About the Project
This PhD seeks to examine the talent development pathways that exist in sport, through a systems lens. This systems lens will adopt an interdisciplinary perspective and examine the pathway from all disciplines to enable a full understanding of the pathways that exist in sport (internationally, and then with a specific focus on sport in the UK). The PhD will have three distinct but related phases.
Phase 1 (exploratory phase): To establish what a talent development pathway is composed of, and how those components vary. It will include an international scoping review of talent development and elite sport systems across sports and nations and a focused international comparison of four to six contrasting national pathways.
Phase 2 (co-development phase): Informed by phase one, the co-development phase will then seek to co-create system informed guidelines for talent development in the UK, using a Delphi approach.
Phase 3 (application phase): Working within one national system for the target sport, this phase will map the current pathway at system level and use the Phase 2 guidelines to produce an evidence-informed proposed pathway model.
N.B. Full implementation and outcome evaluation of a national pathway sits beyond a doctoral timeframe and is positioned here as the route to post-doctoral and impact activity, aligning directly with the developing REF 2029 Impact Case Study on systems approaches to sport and physical activity.
The Candidate
The successful candidate will have a strong academic track record relevant to the research area of interest, together with some experience of working in an applied performance setting, ideally in performance pathway/s. Experience of working with national governing sport bodies is highly desirable.
Knowledge and experience:
- Systems approaches in sport;
- Performance pathways and their nuances, from across a range of sports;
- Delphi and co-prodiuction approaches in research;
- Of working in a multidisciplinary, high performance sport environment.
Education and Qualifications
- First or upper second-class honours degree (or equivalent) in Sport and Exercise Science, or a related discipline.
- A postgraduate qualification ideally in a sports science or a sports management related discipline is also highly desirable
Personal Attributes
- Curious and motivated researcher.
- Excellent organisational and time-management skills.
- Ability to manage multiple projects.
- Commitment to interdisciplinary working as part of a team.
- Passion for improving elite pathways in sport.
- Interest in representing early career researchers in the range of research centre activities, including networking activities, external/internal events and promotion.
To apply for this opportunity, please submit the following:
- CV (max 2 pages) to include two academic referees
- Cover letter outlining your motivation for undertaking the PhD, relevant experience, research interests and career aspirations (max 2 pages)
- A PDF of your undergraduate or postgraduate thesis
- Degree and postgraduate transcripts
Applications should be submitted to ESSHRI@cardiffmet.ac.uk
Given the anticipated high-volume of applications received, we will only contact those applicants who are invited to interview.
For any questions about this opportunity, please contact Prof Diane Crone: dmcrone@cardiffmet.ac.uk
Closing Date: 2nd October 2026
Interviews: likely w/c 19th October 2026
Enrolment: 29th January 2027
Funding Notes
The TASS Research Institute Wales, a partnership between the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) and Cardiff Metropolitan University's Centre for Health, Activity and Wellbeing Research and the Centre for Applied Sport Science and Medicine (CASSM), is offering a fully-funded PhD studentship to explore, co-design and implement a systems-informed, Talent Development Pathway for sport. The successful candidate will join an internationally recognised interdisciplinary supervisory team and explore international best practice in talent development pathways and co-develop a systems-informed pathway for a specific (tbc) sport in the UK. The studentship, which commences from January 2027 includes full UK tuition fees (£5,500) and a UKRI-equivalent 3-year annual stipend (£21,805 for 2026/27). International applicants will receive a tuition fee discount equivalent to the UK fee rate and will be responsible for the remainder of the overseas tuition fee.
