Dr. John P. Mills is a psychologist, educator, and strategic advisor whose work bridges the fields of sport, mental health, and open science.
Dr John P. Mills is best known for his leadership in promoting open science in sport and exercise science. As founder of SportRxiv—the first dedicated preprint server for sport, exercise, and health science—John has played a pivotal role in reshaping how knowledge is shared across multiple disciplines. He has also served as Executive Chair of the Society for Transparency, Openness, and Replication in Kinesiology (STORK), an international network advocating for reproducible and open research practices in kinesiology and related fields.
John holds a PhD in social cognition and leadership from the University of Birmingham. He is a British Psychological Society Chartered Psychologist, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a qualified APMG Change Manager, and a UEFA licensed football coach. He has published over 40 academic works and regularly contributes to journals, editorial boards (including serving as Open Science Advisor to Science and Medicine in Football and as the Editor in Chief to Registered Reports in Kinesiology, a special edition of Communications in Kinesiology), and peer review in sport and exercise psychology, psychology, and sports medicine.
He is also the founder and Director of Play Aid CIC, a non-profit organisation using sport and play to support men’s mental health. Since 2021, Play Aid has partnered with the global men’s health charity Movember to deliver digital wellbeing interventions. These include Gamers vs Depression—a peer-support initiative training gamers in psychological first aid—and Game Plan, an animated short course based on John’s psychological first aid curriculum. Both projects reflect his ongoing commitment to using applied psychology in accessible, community-based settings.
Before his academic career, John worked as a football coach for nearly a decade. He began at age 15 in grassroots leagues before taking on roles with Ipswich Town, Colchester United, and other academies in the UK and the US. This early work in player development continues to influence his thinking on leadership, motivation, and team culture.
Today, John advises Erasmus University Rotterdam, where he serves as a Strategic Open Science Advisor. He has also worked with organisations such as Movember, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the UK League Managers Association, and various Premier League football clubs to provide evidence-based reports on topics such as anti-doping, career transitions, and improving coaching efficacy.
John is committed to public engagement and bridging the gap between research and practice. He has written widely on open science, leadership, and wellbeing, and has hosted multiple podcasts, including Kicking Off with John Mills, Sports Debate, and Totally Football Transfers. His work has also been featured in mainstream media, including the BBC documentary “Do Black Lives Still Matter?” where he appeared as an academic expert.
2001–2010: Early Career in Coaching
Ipswich Town, Colchester United, Major league Soccer and many more
Worked as a football coach and sports teacher.
2008–2015: Academic Training
University of Suffolk and University of Birmingham, respectively
Completed a BSc and PhD in Psychology. Research focused on leadership and social cognition.
2011–2023: Academic Teaching & Research
Aberystwyth University, Anglia Ruskin University, Buckinghamshire New University, University of Chichester and the University of Essex.
Held lecturer and senior lecturer positions at several UK universities. Published over 40 outputs in sport and performance psychology.
2017–Present: Open Science & Research Culture
SportRxiv, STORK, and Erasmus University Rotterdam
Co-founded SportRxiv (preprint Repository). Executive Chair of STORK. Strategic Open Science Advisor at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
2020–Present: Play Aid & Mental Health Work
Play Aid and Movember
Founded Play Aid CIC. Developed various Movember-supported training programmes for online gamers.
If you want to stay up to date with Dr Mills's work be sure to follow me on LinkedIn, or you can send him an email.
Peer Endorsements
"Dr Mills is an academic with an entrepreneurial mindset capable of having a vision and turning that vision into start-up-like initiatives."
Prof. Matthieu Boisgontier
University of Ottawa, Canada
"John’s leadership treads a line that navigates and allows for individual autonomy as well as a sense of group."
Dr Mike Rogerson
University of Essex, UK
"Dr. Mills has made an important contribution to scholarship throughout his research and writing"
Prof. Jean Côté
Queen's University, Canada