Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences (ISPEHS)

Staff within the Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences have backgrounds in physical education teaching, sport and leisure research, policy and management, physical activity and health and sport and exercise science.

The complexity of physical activity, sport and physical education has never been more relevant as a means to promote a healthy lifestyle or to acquire and enhance expertise. Moreover, the study of sport and the impact of sport policy upon society continues to provide an important lens through which to view our attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. There are significant global challenges which we seek to address, and sport and physical activity have a unique way of bringing people together and acting as a fulcrum for change.

Established in 1999 as Physical Education Sport and Leisure Studies, the Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences affords considerable breadth in the expertise it offers. We facilitate and research:

  • physical activity
  • elite performance and coaching
  • the delivery and study of physical education across the curriculum
  • sport and its profound impact upon society
  • sports injury and illness and prevention

We are proud to be located within the Moray House School of Education and Sport, but our reach is global.

We address all levels of education and all forms of teaching, research, knowledge exchange and professional learning. We emphasise applied practice, encouraging our students to implement theoretical knowledge and skills in a real-world setting.

Finally, we have sought and seek to maintain a caring and inclusive learning environment where we strive to achieve excellence in all its guises.

Study with us

Our Institute provides specialist expertise in a range of programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level, including routes to qualified teaching, or progression to doctoral study.

Research

Our research vision is to create, disseminate and curate world-leading knowledge in Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences. Our research addresses four main themes: human performance science, physical activity for health, physical education and sport, and sports injury and illness risk and prevention.

Our research ranking, collaboration and mission

We have 35 members of staff who are active researchers. The REF 2021 results for both education and sport-related research place us as Scotland’s top-ranked institution for research breadth and quality. We are ranked 3rd in the UK in terms of the breadth and quality of our research in education and nearly 90 per cent of our sport-related research activity is classified as ‘world leading’ and ‘internationally excellent’ (Times Higher Education).

We engage in division-crossing, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration with colleagues across the School and University, and in other institutions within Scotland and internationally. For example, we held a series of workshops which involved monitoring young racing drivers, from around the world, provided them with invaluable practical experience.

Our research mission is to advance, explore and enable research in Sport, Physical Education and Health Science. Find out more about our research through the links below to our research centres, groups and networks sites.

Our research centres, groups and networks all sit within our Sports-Related Research Hub.

Visit the Sports-Related Research Hub

Research centres and groups

Research inter-disciplinary networks

Cross-College centres and networks

Staff

Staff within the Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences have backgrounds in physical education teaching, sport and leisure research, policy and management, physical activity and health and sport and exercise science.

NameRoleEmail
Dr Alan MacPhersonHead of Institutealan.macpherson@ed.ac.uk
Dr Nicola CarseDeputy Head of Institutenicola.carse@ed.ac.uk
Dr Pippa ChapmanDeputy Head of Institutepippa.chapman@ed.ac.uk
Sean AtkinsOperations Administrator (Institute Support)SPEHS@ed.ac.uk
Anne-Marie ConnellyOperations Coordinator (Institute Support)SPEHS@ed.ac.uk
Sarah PullarOperations Administrator (Institute Support)SPEHS@ed.ac.uk

Facilities

At Moray House, we have a wide range of sports facilities on offer to enhance research and studies of our staff and students.

Our biomechanics laboratory is equipped with world-leading hardware and software. A motion capture system, a computerized robotic dynamometer, electromyography sensors and a range of force platforms are some of the instruments our students use to analyse human motion and gain better understanding of potential to performance.


Image of Sports data analysis at Edinburgh University

The bespoke dance studio-lab has beautiful views of Arthur’s Seat and is one of the largest in the city, with a working capacity for 40 dancers. The studio is supported by up-to-date audio/visual technology and there is a viewing gallery that provides opportunities to observe teaching and performances. 


Image of Dance Studio at Moray House

The Environmental Human Performance Lab is a cutting-edge, fully climate-controlled facility designed to simulate a wide range of environments, from -25°C to +50°C, with 20-90% relative humidity and altitudes up to 8,750 meters.

This lab enables us to provide high-quality, hands-on teaching focused on the effects of environmental stressors on the physiology and psychology of athletes, while also supporting consultancy work with athletes and individuals preparing for events. Additionally, it provides students with the opportunity to design and conduct their own research projects, fostering innovation and advancing the understanding of human performance under extreme conditions.

Learn more about our Environmental Human Performance Lab


Environmental Human Performance lab interior

The games halls within St Leonard’s Land are predominantly used as teaching spaces for our Physical Education programmes. Within these spaces a range of activities can be accommodated, such as volleyball, badminton and basketball.


Games Hall Moray House School of Education and Sport

Our large physiology teaching lab enables individual and group work, exploring exercise and sports physiology in action across cycling, rowing and running modes of exercise, progressing from first principles through to state-of-the-art technology and now an integrated online learning platform. 


Image of Sports data analysis at Edinburgh University

An additional research and teaching project lab in the basement level provides further flexible space for data collection, ranging from consultancy work with athletes to group practical work and dissertation data collection. 


image of Sports equipment at the University of Edinburgh

The psychology lab is set to the side of the main practical teaching space. It is a self-contained, flexible unit that can be configured in multiple ways to enable students and researchers to collect a wide range of data – enabling experiments, interviews and observational studies to be conducted.  


The performance gym is a bespoke training facility catering for a range of performance needs. It offers a variety of equipment: including free weights (bars, dumb bells and medicine balls), pulleys, exercise bikes, dome balance balls and benches.


Image of Strength and Performance Gym at Edinburgh University

Our swimming pool is used as a laboratory for aquatics research. It has a movable floor that allows us to set it at different depths. The equipment we use include a number of above- and under-water cameras for video analysis, waterproof sensors to measure muscle activity, poolside monitors, and specialised analysis software. Our work includes helping swimmers improve performance and improving rehabilitation programmes undertaken in the water for people with musculoskeletal disorders and other conditions or injuries.

The swimming pool is also used for training, teaching and commercial activities.


Image of swimming pool at University of Edinburgh

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