Loughborough University is a top-ten rated university in England for research intensity (REF2014) and an outstanding 66% of the work of Loughborough’s academic staff who were eligible to be submitted to the REF was judged as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, compared to a national average figure of 43%. In choosing Loughborough for your research, you’ll work alongside academics who are leaders in their field. You will benefit from comprehensive support and guidance from our Doctoral College, including tailored careers advice, to help you succeed in your research and future career. Sports governing bodies, the media and athletes are all becoming increasingly vocal about concussion in sport and the potential for this to generate longer term neurocognitive decline. While considerable effort has been devoted to establishing the incidence of concussion injuries, developing tools for more accurate diagnosis and creating awareness campaigns to inform athletes, coaches and parents, little work has so far been conducted into how athletes understand what is meant by concussion, react to the symptoms of the condition, and reflect on the decisions made to play or withdraw from sport when concussion is suspected. Consequently, applications are invited to undertake a sociological study of athletes’ experiences of concussion. This doctoral thesis will build on the sociological study of pain and injury in sport, as well as theories of ‘illness behaviour’ to provide a comprehensive analysis of the lived experience of concussion. The particular sport or sports to be studied will be shaped by the successful applicant’s sporting knowledge, experience and by contacts that develop as part of the study. Ideally applicants should hold a Masters or very good undergraduate degree and have a good grounding in the social scientific study of sport or health and illness. Previous experience of conducting qualitative research will be an advantage, particularly in sporting or healthcare contexts. It is envisaged that the project will entail the use of ethnographic research and/or interviews.