Claire joined the university in February 2017. She has worked in the higher education sector for over 15 years while studying part time for both an MSc in Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology (Staffordshire University) and a PhD (University of Derby). Claire has coached a number of sports including netball, football and badminton and has worked with athletes from a range of backgrounds/abilities. Her teaching interests centre on sport and exercise psychology and research methods. 

Claire’s thesis focused on pain responses in contact and non-contact athletes. Her work explores the mechanisms for differences in pain tolerance, perception and coping between athlete groups. She has explored pain coping styles, pain bothersomeness, challenge and threat appraisals and performance whilst in pain. She is interested in the attentional demands of pain and the psychological factors that influence pain reporting.