Dr Shushu Chen BSc, MSc, PhD

• PhD (full-scholarship) - The London 2012 Olympics Legacy Evaluation for a Non-Hosting Region, Centre for Olympic Studies & Research, Loughborough University, UK
• MSc – Sport Management, Loughborough University, UK

As an internationally recognised expert in sport policy evaluation, Dr Chen is frequently sought after for her specialised knowledge and experience.

Originally trained in the sciences, with a BSc in Bioengineering, Shushu went on to obtain her postgraduate qualifications from Loughborough University, completing an MSc in Sport Management and later a fully funded PhD scholarship under the supervision of world-renowned professors Ian Henry and Barrie Houlihan.

She has an established track record of securing prestigious research grants from a wide range of sources, including the ESRC, the British Academy, the World Anti-Doping Agency, the International Olympic Committee, and the sports industry. Her research has been widely published in leading journals such as the Journal of Sport Management, European Sport Management Quarterly, and Sport Management Review.

Shushu is also regularly invited to provide expert commentary in the media, with appearances on the BBC, Financial Times, The Guardian, France Info, ABC News, and Yomiuri Shimbun. She has been invited to speak internationally across Asia, Europe, and North America, and regularly hosts international visiting scholars, further strengthening global research exchange and collaboration.

Dr Chen teaches both the BSc. Sport, P.E. and Coaching Science programme and BSc. the Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences programme.

Shushu is interested in supervising doctoral research in the areas of sport policy and management in both contexts of the UK and China particularly focused on:

• Policy analysis and programme evaluation
• Major events legacy and impact for disadvantaged communities

Selected Research Grants (2020-present)

• [UK] ESRC Centre UB Post-Doctoral Fellowship. Leveraging Major Sporting Events for Community Engagement and Legacy: From Birmingham 2022 to the 2026 European Athletics Championships. (Host).
• [UK] West Midlands Combined Authority. The evaluation of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund. (Co-I).
• [UK] British Academy. Innovation Fellow
• [International] International Olympic Committee. Sports Development Policy and Governance in China and Indonesia: A Comparative Assessment. (Co-I).
• [UK] Research England (QR funding, the University of Birmingham). Major events legacies: Getting the communities ready for the next major event. (PI)
• [UK] Siemens, the Russell Partnership Collection, the University of Birmingham, and ESRC IAA, Legacies of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games for disadvantaged communities and individuals (PI)
• [International] World Anti-Doping Agency. Evaluating the impact of the WADA international standard for education at the global and anti-doping organisation levels (co-I)
• [UK] Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Games-wide evaluation of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games legacies (co-I)

Reputation and other activities

Shushu serves as an Associate Editor for Sport in Society and the International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics.

She is also a member of the Editorial Boards of Event Management, the Asian Journal of Sport History & Culture, and the Sports Law, Policy & Diplomacy Journal, and has acted as a reviewer for ESMQ, SMR, and JSM.

She has also served as an invited grant reviewer for the IOC, UKRI, and the British Academy, as well as a book proposal reviewer for Routledge (Taylor & Francis) in the areas of sport policy and Chinese sport.