Saara Lahti

Graduate Tutor in Sport Management, PhD Researcher in LGBT+ Inclusion in Sports Volunteering

Saara completed her undergraduate degree Bachelor of Hospitality Management with International Studies at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Finland in 2013. Her undergraduate thesis focused on service quality assurance of MOTION!, a regional physical activity promotion project by Lahti Regional Development Agency, LADEC. Having finished her first degree, Saara went on to work in the sport, tourism and leisure industries in Finland, Canada and Norway. She gained her MSc in Sport Management from Loughborough University in 2017. Her Master’s dissertation focused on the career narratives of women in sport leadership roles conducted in co-operation with the Finnish Coaches Association flagship project 'Women Taking Responsibility in Coaching'. 

She joined Northumbria University as a Graduate Tutor and part-time PhD Researcher in 2017. Saara is currently undertaking PhD research to explore the meanings LGBT+ volunteers assign to sport volunteering across time. She is investigating how these volunteers construct their identities and how the practices used by LGBT+ volunteers influence the level of inclusivity in their volunteer environments.

Her Graduate Tutor responsibilities include teaching on the Sport Foundation Year (FY) and undergraduate (UG) BSc Sport Management modules, personal tutoring as well as supervising final year UG research projects.