A thank you to Professor Martin Roderick as he ends his term as Head of Department.

It would be impossible to write about everything Martin has achieved over this time, but perhaps the most impactful has been his establishing and growing the Department, from a small collection of sport-focused researchers to the thriving community it is today.   

In 2018 the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences was born, and Martin was appointed Head of Department. During this short time the department has achieved great things; our taught programmes are consistently ranked in the Top 10 best sport-related degrees in the country, and we have been ranked in the Top 100 in the QS World Rankings for 2023 for sport-related subjects. A huge achievement for a small and newly formed department.    

Martin has maintained his longstanding research interests connected with the problems associated with work and careers in professional sport, but his more recent focus has concerned the inter-connections among family life, issues of work-life balance, and mental health. Similarly, this caring ethos is a thread that runs through the department, Martin has created a warm and welcoming environment where staff and students feel valued and supported.  

We thank Martin for all his hard work, warmth, dedication, and sense of humour as Head of Department. Thankfully he isn’t going anywhere, only changing roles, and so we will look forward to working alongside him in the future and seeing the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences continue to flourish.