Meet our Sport and Exercise Science Graduates

Our Sport and Exercise Science graduates are making their mark in a wide range of fields, and we’re excited to share some of their stories with you. From strength and conditioning coaches to performance analysts, our alumni are applying the skills and knowledge learnt here at Brighton to support the growth and development of athletes and clients.  

Check out our graduate profiles below to learn more about why they chose Brighton, the key lessons they gained from the course and where their careers have taken them since. 

Will Hayler

Course: Sport and Exercise Science BSc(Hons) and Sports Physiology MSc  

Graduated: 2020 BSc and 2021 MSc 

Job title: Performance Coach for GoPerform 

Area of specialisation: Physiological testing 

Why did you choose to study at the University of Brighton? 

“I originally chose the University of Brighton because I just really liked the campus and the hands-on nature of the course. I liked the fact that it was very lab-based and the facilities they had on-site were top-level.” 

What did you like about your time studying at Brighton? 

“Being a student at Brighton was brilliant for me. As it was quite a small cohort I felt connected to my lecturers and my fellow students and I felt it allowed me to be confident within any lab-based or practical-based group work.” 

Tell us a bit about your current role… 

“Now I am a performance coach for a private company called Go Perform. In that role I do a mixture of things, a lot of group S&C coaching and physiological testing on a range of different athletes and individuals.  

What I love about my current job is the fact I get to work with so many different people with different sporting backgrounds. I feel like I can help them achieve the goals that they want to achieve.   

What I learnt the most at Brighton was probably the lab-based skills that I could take away to my current career. In my job I do a lot of physiological testing; VO2 max tests and lactate threshold tests, those are some skills that I learnt in the undergrad and in the MSc degree that I’ve carried on doing.  

But it was nice to get that first experience on the course and then slowly build on that as I’ve gone through my career.”  

Sarah Murray 

Course: Sport Science BSc(Hons) 

Graduated: 2001 

Job title: Sports Psychologist and Owner of Performance Edge 

Area of specialisation: Sports psychology 

Why did you choose to study Sport Science at the University of Brighton? 

“Although I knew I wanted to pursue a teaching route, I didn’t want to tie myself to any one particular career. Sports Science would give me a flavour across physiology, psychology, social elements, the history of sport, as well as biomechanics.  

I think the power and strength of the degree is that it can take you anywhere. It just sets you up with so many different skills that you can use in any way possible.   

I chose the University of Brighton because I knew that its reputation for Sports Science was one of the best.” 

Tell us a bit about what you do now and what you love about it… 

“What I do now is I work as a sports psychologist with elite athletes and elite performance coaches. One area that I work on is cultural architecture, so thinking about high-performance healthy cultures and how we balance high performance with mental wellbeing.   

I also work with individuals on how they want to progress within their career, supporting them to perform when they’re out on a pitch, a track, or a court, but not at the expense of their mental and physical health. 

And the thing that I really enjoy is just seeing the growth and the success that somebody might have and knowing that in some small way, at some point I may well have been a part of their journey. It’s great to see them succeed and thrive.” 

Kemal Ismail 

Course: Sport and Exercise Science BSc(Hons) 

Graduated: 2014 

Job title: Physical Performance Coach 

Area of work: Academy first team football 

What did you gain from your studies that has supported you in your work and career?   

“It being a BASES-accredited course has helped me in a number of ways. It gives a lot more value to the course and the modules that you do which if you want to do anything in sport will only help you.  

My time at Brighton taught me a lot about myself, which helped me from a personal perspective to grow, and professionally it’s definitely opened up doors which otherwise would not have been opened. It helped shape the person and the practitioner that I am today.” 

What’s the most memorable experience or event during your time at university? 

“I thought it was great that they brought in a few speakers from different professions that you can go into. Somebody from Arsenal Football Club came in and spoke about the work that they were doing with the Academy players, and that’s what kind of really ignited the thought of ‘yes, that’s what I want to do’.” 

Can you tell us a bit about what you do now? 

“For almost ten years now, I’ve been fortunate enough to work in football across Academy men’s first team and women’s first team football, which have been unbelievable experiences.  

The roles I’ve had have ranged from Lead Academy Sport Scientist to Head of First Team Sports Science and Medicine to Head of Physical and I will be progressing into a senior S&C role.”  

Adam Chilcott 

Course: Sport and Exercise Science BSc(Hons) 

Graduated: 2019 

Job title: U16 Performance Analyst at Brighton & Hove Albion 

Area of specialisation: Performance analysis 

Can you remember why and how you chose which course to study?  

“I chose Sport and Exercise Science because I’ve always been interested in sport. Unfortunately, being an actual sports person was never really on the cards and I’ve always had an interest in Science and Maths.” 

What did you gain from your studies that has supported you in your work and career?  

“I gained a lot of different traits from my studies that have helped me become the analyst I am today. I got a really good technical proficiency using various software, which are the ones I now use within my career line as an analyst.   

During my studies I had an opportunity film with the Lawn Tennis Association. They approached the university looking for some help for the Wimbledon qualifier tournament and the Roehampton Junior tournament. It gave me the opportunity to go and spend time working in an applied setting using the software we had at the university already.” 

Can you tell us a bit about what you do now? 

“I now work at Brighton and Hove Albion as the Under 16s performance analyst. I work in capturing the footage of games as well as collecting data on the players to help improve performance.”   

Curious about the opportunities and career paths available with a degree in this field? Check out our Sport and Exercise degrees page to learn more.