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Combining elements of both teaching and research, typically within higher education. 


Teaching and research

Late career

Dorothy completed a PhD in Spacecraft Engineering in the year 2000, a Master’s Degree in Satellite Engineering from the Surrey Space Centre (University of Surrey) and a Bachelor's Degree in Electronic Engineering. She began her career in the space sector, developing on-board computers and control systems for spacecraft and satellites.

She became interested in Artificial Intelligence during her PhD applying machine learning methods and techniques to spacecraft autonomy. On the basis of this work, she was awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering, Engineering Foresight Award. 

Her passion for engineering and tackling difficult global challenges has led her to her current work in assistive and rehabilitation technologies.

Dorothy splits her time between university research and commercial work, researching and developing technologies to support health and wellbeing. 


Dorothy Monekosso

A Professor must lead and maintain their own research activities and acquire external funding for new research. Professors also teach  – some will focus more on postgraduates but others love to teach undergraduates to get them interested in their subject. A Professor is expected to take on managerial responsibilities, taking part in strategic planning and decision-making in their department. 

## Overview

Key skills: 

- A [ Higher Degree ^ Postgraduate Degree ] ([ PhD ^ PhD ]/[ DPhil ^ DPhil ]/[ MD ^ MD ]) with substantial [ postdoctoral ^ Postdoctoral ] research experience in a relevant specialist subject area
- Passion for innovative and original research, and active contribution to the advancement of knowledge at a national and international level
- Outstanding [ record of research ^ Research Profile ] with a reputation for international excellence.
- Able to attract and secure research [ grants ^ Grant ] and funding. 
- Substantial experience lecturing and developing a curriculum, as well as [ doctoral ^ Doctoral ] degree supervision and mentoring 
- Experience leading and managing research projects 

**Typical job titles:** Professor, Full Professor, Chair 

‘Professor’ is possibly the most well-known university job title. The key part of the role is to lead research. A Professor must lead and maintain their own research activities and acquire external funding for new research. In almost all cases they will lead a team, or different teams working on different research projects. 

Being a successful research leader will enhance your reputation, will like increase your salary, as well as the prestige of the university where the position is based. Many Professors make a significant contribution to their [ subject field ^ Field ].

They may also teach university students – some will focus more on [ postgraduates ^ Postgraduate ] but others love to teach [ undergraduates ^ Undergraduate ] to get them interested in their subject. A Professor is also expected to take on managerial responsibilities, taking part in strategic planning and decision-making in their department. 



Overview

## Salary 

Professors can be very well paid. The range tends to be £65,000 - £120,000+ depending on experience, management responsibilities and the university. 

The salary could also reflect their personal record of successfully obtaining research funding or their scientific achievements. London salaries can be higher still, as they can include a London Weighting.

Most [ professorships ^ Professorship ] are permanent, full-time positions. Part-time posts and job shares are occasionally available. Part-time posts would normally have a narrower focus (e.g. reduced teaching responsibilities).


Salary

## Skills

To become a Professor you need to have a strong [ record of research ^ Research Profile ] and [ publication record ^ Publication Record ]. In almost all cases that research experience will have started with a [ PhD ^ PhD ]. 

Being able to provide research ideas, write persuasive proposals for funding, lead a research team, and communicate results of the research are all crucial skills. 

In many cases, Professors will undertake lots of international travel to attend conferences or prepare or continue collaborative, international research.

Many will act as editors or sit on [ editorial boards ^ Editorial Board ] for [ academic journals ^ Journal ] and, depending on the subject area, may be involved in national or international policy-making, reflecting their expertise and knowledge of research in their field.

Skills

## Population

There are around 12,000 Professors in STEM [ disciplines ^ Discipline ] in the UK. In 2020/21, there were just over 1200 UK job adverts for Professors but under 100 for [ Named Chairs ^ Named Chair ]. 

These positions are most common in research-intensive universities although there are Professors in all universities as well as some in [ research institutes ^ Research Institute ].  

The number of Professors in the UK who are women, and/or of ethnic minority background, or disabled, is disproportionately low compared with those proportions among early-career positions. This is partly because some Professors are in their late career and may have started their careers when the [ academic ^ Academic ] workforce was far less diverse. 

However, there is concern currently about the lack of diversity amongst Professors – for example, amongst the roughly 12,000 Professors, only around 60 are Black (of whom about 40 are British).    



Population

## Career stage

Getting a [ professorship ^ Professorship ] is almost always a mid-career achievement, although a tiny number of stellar research scientists manage to secure one before they are 35.

Two thirds of STEM Professors in the UK are over 50. An Emeritus Professor (or Professor Emerita) is someone who has retired from a Professor role, but their university has given them an honorary professor status.   

Note that other countries may use the job title ‘Professor’ for less senior roles (in the USA, for example, the word professor means ‘teacher’ and in US universities there are a range of roles from Assistant to (full) Professor, many of which are far less senior than a Professor in the UK). As can be seen from some of the other roles featured in this resource, some UK universities have also started to use Associate and Assistant Professor job titles. 

**Professor vs Chair**

A ‘Chair’ is often an established position named after an individual who has made major achievements in the [ field ^ Field ], sometimes historically. Being appointed to a Chair (i.e. being a named professor) is considered more prestigious than a typical Professor role and is reserved for [ academics ^ Academics ] who have made exceptional achievements. It is also possible to have a Personal Chair, rather than an established Chair, where the university grants the title on an individual in recognition of their personal contribution. There was a time when all Professors were established Chairs – so there was a limited number of them – but you can now progress to become a Professor through promotion. For this reason, the number of Professor positions in the UK has been growing.   


Career stage

## Role and responsibilities 

A Professor has a primary responsibility to play a leading role in research in their discipline but also in the research culture in their department.

This will include:
- Leading research projects and managing one or more [ research groups ^ Research Group ]/teams (recruiting, selecting, and directing the work of staff within the group/team).
- Preparing and developing applications for funding such as [ research grants ^ Grant ].
- Ensuring good practice in the conduct of research in their department.
- Leading on the guidance and mentoring of early-stage researchers.
- Overseeing and taking part in research degree supervision and examination.
- Presenting research at national and international [ conferences ^ Conference ].
- Possibly playing a leading role in international research groups and other external partnerships to further [ knowledge exchange ^ Knowledge Exchange ].
- Possibly monitoring progress on large research projects and report on progress of research to [ funders ^ Funder ] and others.

Not all Professors teach, but if they do a Professor’s leadership role with regard to teaching and learning could include:

- Development of innovative learning programmes for [ undergraduates ^ Undergraduate ] and [ postgraduates ^ Postgraduate ].
- Teaching postgraduate and undergraduate students (lectures,  [ seminars ^ Seminars ] and one-to-one).
- Supporting the Head of Department and Dean of Faculty to ensure consistency in teaching and learning across the department/[ faculty ^ Faculty ].

Although some Professor positions are purely for research (including the prestigious Royal Society Research Professors scheme), in many cases they will also take on senior leadership and managerial responsibilities within a Faculty or Department and support the activities of others, for example:

- Leading on the recruitment, mentoring and support of colleagues.
- Working with professional services staff and supporting improvements to department administration and processes.
- As they are experts in their area of science, many will also have additional scientific roles outside the university or institute, which could be supporting government and other policy-making processes, or holding positions within a [ learned society ^ Learned Societies ] or [ academy ^ Academies ] (such as the Royal Society, or Royal Academy of Engineering).


Role and responsibilities

## Location

Professors are employed at universities and [ research institutes ^ Research Institute ] throughout the UK, as well as throughout the world. 

However, there are disproportionately more Professors in research-intensive universities than others, with nearly two thirds of all Professors in the UK being employed at [ Russell Group ^ Russell Group ] universities. This reflects the importance of Professors as leading researchers.

Location

## Qualifications 

Aspiring Professors would normally progress to the role from a position as an [Associate Professor](https://yourstemcareerpath.royalsociety.org/career-profiles/associate-professor). A small proportion progress directly from a research position – as a Principal or Senior Research Fellow, or from a [ named research fellowship programme ^ Named Fellowship Schemes ] such as the Royal Society’s University Research Fellowship scheme.

A typical job advert for a [ Professorship ^ Professorship ] would ask that the person is:
- A [ doctoral graduate ^ Doctoral Graduates ] ([ PhD ^ PhD ] or equivalent) with substantial [ postdoctoral ^ Postdoctoral ] research experience in a relevant specialist subject area. 
- Experienced carrying out original/innovative research, actively contributing to the advancement of knowledge at a national and international level. 
- Continuing to build on an established [ record of research publications ^ Publication Record ]/other outputs of internationally excellent quality.
- Able to demonstrate national and international recognition and reputation in their [ field(s) ^ Field ] of research, including providing authoritative advice/guidance/opinion in the specialist subject area(s).
- Experienced in managing scientific projects. 
- Successful in attracting [ research grants ^ Grant ] and experienced in grant management.
- Able to initiate and manage [ multidisciplinary ^ Multidisciplinary ], multi-partner projects.
- Engaging in continuous professional development; notably, keeping up to date with the latest thinking in their specialist subject area(s) 
- Able to present [ papers ^ Paper ] at [ conferences ^ Conference ]; review the research of other scientist, edit other [ research publications ^ Publications ] in specialist subject area, and act as external examiner for other universities
- Able to demonstrate excellent networking, collaborative, and communication skills, including the ability to work successfully in an international setting.

Qualifications

## Progression

Some Professors wish to focus on research and research leadership for the rest of their career; others move towards [ academic ^ Academic ] leadership and management.

Head of Department is a typical step, although it is increasingly common for such a role to be taken on for a few years as additional responsibility, after which another senior staff member will be appointed to that role. Further progression could involve larger roles as Dean of School, Head of Faculty or Centre Director, which again could be temporary responsibilities. Their next step would be to senior executive management role, such as Pro-Vice-Chancellor.

Professors typically enjoy a lot of independence in how they improve their institution or employer’s reputation and bring in income. Given their knowledge and profile, they can also access high-level opportunities in consulting, advisory roles and others. For example in the media, [ industry ^ Industry ], government, and funding and professional bodies.


Progression

Professor 

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Career profiles

Postdoctoral Research Assistant 

Postdoctoral Researcher

Research Fellow

Research Professor

Graduate Teaching Assistant 

Lecturer

Associate Professor

Professor

Research Scientist

Assistant Technician

Technician

Clinical Doctoral Fellow

Clinical Lecturer

Case studies

Changing sectors

STEM 101

Further Resources

Qualification profiles:

Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees

Doctoral research (including PhD)

rule

Support for:

Disabled scientists

Scientists from ethnic minority backgrounds

Women in STEM

LGBTQ+ scientists

Next steps

Fellowship schemes

Researcher development framework

Useful links

Glossary

About

The pathways shown are intended to be illustrative, and do not represent an exhaustive picture of STEM careers or routes through them. Role titles are not standardised across all institutions, so when looking at roles it is important to be aware of what the role actually entails, rather than going by title alone.

Salary information was developed in 2022/2023 and is subject to change with time.