Carly is an Associate Professor and Interim Deputy Dean for the Faculty of Science and Technology, having previously led two separate departments in the Business School (Department for People and Organisations and Department of Sport and Event Management). She holds a PhD in Sport and Health Science, awarded by the University of Exeter in 2007.

Carly's research interests are interdisciplinary and evolving, drawing together sociology and psychology in order to understand the narrative construction of identities, selves and embodiment in a variety of contexts including sport and health, management and the workplace, coaching and behaviour change. She has a keen interest in auto/biographical research methods.

Carly has published works on violence, gender and coaching in women’s gymnastics culture, co-authoring the Routledge book 'Women's Artistic Gymnastics: Socio-cultural Perspectives. She has also led community-based projects in understanding transgender people's experiences of swimming and NEET young people's skill development and transition to work in deprived coastal areas.

Carly is a qualified and practising executive coach, which she brings to her research projects and leadership positions. She also develops and delivers coaching CPD.

Carly's research reflects the breadth, diverse experience, and interdisciplinary exploration that enable the connection of new ideas across contexts. Her career thus far reflects her theoretical interests that work preferences and life preferences do not stay the same because we do not stay the same.

Carly is a British Sociological Association, Auto/biography Study Group Co-convener and Editor of Auto/Biography Review.

Research

Carly currently leads the European-funded Interreg 2Seas project Speed-You-Up on the personal development of at-risk NEET young people across England, The Netherlands, Belgium, and France. It seeks to improve employment and social outcomes for over 800 at-risk young people in coastal communities via entrepreneurship. Carly evaluates the project’s impact on young people and their communities and leads the feasibility study. She is a thought leader for coaching and its theoretical underpinnings as an approach to working with young people, having developed and delivered coaching CPD as part of SPEED-You-UP.

Carly has developed a stakeholder network with businesses, local policymakers, welfare organisations, and schools to embed and sustain the project in new coastal regions and create sustainable communities. SPEED-You-UP helps young people to live better and is a catalyst for growth, boosting skills and advancing the region.

Carly also co-leads a National Institute of Health and Medical Research and NHS Arc Wessex-funded studentship to encourage behaviour change in women with pelvic floor dysfunction towards pelvic floor exercises. Carly is a thought leader on the project in understanding women's embodied lives in a cultural context where pelvic floor dysfunction is particularly taboo, and the silent struggles and management of bodies in private are common. Working with the Squeezy app, we develop digital nudges to effect pelvic floor exercise adherence and management, ultimately helping women live better.

Carly's professional practice is in leadership and coaching. She holds a professional certificate in Executive Coaching from Henley Business School and is studying for an MSc in Coaching and Behavioural Change. She is interested in academic leadership's socio-emotional and relational aspects and is driven by helping others with personal challenges, growth, and self-awareness. Carly is a Leadership Mentor on the Women in Sport High-Performance Pathway (WISH) and a personal tutor on The Senior Leadership Apprenticeship programme. Carly also sits on the Board of Directors for Bournemouth University Community Business.

Publications

Grants

Outreach & engagement