Pain Research Team

The Pain Research Team at Leeds Beckett serve as a welcoming home for anyone with an interest in pain—fostering collaboration, advancing understanding, and shaping the future of pain science and care. We have been advancing pain science since 1992, serving as a repository of expertise in the prevention, treatment, and management of pain. We catalyse scholarship, research, consultancy, and education on ‘all-things-pain’, with an internationally recognised and extensive publication record spanning clinical trials, human laboratory studies, qualitative research, service evaluation, and evidence syntheses. Our vibrant team supervises PhDs, delivers digital learning, and engages widely through conferences, media, and public outreach—shaping practice through rigorous science and global collaboration.

Our research

At present, our research portfolio explores innovative, non-medical, community-based approaches to chronic pain management, emphasising culturally responsive care, innovative and arts based interventions, and integration of voluntary sector and NHS services. We also focus on rethinking pain education for healthcare professionals through creative methods such as virtual patients and person-centred thinking. Our research advocates for systemic change in both clinical practice, communities and education to better address the lived experiences and diverse needs of people living with persistent pain.

• Integral Pain
  • A whole-person, whole-health, whole-system perspective
  • Health promotion perspectives
• Pain Beyond Pills
  • Factors influencing response to electrophysical agents
  • Pain, diet and nutrition
  • Physiotherapy for pain
• Pain Beyond Clinics
  • Rethinking pain through community-based pain support
  • Unmasking pain through artistic engagement
• Pain Beyond the West
  • Sociocultural modulators of response to noxious stimuli
  • Pain in the Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia
• Reimagining Pain Education
  • Pain science education for patients and for practitioners
  • Culturally-informed pain education
• Pain in Sport
  • Injury, Epidemiology, Therapy, and Recovery

Research degrees

We maintain a robust programme of doctoral studies and have successfully supervised over thirty PhD candidates. Our research portfolio is distinguished by its breadth and interdisciplinary scope, encompassing studies conducted within our academic community and in collaboration with external partners. Broad fields of inquiry include pain science, rehabilitation, epidemiology, and sports medicine. Specific topics range from evaluating the benefits and potential harms of electrotherapies, exploring responses to noxious stimuli, and investigating the prevalence and incidence of pain and injury, to understanding lived experiences and conducting culturally informed health research. This diversity reflects our commitment to an inclusive and comprehensive approach to doctoral scholarship.

Current research award students

• Ursula Philpot: Investigation into the use of diet therapy or the management of chronic pain
• Jason Hynd: The Bicycle Saddle and Pelvic Interface: Influences for Performance
• Verity Green: Evaluating the Impact of a Compassion-Focused Group Approach for Military Veterans with Long-Term Conditions
• Yousef Al Sharyah: Evaluating Physical Activity Promotion to Reduce Pain and Disability from Chronic Musculoskeletal Disorders in Physiotherapy Rehabilitation Settings in Saudi Arabia
• Jennifer Rainford: What are the pathways for investigation and management of chronic primary pain?

Our partners

We have an established track record of partnership with academic colleagues and industry, both nationally and internationally. At present, we are proud to serve as academic partners in the Rethinking Pain service, hosted by Keighley Healthy Living.

Public engagement

We have a well-established track record in public engagement, participating in high-profile science festivals such as the Royal Society Summer Exhibition and Asia Techfest. Our outreach activities also include community-based initiatives such as The Chai Ladies and participation in Flippin’ Pain cycle tours, reflecting our commitment to accessible, inclusive, and impactful knowledge exchange.