Research groups
The research activity of the UAB Sport Research Institute is carried out primarily through research groups that approach sport from a multidisciplinary perspective. In addition, it benefits from the scientific expertise and know-how of research groups from other disciplines in which researchers affiliated with the institute actively participate.
The Health&SportLab is a technology-based research group (2021SGR-00806) established to bring together and enhance the research of those dedicated to studying health promotion, well-being, and physical activity at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). It brings together staff with an extensive background in the fields of sport psychology, health, applied technology, and community intervention.
Strategic research lines:
- Promotion of healthy lifestyles and community intervention
- Use of mHealth technology and mobile devices in sport and health
- Stress management and real-time psychophysiological analysis through heart rate variability (HRV)
Within these general sections, priority research lines include the use of strategies based on ecological momentary assessment (EMA) for athlete recovery, the development of active lifestyle markers for elderly people based on smartphones, or campaigns against sedentary behavior and for health improvement within the university environment.
Specialized training: Specialized online training is offered with a UAB-specific university qualification in the field of Healthy Lifestyle, applied to Health Sciences and Sport Sciences. Students have the option to take the full Master's or Postgraduate degree. Likewise, if preferred, individual modules or courses can be completed independently at different times, following one's own pace. For those who have already completed any of these courses and wish to complete the Postgraduate degree in Healthy Lifestyle, there is an option to validate them. Registration remains open throughout the academic year.
Available programs and modules:
- Physical Activity and Healthy and Sustainable Lifestyle
- Diet and Healthy and Sustainable Lifestyle
- Coping with Stress and Healthy and Sustainable Lifestyle
- Sleep and Healthy and Sustainable Lifestyle
Group members: Principal investigator: Lluís Capdevila Ortís (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
Researchers:
- Dra. Eva Parrado Romero (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
- Dr. Miguel Ángel García González (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
- Dr. Jaume Cruz Feliu (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
The Grup de Recerca en Ciències Socials de l'Esport (GRECSE) is a recognized research group (2021-SGR-00204) established in 2022 to bring together and leverage, through a multidisciplinary approach, the research work of those dedicated to Social Sciences research at the Sport Research Institute (IRE-UAB).
GRECSE brings together staff with extensive research experience and national and international prominence in the fields of Communication, Education, Psychology, or Geography.
Strategic research lines:
- Integral Communication in Sport
- Education and Social Transformation
- Sport and Physical Activity Psychology
- Olympic Studies
Within these general areas, priority research lines include the role of women in sport, content analysis and sports fiction, or dual careers in sport, among others.
GRECSE members:
Principal investigator:
-
Dr. Yago Ramis Laloux (Department of Basic, Developmental and Educational Psychology)
Researchers:
- Dr. Francesc Muñoz Ramirez (Department of Geography)
- Dra. Susana Pallares Parejo (Department of Social Psychology)
- Dr. Juan Manuel Muñoz Justicia (Department of Social Psychology)
- Dra. Anna Tous Rovirosa (Department of Journalism and Communication Sciences)
- Dra. Carme Viladrich (Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Health Sciences)
- Dra. Maria Prat Grau (Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression)
- Dra. Natividad Ramajo Hernandez (Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising)
- Dr. Miquel Torregrossa (Department of Basic, Developmental and Educational Psychology)
- Dr. Luis Fernando Morales Morante (Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Audiovisual Communication)
- Dr. Emilio Fernandez Peña (Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising)
- Dra. Marta Borrueco Carmona (Department of Basic, Developmental and Educational Psychology)
- Dra. Susana Regüela Saez (High Performance Center Sant Cugat)
Research staff in training:
- Rocio Zamora Sole
- Lidia Ordeix Cordon
- Marina Garcia Sola
- Jose Tomas Mejias Riquelme
Technical research support staff:
- Martina Barceló Kirchner
- Laia Bertran Gracia
The Olympic Studies Centre (CEO-UAB) was founded in 1989 to promote research, documentation, training, and dissemination on the Olympic phenomenon and sport from a multidisciplinary and international perspective.
Currently, it is part of the IRE-UAB and brings together researchers with an extensive background in the social, historical, and communicative analysis of the Olympic Games and sport in general.
Strategic research lines:
- History and values of the Olympic movement
- Communication, digital media, and broadcasting of the Olympic Games
- Legacy and social, economic, and urban impact of sports events
- Sport, education, and social inclusion in the contemporary context
Within these general sections, priority research lines include the study of the digital transformation of sports media, the impact of artificial intelligence on sports communication, or the preservation of the historical memory of Barcelona 1992.
Center members:
- Dr. Emilio Fernández Peña. Director
- Iliana Ferrer Rodríguez. Deputy Director
- Miquel de Moragas. Founder and Honorary Director
- Angela Stanescu. Researcher
- Daniel Arrebola. Researcher
- Leonor Balbuena. Researcher
- Ludovico Longhi. Researcher
- Matheus Castro. Researcher
- Valerio della Sala. Researcher
The Grup d'Estudis de Psicologia de l'Esport (GEPE)
was established with the aim of developing research of excellence in the field of applied psychology in physical activity, performance sport, and health promotion at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).
The group has been recognized with a specific designation by the UAB since 1996. Currently, it is part of the IRE-UAB and is integrated into the Research Group in Social Sciences in Sport (GRECSE; 2021-SGR-00204), which is recognized by the Government of Catalonia. It has an extensive history of international collaboration and consultancy for sports entities, focusing on the psychological well-being and holistic development of athletes.
Strategic research lines:
- Dual career and career transitions in performance sport
- Mental health promotion and well-being protocols in elite sport
- Sport performance psychology and consultancy for coaches and athletes
- Values, ethics, and prevention of risky behaviors in youth sport
Priority research lines include the analysis of mental health support systems, psychological consultancy in high-performance centers, and international academic exchanges to evaluate European sports policies.
Group members:
- Dr. Miquel Torregrossa. GEPE Coordinator
- Anna Jordana. GEPE Coordinator
- Dr. Yago Ramis Laloux. GRECSE Coordinator
- Dra. Marta Borrueco. Senior Researcher
- Dra. Susana Regüela Saez (High Performance Center Sant Cugat)
- Maximiliano Devoto. PhD Student in Psychology
- Dorottya Molnár. PhD Student in Psychology
- Marina Garcia Sola. PhD in Psychology
- Jose Tomas Mejias Riquelme. PhD in Psychology