Research
The University of Exeter wants to support academics at each stage of their career, helping people to reach their potential and become distinguished in their chosen fields.
All Early Career Research staff are strongly encouraged to complete the following Researcher Development introductory activities in addition to general mandatory University-wide staff induction training for all staff, or any Faculty-specific induction activities that you might be required to complete.
The sections below hold information regarding the process, the criteria and the relevant forms.
For queries regarding promotion to Associate Professor and Professor please contact acad-promotions@exeter.ac.uk or your Faculty Executive team; for promotions up to Grade G please contact your Faculty Executive team.
Useful links
Please note the following summary of changes to the documentation for promotions below for the 2023/24 academic year:
- The requirement in the Education and Scholarship job family to submit a business case alongside applications has been removed with all documentation changed to reflect this,
- A single application form has been created for all promotion stages and job families (no changes to forms for probation),
- Outside of the changes outlined above, all wording on the probation, promotion and progression documentation has remained the same, but the documents have been updated to reflect the new University branding.
We recognise that during the Covid-19 pandemic, it was necessary for colleagues to work in new ways and shift priorities as we worked as a community to tackle the challenges brought by the pandemic. We recognise that the pandemic has had an impact on us all, with differential effects, so we want to continue to support colleagues to succeed in their careers and apply for promotion. We will give credit for academic colleagues’ contribution to the University’s response to meeting student needs (and those of the wider community such as the NHS) during the pandemic - in particular for the development and implementation of Project Enhance and Project Restart.
We will take personal circumstances into account and empower academic managers to use their judgement, as people who know their teams. Application forms now provide opportunity for colleagues to state how their plans and achievements changed as a consequence of Covid-19. Applications will continue to be considered against the relevant criteria in terms of the quality of work of applicants but allowances are made with regards to the quantity or outputs. We’ve allowed more time in each stage of the promotions process for meaningful discussion and extra training sessions.
New appointments at Associate Research Fellow, Research Fellow and Senior Research Fellow within the Research job family are subject to a probationary period of twelve months.
Effective probation is important for both career development and as a means of assessing an individual’s competence to do the job to which they are appointed. The probationary period is a positive two-way process designed to assist you to integrate into your new role, with emphasis on support and development.
Your period of probation will give you the opportunity to develop, with relevant guidance, the necessary skills to carry out the job effectively and to develop your career.
The next stage in your development will see you build on the strong foundations you have built during your academic career at Exeter and allow you to further develop the skills and competencies you need to be an effective and successful Exeter Academic so that you achieve progression to Research Fellow.
Process
Criteria
Forms
Development
The next stage in your development will see you build on the strong basis you have built during your academic career at Exeter and allow you to further develop the skills and competencies you need to be an effective and successful Exeter Academic so that you achieve progression to Senior Research Fellow.