Successful participation to the Young Researchers in Sports Science Conference
The UAB Sport Research Institute hosted the Young Researchers in Sport Sciences Conference (JJCE25) on February 21st. This event, organized within the framework of the PhD program in Sport Sciences, brought together over a hundred researchers—including master’s students, PhD candidates, and postdoctoral researchers—from across Catalonia, Spain, and other European countries, all with a shared interest in pursuing a scientific career in sports.
The conference, held at the Faculty of Communication Sciences, started with a welcome speech by the Dean of the Faculty, Juan José Perona, the Director of the IRE-UAB, Emilio Fernández, and the Coordinator of the UAB PhD Program in Sport Sciences, Maria Prat.
The plenary session, in a roundtable format entitled “Beyond Research: Experiences and Reflections on Professional Careers”, featured contributions from Joana Sans (INEFC Barcelona), Pau Mateu (INEFC Pirineus), Joan Pons (UIB), and Andrea Pérez (EduVic). They shared insights into the thesis development process and future career opportunities for PhD graduates, moderated by UAB professor Anna Jordana.
Following this, over a hundred researchers participated in four parallel oral presentation sessions covering society and sport, training and sports performance, health and sport, and education and training in sport. These sessions were moderated by Marta Borrueco, Xènia Rios, Laura Carbonero, Eva Parrado, and Ludovico Longhi. The conference continued with a poster session, offering participants an opportunity to interact and discuss their research. In total, 43 oral presentations and 17 research posters on current topics in sport sciences were presented.
Throughout the event, attendees had the chance to present their research in an engaging space for dialogue between young researchers and academic experts, with the aim of fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, idea exchange, networking, and skill development in scientific communication.
As a result, the Young Researchers in Sport Sciences group was launched on LinkedIn, aiming to facilitate interaction, information exchange, and the creation of new opportunities for sharing knowledge and experiences within the community of young researchers.
This first JJICE25 edition was promoted by the UAB PhD program in Sport Sciences, in collaboration with doctoral program coordinators from various Catalan universities, including Blanquerna-Universitat Ramon Llull, INEFC – Universitat de Barcelona, INEFC Lleida, and Universitat de Vic.
The Organizing Committee was composed of early-career faculty members affiliated with the Institute - Marta Borrueco, Laura Carbonero, Iliana Ferrer, Anna Jordana, and Xènia Rios - with support from members of the PhD program Academic Committee and IRE-UAB technical staff. The conference also benefited from the collaboration of student volunteers from the UAB Faculty of Education, who encouraged participants to engage in an active break between sessions.