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Deadline: 15 March 2026
South West, All England
The University of Bath is inviting applications for the following funded PhD project commencing in September 2026 under the supervision of Dr Simon Roberts, Dr Sean Williams and Prof Keith Stokes.
This project is anticipated to be conducted in collaboration with the Rugby Football Union, subject to final contractual agreement.
Overview of the anticipated research:
The Women’s Rugby Injury Surveillance Project (WRISP) was established in 2017 alongside the re-launch of rugby union’s highest women’s league in England. Since 2017 the women’s game has grown, the league has become Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) and victory for England in the Rugby World Cup in the autumn of 2025 has raised the profile of the women’s game even further. Despite this growth, there remains relatively little evidence regarding injury patterns in elite women’s rugby.
With nine seasons of retrospective data, plus three seasons of prospective data capture over the course of this PhD, the WRISP dataset is the biggest in women’s rugby and one of the biggest in all of women’s sport. With such a rich source of data, for the first time it will be possible to examine specific injuries in detail to inform injury prevention and injury management strategies at both individual player and policy level. While the dataset is specific to rugby, the findings will have application in all women’s sport. We have a track record of using similar data sets to influence policy and practice in sport to have a real-world impact on athlete health and performance.
The research will focus on lower limb injuries to determine whether there are specific characteristics of individuals who are at greater risk of injury or who take longer to return from injury (e.g., full-time professional players compared with players on part-time contracts). Specific injuries (e.g., hamstring and ACL injuries) will be examined to determine whether there are any strategies that might reduce the chances of these injuries occurring. Integrating injury data with individual player exposure and load from routinely captured player GPS data will allow examination of the influence of training and match exposure on injury patterns alongside identifying any periods of greater risk (e.g., pre-season compared with in-season). The specific research questions will be discussed and agreed with partners at England Rugby and PWR to maximise impact and research quality.
Project Keywords: Rugby, Sport, Sports Medicine, Injury, Athlete
Applicants should hold, or expect to receive, a First Class or high Upper Second Class UK Honours degree (or the equivalent) in a relevant subject. A master’s level qualification would also be advantageous.
Non-UK applicants must meet our English language entry requirement.
Candidates may be considered for a University of Bath studentship tenable for 3 years. Funding covers tuition fees, a stipend (£21,805 p/a in 2026/7) and access to a training support budget.
Informal enquiries are encouraged and should be directed to Dr Simon Roberts: spsspr@bath.ac.uk.
Formal applications should be submitted via the University of Bath’s online application form for a PhD in Health prior to the closing date of this advert.
IMPORTANT: Applications for this project may close earlier than the advertised deadline if a suitable candidate is found. We therefore recommend that you contact the lead supervisor should you have any questions prior to applying and submit your formal application as early as possible.
When completing the application form:
1. In the Funding your studies section, select ‘University of Bath URSA’ as the studentship for which you are applying.
2. In the Your PhD project section, quote the project title of this project and the name of the lead supervisor in the appropriate boxes.
Failure to complete these two steps will cause delays in processing your application and may cause you to miss the deadline.
More information about applying for a PhD at Bath may be found on our website.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:
We value a diverse research environment and aim to be an inclusive university, where difference is celebrated and respected. We welcome and encourage applications from under-represented groups.
If you have circumstances that you feel we should be aware of that have affected your educational attainment, then please feel free to tell us about it in your application form. The best way to do this is a short paragraph at the end of your personal statement.
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