Mres Performance Placement at England Wheelchair Rugby League
Job Description
The University of Nottingham, in partnership with England Wheelchair Rugby League (EWRL), is offering a funded one-year Master of Research (MRes) combined with an embedded applied placement within the England Wheelchair Rugby League performance environment.
This opportunity combines postgraduate research with hands-on experience supporting an elite national-team performance programme, providing exposure to performance analysis, sports science, player monitoring and applied research.
The successful applicant will be embedded within the EWRL sports science team, supporting the collection and analysis of performance data including:
GPS | Technical Data | Tactical Data | Gym Testing | Player Loading | Physical Preparation
The data collected within the programme will also underpin the student's MRes thesis, addressing an internally agreed elite-performance research question.
Students will spend approximately 20 hours per week embedded within the EWRL environment, including weekday, evening and occasional weekend commitments around training, competition and data collection.
The placement will provide experience across areas including:
- Collection and analysis of performance data.
- GPS and player-load monitoring.
- Technical and tactical performance analysis.
- Gym testing and physical-performance monitoring.
- Supporting the delivery of sports science services to the squad.
- Translating performance data into applied research.
- Working alongside practitioners within a high-performance national-team environment.
The placement and MRes are offered as one combined opportunity and cannot be undertaken independently.
Applicants will develop a research proposal addressing player loading and physical preparation, using available information such as GPS, technical, tactical and gym-testing data.
The proposal should demonstrate how the applicant would approach the research question, including potential data collection methods, methodology and expected outcomes.
Academic supervision will be provided by:
Dr Andrew Butterworth
Dr Yasmin Nasir Ajanah
The successful candidate will enrol on the MRes Life Sciences programme at the University of Nottingham.
Alongside academic supervision, postgraduate researchers have access to multidisciplinary research expertise, researcher-development training and opportunities to engage with the University's postgraduate research community.
Applicants must complete two stages.
Stage 1 – University Application
Apply for:
MRes Life Sciences
Postgraduate Research
⏱️ Full-time
October 2026 start
The University application must include a personal statement and research proposal focused on player loading and physical preparation.
Stage 2 – Applied Placement Application
After submitting the University application, email:
andrew.butterworth@nottingham.ac.uk
Include confirmation that the MRes application has been submitted, a current CV and a 500-word cover letter outlining suitability for the opportunity.
⚠️ Both stages must be completed for the application to be considered.
The applied placement and MRes begin in October 2026 and run for 12 months.
⏰ Application deadline: Friday 25 September 2026
MRes + Performance Placement | England Wheelchair Rugby League & University of Nottingham (Jobs in Sport Performance Analysis TheASPA)