Promotion from Professor level 1 to higher professorial grades

Introduction

Professorial levels

There are four professorial levels, or grades. Those who have been appointed or promoted to professor level 1 can apply to the Senior Academic Promotions Committee for promotion to the next professorial level, normally on an annual basis.

An application takes the form of a CV and an application form, which asks for evidence in respect of the core criterion of Education, Academic Citizenship and Leadership and then the descriptor for the level applied for and pathway, with a focus on achievements since the most recent promotion.

The descriptors below are generic and the evidence provided by each individual will always be assessed in relation to the pathway to professor the applicant has followed and their individual context. The examples of evidence provided are not exhaustive and no applicant for promotion would be expected to achieve all of them.

Grade S1 (spine points 51 - 54)

At this level, Professors are expected to satisfy the criteria for one of the three pathways and to be achieving at a nationally-recognised level of excellence. They will be expected to demonstrate a national level of recognition by their peer community as a significant contributor to their field of work, and to have an emerging international reputation.

This descriptor is provided for context, so that potential applicants can see the difference in expectations between level 1 and the higher levels. For examples of evidence that would support an application to Professor Level 1, please see the Promotion to Professor webpage.

Grade S2 (spine points 54 - 57)

At grade 2, Professors are expected to demonstrate a higher level of recognition and achievement than at grade 1. In particular, they are expected to be able to demonstrate international reputation and recognition, or equivalent standing through their sectoral and professional impact. They will also have a status as a leading national figure in their field. They will also be expected to have achieved awards or fulfilled roles within or outside the University which are consistent with this level of recognition by their peer community.

Evidence examples for those on the Education and HE Practice Pathway:

Leading projects or work streams for groups that have a sector-wide impact (e.g. University Alliance, Advance HE)
Contribution to or leadership of national policy development
Outputs leading to demonstrable impactful educational practice change nationally and/or internationally
Membership of international research or professional practice development consortia
Recognition through invitations to give keynotes at Learning and Teaching conferences at national or international level
Editorship of journals of national standing
Demonstrable and sustained track record of funding for research on pedagogy.

Evidence examples for those on the Education, Knowledge Exchange and Professional Practice Pathway:

Demonstrable evidence of leading a change in practice in the profession;
Leading policy development at national level
Leading workstreams in the context of professional body work
Chairing conference steering groups
Being the invited expert for professional body work or policy development
Leading accreditations for PSRBs
PI for substantial Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
National recognition through e.g. NTF, PFHEA
Substantive external outputs with impact measures (books, journals, blogs etc).

Evidence examples for those on the Education and Research Pathway:

Sustained record of academic publication with research outputs of internationally excellent standing
Editorship of journals of internationally recognised peer reviewed journals
Sustained record of research funding as CI and PI
Leading the submission of REF impact case studies or developing other forms of research impact that are of national or international significance

Grade S3 (spine points 58 - 61)

At grade 3, Professors are expected to demonstrate impact and peer esteem which clearly identify them as a leading international contributor to their field of work and to have a sustained record of excellence and influence. They will be making an outstanding and pre-eminent contribution to the reputation of the University through gaining major awards and honours, and achieving a level of proven international “leading-edge” excellence in education, knowledge exchange, professional practice or research.

Evidence examples for those on the Education and HE Practice Pathway:

Recognition through invitations to give keynotes at Learning and Teaching Conferences at international level.
Substantive contribution to the shaping of national policy.
Leadership of sector-wide initiatives with impact at national level.
Editorship of journals of international standing.
Extensive record of substantive outputs with measurable impact on a national and international level.
Demonstrable and sustained track record of funding for research on pedagogy, appropriate to the grade.

Evidence examples for those on the Education, Knowledge Exchange and Professional Practice Pathway:

Leading major policy development at national or international level.
Work with government as an expert related to professional practice.
Work with major industry boards such as CBI, BCC, FSB with longlasting national impact.
Developing industry standard tests (e.g. reading tests, diagnostic tests).

Evidence examples for those on the Education and Research Pathway:

Sustained record of academic publication with research outputs of internationally excellent and world-class standing.
Successfully lead large and / or complex funding applications that involve working with multiple academic and or non-academic partners
Editorship of internationally leading peer-reviewed journals.
Leading the submission of REF impact case studies or developing other forms of research impact that are of national or international significance and supporting others.
Invitations to give keynotes at national and international conferences.

Grade S4 (spine point 62 minimum)

At this level, Professors will be truly world-leading, generally recognised as leading their field internationally. They will be able to demonstrate an outstanding level of peer esteem and a consistent record of widely-recognised and transformative impact. In order to be promoted to level 4, applicants must be able to demonstrate sustained excellence against all of the criteria in their chosen pathway.

The Vice-Chancellor has the authority to determine the level of remuneration that is appropriate for professors appointed to this grade.

Evidence examples for those on the Education and HE Practice Pathway:

Globally recognised for expertise, authority, and leadership of a particular area of learning and teaching.
A substantive contribution to seminal works in the sphere of learning and teaching.
Development and dissemination of ideas, constructs or practices that are widely known and adopted and have a significant impact across the UK and beyond.
Dynamic and highly proactive and impactful support to the development of others across the institution and sector.
Track record of sustained and substantial funding for research on pedagogy.

Evidence examples for those on the Education, Knowledge Exchange and Professional Practice Pathway:

Globally recognised for expertise, authority, and leadership of a particular area of professional practice.
Leading major policy or strategy development at national or international levels or with international reach.
Formal appointment at government level as subject matter expert / advisor, with broad-ranging reach and impact.
Dynamic and highly proactive and impactful support to the development of others across the institution and sector.

Evidence examples for those on the Education and Research Pathway:

A substantive contribution to works widely recognised as seminal in their field.
Sustained record of academic publication with research outputs of world class standing.
Internationally recognised for expertise, authority, and leadership of a particular area of research.
Editorship of internationally excellent and world class peer-reviewed journals.
Successfully lead multiple large and / or complex funding applications that involve working with multiple academic and or non-academic partners, nationally and / or internationally.
Leading the submission of REF impact case studies or developing other forms of research impact that are of national or international significance and supporting others.
Dynamic and highly proactive and impactful support to the development of others across the institution and sector.

Note: The examples given are exactly that - examples to help you consider the types of evidence you might wish to submit in support of your application. You may address some or all of them, or provide different evidence altogether.

How to apply

Key dates

Applicants for promotion to associate professor must submit their application form, including CV, by the deadline of 6 July 2026.

Application procedure

Applications are made by the application for promotion between professorial levels Google form (Brookes login required).

On the form, you should summarise your evidence for the compulsory criterion of Education, Academic Citizenship and Leadership and for the descriptor for the professorial level you are applying for, according to your pathway. Your evidence must demonstrate achievement, impact and sustained progression across all of the criteria for your chosen pathway. You should focus on achievements since your most recent promotion. You can see examples of the types of evidence you might cite above.

Explain the impact of any factors that have limited the volume of evidence that you have been able to present in the Special Circumstances section. This might include, for example, family leave, or an extended period of ill health, or unusually intensive caring responsibilities or other circumstances beyond your control that have resulted in you being unable to work or which have had a detrimental impact on your work. Information provided in this section will be shared with the team in the faculty who write the critical appraisal and with the promotions panel. They will take this into account when assessing the quantity, but not the quality, of your outputs and achievements. There is further guidance on Special Circumstances, which is also linked in the form.

Upload a CV that clearly details your key achievements in relation to the compulsory criterion and the descriptor for your pathway and the level you are applying for. The CV can be a maximum of 10 pages long, in a minimum of 11pt font, in Arial, with normal margins and no web links.

You should use the template to help you to include all relevant material in a coherent way, but may add sections to it as you need to.

If you are reapplying after a previous application, please ensure that your CV highlights developments since the original application.

Remember to include not only what you have done / delivered, but also the impact that has had. You may find the Evaluating and Evidencing Impact: Academic Enhancement Toolkit (Brookes login required) useful for that.

Please note that you will need to be logged into your Brookes Google account in order to submit the form. If there are any difficulties with the form, please contact hrcommittees@brookes.ac.uk.

Timetable for consideration of applications

Faculty panels will meet to consider applications in mid September, and will feed back to applicants about whether their application will be supported, and why, with reference to the compulsory criterion and the descriptors for levels and pathways, in late September.

Applicants whose applications are not being supported by the Faculty should then decide whether they want their application to proceed to SAPC by 5 October 2026.

SAPC will meet to consider applications in early December (exact date TBC). Outcomes will be communicated in mid December, with promotions backdated to 1 August 2026.

In some cases, SAPC may decide to seek an independent reference to support their decision-making. When this happens the applicant will be informed. Once the reference is received, it will be considered by circulation and the applicant will be notified of the outcome of their application as soon as possible.

Unsuccessful applicants will receive written feedback about their application and will be given the opportunity to request a meeting with a panel member to discuss it.