Professor Nikos Ntoumanis PhD, CPsychol

Professor Nikos Ntoumanis

125th Anniversary Chair-Professor of Behavioural Science

Professor Ntoumanis is widely recognised as one of the leading researchers in the field of motivation and behavior change. Currently, he is the 3rd most cited researcher on “behavioural science” in the world (Google Scholar).

Qualifications

PhD in Medical Sciences

Biography

Professor Ntoumanis obtained his PhD from the University of Exeter in 1999. His longest period of employment (2001-2014) has been at the University of Birmingham, which he rejoined in December 2024 as a 125th Anniversary Chair (on a fractional appointment). In 2014 he moved to the School of Psychology at Curtin University (Australia) as a Distinguished Professor of Psychology. Since July 2021, he is employed by the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) as a Professor of Motivation Science and co-Director of the Danish Centre for Motivation and Behaviour Change (DRIVEN) 

Postgraduate supervision

Professor Ntoumanis is interested in supervising any projects related to motivation and behavior change in the fields of health (primarily physical activity and weight management) and climate adaptation.

Research

Professor Nikos Ntoumanis is interested in personal and contextual factors that promote motivation for sustained behaviour change and result in psychological well-being. Areas of particular interest are applied research on physical activity/health behaviour change in different community and clinical settings, basic research on regulation of life goals, and basic and applied research on motivation in the classroom, workplace and for pro-environmental behaviours.

Other activities

Professor Ntoumanis is currently serving on the editorial board of many prestigious journals (e.g., Annals of Behavioural Medicine, Motivation Science, Motivation and Emotion)

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Thal, S, Bright, S, Ntoumanis, N, Myers, B, Jones, J & Quested, E 2025, 'A Co-design approach to develop a motivational intervention to promote physical activity engagement and maintenance among individuals in residential substance use disorder treatment settings', Psychology of Sport and Exercise, vol. 78, 102829. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102829

Riddell, H, Sedikides, C, Sivaramakrishnan, H, Wan, P, Maltagliati, S, Jackson, B, Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C, Gucciardi, DF & Ntoumanis, N 2025, 'A meta-analytic review and conceptual model of the antecedents and outcomes of goal adjustment in response to striving difficulties', Nature Human Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02312-4

Sezer, B, Ntoumanis, N, Riddell, H & Gucciardi, DF 2025, 'An experimental investigation of daily mental contrasting with implementation intentions and goal motives in reducing bedtime procrastination: a registered report', Psychology and Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2025.2491593

Murdoch, EM, Ayers, J, Crane, MF, Ntoumanis, N, Brade, CJ, Quested, E & Gucciardi, DF 2025, 'A qualitative investigation of elite athletes’ coping insight patterns from self-distanced and self-immersed stressor reflections', Anxiety, Stress and Coping, vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 658-674. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2025.2520617

Bengtsson, D, Ivarsson, A, Stenling, A, Ntoumanis, N & Nygren, J 2025, 'Barriers and enablers of a formal coach development program: a multi-perspective process evaluation', Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2025.2587028

Pfeffer, K, Larsen, MN, Laursen, MG, Hamborg, TG, Heidler, J, Ryom, K, Krustrup, P & Ntoumanis, N 2025, 'Developing a checklist to assess fidelity of training and treatment delivery of 11 for Health, a football-based health education intervention for youth', British Journal of Health Psychology, vol. 30, no. 4, e70032. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.70032

Lefever, E, Flamant, N, Morbée, S, Soenens, B, Vansteenkiste, M, Ntoumanis, N, Bartholomew, K, De Cocker, K & Haerens, L 2025, 'Does a closer coach-athlete bond buffer or exacerbate the detrimental effects of controlling coaching on athletes’ coping and outcomes?', International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 56-69. https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541241287433

Meiner, CB, Eckert, C, Aggestrup, CS, Pfeffer, K, Koch, S, Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C, Ntoumanis, N, Krustrup, P & Larsen, MN 2025, 'FIT FIRST teen–a cluster RCT evaluating the effects of a 10-week high-intensity exercise intervention for 12–15-yr-old school children', Journal of Sports Sciences, vol. 43, no. 15, pp. 1480-1489. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2025.2505380

McDonald, MD, Hunt, K, Moullin, J, Smith, BJ, Donald, F, Kerr, DA, Ntoumanis, N & Quested, E 2025, 'Implementation of an Australian football themed men’s health program in rural Australia: a mixed-methods study', Health Promotion International, vol. 40, no. 3, daaf052. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaf052

Sezer, B, Gucciardi, DF, Ntoumanis, N & Riddell, H 2025, 'Investigating the role of goal motives in predicting bedtime procrastination using a daily diary study design: a registered report', Psychology and Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2025.2458871

Thal, S, Ntoumanis, N, Bright, S, Quested, E, Kwasnicka, D, Maung, M & Myers, B 2025, 'Qualitative evaluation of a physical activity motivation intervention at a residential substance use disorder treatment facility', Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687637.2025.2566013

Comment/debate

Ren, F-F, Li, R-H, Hung, C-S, Ntoumanis, N, Chen, F-T & Chang, Y-K 2025, 'Infographic. Exercise strategies to boost cognitive function in clinical depression', British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 59, no. 19, pp. 1382-1383. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2025-110640

Review article

Cimenti, C, Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C, Pfeffer, K, Krustrup, P, Schenk, PM & Ntoumanis, N 2025, 'Barriers to and enablers of physical education engagement among school students aged 6–16 years: a scoping review', International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984X.2025.2597932

Tarantino, G, Ntoumanis, N, Neville, R, Cimenti, C, Petersen, AP, Pfeffer, K, Mazéas, A, Larsen, MN, Krustrup, P & Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C 2025, 'Effectiveness of booster strategies to promote physical activity maintenance: a systematic review and meta-analysis', International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, vol. 22, 138. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-025-01844-2

Ntoumanis, N & Moller, AC 2025, 'Self-determination theory informed research for promoting physical activity: Contributions, debates, and future directions', Psychology of Sport and Exercise, vol. 80, 102879. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102879

View all publications in research portal