel and equipment requirements of female para-athletes and provide a biomechanical and mechanical underpinning to inform the design of functional and comfortable sports apparel and equipment addressing their unique needs.

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

The project is part of the Para Sport: ParaFit 2032 - Optimising Performance and Health in Para-athletes Research cluster that brings together multidisciplinary project teams and cross cutting PhD Projects. Learn more here https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/clusters/parafit/ as well as the work in Para sport within the SSEHS at Peter Harrison Centre | Loughborough University

Entry requirements:

A 2:1 honours degree (or equivalent international qualification) in sports technology, sports engineering, sports & exercise science, product design engineering, ergonomics, biomedical engineering, engineering or equivalent. Applicants with a 2:2 will be considered with a master’s degree (merit or above) or international equivalent. For all applicants, a relevant master’s degree or industry experience is advantageous.

English language requirements:

Applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements. Further details are available on the International website.

Funding information:

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

How to Apply

Apply online via the above ‘Apply’ button. Under programme name, select ‘Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering’ and quote the advert reference number ‘PARAFIT-AM-24’ under the ‘Finance’ section of your application.

All applications must include the minimum supporting documents listed on the ‘How to Apply’ webpage, including a curriculum vitae (CV), and a reference to the project ‘PARAFIT-AM-24’. Incomplete applications received after the advert closing date may not be considered for interview.

The selection criteria will be used by academic schools to help them make a decision on your application. 

Advert information