PhD scholarship

Sheffield Hallam University is advertising a joint funded PhD scholarship with La Trobe University, Australia on the project “Predictive Modelling of Football Ball Parameters and Injury Risk during Head Contact Events.” The project sits at the intersection of mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, sports science, biomechanics, machine learning, data science, mathematics, physics and digital engineering.

The research aims to build a predictive, data-driven framework that can quantify how combinations of football design parameters influence head impact mechanics across different player populations. Rather than studying ball properties in isolation, the PhD will examine how ball mass, pressure, stiffness, size and material properties interact with player-specific characteristics such as age, sex and heading technique. The work will combine controlled impact experiments, advanced instrumentation, statistical modelling, machine learning, optimisation and validation against experimental measurements.

The successful candidate will develop an interactive predictive platform for scenario analysis, helping researchers, governing bodies and manufacturers evaluate equipment modifications before implementation. The student will be based in the Sports Engineering Research Group at Sheffield Hallam University and will spend time at La Trobe’s Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre (LASEM) as part of the international collaboration.

This is a full-time PhD scholarship starting 1 February 2027. Funding covers Home PhD fees and provides a stipend at the Living Wage Foundation rate (£22,152 for 2025/26), with annual increases linked to the Living Wage. Applicants from the UK, EU and overseas may apply, but international/EU students must cover the fee difference between Home and International rates (around £13,300 per year), and no extra funding is available for that gap.

Eligibility includes a 1st class or 2:1 degree in Sport Science, Data Science, Biomedical Science, Engineering or a related subject. Quantitative skills are desirable. International applicants must meet Sheffield Hallam’s English language requirement of IELTS 7 (or equivalent), with at least 6.5 in each component, unless exempt under the UKVI exemption list.

Applications are submitted online via Sheffield Hallam University. Applicants must include the project title in the personal statement and upload a 1,500-word research proposal, two references or referee details, degree certificate, passport, and for international applicants, IELTS/equivalent evidence plus a statement confirming ability to meet the tuition fee shortfall. The deadline is 23 November 2026, 12 noon UK time.