Tell us a bit about yourself and what you've been doing since you graduated?

From a young age, sport has been a prominent feature in my life, football and cricket being the most popular, but I have also recently got more into running, completing my first half-marathon last summer on the same day England lost the Euros final to Spain…a tough day all round!

Since my graduation, I worked for West Midlands Police as an Intelligence Analyst as I struggled to find a role in sport nutrition before successfully securing what I would consider my dream role in October 2024. 

What have been the highlights of your career so far?

Being successful in my application for my PhD would definitely be my highlight so far, probably because before securing this role I’d had several setbacks from similar roles, regularly being told I didn’t have enough experience, but it is difficult when it feels like you need experience to get experience! I feel everything happens for a reason because the opportunity I have now surpasses any of the others in terms of level of sport and the location, it really has fallen into place. 

Tell us about your job, what does this entail and did studying at Leeds Beckett help you get there?

I am currently completing my PhD at another university in conjunction with Aston Football Club. This role is an applied PhD, I am based full-time at Aston Villa working as a practitioner within the first team whilst concurrently carrying out my research so at the end of my PhD I will be a confident practitioner and applied researcher. 

My Masters course has undoubtedly given me this opportunity. The variety of modules I studied covered all the fundamental aspects of Sport and Exercise Nutrition whilst giving me the opportunity to delve deeper into areas of personal interest with the option to complete coursework elements in a sporting context of my choice.  

The course also has an extra-curricular Applied Practice Program module which all students can apply to. The module gives you the chance to work with various athletes across multiple sports developing educational resources translating theory into practice, developing your practitioner skill set. These experiences are the ones that make you stand out!

How has your experience studying at Leeds Beckett influenced you and your career? 

Of course, studying the MSc has enabled me to pursue a career in performance nutrition. Throughout the course you cover all the fundamental components of sport and exercise nutrition and there are countless opportunities to develop your applied skills. What’s great about Leeds Beckett is that it has so many links with professional clubs. During my MSc I completed a season-long placement at Huddersfield Town Football Club as a sport science intern, without this experience I would have found it difficult to showcase the relevant experience for my current role. 

What attracted you to study your course at Leeds Beckett University?

I chose to study Sport and Exercise Science at Leeds Beckett as I loved sport and knew Leeds had a great reputation as a student city. I also wanted to understand what underpins elite athletes’ performance, but it was only during my third year that I found myself most interested by nutrition. It was from here that I started to explore the world of nutrition, engaging with experienced nutritionists and laying out my path towards becoming a performance nutritionist. 

What did you enjoy about your course and what advice would you give someone thinking about studying this course?

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the course was the fact you are studying with others who share your passion, which means there’s always someone to turn to when you are struggling and given the workload increase at MSc it’s great to be in such a positive environment.  

The course is also accredited by the Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register which isn’t the case for all postgraduate sport nutrition courses in the UK. All of the modules are designed in line with Section A of the competency framework so regardless of the topic and sporting context you choose for your coursework, you are hitting each of the criteria. This means that upon graduation you are eligible to apply for graduate registration on the SENr which is a prerequisite for any roles in performance nutrition. 

What's next for you?

Finishing my PhD! I am loving every minute of my time at Villa but I know there will be bumps along the road, the fast-paced environment that is elite football means I have to be able to go from practitioner to researcher instantly and managing all these moving parts is definitely challenging but I am loving the journey and look forward to reflecting on my development over the course of the PhD.