Biography

Thierry Middleton is a Senior Lecturer in Sociocultural Studies in the School of Psychology, Sport and Health Sciences. Prior to joining the University of Portsmouth he was a three-time Academic All-Canadian at Laurentian University where he earned a B.A. (Honours) in Sport Psychology and a B.Ed. from Laurentian University. Following teaching positions in Nigeria and Italy, Thierry was awarded a scholarship by the European Commission to complete an M.S.S. in Sport and Exercise Psychology from the University of Jyväskylä (Finland), and an M.Sc. in Diagnostics and Interventions from Leipzig University (Germany). Thierry returned to Laurentian to complete his PhD in Interdisciplinary Culture and Society in 2021. His PhD, focused on working with asylum seeking and refugee youth and the YMCA of Northeastern Ontario to develop socially inclusive community sport programs, earned multiple awards for innovation and impact from the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, Canadian Social Science and Humanities Research Council and American Psychological Association. He was also awarded the 2021 Governor General Gold Medal (Canada). 

Thierry’s current work is focused on understanding psychosocial and cultural aspects of sport and physical activity. He strives to conduct most of his work in collaboration with, or in response to, community needs and desires so that research outcomes result in impactful change that increases engagement and enjoyment in physical activity and sport. His research has been funded by Sport Canada, the International Olympic Studies Centre and the University of Portsmouth. Thierry has also collaborated with community organisations working with youth and refugees to garner funding for the development of physical activity spaces and programs.

Research interests

My research interests are interdisciplinary in nature and focused on human development, performance, inclusivity, governance and social justice in sport, physical activity, and exercise. I am the current assistant theme lead for the Inclusion and Governance Research Strand within the Culture, Behaviour, Inclusion and Governance Theme research theme. My current research focuses on understanding psychosocial and cultural aspects of sport and physical activity, as well as exploring different methods of making research findings accessible and understandable for diverse audiences. I strive to conduct most of my work in collaboration with, or in response to, community needs and desires so that research outcomes result in impactful change that increases engagement and enjoyment in community sport programs. I also regularly advise research teams seeking to conduct high quality qualitative and mixed-methods research across multiple disciplines. Current projects I collaborate on primarily focus on public and patient invovlement in health research, community engagement and knowledge mobilisation.