We are closing on 20 December for the Christmas period and will re-open again on 2 January. If you have a question during this time, please speak to our chat bot.

What are you looking for?

Courses

Events

Staff

Applying to become a Professor

  1. Home
  2. Research
  3. Researcher Development
  4. Staff Researcher Development
  5. Applying to become a Professor

I am thinking of applying to become a Professor

The University of Northampton (UON) confers the title of Professor to colleagues with a distinguished record of achievement in relation to three areas or strands: Research, Professional Practice/Enterprise, or Learning & Teaching. Professorships are conferred in accordance with Policy, expectations and guidance on Professorships at UON. If you are a colleague (typically an Associate Professor) with a sustained record of excellence in relation to one of these strands you should be planning towards a future application to become a Professor.

We have put together a range of resources and information to support you in making decisions about, and developing an application for a Professorship. Here you’ll find some development outcomes to help you think about your research profile and plans in relation to the expectations for Professorships at UON. We have also provided some example Performance and Development Review (PDR) objectives, embedded in some broader discussion topics support conversations with your line manager. You’ll also find some useful development activities and resources, and a ‘who’s who’ of useful contacts within the University to support you in continuing to develop your profile of excellence.

We are planning to build a bank of good practice examples for colleagues who are thinking of applying for a Professorship, and the resources here will be continuously updated.

We hope you find this information useful. You can provide feedback via this research development feedback form any time that suits you.

Scroll down for further information.

  • Here you will find some example development objectives that we think will support you at this stage. They have been developed by a working group of diverse, multi-disciplinary colleagues. The themes were raised by colleagues in a cross-University survey about researcher needs, and are mapped to external benchmarks and sector good practice (e.g. Vitae), plus relevant internal strategies and policies.

    The objectives identify some key actions for you to complete. Staff needs are likely to be different as the research career progresses, but progression is not always linear and different forms of objectives and support may be required at different times. You may want to adapt them to your own needs, in consultation with your line manager, mentor or research lead.

    Developing identity as a researcher

    Advocate for the researcher development needs of others. Plan ways to offer excellent leadership in your own research and in developing others; position your research within international disciplinary contexts.

    Broadening your research knowledge (skills) and experience

    Benchmark your achievements and curriculum vitae (CV) against the UON requirements for Professor (requires evidence of sustained leadership roles in relation to research, impact and UON strategic objectives). Identify areas of strength and development needs. Based on this review, develop a plan with specific objectives to address development needs and work towards development of your application within a realistic timeframe. Write down where you would like your research, outputs and impact to be in 3 years’ time, and identify what you would need to achieve this.

    Equality, diversity and inclusion

    Lead and enable the integration of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in research culture across the institution and beyond. Identify your existing contributions to the EDI agenda within and externally to the University and construct a plan for how you could extend these further in the future, and identify the support needs you will have to achieve this.

    Organisational expectations/vision

    In Performance and Development Review (PDR) discussions with your line manager, ensure that your objectives include stretch targets aligned with the current requirements for Professor. Identify an internal and external mentor to support the development of your Professorial application.

    Evidence a leading contribution to your field of expertise, supporting achievement of the University’s Strategic Plan and support the development of others (via leadership, recognised professional standing, an established record of authorship in research outputs, support for the creation of impact case studies, supervision of doctoral research). Seek opportunities to engage with UON training and development around leadership and professional development.

    Developing networks, partnerships/ collaborations

    Engage with national and international networks and seek to develop new links and collaborations. Seek opportunities to take up leadership roles within collaborations, projects, funding bids and other research activities. Maintain and develop your PURE research profile.

    Seek opportunities to take up leadership roles relating to research and enterprise at UON and within external organisations (e.g. international conferences, research groups, editorial boards, funder peer review, policy or strategic direction of external organisations).

    Play a leading role in the development and evidencing of impact from engaging with national and/or international networks. Support colleagues to develop links with fellow researchers and national and international networks.

  • Colleagues and line managers have asked for guidance on setting Performance and Development Review (PDR) objectives relating to research. We have provided some example PDR objectives for colleagues at your stage. Examples can be selected and adapted to suit individual development priorities.

    1. Submit one output to an international peer-reviewed journal, seeking mentoring/peer support to develop work which has potential to be ‘internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour’ (REF 3*). The PDR process should check that there is progression towards achieving two REF-able outputs every three years as required by the ‘Teaching and Research’ contract.

    • Focusing on research
    • Delivering high quality performance

    2. Submit bid(s) for research/enterprise funding equivalent to direct costs of salary +25%

    • Focusing on income and advancement
    • Building relationships

    3. Contribute to Faculty/Institute/UON vision/mission for research/enterprise through specified leadership role

    • Delivering high quality performance
    • Building relationships

    4. Develop and gather evidence of significant impact linked to a current or previous research project

    • Achieving social impact

    We want to empower researchers to explore their strengths and areas for future development. There is information for managers of researchers, to which you can also signpost your manager, to help you underpin discussions about applying for a Professorship. Some topics for discussion might include:

    • What information do you need to make a decision about applying for a Professorship? (Identify what you need to know, or anything that is not clear)
    • What guidance and support is available from other Professorial colleagues in your team or Faculty?
    • What mentoring and support would help you to fulfil the expectations for Professorship?
    • What would need to change to enable you to meet expectations for Professorship? How can you, alongside your manager, enable this to happen?
    • How can you develop additional opportunities for leadership roles – institutionally, nationally or internationally – in relation to Research, Professional Practice/Enterprise, or Learning & Teaching?

    If you or your manager would like support with these discussions, please contact your research lead, or the lead of a relevant research centre. The following section also provides some examples of good practice in this area.

  • In this section we have provided some examples of development activities [login required for staff intranet], top tips and good practice. UON colleagues have found these activities helpful, and we hope they will be useful to you at this stage.

    We will continue to update this section with examples and activities. Please share any feedback, or other examples you have found useful, on this research development feedback form. These fall under four categories, and you can ‘pick and mix’ according to your needs and development objectives:

    • Information, policies and guidance for researchers at UON;
    • Existing resources via recorded sessions previously held at UON, or offered via development platforms that we have a license for, including LinkedInLearning and SAGE research methods;
    • Forthcoming development sessions hosted by the University of Northampton;
    • Case studies of support, mentoring and protecting research time for you to develop your own ideas of the support mechanisms you need.

  • A big part of building our research community is developing supportive links between different individuals and teams. We really want to you to feel supported as you progress your research aspirations, whatever those aspirations might be.

    Here, you will find a list of the people/teams/centres who are there to support you. They are a good first port of call for you to seek support and guidance and can signpost you to others if they aren’t able to help directly.

    Dean of Research, Impact and Innovation: Cathy Smith

    Research Funding & Governance Manager: Paul Bramble

    Faculty Research Leads

    Faculty of Health, Education and Society: John Horton

    Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology: Will Wise

    Faculty of Business and Law: Ed Johnston

  • Make sure that you read the current policy ang guidance on UON Professorships, and the latest information for Professorial applicants, carefully.

    Seek advice from your team, line manager and other UON colleagues about whether the time is right for you to apply for a Professorship, or work out a realistic plan to work towards it in future. As a part of the application for a Professorship, you will need to demonstrate sustained and ongoing record of excellence and leadership in your area.

    If you decide that the time is right for you to apply for a Professorship, the following section gives information to support colleagues to meet the expectations for Professors at UON.