Joint PhD Scholarship: Sheffield Hallam University and La Trobe University, Australia. Project: Predictive Modelling of Football Ball Parameters and Injury Risk during Head Contact Events

About the Project

Applications are invited for a PhD scholarship on the Joint PhD programme between Sheffield Hallam University and La Trobe University, Australia.

Project Title: Predictive Modelling of Football Ball Parameters and Injury Risk during Head Contact Events

Sheffield Hallam University is offering this PhD scholarships to study on the joint PhD programme with La Trobe University, Australia, to start October 2026 (a February 2027 start may also be possible).

Detailed information about the Joint PhD programme is available here: Global partnership: Joint PhD programme with La Trobe University, Australia | Sheffield Hallam University

Students on the joint PhD programme will be enrolled on a PhD at both institutions. Your supervisory team will comprise academics from each institution who will provide support and guidance throughout your research. You will benefit from the research community, networking and collaborations of the Sheffield Hallam/La Trobe global partnership. As a student of both institutions, you will have access to services and support provided at Sheffield Hallam and La Trobe, including a range of professional and personal development for researchers.

For these scholarships, Sheffield Hallam will be your “home institution” where you will begin your studies and spend the majority of your time. The expectation is that you will typically spend up to 12 months at La Trobe as the “host institution”; the timing and duration of this will depend on your programme of research.

This funded scholarship is offered on a full-time basis only, covers Home PhD fees and provides a stipend at the Living Wage Foundation rate (£22,152 for 2025/26). The stipend increases annually according to the Living Wage rate.

Project Information : Predictive Modelling of Football Ball Parameters and Injury Risk during Head Contact Events

Heading in football remains at the centre of growing concerns around repeated head contact events and their potential implications for short- and long- term brain health. One of the most frequently proposed solutions is to modify the football itself. This includes changing ball properties including mass, pressure, stiffness, or size, to reduce the forces experienced by the head during ball contact.

However, systematically testing every possible ball configuration experimentally is costly, time-consuming, and often impractical. This creates a critical need for a robust predictive model that can accurately quantify how changes in ball design influence head loading during ball-to-head contact events.

This PhD project will develop a data-driven modelling framework capable of predicting head loading during ball-to-head contacts and systematically evaluate how variations in ball design affect head/brain injury-related outcomes. Rather than relying solely on traditional simplified impact models, this project will combine high-fidelity experimental testing with advanced supervised machine learning to create a predictive tool that captures the complex relationship between ball properties, impact mechanics, and head impact magnitude.

The model will allow researchers, governing bodies, and manufacturers to explore “what-if” scenarios across a wide range of football designs, helping to determine whether equipment modification is a meaningful injury mitigation strategy or whether header mechanics are primarily governed by fundamental impact physics that are less sensitive to allowable design changes.

Key objectives include:

• Establishing a high-fidelity experimental impact dataset including force, energy transfer, contact duration, and head acceleration across varying ball design conditions
• Developing a supervised learning model to predict head loading metrics from football design variables
• Quantifying the relative importance and interaction of ball design variables
• Evaluating whether equipment modification is a viable and meaningful head/brain injury risk mitigation strategy

This project would suit applicants with a strong interest in:

• Sports engineering
• Biomechanics
• Data science & machine learning
• Injury prevention in sport
• Experimental testing and modelling

Applicants from engineering, biomechanics, sport science, physics, computer science, or related disciplines are encouraged to apply.

The research programme will involve supervision from leading experts across an international collaboration between Sheffield Hallam University and La Trobe University. The PhD student will be based within the Sports Engineering Research Group at Sheffield Hallam University but will spend time at La Trobe’s Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre (LASEM)

Eligibility

Applicants must hold a 1st class or 2:1 degree in Sport Science, Data Science, Biomedical Science, Engineering, or related subjects. Quantitative skills are desirable; training in specialist methods will be provided. We are offering this as a full-time PhD scholarship, though flexible working hours can be discussed. We welcome applications from all members of our community and are particularly encouraging those from diverse groups, such as members of the LGBTQIA+, BAME and disabled communities.

International applicants

Please read the funding notes section for important information about tuition fees for this scholarship.

Sheffield Hallam has a mandatory English language requirement of IELTS 7, or equivalent language qualification, for all applicants from Countries not included in the UKVI exemption list here:https://www.gov.uk/english-language/exemptions. This qualification must have been taken within the last two-years, with a score of at least 6.5 in all test areas and may be required even if you have previous qualifications gained at UK institutions.

Please do check with the Postgraduate research team: DoctoralSchool-HWLS-PGR@shu.ac.uk prior to application, as our academic shortlisting team will not assess applications submitted without a mandatory English language qualification.

How to Apply

Complete and submit the online application form at: https://www.shu.ac.uk/courses/sport-and-physical-activity/phd-sport-and-physical-activity/full-time/2026

Please add the project title within the Personal Statement field of the application form.

You must upload:

1. A 1,500-word outline research proposal addressing this specific project.
2. Two letters of reference, or details of two academic referees
3. Copy of your highest degree certificate
4. Copy of your passport
5. International applicants must submit:
   • IELTS results (or equivalent) taken in the last two years
   • A statment confirming that they can meet the tuition fee of £13,362 per year for the duration of the scholarship.

If you experience issues submitting your online application, or for general enquiries please contact: DoctoralSchool-HWLS-PGR@shu.ac.uk

Application deadline: 22 June 2026, 23;00 UK Time (***Late applications will not be accepted**)

Interviews: 10 July 2026

Please note, we are unable to offer alternative interview slots once allocated to shortlisted candidates.

Funding Notes

These scholarships are open to Home, EU and international applicants. However, the scholarship will cover the tuition fee to the Home student level only and students who are liable for the International tuition fee rate will be expected to provide the difference between the Home and International fees from another funding source.

The shortfall between the Home and EU/ International fee, currently around £13,362 per year, must be covered by the student for the 3.5-year duration of the scholarship. No additional funding will be available to assist EU/International students with this fee gap. Applicants must have the resources set out above to fund their study. Please note that the PhD bursary payments cannot be used to fund this fee gap as they cover basic living expenses only.