Professor Cecilie Thøgersen-Ntoumani PhD

125th Anniversary Chair - Professor of Health Behaviour Change

Contact details

Email: c.thogersen-ntoumani@bham.ac.uk
Twitter: @ecthogersen

Professor Thøgersen-Ntoumani is a leading expert in motivational science and health behaviour change, who has published much of her work in high-impact journals and secured diverse large amounts of research funding for interdisciplinary research. She is in the top 2% of all researchers in the world in any research field (Ioannidis et al., 2023), has given invited keynote lectures at prestigious conferences, and has served editorial roles in top-tier journals.

Qualifications

PhD in Exercise and Health Sciences

Biography

Professor Thøgersen-Ntoumani obtained her PhD from the University of Bristol in 2003. She has spent most of her working life in the UK, with the longest period spent working as a RCUK Roberts Fellow, then Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer at the University of Birmingham (2006-2014). In 2014, she joined the School of Psychology at Curtin University in Perth, Australia as an Associate Professor, and was promoted to full Professor in 2017. Since July 2021, she has been employed by the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) as a Professor of Physical Activity and Health Behaviour, where she serves as a co-Director of the Danish Centre for Motivation and Behaviour Science (DRIVEN): https://www.sdu.dk/en/forskning/driven. She rejoined the University of Birmingham in December 2024 as a 125^th Anniversary Chair (on a fractional appointment).

Postgraduate supervision

Professor Thøgersen-Ntoumani is interested in supervising any projects related to motivation and behaviour change in the fields of health (primarily physical activity and weight management), body image and climate adaptation/mitigation.

Research

Professor Thøgersen-Ntoumani is interested in motivational science applied to physical activity and health behaviour change, with a specific emphasis on developing and evaluating complex interventions in diverse population groups, including community and clinical populations. She also has an interest in the role of body image to health behaviour change and interventions focusing on Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity (VILPA), short intense physical activities integrated into daily living activities, which is particularly suitable for non-exercisers.

Other activities

Professor Thøgersen-Ntoumani is currently serving on the editorial board of several prestigious journals (e.g., Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology, Contemporary Clinical Trials). She regularly holds talks about motivation science and physical activity for external public and private and professional organisations such as Folkeuniversitetet and Coloplast. She is also an advisory board member for the Danish Heart Foundation about nation-wide walking promotion campaigns.

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Rodríguez, MÁ, Quintana-Cepedal, M, Cheval, B, Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C, Crespo, I & Olmedillas, H 2025, 'Effect of exercise snacks on fitness and cardiometabolic health in physically inactive individuals: systematic review and meta-analysis', British Journal of Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2025-110027

Meiner, CB, Eckert, C, Aggestrup, CS, Pfeffer, K, Tarantino, G, Prisak, C, Cimenti, C, Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C, Ntoumanis, N, Krustrup, P & Larsen, MN 2025, 'Superior health-related physical fitness and well-being in 12–15-year-old Danish adolescents who are active in organized leisure-time sports – a cross-sectional study', PLOS One, vol. 20, no. 9, e0330950. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0330950

Kritz, M, Thogersen-Ntoumani, C, Mullan, B, Stathi, A & Ntoumanis, N 2021, 'How can older peer leaders best support motivation for walking in physically inactive older adults? A self-determination theory perspective', Psychology and Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2021.1994968

Stathi, A, Withall, J, Agyapong-Badu, S, Barrett, E, Kritz, M, Wills, D, Thogersen-Ntoumani, C & Fox, KR 2021, 'Mobilising people as assets for active ageing promotion: a multi-stakeholder perspective on peer volunteering initiatives', BMC Public Health, vol. 21, no. 1, 150. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-10136-2

Stamatakis, E, Huang, B-H, Maher, C, Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C, Stathi, A, Dempsey, PC, Johnson, N, Holtermann, A, Chau, JY, Sherrington, C, Daley, AJ, Hamer, M, Murphy, MH, Tudor-Locke, C & Gibala, MJ 2021, 'Untapping the health enhancing potential of vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA): rationale, scoping review, and a 4-pillar research framework', Sports Medicine, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01368-8

Kritz, M, Ntoumanis, N, Mullan, B, Stathi, A & Thogersen-Ntoumani, C 2021, 'Volunteer motivation and retention of older peer walk leaders: a 4-month long investigation', The Gerontologist, vol. 61, no. 7, pp. 1118–1130. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaa159

Thøgersen-ntoumani, C, Quested, E, Smith, BS, Nicholas, J, Mcveigh, J, Fenton, SAM, Stamatakis, E, Parker, S, Pereira, G, Gucciardi, DF & Ntoumanis, N 2020, 'Feasibility and preliminary effects of a peer-led motivationally-embellished workplace walking intervention: a pilot cluster randomized trial (the START trial)', Contemporary Clinical Trials, vol. 91, 105969. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2020.105969

Kritz, M, Thogersen-Ntoumani, C, Mullan, B, Stathi, A & Ntoumanis, N 2020, '“It’s better together”: A nested longitudinal study examining the benefits of walking regularly with peers versus primarily alone in older adults', Journal of aging and physical activity, vol. 29, no. 3. https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2020-0091

Park, S, Ntoumanis, N, Fenton, S, Stenling, A, Veldhuijzen van Zanten, JJCS & Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C 2018, 'A Person-Centered Analysis of Motivation for Physical Activity and Perceived Neighborhood Environment in Residents of Assisted Living Facilities', International Journal of Aging and Human Development. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091415018784763

Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C, Ntoumanis, N, Uren, H, Stathi, A, Wold, C & Hill, KD 2017, 'Perceptions of Group-Based Walks and Strategies to Inform the Development of an Intervention in Retirement Villages: perspectives of residents and village managers', Journal of aging and physical activity, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 261-268. https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2015-0138

Thogersen-ntoumani, C, Black, J, Lindwall, M, Whittaker, A & Balanos, GM 2017, 'Presenteeism, stress resilience, and physical activity in older manual workers: a person-centred analysis', European Journal of Ageing, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 385-396. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-017-0418-3

Park, S, Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C, Ntoumanis, N, Stenling, A, Fenton, SAM & Veldhuijzen van Zanten, JJCS 2017, 'Proﬁles of Physical Function, Physical Activity, and Sedentary Behavior and their Associations with Mental Health in Residents of Assisted Living Facilities', Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 60-80. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12085

Preprint

Stathi, A, Withall, J, Agyapong-Badu, S, Barrett, EE, Kritz, M, Wills, D, Thogersen-Ntoumani, C & Fox, KR 2020 'Mobilising people as assets for active ageing promotion: A multi-stakeholder perspective on peer volunteering initiatives'. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-47981/v1

Stathi, A, Withall, J, Agyapong-Badu, S, Barrett, EE, Kritz, M, Wills, D, Thogersen-Ntoumani, C & Fox, KR 2020 'Mobilising People as Assets for Active Ageing Promotion: A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective on Peer Volunteering Initiatives'. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-62977/v1

Review article

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

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