When to apply
Cases for promotion can be submitted to the Head of Department/Division/Director of Institute at any time during the academic year.
These cases will be considered by Academic Staff Committee (ASC).
How to apply
Before applying, you first need to confirm with the budget holder (PI in case of external funding) that resourcing provision for promotion exists.
Cases for promotion can only be considered if the provision for promotion already exists.
Candidates for promotion from Research Associate Grade 7 to Research Fellow Grade 8 are expected to demonstrate that they have:
established their own independent area of expertise in research, and
a sustained and audible research record and a portfolio of high quality published work
If the budget holder confirms that funding is available and you believe you meet the criteria, please complete the application form and submit this, along with the supporting documentation to your Head of Department (Head of Division for School of Management, Director for Institute).
Please ensure that the Pure Research Activity Report is used to populate the research activity section of your application form.
Next steps
In a Department/School
Your Head of Department/Head of Division is responsible for initiating a consultation process with your line manager and an internal referee to assess support for the application.
In an Institute
The Director of the Institute is responsible for initiating a consultation process with at least two internal references to assess support for the application.
The Head of Department/Division/Director of Institute will submit the case to the Dean for consideration including:
a statement of their own view
the statements from the referees
confirmation they have checked with the budget holder that resourcing provision for promotion is available
Considering your case
Your Dean and Associate Dean (Research) will consider the case and make a recommendation to ASC. ASC will decide whether to:
confirm the promotion
decline the promotion
interview you before making a decision
The Head of Department/Dean/Institute Director will be notified of the outcome immediately after the ASC meeting and they will communicate the decision.
Promotion will take effect from the first day of the month following the ASC meeting. For more information on starting salaries for successful promotions, please refer to the University guidance.
If a case for promotion is not supported, your Head of Department/Division will arrange for a Personal Action Plan to be developed.
This web page provides a summary only and should be read in conjunction with the Career Progression in the Education and Research Job Family: principles and framework document.
Deadlines for completed applications
Find out more about the deadlines for submitting your completed application to HR and when it will be considered by ASC.
Useful resources
This guide, related pages and the CPER document should be your first point of reference to understand more about the process, procedures and criteria for promotion. However, you might also find it helpful to refer to our academic promotion: useful information page to help answer questions you may have on individual topics.