About
Emma Pullen is a Senior Lecturer in Social Science and Sport at Loughborough University's School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences. She holds a PhD from Loughborough University (2016) and completed a UKRI-funded Postdoctoral Research position before joining the university as a Lecturer in 2019. Her research focuses on disability studies, gender, and the sociocultural impacts of sport, with particular attention to media representation and health promotion in neoliberal contexts.
Emma leads the University Women in Sport Research Hub and the Health and Wellbeing for Women in Sport Research Cluster. Her work explores themes such as Paralympic broadcasting in Sub-Saharan Africa, the gendered and raced representation of disabled athletes, and the contradictions within global health campaigns like the #WeThe15 initiative. She critically examines how sport intersects with issues of social justice, nationalism, and bodily norms.
Her research employs interdisciplinary methods, combining sociological theory with media analysis and participatory approaches. Key areas include the cultural politics of disability in sport, the affective dimensions of healthcare environments, and the role of sport in shaping societal attitudes toward marginalized groups.
