Dr Mary Quinton PhD, FHEA

Dr Mary Quinton

School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences
Assistant Professor in Sport and Exercise Psychology

Contact details

Email
m.quinton@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
Address
School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences
Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Dr Quinton’s research examines bioecological systems in sport, dance, and Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é contexts to understand their role in enhancing emotional regulation, social connectedness, and mental health, using strengths-based psychology and pedagogical theory to explore development and motivation across diverse populations.

Qualifications

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, 2024

PhD in Sport and Exercise Sciences, Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é, 2017

MRes in Sport and Exercise Sciences, Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é, 2013

BSc in Sport and Exercise Sciences, Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é, 2012

Biography

Dr Mary Quinton is an Assistant Professor in Sport and Exercise Psychology in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at the Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é and Co-Director of the SPRINT Project research team, which investigates mental health and wellbeing across sport, dance, and Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é contexts (www.sprintproject.org). She completed her PhD at Birmingham, exploring the effects of imagery content and ability on cognitive, affective, and behavioural outcomes.

Her early career included serving as the operational lead for the My Strengths Training for Life (MST4Life™) programme within a youth homelessness charity, where she applied sport psychology techniques to support young people’s resilience, wellbeing, and progression into education, employment, or training. This role sparked her enduring interest in strengths-based approaches and participatory research with populations facing complex challenges.

Dr Quinton has developed an international reputation for interdisciplinary research on mental health, emotional regulation, and social connectedness across sport, dance, research, and Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é settings. Her work integrates sport and strengths-based psychology with developmental and pedagogical theory to explore how individuals’ backgrounds and environments shape mental health and motivation. She collaborates extensively with national and international partners, including Loughborough University, the University of Alberta, and a range of Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é-based charities and organisations.

She has secured over £300,000 in research income from diverse sources, including industry (Siemens, Russell Collection Partnership), charity (Cook and Wolstenholme Charitable Trust), and internal university funds. Her QR Enhancing Research Culture Fund award enabled the launch of a new research stream on supporting researchers’ mental health in emotionally demanding contexts. This work has led to co-designed guidelines adopted at national and international conferences and a strategic partnership with the mental health charity Mind.

Dr Quinton has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals such as Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, BMJ Open, and Journal of Community Psychology, alongside a Routledge book chapter and numerous conference presentations. Her publications reflect a strong commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and international engagement.

A core aspect of Dr Quinton’s research is her commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). She integrates EDI principles into all stages of research design and delivery, particularly when working with populations historically marginalised or considered vulnerable. She has undertaken CPD in neurodiversity awareness and mental health first aid, and her EDI-focused publications include contributions to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal and special issues in Sport, Exercise and Psychology Review.

Dr Quinton is an active member of international networks including the Dance Psychology Network and the Tackling Loneliness Hub (commissioned by DCMS). She regularly reviews for esteemed journals and contributes to shaping inclusive, impactful research cultures across academic and applied settings.

Teaching

Dr Mary Quinton is the module lead for Sport, Exercise and Health Psychology and also a team member for the Sport and Mental Health module and Dissertation module (qualitative methods and results). She also supervises undergraduate students undertaking their final year project. Mary is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, having completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education in 2024.

Postgraduate supervision

Mary’s PhD students include:

  • Kirsty Brown: Neurodiversity and mental health in sport
  • Emma Morgan: Self-compassion and mental health in UK higher education dance students
  • Michelle Dwarika: Mental skills training in freelance dancers
  • Morgan-Jayde Milne: Exploring vocational dance students’ emotions, emotion regulation and mental health
  • Vanessa del Castillo Silva Couto (Visiting PhD student in Public Health from University of Sao Paulo): Encouraging nutrition counselling in primary health care: development and evaluation of a Massive Open Online Course
  • Dr Georgia Bird: A person-centred approach to understanding athlete mental health and emotional regulation (complete)

Mary welcomes applications from competitive and/or self-funding UK, European, and overseas students for projects related to her research interests (PhD or Masters by Research). Students who are considering applying to the Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é to work with Jennifer should contact her by email in advance or check for advertised projects on www.findaphd.com.

Research

Dr Mary Quinton’s research focuses on strengths-based and bioecological approaches to understanding mental health, emotional regulation, and social connectedness across sport, dance, research, and Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é settings. Her work is interdisciplinary, drawing on sport psychology, pedagogical theory, and participatory methods to explore how individuals’ backgrounds and environments shape their development and motivation. She collaborates widely with academic institutions and Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é-based organisations, and is Co-Director of the SPRINT Project research team (www.sprintproject.org).

Her current research includes:

  • Researchers’ Mental Health: Leading a programme on psychologically informed research cultures in emotionally demanding contexts, with international uptake of co-designed guidelines and a strategic partnership with Mind.
  • Mental Health in Dance and Sport: Investigating risk and protective factors of mental health in dancers and athletes, including neurodiverse populations, with partners such as Birmingham Royal Ballet.
  • Youth Homelessness and Intervention Evaluation: Evaluating strengths-based programmes such as MST4Life™ using the Kirkpatrick model, and developing impact evaluation tools for soft outcomes.
  • Major Sporting Events and Community Legacy: Exploring the social impact of events like the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on disadvantaged communities.

Selected Research Grants and Awards (2020–Present)

Principal Investigator

  • QR Enhancing Research Culture Fund (2024): Feasibility of Psychologically Informed Research Cultures in Emotionally Demanding Research
  • QR Policy Support Fund (2024): Advancing Policy for a Safer Dance Environment
  • QR Enhancing Research Culture Fund (2023): Advancing Safe Research for Researchers’ Mental Health
  • LES Impact Fund (2023): Digitising the Mental Skills Training Toolkit

Co-Principal Investigator

  • Cook and Wolstenholme Charitable Trust (2021): Enhancing Mental Health of Disadvantaged Young People

Co-Investigator

  • LES Impact Fund (2024): Engaging the Dance Community on Maltreatment and Harm
  • LES Impact Fund (2024): Policy Impact of Measuring Soft Outcomes
  • QR Policy Support Fund (2022): Major Events Legacies
  • Siemens, the Russell Partnership Collection, the Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é, and ESRC IAA (2022), Legacies of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games for disadvantaged communities and individuals

Publications

Quinton, M. L., Clarke, F. J., Parry, B. J., & Cumming, J. (2021). An evaluation of My Strengths Training for Life™ for improving resilience and well-being of young people experiencing homelessness. Journal of Community Psychology. DOI:10.1002/jcop.22517

Williams, S. E., Quinton, M. L., Veldhuijzen van Zanten, J. J. C. S., Davies, J., Mӧller, C., Trotman, G. P., & Ginty, A. (2021). Mastery imagery ability is associated with positive anxiety and performance during psychological stress. Frontiers in Psychology.

Parry, B. J., Thompson, J. T., Holland, M. J. G., Quinton, M. L., & Cumming, J. (2020). Improving outcomes in young people experiencing homelessness with My Strengths Training for Life™ (MST4Life™): A qualitative realist evaluation. Children and Youth Services Review, 121, 105793.

 

Quinton, M. L., Veldhuijzen van Zanten, J. J. C. S., Trotman, G. P., Cumming, J., & Williams, S. E. (2019). Investigating the protective role of mastery imagery ability in buffering debilitative stress responses. Frontiers in Psychology. Advanced online publication:

 

Cooley, S. J., Quinton, M. L., Holland, M. J. G., Parry, B. J., & Cumming, J. (2019). The experiences of homeless youth when using strengths profiling to identify their character strengths. Frontiers in Psychology. Advanced online publication:

 

Trotman, G. P., Williams, S. E., Quinton, M. L., & Veldhuijzen van Zanten, J. J. C. S. (2018). Challenge and threat states: Examining cardiovascular, cognitive and affective responses to two distinct laboratory stress tasks. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 126, 42-51. doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2018.02.004

 

Quinton, M. L., Cumming, J., & Williams, S. E. (2018). Investigating the mediating role of positive and negative imagery ability. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 35, 1-9. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2017.10.011.

 

Williams, S. E., Veldhuijzen van Zanten, J. J. C. S., Trotman, G. P., Quinton, M. L., & Ginty, A. T. (2017). Challenge and threat imagery manipulates heart rate and anxiety responses to stress. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 117, 111-118. doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2017.04.011

 

Quinton, M. L., Cumming, J., Allsop, J., Gray, R., & Williams, S. E. (2016). Imagery meaning and content in golf: Effects on performance, anxiety, and confidence. International Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology. Advanced online publication. doi:10.1080/1612197X.2016.1242150

 

Cumming, J., Cooley, S. J., Anuar, N.  A., Kosteli, M. C., Quinton, M. L., & Williams, S. E. (2016). Developing imagery ability effectively: A guide to layered stimulus response training. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action. Advanced online publication. doi:10.1080/21520704.2016.1205698

 

Quinton, M. L., Cumming, J., Gray, R., Geeson, J., Crowley, H., Cooper, A., & Williams, S. E. (2014). A PETTLEP imagery intervention with young athletes. Journal of Imagery Research in Sport and Physical Activity, 9, 47-60. doi:10.1515/jirspa-2014-0003

Expertise

Sport psychology; mental health; mental skills; mental techniques; imagery or visualization; emotion regulation