Sport & Society Research Network

Dr. Alexandra Maris has a PhD from the University of Toronto at the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education in collaboration with the Women and Gender Studies Institute. She has completed her Master of Arts in Women and Gender Studies at the University of Toronto and has an Honorary Bachelor of Arts with High Distinction. Her research focus is at the intersections of health, sport, tourism, gender, race and class. She recently has been researching skydiving and their associated drop zones to examine how sport and culture interact to contest, transform and innovate experiences and understanding of physical culture and sporting identities. Alexandra has won several awards, scholarships and fellowships for her strong academic record and for being an outstanding candidate in her field. She is a Lecturer at State University of New York in the Global Public Health Program.

Shubham Jain is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Cambridge and an Editor of the Routledge Sport and Human Rights Book Series. He researches, writes, and speaks at the intersection of sports governance and policy, human rights, sustainability, inclusion, safeguarding, remedy, and environmental justice. He has provided expert advice on these matters to international sport bodies, broadcasters, civil society actors, and UN organisations. He is also the Co-convenor of the Global Sport & Human Rights Research Network and a Member of the Cricket Research Network Committee

Natalia Xanthopoulou is a PhD researcher in the Department of Psychology, Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Portsmouth, UK. With a background in Occupational Psychology, her research explores the lived experiences of tennis umpires, particularly in relation to mental health, well-being, and professional development. Her broader research interests include sport culture and gender identity. She also serves as a Teaching Fellow on the MSc Sport Management programme, where she focuses on branding identities, consumer profiling, and supporting sport organisations in marketing challenges.

Frida A. Ejderstedt is a PhD student in Psychology, Sport and Health Science at the University of Portsmouth. Her research examines international student‑athlete migration, athlete development and the structures shaping collegiate sport participation. As a former elite junior tennis player, she brings both academic and lived experience to her work, with a particular passion for understanding pathways within tennis. She is committed to producing research that deepens our understanding on how sport structures influence athletes’ experiences and long‑term development.

Dilara is a PhD candidate in Innovation in Services in the Public and Private Sectors, focusing on Olympic legacy and inclusion of Indigenous Peoples where she explores the problem of assimilation into Eurocentric models of sport seen as inclusion, and engaging with Indigenous Knowledge and ways of knowing as a decolonisation and reconciliation of research and practice. She additionally teaches Sport and Sustainability course and supervises bachelor students at the Sport Management program. Her most recent publication is a part of the dissertation and was published in the International Review for the Sociology of Sport, contributing to insights into Olympic bidding and planning processes, legacy and inclusion.

Rita is currently pursuing a PhD in sport studies at INN. Her research explores democracy within sport, specifically within the narrow scope of Sport for Development and Peace (SDP), with a focus on how democratic cultures develop in SDP initiatives, particularly in Norway's engagement in the field. Using democratic theory and sport policy frameworks, her work assesses how organisational values and practices impact sport's capacity to promote democratic and social development. She holds a Master of Arts in Olympic Studies from the German Sport University Cologne (DSHS).

Hannah Borenstein is an Anthropologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Global Sociocultural Studies at Florida International University. She is currently finishing a book, provisionally entitled, Running to Labor: Ethiopian Women Enduring Networks of Capital, about women long distance runners from Ethiopia. Future research is about athletes and migration, and gambling in the sport of international running. She writes for both academic and public audiences. All of her work can be found on her website: https://www.hannahborenstein.c...

Dr. Samantha Wary is a scholar-practitioner in collegiate recreation and sport management who is passionate about helping students learn, lead, and grow through sport. She recently earned her Doctor of Education in Higher Education: Policy, Planning, and Administration. Samantha’s work spans campus recreation, intramural and sport club programs, and national-level event operations with NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation. Across these roles, she has focused on creating meaningful experiences that build leadership skills and a sense of belonging for students. Her interests include student leadership development, sports officiating, inclusive recreation practices, and program assessment, with a strong emphasis on using research to improve training and development. At the heart of her work is a commitment to supporting students—helping them gain confidence, develop leadership skills, and find community through recreation and sport.

Lizzy Ratcliff is a second-year PhD student in Sport Management at Louisiana State University. Her research is grounded in sport sociology, with a focus on hazing, sexual violence in sport, and the cultural and institutional dynamics that shape athlete experiences. She has also conducted research on menstrual education and literacy, examining how knowledge gaps and stigma impact athlete health and well-being. Her work aims to contribute to safer, more equitable sport environments through critical, policy-informed analysis.

Umair is a PhD candidate at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Canada, specializing in Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) and Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE). He is also the founder of the Kafka Welfare Organization in Pakistan and brings over ten years of experience working on diverse social and development issues across Pakistan, South Korea, and internationally. Umair has taught Master’s and Bachelor’s level courses in sports science at GC University Lahore, Pakistan, where he also supervised graduate research projects. He has served as a board member of the Asia-Pacific UNESCO Youth and Sport Task Force, contributing to several high-level international platforms, including the United Nations High-Level Meetings on Sport and PVE (2020).

Fariq Ahmed is an emerging scholar in sport sciences with a focus on sport psychology, athlete development, and the social impact of sport. He holds an MPhil in Physical Education and Sports Sciences from Government College University, Lahore, graduating with distinction and recognition on the Academic Roll of Honor. His research has explored the psychological profiling of emerging football players in collaboration with the Pakistan Football Federation. Alongside his research work, he teaches Physical Education at Lahore Grammar School, where he delivers the Cambridge IGCSE curriculum. His academic interests center on leadership in sport, youth athlete development, and the role of sport in shaping identity, performance, and well-being

Vitaly Kazakov, PhD, is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions European Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Aarhus, Denmark. His research interests include politics and mediation of sport and popular cultural events. He obtained his PhD in Russian Studies at the University of Manchester with a study of the promotion, mediation, and reception of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. Vitaly’s new research project explores the political legacies of major football tournaments in a comparative setting. Previously, he worked as a Lecturer in Politics at the Universities of Liverpool and Manchester, an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Manchester, and a RANNÍS Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Iceland.

Renhui Feng is a PhD candidate at Chengdu Sport University, China. Prior to her doctoral studies, she served as a lecturer at the School of Physical Education, Huaibei Normal University, China. Her research interests include sports history and the history of sports translation in China. She studies how modern China introduced modern sports knowledge through translation, and explores how such knowledge was locally adapted to China’s national conditions after its introduction, thereby facilitating the establishment of China’s early academic system of sports, competitive sports system, and physical education system.

Na Young Ahn is a lecturer in Sport and Event Management in the Faculty of Business and Law at Bournemouth University, where she researches diversity, equity, and inclusion in and through sport. Her interests span organisational behaviour, with a focus on gender, discrimination, and leadership within sport organisations. Na Young also conducts systematic reviews to explore the complexities of these fields, aiming to promote social justice and equity in sport. Through her work, she strives to make a meaningful impact on the sporting community and beyond.

SNII candidate and Professor at UVM since 2022. CONAHCYT Postdoctoral Fellow on Historical Reenactment and Complex Systems with Dr. Liliana Sosa at FARQ, UANL. Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Industrial Design, PhD in Education (Summa Cum Laude). Scientific Design at FCFM. Research Assistant on a CIESAS/IFT project. Associate Member of REDIIE. Research field: Interactive Instructional Design. Founding President of the Mexican Association of Historical Sports Combat, officially recognized by INDE Nuevo León and INEDEC in Coahuila.