An exploration into short-term athlete development in Olympic sports
Deakin University and the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) are excited to announce a full-time PhD opportunity for a high-quality student to undertake research exploring athlete development during the YouFor2032 program in different Olympic sports. This project will use a longitudinal mixed-method approach to consider the development of sport-specific skills (e.g., physical, technical, tactical) and psychosocial skills (e.g., resilience, coachability, coping), as well as perceptions of the talent development environment and athlete well-being, to provide evidence-based guidelines for coaches to enhance their talent development programs.
The successful applicant will be part of the Centre for Sport Research at Deakin and embedded in the QAS and work with the next generation of Queensland Olympians who are part of the YouFor2032 program. The YouFor2032 Talent Identification program has three phases: Talent Detection, Talent Confirmation, Talent Development. The Talent Development Phase aims to enhance the skills of athletes who have been matched to a sport to put them on trajectory towards Australian representation at the Olympic level. Coaches in the Development Phase of the YouFor2032 program face a unique and complex task with limited empirical evidence to guide them. This PhD will take a holistic, multi-perspective approach (i.e., coach, athlete, parent) to develop of a framework for short-term athlete development that translates research into practice and provides evidence-based guidelines for coaches.
Further details and prerequisites
Key Selection Criteria
Essential:
- Completed at least four years of tertiary education studies (can be inclusive of an honours year) in Exercise and Sport Science or related discipline
- Have achieved 80% or equivalent in the research component (i.e., thesis) of their previous study or an equivalent of academic attainment
- Strong interest in talent development, skill acquisition and/or sport coaching
- Capability to work in a team as well as independently
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, time management and planning skills
- Strong academic writing skills
Desirable:
- Experience working with athletes in talent development and skill acquisition
- Experience working with youth athletes
- Experience conducting quantitative and/or qualitative research
Other information and important dates
This opportunity is open to domestic and international applicants.
The deadline to apply is Friday 20th September 2024. Interviews will be held the week of 23rd Sept 2024. We will work with the selected applicant to apply for full-time PhD scholarship funding, due by the scholarship application closing date, Saturday 6th October 2024.
The successful candidate can expect to commence their PhD candidature in early 2025.
To apply
If you are interested in joining this exciting project, please email a current CV, cover letter, and response to key selection criteria to Dr David Broadbent (david.broadbent@deakin.edu.au).
Back to PhD opportunities