I get to be a part of two upcoming systematic reviews, which are a lot of work, but it’ll all be worth it when I get my first authorship!

I get to engage with a topic and a sport that is really close to my heart, and I have the freedom to schedule my work around my other commitments.

I received funding from the ESRC Midlands Graduate School Doctoral Training Programme. The ESRC pays for my tuition fee and I receive a stipend in line with standard UKRI rates. The stipend covers living costs, which make it possible for me to do my studies to begin with – without funding, I would not be able to balance full-time doctoral studies and work. In addition, as per ESRC guidelines, I can apply for funds to cover conferences, overseas visits and placements.

I grew up in Hungary but moved to the UK for university in 2018. I did my BSc in Psychology at UCL, but I had known for quite a while that I wanted to move into sports after graduation. I then did my MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Loughborough University. The idea of a PhD wasn’t really far off from my mind at the time, and I basically knew from the start that I would come to Birmingham for it, because the uni has an excellent reputation in my field with great supervisors, and I also have a few personal connections here. The project itself only materialised a year before I started my PhD after a discussion I had at the Karate Commonwealth Championships, but I was always fairly certain that if I was going to do a PhD, this would be it.

I have been interested in my topic for quite a while. My research is on anti-doping in karate, and I’ve been a karate practitioner for 15 years. My interest in anti-doping was first sparked by the documentary Icarus, which came out in 2017. Other than that, I’ve always been a high achiever in academia, so I knew a PhD wouldn’t be a bad choice after my Masters, and since I was successful in applying for funding for my project, I thought there was nothing to lose with a project I’m so deeply invested in.