Centre for Health and Applied Sport and Exercise Research (CHASER)
About
Performing well in challenging environments
The Centre for Health and Applied Sport and Exercise Research (CHASER) brings together a large and interdisciplinary cohort of researchers at the University of Chichester, working across seven distinct yet overlapping research groups.
Our work focusses on issues and strategies related to developing and maintaining wellbeing, performing well in challenging environments, and discovering more about who we are in the process. We also work on a range of urgent issues related to representation and equality in sport.
CHASER researchers have worked with a wide range of external partners, including the Football Association, Ministry of Defence and Royal National Lifeboat Institution, attracting prestigious, long-term contracts worth more than £6m since 2015.
CHASER groups
Contact us
We welcome approaches from potential partner organisations and postgraduate researchers who would like to work with us.
Please contact Professor Mike Lauder (m.lauder@chi.ac.uk) for Centre-level enquiries.
People
Projects
A proven track record of delivering ground-breaking insights
CHASER has a proven track record of delivering ground-breaking insights and impacts in health and applied sport and exercise research.
Our strong ties with local and international partner organisations ensure that this work stands the test of time, whilst also providing a foundation for further, ongoing research.
See our CHASER research group pages for more on the projects listed below, and the wider range of initiatives we’re working on.
Past projects
Publications
Our members publish regularly with leading journals and academic publishers.
The quality of our work was recognised clearly in the University of Chichester’s Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism submission in the REF 2021 research assessment exercise, with 65% of our outputs judged to be of either 3* (internationally excellent) or 4* (world leading) quality, in terms of originality, significance and rigour.
Browse our recent publications on our ChiPrints page.
Impact
How we're helping create change
CHASER research has made meaningful change in a wide range of ways – particularly in the areas of physical education, women’s leadership in sport, integrated caring science, the sports nutrition industry and occupational performance.
This impact is clearly reflected in the University of Chichester’s Sport and Exercise Science, Leisure and Tourism impact submission in the REF 2021 assessment, 83% of which was judged to be either of 3* (very considerable) or 4* (outstanding) in terms of reach and significance.
Events and News
The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences Student Conference April 2024
The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) is the leading body for accredited sports science degrees and qualifications in the UK. Each year, it holds a student conference aimed at promoting engagement, acknowledgement, and networking; with this year’s edition held at Manchester Metropolitan University.
The Institute of Applied Sciences funded two students (Marcus Peach [Sport and Exercise Science (BSc)] and Jessica Talbot [Sport & Exercise Biomechanics (MSc)]) to attend the conference and present their research projects.
Marcus was awarded a ‘Free Communication’ for his undergraduate dissertation, which consisted of a 10-minute presentation with 5-minutes for questions. This is the highest level of presentation for students at the conference, with only projects with specific research excellence, impact, and rigour being considered. Marcus’ dissertation project examined the physiological and cognitive effects of a cold environment on walking with load.
When asked about the experience of the conference and presenting, Marcus said: “It was an excellent opportunity to network with like-minded students who are further along their university careers than myself. The majority of students were MSc or PhD level. I loved presenting in front of the crowd, I thought I’d be nervous but I actually enjoyed myself! I felt proud to be selected for the presentation and wanted to do my project justice by performing well”.
Jessica Talbot was allocated a Poster Presentation, consisting of a summary poster for her undergraduate dissertation. Her research project investigated the peak angular momentum generation and success rate of single, double, and attempted-triple pirouettes in dancing.
During the poster presentation session, Jessica had the opportunity to talk to other attendees about her research. Notably, Jessica’s poster was the only dance science project at the conference, highlighting the quality of her project, her knowledge, and the uniqueness of the course content available at the University of Chichester.
Following her attendance, Jessica said “it was a great experience to be given the opportunity to present my work and listen to other people’s work within my field and other disciplines. Being the only dance science research project at the conference initially felt intimidating but equally an achievement to have been picked to present. The conference was a wonderful experience to be a part of and provided a useful insight into the running and atmosphere of academic conferences for the future”.
Both students enjoyed their experiences and would recommend that other students attend the BASES student conference to present their research in the future.
Dr Phil Birch, who leads the 3rd year research project module, added “having delivered a keynote at last year’s BASES Student Conference, I have witnessed the benefits of students disseminating their research to both fellow students and scholars. The conference provides a supportive environment for students to not only discuss current trends in research, but also provides a fantastic opportunity to explore their career aspirations”.
Find out more about our BASES Endorsed undergraduate degrees in sport and exercise science, or go directly to our Dance Science & MSci Dance Science courses and MSc Sport and Exercise Biomechanics course pages.
