Professor Cecilie Thøgersen-Ntoumani

Driving health and behaviour change

Professor Cecilie Thøgersen-Ntoumani, an internationally leading scholar in behavioural science, has been appointed as a 125th Anniversary Chair at the University of Birmingham. While she remains based at the University of Southern Denmark, her new role at Birmingham strengthens her long-standing ties with the institution and opens new opportunities for ambitious, interdisciplinary research. 

Professor Thøgersen-Ntoumani previously worked at the University from 2006 to 2014, before spending a decade in Australia and Denmark. Returning as an Anniversary Chair, she highlights Birmingham’s strengths in collaboration, infrastructure, and impact.
“Birmingham offers excellent colleagues, opportunities to conduct ambitious science, fantastic infrastructure, and a strong culture of impact,” she reflects. “The role allows me to expand and deepen collaborations, mentor talent, and build truly interdisciplinary projects with real-world relevance.”

Her research lies at the intersection of motivation, behaviour change, and wellbeing. She is particularly interested in how interpersonal communication, digital tools, and everyday contexts can help people move more, feel better, and sustain healthy habits over the long term. “I’m fascinated by why people do as they do - even when they want to change but, for various reasons, are unable to,” she explains. “My work aims to help them identify solutions aligned with their goals so they can feel healthier and better for it.”

Much of her work involves developing and testing interventions in real-world settings, balancing scientific rigour with the practical challenges of everyday life. The goal is to understand not just how people can adopt new behaviours, but how they can sustain them in ways that support both physical and mental health.

Asked about her experience of Birmingham’s research environment, she points to a culture that is both ambitious and supportive. “Birmingham leadership is bold but grounded,” she notes. “It emphasises open, collaborative science, interdisciplinarity, and translation into practice. Importantly, it also invests in mentoring and gives early-career colleagues the room to grow and be ambitious.”

She also values Birmingham’s commitment to civic engagement and translation. “The infrastructure and opportunities for interdisciplinary work here are fantastic and help push different fields forward while generating real-world impact.”

Professor Thøgersen-Ntoumani’s work has implications far beyond academia. Within the research community, she aims to strengthen the fields of motivation and behavioural science, advance theory, encourage interdisciplinarity, and shape public health guidelines. Beyond academia, her research addresses issues ranging from public health and healthy ageing to environmental action and policy development.
“My hope is that our research not only contributes rigorous, theory-grounded insights but also offers strategies that communities, practitioners, and policymakers can use,” she explains. “Behavioural science has enormous potential to help people live healthier lives and support planetary health if applied thoughtfully.”

Among her most exciting projects is Dance for Memory, funded by Trygfonden in Denmark, which explores how dance can help older adults with subjective memory complaints to maintain memory, social connection, and wellbeing, in turn potentially slowing cognitive decline while reducing healthcare costs. She also leads VILPA-WISE, a programme funded by the Danish Heart Foundation examining how short bursts of vigorous activity embedded in daily routines - such as climbing stairs or walking briskly - can improve health, and how best to motivate people to adopt these habits.

Her international collaborations extend to major EU Horizon projects. Youth Health from a Holistic Perspective (YEAH!) works with young people to co-design strategies for promoting health behaviours and improving mental wellbeing in socially equitable ways. Meanwhile, ARCADIA explores how nature-based solutions can support climate adaptation, with Professor Thøgersen-Ntoumani’s contribution focusing on how to foster public support for these initiatives.

To researchers considering applying for a 125th Anniversary Fellowship, she advises a bold but focused approach. “Bring a clear programme, not just a project,” she says. “Have a sharp question, a credible method, and a pathway to impact. Show how you will collaborate across disciplines, mentor others, and practice open, reproducible science. Finally, articulate why Birmingham is the right launchpad, and how you can contribute to its research culture.”

With a career that bridges continents and disciplines, Professor Thøgersen-Ntoumani embodies the spirit of the 125th Anniversary Chairs: advancing knowledge, shaping practice, and tackling some of society’s most pressing challenges through behavioural science.