Thoughts and Ideas
This section is a space for me to consider issues within society and contemporary culture.
Here, I’ll introduce and further develop ideas I like to work with, explain and expand on issues that stem from previous projects, as well as consider immersive research and developing practices.
Study a PhD with Dr. Christopher R. Matthews
I specialise in conducting and supervising immersive research, but I’m keen to discuss various projects and research methods with prospective students as well.
Managing your PhD supervisor
Academic success as a post-graduate researcher is often premised on having an effective relationship with your supervisors. Here are some broad ways of working towards making that happen.
Academic book chapters: the good, the bad and the lovely
Academic book chapters can be great to write. In this video, I talk about the good, the bad and the lovely.
Two fully funded PhD projects
Two fully funded community-focused research projects with the University of Nottingham’s, and Nottingham Trent University’s Co(l)laboratory. They focus on sport as a tool for reducing violence and sport in relation to dementia care.
What questions should I ask in my interviews?
Considering interviews as a one-off research event is too restrictive and doesn’t allow us to get the most out of the method. Thinking of interviews as part of a coherent strategy that unfolds over time is one way we can move past this.
Academic Chatter with Dr. James Steele
James is an Associate Professor of Sport and Exercise Science at Solent University. In this video, we talk about teaching research methods, learning to teach using minimal preparation and what it means to try to take control of your career.
Answering questions in your Viva
Answering questions about your work can be hard, especially when you feel under pressure. In this video, I talk through a basic framework that can help you quickly grasp how to handle being in the hot seat.
What makes a bad supervisor?
If you’re a supervisor, it's more than likely that you’ll benefit from getting better in various ways. Some of these ideas might help you reflect on the process of becoming a better supervisor.
The rollercoaster of writing
I write for a living and find it really challenging. Hopefully hearing about my writing process will help you make sense of yours.
Getting shit done: Part four
I talk about ‘getting shit done’ in Vol.1 of Doing Immersive Research. Helping people focus on this is an essential part of my job, it ensures they’re thinking of something specific when I teach them about academic ideas. This practical and pragmatic dimension is something that most people can do with enhancing, and my desk planner is a great way of doing that when it's aligned with this video series.
Getting shit done: Part three
I talk about ‘getting shit done’ in Vol.1 of Doing Immersive Research. Helping people focus on this is an essential part of my job, it ensures they’re thinking of something specific when I teach them about academic ideas. This practical and pragmatic dimension is something that most people can do with enhancing, and my desk planner is a great way of doing that when it's aligned with this video series.
Getting shit done: Part two
I talk about ‘getting shit done’ in Vol.1 of Doing Immersive Research. Helping people focus on this is an essential part of my job, it ensures they’re thinking of something specific when I teach them about academic ideas. This practical and pragmatic dimension is something that most people can do with enhancing, and my desk planner is a great way of doing that when it's aligned with this video series.
Getting shit done: Part one
I talk about ‘getting shit done’ in Vol.1 of Doing Immersive Research. Helping people focus on this is an essential part of my job, it ensures they’re thinking of something specific when I teach them about academic ideas. This practical and pragmatic dimension is something that most people can do with enhancing, and my desk planner is a great way of doing that when it's aligned with this video series.
Join my team: Fully-funded PhD
Join my team! You could be working alongside me and two other PhD students studying interesting issues connected to health, wellbeing and sport.
Work–life balance and finding what matters
In this video, I talk about work–life balance and make the argument that most people are thinking about it in the wrong way. I want us to shift our focus away from details to tackling bigger issues. I propose a couple of ways of doing this and provide a few examples from my experience of gaining a great work–life balance.
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