Research in sport and exercise science is conducted through the Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Institute (SESRI), and is comprised of a multi-disciplinary team of staff and postgraduate PhD researchers. Given the applied nature of the research conducted by SESRI, we have developed a range of research collaborations at international, national and local levels involving governing bodies of sport, hospitals and medical facilities and practitioners, local and national government and other key stakeholders in sport, exercise and physical activity.

Research centres housed in SESRI aim to facilitate, co-ordinate and to carry out high quality research, and to promote a vibrant culture of research and scholarship in partnership with health providers, sports governing bodies and other centres of excellence. The Centre for Sport in Society brings together colleagues from across Ulster University who conduct research on a range of disciplinary perspectives in the social sciences. This research explores themes and issues associated with the cultural, political, social, economic and historical import of sport in a variety of local, national and international contexts including Ireland, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the United States.

PhD graduates are recognised by employers to hold valuable transferrable skills, as the nature of the degree trains candidates in creativity, critical inquiry, problem solving, negotiation skills, professionalism and confidence. The most recent Ulster survey of PhD graduates found that 92% had secured employment within the first year since graduation (HESA Destination of Leavers Survey 2015), and while two thirds end up in the Higher Education or Research sectors, the range of skills acquired equips the remainder for employment in a wide range of contexts.