Don’t judge a book by its cover: the effect of “lookism” on subjective scoring in gymnastics

Applications are invited for a fully-funded three year PhD to commence in October 2025. 

The PhD will be based in the Faculty of Science and Health within the School of Psychology, Sport and Health Science, and will be supervised by Dr Edward Morrison and Dr Chris Mills. 

Candidates applying for this project may be eligible to compete for one of a small number of bursaries available. Successful applicants will receive a bursary to cover tuition fees at the UK/EU rate for three years and a stipend in line with the UKRI rate (£19,237 for 2025/26). Bursary recipients will also receive a contribution of £1,500 per year towards consumables, conference, project or training costs.

Costs for student visa and immigration health surcharge are not covered by this bursary. For further guidance and advice visit our international and EU students ‘Visa FAQs’ page.

The work on this project could involve:

●        Using motion-capture to record gymnastics performance data

●        Creating avatars using animation technology 

●        Liaising with experienced gymnasts and expert judges for psychological experiments

Project description

“Lookism” is a social perception bias whereby people are treated more or less favourably depending on their attractiveness. Much work in social psychology has shown the power of such biases in everyday life. But less work has applied this bias to sports, especially those where success is based on aesthetic judgements, such as gymnastics. This project seeks to provide empirical evidence on how body shape and size may influence scoring outcomes in gymnastics, with the goal of promoting more inclusive practices and improving the objectivity of the sport’s evaluation system.

The project will involve working with local gymnastics clubs to recruit experienced gymnasts, capture performance data using motion-capture, animate avatars using these data, and working with expert judges as participants.

This project will involve working in an interdisciplinary setting across psychology, sports and exercise science, and computer animation.

General admissions criteria

You’ll need a good first degree from an internationally recognised university (minimum upper second class or equivalent, depending on your chosen course) or a Master’s degree in an appropriate subject. In exceptional cases, we may consider equivalent professional experience and/or qualifications. English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.

Specific candidate requirements

You will have a good understanding of psychology, and strong quantitative skills. Experience with motion-capture and computer animation will be an advantage, although full training will be given. A willingness to learn new technical skills is essential. You will comfortable working across disciplines (psychology, sports science, and computer animation).

How to Apply

Please note that email applications are not accepted. If you have any project-specific questions please contact Dr Ed Morrison (ed.morrison@port.ac.uk), quoting the project code. 

When you are ready to apply, please use the online application form of the respective project on our PhD scholarship website. Make sure you submit a personal statement, proof of your degrees and grades, details of two referees, proof of your English language proficiency and an up-to-date CV.  Our ‘How to Apply’ page offers further guidance on the PhD application process.

If you want to be considered for this funded PhD opportunity you must quote project code PSH50140125 when applying.

Explore more funded opportunities via our South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership (SCDTP) programme.