Sport and Exercise Science

Profile

Background

Dr Chris Wagstaff is a British Psychological Society Chartered Psychologist, Health Professions Council Practitioner Psychologist, British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences accredited Sport Scientist, and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Chris studied for his BSc, MSc, and PhD in Cardiff, Wales. He subsequently held teaching positions at Cardiff Metropolitan and Bangor Universities and also worked at the Institute of Psychology in Elite Performance (IPEP). He now divides his time between, research, consultancy, and the supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate students.

In line with his research expertise, Chris consults with business executives, senior military officers, and international, Olympic and Paralympic athletes, coaches and support staff. In this work Chris coaches individuals to create elite performance cultures and lead others in high-pressure environments. Chris has worked with the British Army, Navy and Air Force, National Health Service, British Olympic Association, as well as numerous clients from the Barclay's Football Premier League, County Cricket, and Aviva Rugby Premiership.

Teaching Responsibilities

Chris is responsible for leading undergraduate research projects in the department. He coordinates undergraduate and postgraduate units in Psychology of Sport and Exercise (II), Psychophysiological Aspects of Health-related Exercise (III), and Exercise Programming and Behaviour Change (M). Chris also contributes to the following units: Introduction to Philosophy and Research Skills (I), Introduction to Sport and Exercise Psychology (I), Introduction to Fitness Training and Assessment (I), Professional Practise in Sport Psychology (III), Psychological Approaches to Sport Performance (M), Applied Research Methods (M), Applied Sport Psychology (M), and Professional Practice Placement (M).

Research Interests

Chris's research focuses on the psychology of excellence across various domains. Specifically, his work adopts a strengths-based approach to examining how individuals and teams deliver sustained excellence in high-pressure environments. This research encapsulates the areas of stress, emotion regulation, leadership, mental toughness, resilience and organizational development. In addition to his own research Chris acts as a reviewer for leading journals in his field: Sport, Exercise & Performance Psychology, Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Journal of Sports Sciences, European Journal of Sport Sciences, Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, The Sport Psychologist.

Recent Publications

More recent publications

Core Research Areas

Peer-reviewed books and book chapters:

Wagstaff, C. R. D., Neil, R., Mellalieu, S. D., and Hanton, S. (2011). Key movements in directional research in competitive anxiety.  In J. Thatcher, M. M. Jones & D. Lavallee (Eds.). Coping and emotion in sport (pp.143-166). Routledge.

Publications before 2008

Mellalieu, S., Hanton, S., Neil, R., Fletcher, D., and Wagstaff, C. R. D. (2007). Competition and organization stress in sport. Journal of Sport Sciences, 25, 32-36.

Wagstaff, C.R.D., Fletcher, D., and Hanton, S. (2007). Coping with stressors encountered in sport organizations. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 29, 210-211.

Funding

British Army (£82,000): Research Officer

BARS (£30,000)

UWIC Academic Associate Conference (£250)

Cardiff School of Sport Dean’s Award (£150)