Swansea University is seeking candidates to undertake a fully-funded PhD scholarship to research the development, evaluation and application of immersive learning environments for performance sport.

This exciting new project is the first formal collaboration between Swansea University’s world-leading Simulation and Immersive Learning Centre (SUSIM) and Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences.

Over the last year, these two groups have developed interdisciplinary collaborations and conducted pilot projects in specific sporting applications. This PhD project will now expedite this process by formally leading the exploration of viable opportunities for the application of immersive learning environments to address key performance questions in sport.

The successful candidate will work with a range of existing and new high performance sporting partners of the Elite and Professional Sport research group to identify areas where immersive learning has the potential to positively impact their performance through a variety of different means (for example, but not limited to, training applications, competition environment familiarisation, data visualisation).

Empirical studies will then be designed and conducted to assess the effectiveness of selected potential applications. Both of these prior two aspects of the project may also be used to help inform the design of a sports-specific immersive laboratory within the new Swansea Bay City Deal Campuses Project development at Swansea’s Sketty Lane. 

The scholarship will begin in October 2024.