Role
Ben Ashdown is a Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology and a course leader (FdSc Sport and Exercise Science) based at the NTU Mansfield campus. Ben is module leader for sport and exercise psychology at Levels 4, 5 and 6, professional and academic skills at Level 4, and is a supervisor for Undergraduate research projects at Level 6.
Career overview
Ben has been a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University since 2020 having worked in Higher Education in the Further Education sector prior to this for 10 years. Before moving into lecturing, Ben was a research associate at The University of Nottingham on the Steps to Active Kids (STAK) project that sought to evaluate the impact of a school-based physical activity programme on outcomes including self-efficacy and obesity risk factors. Ben is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has a Postgraduate diploma in teaching in the lifelong learning sector. After graduating from York St John University on a BA (Honours) degree in Sport Studies and Psychology, Ben completed an MSc in Sport Psychology at the same institution.
Research areas
Ben is part of the Sport Performance Research Group in the Sport, Health and Performance Enhancement (SHAPE) Research Centre and is a PhD researcher focusing on resilience in youth football. His research interests are:
- Observational methods and assessment in sport psychology.
- Resilience behaviours in youth football.
- Resilience development practices.
Ben has recently contributed to a chapter on developing resilience for golf performance, published in The Psychology of Golf Performance under Pressure, Routledge.
External activity
Ben is collaborating with professional football academies both for the purposes of research and student placement activity.
Publications
Bryan, C., Ashdown, B., Kegelaers, J., & Sarkar, M. (in press). Developing Resilience for Golf Performance. In D. Hill, J. Barker, & K. Steptoe (Eds.), The Psychology of Golf Performance under Pressure (pp. X-X). London, UK: Routledge.