Sara Figueras Comas

Sara Figueras Comas holds the position of Full Professor within the Department of Educational Sciences at the Faculty of Psychology, Educational Sciences and Sports, Ramon Llull University. Her academic career is deeply rooted in the Blanquerna campus, where she contributes significantly to the Research and Innovation Group in Sport and Society (GRIES). Currently, she serves as the Principal Investigator for the active project "LET'S PLAY TOGETHER", an ecosystem learning-service initiative running from July 2024 to December 2025, demonstrating her ongoing commitment to applied research in sport and education.

Her research portfolio is characterized by a strong focus on the intersection of physical activity, sport, and psychological well-being. Key areas include Physical Education, Sport and Society dynamics, Exercise Dependence phenomena, Physical Activity promotion, Conflict Resolution strategies, Service-Learning methodologies, and the formation of Learning Communities. A substantial portion of her recent work investigates the complex relationship between endurance sports participation and psychological factors, such as motivation, emotional regulation, negative affectivity, and the development of exercise dependence, with particular attention to demographic variables like gender and age.

Analysis of her 2022-2024 publications reveals a concentrated effort on understanding and measuring exercise dependence in endurance athletes, employing diverse methodologies including mixed methods and focus groups. Concurrently, she has contributed to advancing service-learning pedagogy in sport contexts through systematic reviews on rubric design, emphasizing self-assessment and community impact. These works collectively highlight her dedication to improving both individual athlete experiences and broader societal engagement through sport.

While no specific scientific awards or fellowships are documented in the provided sources, Dr. Figueras Comas has successfully secured significant competitive research funding. Her project portfolio includes multiple grants from the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) supporting the GRIES group over three consecutive periods (2014-2017, 2017-2021, 2024-2025), the "Esport en la Població en Edat Escolar" project (2018-2019), and her current leadership of the "LET'S PLAY TOGETHER" initiative. These projects underscore her ability to direct collaborative, interdisciplinary research with practical applications.

As a core member of the Blanquerna Research and Innovation Group in Sport and Society (GRIES), Dr. Figueras Comas collaborates within a robust network of over 20 researchers. This team investigates critical issues at the sport-society interface, with a special emphasis on school-age populations in Barcelona and the development of community-based interventions. Her work through GRIES consistently bridges academic research with real-world service learning and community action.