Dr Ryan Thomas
Plymouth
Summary
A strategic academic leader and Senior Fellow of the HEA with a sustained record of excellence in Leadership & Management and Knowledge Exchange. Currently serving as Subject Area Leader, overseeing 12 undergraduate programmes and national academic partnerships. Proven track record in institutional transformation, including leading a successful TEF Silver submission and securing University Centre status. Research expertise in relational sociology within elite sport, currently leading a high-impact, Premier League-funded national collaboration. Dedicated to bridging the gap between academic theory and elite professional practice.
Overview
5
5
years of professional experience
10
10
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Subject Area Leader: Sport Coaching, Management & Physical Education
Plymouth Marjon University
Plymouth, Devon
2026.04 - 2026.05
- Strategic coordination of 12 undergraduate programmes and 5 academic partnerships.
- Direct line management of 8 full-time academic staff, fostering an externally engaged academic culture.
- Leading the development of a departmental Centre of Excellence in Sport Coaching and Talent Development.
Senior Lecturer in Sport Development & Coaching
Plymouth Marjon University
Plymouth, Devon
2022.09 - 2026.08
- Leadership: Acted as Academic Link Tutor (Exeter College, MIT Skills), designing new quality/moderation records adopted institution-wide.
- Impact: High quality teaching & learning, leadership of placement modules. Programme Coordinator and Personal Development Tutor. Initiated the flagship academic partnership with Plymouth Argyle Community Trust.
- Research Coordination: Served as PGR Coordinator for Sport & Exercise Science, leading supervisor training and researcher development forums.
- Coordinated with colleagues to develop shared resources for increased efficiency in teaching methods.
- Utilised innovative teaching techniques, resulting in high student engagement levels.
- Conducted extensive research, contributing to academic articles.
Head of Higher Education
The Cornwall College Group (TCCG)
Multi-Campus, Cornwall
2021.10 - 2023.07
- Strategic Impact: Led the TEF Silver submission, transforming complex datasets into a winning institutional narrative.
- Growth: Doubled internal FE-to-HE progression within one year; secured University Centre status through DfE liaison.
- Policy: Authored the institutional HE Strategy and implemented a new Academic Workload Allocation Model aligned with OfS B3 conditions.
Education
PhD - Sport Coaching (Relational Analysis of Talent ID)
Northumbria University
Newcastle upon Tyne 2017.09 - 2024.04
Senior Fellow (SFHEA) - Higher Education Academy
Advance HE
MSc - Sport Management
Northumbria University
Newcastle upon Tyne 2006.09 - 2009.05
PG Cert - Teaching & Learning in HE
Exeter University
Exeter, Devon 2008.09 - 2009.07
Skills
- Strategic leadership
- Curriculum design
- Compliance management
- Multi-site operations
- Stakeholder engagement
- Project development
- Academic quality assurance
- External examining
- PSRB management
- Mentorship and supervision
- Empathetic line management
Affiliations
- Travel, food, sport, gym/fitness, listening to music
RESEARCH & KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE
- Project (Collaborative): Investigating Learning Cultures within Professional Football Academies. Secured Premier League funding for a 5-institution national study—the largest of its type. Target for REF2029 Impact Case Study.
- Selected Internationally Recognised Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Morgan, C., Hall, E., Thomas, R., Nicol, A., McCutcheon, M., Potrac, P. (2026). Impressionistic protectiveness, team formation, and alignment building in coach education work: An ethnographic study. Sports Coaching Review, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/21640629.2026.2667671
- Thomas, R., Hall, E., & Potrac, P. (2025). Connections, conflict and (re)configuration: a relational analysis of the enactment of EPPP policy in academy football. Sports Coaching Review, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/21640629.2025.2591410
- Thomas, R., Hall, E. T., Nelson, L., & Potrac, P. (2022). Actors, interactions, ties, and networks: the ‘doing’ of talent identification and development work in elite youth football academies. Soccer & Society, 23(4–5), 420-431. https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2022.2059870
- 11 x presentations at International Conferences
- National Invited Presentations
- Premier League: Invited speaker for Academy Managers (via Liverpool University).
- Association of Sporting Directors: Expert Knowledge Series on stakeholder relationships.
EXTERNAL RECOGNITION
- External Examiner: Newcastle College, University of Hull, Open University (2023–2028).
- Reviewer: Sports Coaching Review and Soccer & Society (Q1 Journals).
- Awards: 5 x nominations for University Teaching & Learning Awards (2023–2025).
REFERENCES
- Lee, Ballard, Academic Director of Sport, lballard@marjon.ac.uk, Plymouth Marjon University
- Paul, Potrac, Professor of Sport Coaching & Social Theory, paul.potrac@outlook.com, University College Dublin / Cardiff Metropolitan University
Timeline
Subject Area Leader: Sport Coaching, Management & Physical Education
Plymouth Marjon University
2026.04 - 2026.05
Senior Lecturer in Sport Development & Coaching
Plymouth Marjon University
2022.09 - 2026.08
Head of Higher Education
The Cornwall College Group (TCCG)
2021.10 - 2023.07
PhD - Sport Coaching (Relational Analysis of Talent ID)
Northumbria University
2017.09 - 2024.04
PG Cert - Teaching & Learning in HE
Exeter University
2008.09 - 2009.07
MSc - Sport Management
Northumbria University
2006.09 - 2009.05
Senior Fellow (SFHEA) - Higher Education Academy
Advance HE