The University’s procedures for senior academic promotions are designed to provide a means of recognising the outstanding contribution made to the University’s mission by its academic staff, and the intellectual and academic leadership they provide in education, knowledge exchange, professional practice, research, and citizenship.
Senior Academic Promotions Committee
Terms of reference and membership
- To determine applications for promotion to professor level 1 and for subsequent promotions to professorial levels 2, 3 and 4.
- To determine applications for promotion to associate professor on each of the three career pathways.
- To determine nominations for university honorary titles, including emeritus professor.
- To determine applications for contribution-related salary points from professors and associate professors.
- To advise the Vice-Chancellor and the Academic Board on matters relating to the appointment of professors in the University, and other matters that may be referred to it.
The committee consists of 4 ex officio members:
- The Vice-Chancellor (as Chair)
- The Chief People Officer (as Chair in the absence of the Vice-Chancellor)
- The Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research)
- The Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education)
There are also three external members appointed by the Vice-Chancellor and two other members representing the Faculties.
The purpose of the external members is to provide guidance and advice on the appropriate standards for promotion with regard to external practice.
The Chief People Officer will advise the committee as required and ensure that appropriate records are kept and its decisions are implemented.
The appointed members of the committee serve for a period of three years and are eligible for reappointment on one occasion.
The quorum for the committee is two thirds of current members, which must include the Vice-Chancellor or the Chief People Officer to take the chair, an external member and the Pro Vice-Chancellors for Education and for Research. If the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education or Research is unable to attend, the meeting will still be quorate if they submit comments on each application to the Chair before the meeting. Other members should, whenever possible, nominate a suitable alternate to represent them if they are unable to attend the meeting.
| Committee member | Role | Expiry date |
|---|---|---|
| Professor Helen Lavile (chair) | Vice-Chancellor | Ex officio |
| Sarah Thonemann | Chief People Officer | Ex officio |
| Professor Claire Hamshire | Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education) | Ex officio |
| Professor Joe Tah | Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) | Ex officio |
| Professor Patrick Alexander | Nominee from Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences | Until May 2028 |
| Professor Ramin Keivani | Nominee from Faculty of Health, Science and Technology | Until May 2028 |
| Professor Timothy Thompson | External member | Until May 2028 |
| TBC | External member | TBC |
| TBC | External member | TBC |
The Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion will attend meetings as an equality observer. They will have full access to applications, to the Google form on which member comments are recorded and to diversity data, and will be authorised to speak on any item, with the purpose of ensuring that the Committee exemplifies equality in every aspect of its conduct and that all aspects of the process are conducted in a transparent and inclusive manner.
The committee will meet at least twice each year, and may meet more often as required for the timely transaction of business.
There may be exceptional circumstances in which a Faculty PVC wishes to put forward a candidate for consideration for promotion outside the standard cycle of meetings. In such cases, the Faculty PVC and the candidate should submit full case documentation to the Chief People Officer. The Vice-Chancellor will consult members of the committee on the merits of the case and the same criteria for promotion will apply.