Dr Georgia Bird BA, MRes, MA, PhD

• PhD Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, 2024
• MA Social Research Methods, University of Birmingham, 2020
• MRes Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, 2019 
• BA (Hons) Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity, Durham University, 2017

Dr Georgia Bird is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Birmingham. Her research has invovled mental health, safeguarding, and inclusion across sport, dance, and youth homelessness contexts but her research primarily focuses on athlete mental health and wellbeing. She is a key contributor to the SPRINT Project, which explores mental health using strengths-based approaches in diverse populations.

Dr Bird completed her PhD at Birmingham, examining emotion regulation and mental health in student-athletes. She has held multiple research roles, including leading qualitative evaluations for youth homelessness services and co-developing safeguarding frameworks for dance communities. Her work integrates strengths-based psychology, pedagogical theory, and participatory methods to support vulnerable and underrepresented groups.

She has secured competitive funding, including QR Policy Impact and College Impact grants, and co-authored policy briefs and reports presented to Birmingham City Council and national boards. Her research has been published in journals such as Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, and she has contributed to the Routledge Handbook of Applied Sport Psychology.

Dr Bird has supported teaching on the “Sport and Mental Health” undergraduate module, co-supervised dissertations, and delivered workshops on mental health. She is committed to public engagement and knowledge translation, having developed digital tools and presented internationally.

Her work is grounded in principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion, with a focus on co-production and ethical research practice. She currently collaborates with UK Sport Institute to drive meaningful change in policy and practice.

Dr Georgia Bird supported teaching on Sport and Mental Health module as interim module lead for the 2024-25 academic year. She has also supported modules as a PGTA and co-supervisor for undergraduate dissertation projects.

Dr Bird’s research focuses on mental health, safeguarding, and inclusion across Sport, dance, and community settings. Her interdisciplinary work draws on sport psychology to explore emotional regulation, mental health, and wellbeing in diverse populations. She collaborates with academic institutions, public sector bodies, and community organisations to co-produce impactful research and policy. Georgia is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Birmingham and a contributor to The SPRINT Project research team. 

Her current research includes:

• Mental Health in Paralympic Sport
  Developing an athlete-centred consensus for Paralympic Games mental health support. This fellowship includes public engagement activities and collaboration with UK Sport Institute.
• Researchers’ Mental Health
  Contributing to a programme on safeguarding researchers’ wellbeing in emotionally demanding contexts. Outputs include co-designed guidelines and workshops aimed at fostering psychologically informed research cultures.
• Safeguarding in Dance and Sport
  Investigating risk and protective factors of maltreatment in dance and sport.
• Youth Homelessness and Intervention Evaluation
  Conducting qualitative evaluations of a local youth homelessness service. Findings have been presented to Birmingham City Council and used to inform service delivery.
• Student-Athlete Mental Health
  Published work on emotion regulation and mental health stability in student-athletes, including high-impact journal articles and invited international presentations.
• Applied Sport Psychology and Digital Interventions
  Supported evaluation of interventions such as My Strengths Training 4 Life™ and digital tools like Street Soccer’s MatchFit app to support mental skills development.