Academic Promotion

The Academic Promotions Round for 2026 is now open for applications until 30 September 2026.

The annual Academic Promotion process provides academic staff with an opportunity to progress in their careers within Queen Mary.  The expectation for successful progression is that the applicant provides evidence of their contribution to the university, in line with our 2030 Strategy and Values, at the level for which they are applying. The aim is for Queen Mary to be a truly inclusive University where everyone has the support and opportunity to build their careers.

Documents for the 2026 Academic Promotions round are provided below:

Application form:
2025-2026 - Academic Promotion Application form [DOC 128KB]

Guidance for Applicants:
2025-2026 Academic Promotions - Guidance for Applicants [PDF 191KB]

Guidance for Promotion Groups and Panels: 2025-2026 Academic Promotions - Guidance for Promotion Groups and Panels [PDF 175KB]

Process and Governance:
2025-2026 Academic Promotions - Process and Governance [PDF 207KB]

Academic Careers Framework:
2025-2026 Academic Careers Framework [PDF 514KB]

FAQs:
2025-2026 - Academic Promotions FAQs [PDF 105KB]

Personal Circumstances Form:
2025-2026 Academic Promotions - Personal Circumstances Form

School and Institute Promotion Group meeting pro forma:
School and Institute Promotion Group meeting pro forma [DOC 22KB]

The final completed application form must be emailed to your Head of School / Institute Director by Wednesday 30 September 2026. Should you wish to receive feedback on a draft application, this must be emailed to your Head of School / Institute Director by Friday 11 September. The deadline for submitting a Personal Circumstances Form is also Friday 11 September.

The ‘Window’ for the School / Institute Promotion Group panel meetings is 12-16 October 2026. The deadline for Heads of School / Institute Directors to then complete and finalise the Head / Director statement on all applications and email to the HR Reward & Benefits Administrator, rewardandbenefits@qmul.ac.uk, is Friday 23 October 2026.

The full timetable is shown below:

Timetable
Announcement of the Academic Promotions round via e-bulletin	13 July 2026
Briefing sessions for applicants and Heads / Directors	July and September
Discussion of application with Head of School / Institute Director	July to September
Opening of application submission	13 July 2026
Draft Promotion Application form to be emailed to Head of School / Institute Director for feedback Submission of Personal Circumstances Form (if applicable) to HR	11 September 2026
Personal Circumstances Panel	22 September 2026
Completed Promotion Application form to be emailed to Head of School / Institute Director	30 September 2026
Head of School / Institute Director circulates Promotion Application forms to their School/Institute Promotion Group panel members	2 October 2026
School / Institute Promotion Group panel meetings	12-16 October 2026
Head of School / Institute Director completes the Head / Director statement on each Application and circulates forms to School / Institute Promotion Group panel members	19 October 2026
Head of School / Institute Director emails the Application documentation and School / Institute Group Meeting Pro Forma to the Reward and Benefits team	23 October 2026
Reward and Benefits team emails a copy of the Application document and School / Institute Group Meeting Pro Forma to each applicant (to enable them to complete an Applicant Response should they wish)	26 October 2026
Panel packs are prepared by the Reward and Benefits team and circulated to the Faculty Promotion Panels (with Applicant Responses to be forwarded later)	30 October 2026
Deadline for applicants to email their Applicant Responses	4 November 2026
Submissions discussed at Faculty Panels	9-26 November 2026
Academic Promotions Group	9 December 2026
Outcomes will be communicated	December 2026

The Academic Promotions Round will consider applications for:

• Promotion to Senior Lecturer
• Conferment of title of Reader
• Conferment of title of Professor

To be eligible to make an application you need to meet all of the following criteria:

• be an academic member of staff (currently a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer or Reader)
• have one years' continuous employment on 31 December 2025
• have successfully completed the previous academic year’s annual appraisal / probationary review
• have completed all the mandatory training for your role by the due dates set by the University.
• have achieved accreditation of teaching expertise at least equivalent to Higher Education Academic Fellow, or demonstrate clear evidence of sufficient progress to having achieved this accreditation by the end of the current academic year (this evidence should be set out in the promotion application)

It is a requirement that all your mandatory training is up-to-date. You can find your outstanding mandatory training on the home page of the CPD training platform. More information, including FAQs, is available here. If you are a manager, you can view your direct reports' mandatory training completion in CPD training under "Reports" or for individuals under "Team Dashboard."

Academic Promotion Applicant Briefing sessions will be arranged and dates will follow in due course.

Academic Promotion Panel Member Briefing sessions will be arranged and dates will follow in due course.

You may book a place on the Applicant and Panel Member Briefing sessions using the CPD course booking system which can be accessed here. Please note that if you have not used this system before you will need to create an account. You can email rewardandbenefits@qmul.ac.uk if you need any help with this.

Early conversations about promotion readiness are essential. This guide helps managers provide clear, evidence-based feedback, set realistic expectations, and support colleagues to assess how their achievements align with promotion criteria.

We have also put together some Mentoring guidelines for those seeking academic career progression. Mentoring can support academic colleagues to progress their careers, by asking a more senior colleague to provide advice and act as a sounding board and role model. This guide, available below, provides some tips for mentees and mentors to get the most out of this relationship.

Mentoring for academic career progression [PDF 716KB]

In line with our University values, the Equality Diversity & Inclusion Summary Report for the 2025 Academic Promotions Round can be viewed in the below document.

Academic Promotions EDI Summary Report 2025 [PDF 385KB]

Any advice regarding your readiness to apply for promotion should be sought from your manager. The Reward and Benefits team, rewardandbenefits@qmul.ac.uk , can be contacted with any queries with regards to the academic promotions process.