First Digital Technologies and Sport Business PhDs awarded
On Wednesday 17 July, Dr João Carreira and Dr Qi Peng were awarded the first Doctors of Philosophy for their institutes from Loughborough University London.
Dr Bridget Backhaus was also awarded the second Institute for Media and Creative Industries PhD during the ceremony, which took place at Loughborough’s East Midlands campus along with the graduates from the School of Social Sciences and Centre for Academic Practice.
Dr João Carreira graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy from the Institute for Digital Technology. João’s PhD investigated error resilience and error concealment for HEVC standard. His research interests include 2D/3D image and video processing, robust video streaming over constrained networks and subjective quality evaluation. João was supervised by Dr. Ahmet Kondoz, Director of the Institute for Digital Technologies, and Dr. Erhan Ekmekcioglu, Senior Lecturer within the Institute for Digital Technologies.
Dr Qi Peng graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy from the Institute for Sport Business. Qi’s PhD, entitled The Institutional Change Process in the Chinese Sport Sector: An Organisational Analysis on the Chinese Football Association Reform examined the impact of policy changes on sport organisations through the lens of Multiple Streams Framework and organisational change theories. Qi was supervised by Professor James Skinner, Director of the Institute for Sport Business and Professor Barrie Houlihan, Emeritus Professor for the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences.
Speaking about her time at Loughborough University London, Qi said:
“I am very honoured to be the first PhD candidate to join the Institute for Sport Business and the first to complete a PhD degree at the campus. During the three-and-a-half years with Loughborough University London, I have received the best academic support from my supervisors who are world-class experts in their field.”
Dr Bridget Backhaus graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy from the Institute for Media and Creative Industries. Bridget, a former broadcast journalist, explored how community radio stations engage with their audiences for her PhD. Bridget was supervised by Professor Jo Tacchi, Associate Dean for Research, and Dr Rohit Dasgupta, Senior Lecturer within the Institute for Media and Creative Industries.
Professor Jo Tacchi, Associate Dean for Research, said of the graduates:
“Research is an integral part of what we do at Loughborough University London, and this special day honours the achievements of our PhD graduates and the hard work they’ve put into gaining their Doctorate.”
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2020 QS World University Rankings and top in the country for its student experience in the 2018 THE Student Experience Survey.
Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2020, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020 and 8th in The UK Complete University Guide 2020.
Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
Specialising exclusively in postgraduate-level study, Loughborough University London is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers cutting-edge master’s and PhD degrees, as well as business collaboration, research and enterprise opportunities.
The seven specialist institutes at Loughborough University London include: Design Innovation, Digital Technologies, Diplomacy and International Governance, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, International Management, Media and Creative Industries, and Sport Business. Close industry partnerships with a wealth of leading businesses and creative organisations means teaching and learning is informed by real-life challenges and driven by true industry pressures.