Andrew Higham

Dr. Andrew Higham serves as an Assistant Professor in Psychology within the School of Social Sciences at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK. Holding a PhD, PGCE, MSc, and Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), his research and teaching focus on sport psychology with emphasis on coach and athlete well-being in elite football environments. His institutional affiliation is evidenced by his hw.ac.uk email domain and EH14 4AS campus address.

Higham's research centers on Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore stressors in work environments, coaching psychology, and semistructured interview methodologies. His fingerprint analysis reveals dominant engagement with well-being dynamics among football coaches, maltreatment cases in sport, and emotional regulation within team settings. This work directly contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to mental health and inclusive communities through sport-based interventions.

Recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate methodological innovation using longitudinal photo-elicitation to capture nuanced well-being experiences, alongside investigations into interpersonal emotions in women's soccer and systemic barriers in sport psychology practice. His editorial contributions advocate for structural welfare protections in organized sport, reflecting a cohesive research trajectory bridging qualitative sport psychology with practical policy implications for elite sports organizations.

Higham actively disseminates findings through invited talks including June 2025's 'You wouldn’t let your phone run out of battery: Coach well-being in elite sport' and media commentary on high-profile events like Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool departure, which he analyzed as a potential catalyst for improved well-being frameworks in professional football.