Phil Hillson

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Course Leader
Faculty:
Faculty of Science and Engineering
School:
Psychology, Sport and Sensory Science
Location:
Writtle
Areas of Expertise:
Sport and exercise sciences

Phil has an MSc in Applied Sport & Exercise Psychology and is currently undertaking a PhD in the same field. His research focuses on the influence of social identity leadership on social outcomes for team sport players. Phil is an experienced coach and practitioner of applied S&C within professional and semi-professional sport and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-hillson-859bb830/

Background

Phil started his teaching career in January 1986 and has worked in Essex for his whole career to date, teaching primarily in Secondary and Further Education settings.

Initially a PE Teacher, he was instrumental in establishing both GCSE and A Level Physical Education courses at SEEVIC College in the 1980’s. This shift towards a more academic study of PE & Sport became the focus of his teaching and culminated in his appointment as a HE Lecturer at Writtle University College. The subsequent merger with ARU provides exciting opportunities to further develop and enhance his professional and academic practice. The desire to be a reflective practitioner and a lifelong learner drives his ongoing academic studies, which hopefully positively influence his professional and empirical work.

Phil's passion for Sport Psychology has been long-established from the early days of studying at University. As part of his professional career, he has been on the Senior Leadership Team in two separate schools and he's worked as a Lead Consultant for Essex County Council. Away from the classroom, Phil has worked as a Strength & Conditioning Coach in both professional and semi-professional Rugby. This has enabled him to combine this discipline alongside the application of psychological skills development within high performance coaching environments.

Research interests
  • Social identity leadership
  • Perceived social support
  • Social outcomes for sports team players
  • Team identification
  • Felt understanding
  • Team cohesion, chemistry and togetherness
  • Impact of formal and informal leadership
Teaching

Courses taught:

Qualifications

Certificate in Education (with QTS)
Postgraduate Diploma in Education
MSc in Applied Sport & Exercise Psychology, Staffordshire University
Current PhD student in Applied Sport & Exercise Psychology, University of Essex