Jamie works within the Physical Activity research team at Born in Bradford and has supported the evaluation of the JU:MP whole-systems approach to increasing physical activity, leading the evaluation of the young leaders strand. He now works closely with community partners to develop a framework and toolkit for supporting young women and gender-diverse young people from underserved groups to become physical activity leaders. Alongside these projects, Jamie contributes to the leadership of the Bradford Centre for Qualitative Research, helping to embed high-quality qualitative and participatory approaches across the Born in Bradford programme.
He holds a PhD in criminology from Manchester Metropolitan University, where he conducted an in-depth ethnographic study of rugby union as a vehicle for health and social development. His thesis critically examined how dominant masculine discourses in sport and youth justice can limit the transformative potential of sport-based interventions, particularly in relation to asset development and longer-term life chances for young people. Before his PhD, Jamie completed a BSc in Sports Coaching and Development and an MRes in Education at the University of Gloucestershire.
Jamie’s research interests centre on youth development, masculinities, and sport and health, with a particular focus on how sport and physical activity cultures shape mental health, inclusion, and life chances for men and young people in underserved communities. Methodologically, he specialises in qualitative, ethnographic, and mixed-methods research, with particular expertise in co-produced and participatory designs. He is especially interested in creative, realist-informed and longitudinal methods, including fieldnotes, vignettes, and collaborative analysis with communities, to generate rich insight into lived experience and to design and evaluate interventions that are grounded in what matters to people.
In terms of leadership, Jamie is committed to building capacity for qualitative and participatory research across programmes. He plays a key role in developing the Bradford Centre for Qualitative Research, mentoring colleagues, and fostering cross-sector partnerships that bring together researchers, practitioners, and communities. His leadership is values-driven, with a strong emphasis on inclusion, reflexivity, and ensuring that research meaningfully benefits the people and places it is conducted with.
