Dr John P. Mills
Dr John P. Mills, chartered psychologist and behavioural scientist

Hi, I’m John.

I’m a chartered psychologist and behavioural scientist with a background in sport and performance psychology. I help charities, funders, universities and sport organisations change what people do, and provide evidence of the difference it makes.

I’ll tell you what I think, then give you everything I know so your team can carry it on without me.

How I got here

Not a straight line. That’s the point.

  1. Age 14

    Founded my first football club

    No one would give me a coaching job, so I set up my own club. I went on to coach in professional football.

  2. Undergraduate

    Started studying leadership

    My undergraduate dissertation was on leadership. Sixteen years later, I’m still studying it.

  3. 2015

    PhD, University of Birmingham

    The first in my family with a doctorate, on leader integrity, including work with Premier League and international managers.

  4. 2015 to 2023

    Lecturing at Chichester, then Essex

    Two years at the University of Chichester, then six at the University of Essex, teaching, supervising and building research teams.

  5. 2016

    Founded SportRxiv

    A free, open archive for sport and exercise research, launched in 2017.

  6. 2021

    Play Aid, with Movember

    Play Aid’s Gamers vs. Depression project: psychological first aid training for gamers, now running across the UK, Ireland and Australia.

  7. 2023

    Open and Responsible Science Advisor, Erasmus University Rotterdam

    Helping write open science into university policy, from PhD training to how researchers are recognised and rewarded.

  8. Now

    Working with organisations like yours

    Behaviour change programmes, research culture and integrity in sport, across the UK, the Netherlands and Europe.

Where I’ve taught

Seven universities, a further education college and dozens of primary schools across Essex and Suffolk.

Erasmus University Rotterdam
University of Essex
University of Chichester
Buckinghamshire New University
Anglia Ruskin University
Aberystwyth University
Ulster University
Colchester Institute

In numbers

26 yearsin full-time work
10,000+young people taught as their coach, teacher or professor
7universities worked at
€1.6m+in research funding secured
40+research outputs
30+university modules developed or delivered

As seen on BBC One, BBC Three and iPlayer

My research on racial bias in English football, on national TV.

The BBC documentary Do Black Lives Still Matter? featured my research showing that, over five years of English football, some playing positions were held mostly by lighter-skinned players.

Watch on the BBC

Credentials

  • Chartered psychologist (British Psychological Society)
  • RAPPS-registered supervisor (British Psychological Society)
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
  • APMG change management practitioner
  • PhD, University of Birmingham
  • Honorary Fellow, Ulster University
  • Director, Play Aid CIC

Why I do this

Two things I saw as a young coach still drive what I do.

I wanted to read research to get better, and was quoted £39.99 an article. That was the spark for SportRxiv, and the start of my path into open and responsible science.

I also saw behaviour I didn’t like from other coaches: abuses of power, intimidation, and egos getting in the way of supporting players. In academia, I set out to understand why some people behave like that. Sixteen years later, I’m still studying it.

I consult because I get energy from helping people change things. I enjoy the transformation process itself, and complex problems where I can get deep into the weeds to find a solution. Working this way also gives me the flexibility to be there for my two young children.

Tell me what you’re trying to change.

I’ll reply myself, and if I’m not the right person for it, I’ll say so.

Send me a message