Hi Scott, can you tell us a little about your PhD and the question that motivated the research?

My PhD title is “Muscle-tendon properties in females: influence of chronic loading and the menstrual cycle”. The main motivator for this research was the lack of understanding of female muscle-tendon adaptation to different types of loading. However, I wanted to “do it properly”, which meant first developing a better understanding of the reliability and variability of muscle-tendon metrics in this population, leading to the menstrual cycle aspect becoming a key research question of the thesis.

In brief, I reported the reliability of a range of muscle-tendon metrics, found that some of these metrics varied in response to changing menstrual cycle hormone concentrations and symptoms, and saw that different long-term loading demands result in divergent adaptations to tendons. The results allow scientists and practitioners to make more informed decisions around testing, monitoring, and training of female athletes.

You’ve studied at Leeds Beckett across three degrees. What has kept you connected to LBU, and what have been the defining moments of that journey?

It’s funny to look back on this now that I’ve gone all the way to PhD, but I actually didn’t want to go to uni when I left school! After working a few odd jobs after leaving school I decided I wanted to study sport science, and I had previously been on an open day to LBU in sixth form, which was where my first connection to LBU was made.

From there I loved my Sport and Exercise Science undergrad, enough so that after finishing, I decided I wanted to go further and do an MSc/PhD. After a year out I began my MSc in Sport and Exercise Biomechanics, and then the PhD opportunity came up a year after finishing that.

Beckett’s facilities/equipment and the staff knowledge and research experience in the muscle-tendon topic I was interested in were all part of my reasons for staying connected to LBU. As well as this, I was lucky enough to have Dr Gareth Nicholson as my dissertation supervisor for my BSc, my personal tutor for the MSc, and then Director of Studies for my PhD – I definitely think that his support and guidance have been a big part of keeping me around.

You published your work in PLOS ONE during your PhD. What did that experience teach you about academic publishing, and what advice would you share with other PGRs hoping to publish their work?

It takes a long time! Even if you have a relatively smooth peer review process, there’s still a lot of waiting around for editors, reviewers, or journal staff to complete their tasks. So, if you want to publish during your PhD, try to submit as early as possible! The other thing I learnt was that writing for a paper is different to writing for your thesis; it typically needs to be more concise and focused, as well as “selling” the paper a bit more – strongly justifying the methods and demonstrating why the results are important. I feel like it really improved my academic writing abilities, so I would strongly recommend publishing during your PhD if you can.

What have been the highlights of your PhD journey, and what challenges helped you grow the most as a researcher?

My first major milestone was the initial acceptance of the position as it had been a journey of a few years to even get to that point. Other highlights were completing the first data collection session in the lab, going to Paris for the ECSS (European College of Sport Science) 2023 conference, getting the PLOS ONE paper published, and finally the viva. It seems clichéd, but the things that helped me grow the most were the things that went wrong – having to learn from mistakes or adjust your plans were great teachers on dealing with setbacks, and that’s something you’ll constantly be doing as a researcher!

What support, relationships or experiences have made the biggest difference during your doctoral journey?

My PGR (postgraduate research student) friends made a huge difference to my journey – our shared experiences of the trials and tribulations of PhD life created a strong bond between us that’s lasted beyond our time as PGRs. Having that support really helped during the (unfortunately inevitable!) low points along the way.

Now that you’ve completed your PhD and moved into the next stage of your career, what would you say to current PGRs who are working towards that final milestone?

Keep going! And remember that when it comes to your viva, you’re the expert on your thesis, so be confident. Beyond that, I’d recommend keeping an eye on your overall career development throughout your PhD if you can – try to get involved in a range of opportunities that broaden your skills and experience beyond just research and thesis writing. As well as that, I’d say to keep an open mind for where you’d like to go after your PGR journey – I’m not where I’d planned to be, but I love my current role as Researcher in Cancer Rehabilitation at Sheffield Hallam University, and I’m so glad I ended up here. Finally, and I cannot stress this enough: “a perfect thesis is never finished, and a finished thesis is never perfect”, so just do your best and be proud of what you’ve accomplished.

LBU Research Voices is a blog series that celebrates the experiences, journeys, and expertise of our LBU research community. Through this series, we explore the knowledge our researchers have gained, not just from their work, but from their lived experiences, career paths, and the communities they engage with. By sharing their stories, we hope to inspire learning, reflection, and connection across our LBU research culture.

Explore the full LBU Research Voices series to read more stories from across our LBU research community.