Award of Titles and Professorial Merit Pay
A range of academic titles can be conferred by the Division or the University. These include the title of (Full) Professor, the title of Associate Professor, and the titles of Visiting Lecturer or Visiting Professor. Professorial Merit Payments can be made to University staff who have the title of Full Professor.
The procedures and criteria for eligibility vary- some are available to non-employees, for example, whilst others are available to staff in particular grades. Note that the award of the title of (Full) Professor or of the title of Associate Professor for example does not change an individual's underlying role, duties or paygrade. Titles include:
Visiting professors and visiting lecturers
Please contact Polly Bunce if you need more information, or if you are unable to access the Word document for any reason.associate professor title
For individuals making a significant and sustained contribution to achievement of the University's goals, and who are comparable in distinction to those holding the substantive post of Associate Professor.
Associate Professor Title can be awarded to eligible individuals in university grades 9 and 10 or to clinicians in an honorary consultant role. Nominations are considered periodically by the divisional board, and nomination is made via the Head of Department. Occasional exceptional requests to award Associate Professor title to eligible candidates upon appointment or in cases of retention may also be considered. The MPLS Procedure Document sets out the process for conferral of Associate Professor title by the Division and the criteria (which include research, teaching and citizenship aspects):
Please contact Polly Bunce if you need more information, or if you are unable to access the PDF for any reason.
The 2025 Associate Professor Title exercise opens on 19th March 2025 and closes on 6th May 2025. Please see the 2025 Call for nominations and full procedure (Word doc).
Professor Title
(Full) Professor title is awarded via the annual Recognition of Distinction exercise. All those employed by the University in academic or senior research roles are eligible to apply, as are other University employees who are making a significant and sustained academic contribution to the University. Criteria in research, teaching and citizenship apply, and research distinction must be at least equal to that expected of those appointed to full professorships at other leading international research universities.
The 2024-25 exercise has now closed.
Further background about the process and how to apply is available on the HR Support Recognition of Distinction page.
Outcomes from each annual round are normally finalized during the Long Vacation.
Please contact Polly Bunce if you need any further information about the University's Recognition of Distinction process for conferral of Professorial title.
The MPLS Recognition of Distinction Committee for the 2024-25 round comprises:
- Prof Jim Naismith (Chairman), Professor of Structural Biology and Head of MPLS Division
- Prof Chris MacMinn (Engineering), Professor of Engineering Science and Associate Head of MPLS (People)
- Prof Clive Siviour (Engineering), Professor of Materials Engineering and Head of Department of Engineering Science
- Prof Sara Bernardini (Computer Science), Professor of Computer Science.
- Prof Nobuko Yoshida (Computer Science), Professor of Computing
- Prof Cornelia Drutu (Mathematical Institute), Professor of Mathematics
- Prof Martin Maiden (Biology), Professor of Molecular Epidemiology and Head of Department of Biology
- Prof Dimitra Rigopoulou (Physics) Professor of Astrophysics
PROFESSORIAL MERIT PAYMENTS
Periodically, the University holds exercises to determine the pay awards that should be made to its senior academic staff in addition to their basic salaries, on the basis of their academic distinction. These are known as Professorial Merit Payments (under previous procedures these payments have been known as Professorial Distinction Awards). Criteria in leadership and Citizenship, Teaching and Research apply, and it is expected that applicants will have exceeded the criteria for conferral of the title of Full Professor, their work and achievements having progressed since that time.
All University employees (in any type of non-clinical role) who hold the title of Full Professor, or whose post is a Statutory Professorship or Statutory Readership, are eligible to apply.
More information about the process and criteria for professorial merit payments.
Please contact the Academic and Strategic HR team leader if you need any further information about the University's Professorial Merit Pay processes.
The 2024-25 exercise has now closed.
The MPLS Professorial Merit Pay Awards Committee for the 2025 round comprises:
- Prof James Naismith FRS (Chairman), Professor of Structural Biology and Head of MPLS Division
- Professor Michael Bonsall, Professor of Theoretical Biology and Associate Head of MPLS Division (finance)
- Prof Stephen Faulkner, Professor of Chemistry and Head of Chemistry
- Prof Jonathan Keating FRS, Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy
- Prof Alison Noble CBE FRS FREng, Technikos Professor of Biomedical Engineering
- Prof Susannah Speller, Professor of Materials Science
- Prof Frank Windmeijer FBA, Professor of Statistics and incoming Head of Statistics
- Prof Julia Yeomans OBE FRS, Professor of Physics
FURTHER INFORMATION
This page contains information on the award of titles. Read information about processes for appointing academic staff and appointing heads of department and about processes for academic staff in post. If you have a query about academic staffing that is not answered by the documents on these pages, please contact the Academic HR Team.