Vice-Chancellor's Fellowship in Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation

We are seeking exceptional academic colleagues who have research plans which will have a remarkable impact on our disciplines and/or drive development of our Research Peaks, to join our Vice-Chancellor's Fellowship Scheme.

As a Vice Chancellor’s Fellow, you will have a permanent academic role, and for the first three years you will be supported to undertake independent and collaborative research, delivering an agreed research plan to make a significant contribution to the research profile of the University.

Further information about the role is available in the Vice-Chancellor's role outline.

About sport, exercise and rehabilitation at Northumbria

Northumbria University is a national leader in sport, exercise and rehabilitation research, and we’re seeking outstanding individuals to join our growing team. Our interdisciplinary approach combines sport and exercise science (including physiology, psychology, nutrition, biomechanics, coaching, and management) with physiotherapy (musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory, neurological) to drive innovation through cutting-edge research and practice.

Our REF 2021 submission to UoA 24 was our largest to date, with a four-fold increase in submitted staff. An impressive 92% of our research was rated World Leading or Internationally Excellent, ranking us 5^th in the UK for Research Power. We also saw the largest rise in overall quality across the sector.

The Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation is consistently recognised for excellence in both research and education—currently ranked 5^th for Physiotherapy and 16^th for Sport Sciences in the Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025.

Join us and be part of a thriving academic community advancing health, performance, and rehabilitation science.

We are looking to further enrich our research by recruiting future research leaders within the areas of sport, exercise and rehabilitation who will form passionate and dynamic members of our successful department. Areas where we are particularly keen to recruit include, but are not limited to:

• Aerospace Medicine
• Management of Long-Term Conditions
• Neuromuscular Function
• Optimising Sport Performance
• Sports Coach Education
• Sport, Health, Exercise and Nutrition

For an informal discussion prior to application, please contact Stuart Goodall (stuart.goodall@northumbria.ac.uk), who will put you in contact with the appropriate research leadership team.

If you require any additional information about the application process or would like an informal discussion about the opportunities, please contact Kathryn Atton, HR Adviser at kathryn.atton@northumbria.ac.uk.

About you

We are seeking to appoint at the level of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor. All applicants should hold a doctoral qualification and have demonstrable specialist expert knowledge and skills in the research area. All applicants are expected to provide a research plan including grant capture activities. For the Assistant Professor role, we expect applicants to have an established and growing publication record with ambitious plans to deliver an innovative research programme, positioning them to be future leaders in their field. For the Associate Professor and Professor roles, we expect applicants to be established academics with publication and research track records that demonstrate existing leadership in their field and include examples of successful innovative research projects, commensurate to the level of the role. For appointments at all levels, you must demonstrate a clear research plan for the period of the Fellowship.

For further information and to apply for these vacancies please click 'Apply Now'.

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