Abbe Brady

Dr. Abbe Brady is an Associate Professor at St Mary's University, leading the SWIFT Research Centre since 2019. Her academic career includes roles as Head of Department for Psychology and Pedagogic Science, interim Academic Director for Sport Science, and Programme Director for Sports Coaching Science. With over 20 years' experience as a BASES-accredited Sport Scientist and HCPC-registered Sport and Exercise Psychologist, she specializes in athlete/coach well-being, mentoring, and positive psychology applications.

Her research focuses on four key areas: athlete/coach well-being, mentoring in coach development, service learning in higher education, and positive psychology interventions. Currently, she leads two Football Association projects evaluating women’s/girls’ coaching effectiveness and assessing the Coaching Excellence Initiative (2021–2023).

Dr. Brady has extensive external reviewing roles, including over 20 years as a journal reviewer and serving as co-editor of a Frontiers Special Edition on elite sport well-being. She has mentored managers in higher education and is a WISEAN mentor for women in sport sciences.

Her 15+ publications span sport psychology, safeguarding, and coach development, with recent work emphasizing pandemic-era coach education and holistic athlete support. She has been an external examiner for over 20 academic programs across UK universities since 2001, contributing to course validations and revalidations.

Dr. Brady’s SWIFT Research Centre fosters interdisciplinary projects with global partners, addressing sport, well-being, inclusion, and faith-related issues. She actively engages in media discussions on sport-related topics through St Mary's Press Office.