Why did you choose to study Sport and Exercise Science? And why at Bath?

Firstly, I chose Bath because I had a good feeling about the University when I first visited it - it's a very prestigious university and a great city! I also really liked that it was a campus uni; it felt like a hub of exciting energy and you had everything you needed in one place.

A funny story about my application... I didn’t start off doing Sport and Exercise Science. I actually started off studying Maths because I loved it at A-Levels and thought it would provide great career opportunities. However, after a week or two of lectures, something didn’t feel right.

Everyone I met seemed to do sports science, and I became kind of envious hearing about the things they were learning about. Taking this as a sign, I went to the University and asked if I could switch over early on to Sport and Exercise Science. It wasn’t an easy process, but it was the best decision I made, and I’ve never looked back!

Was there anything you hoped a degree at Bath would unlock for you?

Doing a degree at Bath was attractive to me because of the potential career opportunities it would unlock. During my degree, I had the chance to do a placement as a Research Assistant where I worked in the Biomechanics Research Lab at the University of Wollongong, Australia. It was an amazing life changing experience.

Looking back, the role really shaped me; it was valuable having career experience that early on. It was through this placement that my passion grew, and my research interests became more focused on biomechanics (how the body moves) and the impact of movement, activity and exercise on health.

Afterwards, in my final year, a three-month Research Assistant role at Bath was advertised to my cohort. Because of the skills and confidence I had gained from my degree and placement, I was able to secure the Bath role after graduating. It was great to use the experience I had built from my placement in a hands-on environment; this new role combined my interests in biomechanics and health as I helped test how foot insoles could improve mobility and fall prevention among older adults.

What did your career look like after graduating?

After doing three months as a Research Assistant at Bath, I started thinking ‘what’s next for me?’. I knew I wanted to do something health-related, but also to try working in a community setting. My experience had been research-focused, so I wanted to put what I’d learnt into practice and see how it translated into “real life”.

An opportunity came up with Christchurch and East Dorset Council (CEDC) to develop and coordinate a county-wide physical activity programme, working with people diagnosed with various health conditions. I hesitantly applied, thinking that the role might be too senior for me, but I got the job! At first, I was surprised, but genuinely I think my degree boosted my application. Not only was the degree relevant to the role, but it also gave me key transferrable skills that showed I could work at an advanced level.

After working with CEDC for a few years (and taking some time off to do a ski season), my interests streamlined into public health interventions to support health and wellbeing. The great thing about my undergraduate degree was that it was so broad. It covered topics like sport performance, psychology, and physiology – meaning I got a taste of all these different areas. This, along with my work experiences, helped me realise that I wanted to specialise in physical activity and public health.

As a result, I decided to do a master's degree in physical activity, nutrition and public health at The University of Bristol. During my studies, I once again became a part-time Research Assistant at the University of Bath, where I worked on several research projects related to active ageing.

Following this I have worked in a number of different charities, delivering, managing and evaluating community-based physical activity and health programmes.

Have your career aspirations changed since you studied at Bath?

I feel very fortunate that I am in a sector that is so relevant to my degree, and I have no intention of leaving. So, from that perspective, my aspirations haven’t changed.

But the roles I want to work in have changed. During my undergrad, I saw the impact research can have on people’s lives and wanted to be a part of translating findings into the real world. This is why I erred towards community-based, delivery-focused roles for a while.

However, I found that I used research skills from my degree a lot in these roles, like writing funding reports and handling lots of data. This was the part I liked the most; the reports would contribute to the success of the projects so that they could have a real-world impact. That’s what led me to work in data research and insight role now, but still within the sport and physical activity sector.

Where are you in your career now?

Since 2023, I have worked as a Senior Research and Insights Manager at Sport England. My role involves supporting colleagues and external partners with insight and data that help them to make evidence-based decisions on strategies, policies and investments. A big part of my role is about understanding their needs so I can support them to make greater impact.

My day-to-day is varied - which I love! I manage relationships with research partners, review methodological approaches, and provide expertise. I also do a lot of data visualisation with complex data. People don’t have time to read an academic paper, so I help with translating data into something more simple but effective.

I don’t think I would be in a research and insight role like this if it weren’t for my degree and research assistant roles through Bath. The skills that I learnt during my at undergrad studies, like how to analyse data or think critically, are what I actually use in my job every day. Going to uni gives you that foundation to build on and have the confidence that you’ve got that baseline knowledge.