My journey from student to academic at Leeds Beckett

My academic journey is a short and sweet one; I joined Leeds Beckett University (then Leeds Metropolitan University) in 2011 and, essentially, I’ve never left! I studied my undergraduate in BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science between 2011-2014, continued to complete my Master of Science in Psychology of Sport and Exercise between 2014-2015, and then began my PhD in February 2016 and successfully defended my viva in March 2019. I was always interested in sport psychology and the ways in which performers interpret and interact with the experiences they are exposed to. Throughout my undergraduate studies I was exposed to learning about psychological stress and associated theories, and I became more curious about the stressors individuals experience, how they evaluate and cope with these stressors, and how they subsequently respond and the impact on health, psychological well-being, and performance. Thus, both my undergraduate and Masters dissertations focused on psychological stress in sport. This continued to be the focus for my PhD and I have continued to work and publish in this space. 

I explored psychological stress and well-being among sports coaches using qualitative methods, including interviews and daily diaries. My research highlighted the unique challenges faced by male and female coaches across different employment types and emphasised the need for both systemic solutions, such as mentoring programmes, and individual support through tailored interventions. 

Following my PhD I worked as a postdoctoral research fellow on the evaluation of the Sport England funded Local Delivery Pilot “Active Calderdale”. This was a significant switch of focus away from my PhD work, but the skills I had learned during my PhD, particularly the qualitative and interpersonal skills, helped guide me through the role. I did this role for two years, with some teaching alongside, before taking on a full-time lecturing role in 2021 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2023. If you have done the maths correctly, this means I have been a part of the Leeds Beckett furniture for 13 years (and counting!). 

One of my biggest achievements during this time was balancing a full-time PhD, part-time lecturing commitments, research assistant work, a part-time job as a receptionist at Beckett Sport, and training for my first 70.3 Ironman event… all at the same time! I was fortunate that, while training for an endurance event is no mean feat, the 70.3 training provided me with a lot of time and space (spent outdoors in green spaces!) to think through the PhD, decisions I was making, and helped if I was stuck with my writing. I also had a great support network around me which made my down-time good fun and was a great distraction when I needed it.  

In terms of academic achievements and contributions, I’m proud to have co-established, alongside Dr James Nobles (Leeds Beckett's School of Health), the Systems Evaluation Network. This network focuses on the use of systems-oriented methods and evaluation designs being used within the public health sphere and brings together an international community of over 750 people (50:50 split, academics to policy-makers and practitioners). This has led to working with James to establish and co-chair a Special Interest Group (SIG) within the International Society of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity, called Systems Science, which I will have the opportunity to engage with at the 2025 conference in Auckland, New Zealand. 

Now five years post-PhD, I hope to continue working in the stress and psychological well-being space to help coaches flourish in their role and be able to better deal with, and understand, the stressors they experience, to have a positive impact on their psychological well-being. I also hope to continue bringing people together through the Systems Evaluation Network and Systems Science SIG to share methods and experiences of working with systems approaches and the associated evaluations. This space is complex and, hopefully, through further collaborations and funding opportunities, we can continue to navigate this together.  

I am also very much looking forward to continuing to supervise PhD students as they work through their doctoral journey and I hope to make their journey as enjoyable as mine was. 

One piece of advice I would give aspiring or current PhD students is to keep your options open to exploring an alternative focus post-PhD. While I’m still incredibly passionate about my PhD topic, I love the work I do in the systems science and evaluation space and without taking a leap of faith into something unknown, I would not have had the opportunities I’ve had or developed in the way I have. Remember that growth starts at the end of your comfort zone.   

You can follow me on X: @PhDPotts or follow me on LinkedIn.  

If you are interested in joining the Systems Evaluation Network, please let me know. If you would like to find out more information about the Systems Science SIG, please click here: Systems Science SIG – ISBNPA