I am a Lecturer in Sport Coaching, Global Opportunities Coordinator for Sport, and Programme Leader for MSc Sport and Exercise. I am a researcher in the areas of sport coaching and sport psychology, specialising in the antecedents of coach behaviour and motivational psychology within sport. My research aims to understand the influences on coaches’ motivational practices, so they can receive better training and support to promote positive outcomes for sport participants. I champion the use of self-determination theory (SDT) as a lens through which to understand and support coaching, while also critically evaluating its limitations to refine how it is applied in coaching research and practice.

I approach my research with empathy, striving to understand – rather than judge – the lived realities of coaches. My goal is to develop a blend of bottom-up and top-down solutions to address the challenge of translating theory into practice, in ways that nurture and cultivate adaptive coaching behaviours.

My PhD research explored the factors influencing the interpersonal behaviours of community youth football coaches in Scotland, framed through the lens of SDT. I have also conducted parallel investigations in youth football academy and performance school settings. My research is predominantly qualitative, drawing on both traditional and arts-based methods.

More recently, I have developed an interest in psychosocial coach behaviour, as well as curriculum and environmental design for developing mental skills and broader psychological characteristics in youth athletes. This work is inspired by the 5Cs coaching framework.

I am passionate about public engagement – not only in developing research projects collaboratively with coaches, sport clubs, and organisations, but also in disseminating coaching research to non-academic audiences. I host a coaching podcast titled Labours of Sport Coaching: The Science and Art of Coaching, Motivation, and Self-Determination, where I discuss my research area and occasionally explore pedagogy, philosophy, and under-discussed or little-known areas of coaching research and practice.

I am also committed to knowledge exchange, both within and beyond my research in sport coaching. I provide research consultancy services through the Division of Sport, Exercise and Health. In addition, I am a member of the Young Academy of Scotland (YAS), part of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE). I serve on the RSE Research Awards Social Sciences Sub-Committee as a reviewer in the field of Psychology.

I am currently utilising art-based methods to share the experiences of community and performance focused youth football coaches and examine influences on their motivational behaviours based on a SDT framework. Adopted techniques include the use of poetric representation and creative non-fiction. These works are based on findings from my PhD research, and I am presently engaged in manuscript development and publishing.

I am also supervising two interconnected postgraduate student research projects developed in collaboration with St Mirren football club: the first, an MRes project evaluating a co-created psychosocial player development programme; and the second, a PhD project developing bespoke coach and parent support in delivery of said programme.

I am interested in testing the use of antecedent information to support behaviour change within the coach-created motivational environment. This represents a shift away from depersonalised, top-down approaches to coach education, towards more personalised and contextually informed planning for positive coaching behaviours.

I am also keen to explore the use of arts-based representations of sport coaching within coach education, as a means to promote greater engagement, deeper reflection, and the co-production of ideas among coaches.

I am drawn to collaborative projects with professional sport coaches, clubs, and organisations. While my research experience is primarily within youth football, I am keen to explore relevant ideas across a range of sports and competitive levels.