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

Eckert, C, Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C, Larsen, MN, Koch, S, Christiansen, LB, Meiner, CB, Cimenti, C, Tarantino, G, Ntoumanis, N & Krustrup, P 2026, 'Dose–Response Effects of a 4-Month FIT FIRST 10 School-Based Multisport Programme on Physical Fitness and Psychosocial Well-Being in Children Aged 7–11: A Three-Arm Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial', Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, vol. 36, no. 6, e70311. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.70311

Rodríguez, MÁ, Quintana-Cepedal, M, Cheval, B, Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C, Crespo, I & Olmedillas, H 2026, 'Effect of exercise snacks on fitness and cardiometabolic health in physically inactive individuals: systematic review and meta-analysis', British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 60, no. 2, pp. 133-141. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2025-110027

Tarantino, G, Ntoumanis, N, Koch, S, Larsen, MN, Meiner, CB, Cimenti, C, Christensen, MG, Krustrup, P & Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C 2026, 'Effects of the FIT FIRST Teen Multisport Program on Adolescents’ Physical Fitness and Well-Being: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial', Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000004161

Kritz, M, Riddell, H, Olsen, D, Harden, SM, Burke, SM, Ntoumanis, N & Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C 2026, 'Individual versus group-based interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis of physical activity, functional, psychosocial and health outcomes', Nature Human Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-026-02429-0

Koch, S, Tarantino, G, Ntoumanis, N, Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C, Larsen, MN, Krustrup, P & Christiansen, LBS 2026, 'Maintaining conceptual fidelity through teacher-led adaptation: an implementation-focused mixed methods study of a school-based physical activity program', BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-26864-w

Cimenti, C, Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C, Larsen, MN, Tarantino, G, Koch, S, Eckert, C, Meiner, CB, Prisak, C, Krustrup, P & Ntoumanis, N 2026, 'One-Year Effects of the FIT FIRST 20 High-Intensity and Multisport Physical Education Program on Physical Fitness and Psychological Outcomes in Early Adolescents: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial', Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, vol. 36, no. 10, e70374. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.70374

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

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

Koch, S, Eckert, C, Ntoumanis, N, Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C, Cimenti, C, Larsen, MN, Krustrup, P & Skov Christiansen, LB 2025, 'The FIT FIRST 10 dose-response study: evaluation of implementation outcomes', Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, vol. 7, 1504494. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2025.1504494

Riddell, H, Sedikides, C, Gucciardi, DF, Sezer, B, Jackson, B, Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C & Ntoumanis, N 2024, 'Goal motives, mental contrasting with implementation intentions, and the self-regulation of saving goals: A longitudinal investigation', Motivation Science, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 28-39. https://doi.org/10.1037/mot0000311

Sivaramakrishnan, H, Gucciardi, DF, McDonald, MD, Quested, E, Thogersen-Ntoumani, C, Cheval, B & Ntoumanis, N 2024, 'Psychosocial outcomes of sport participation for middle-aged and older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis', International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 398-419. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984X.2021.2004611

Ahmadi, A, Noetel, M, Parker, P, Ryan, RM, Ntoumanis, N, Reeve, J, Beauchamp, M, Dicke, T, Yeung, A, Ahmadi, M, Bartholomew, K, Chiu, TKF, Curran, T, Erturan, G, Flunger, B, Frederick, C, Froiland, JM, González-Cutre, D, Haerens, L, Jeno, LM, Koka, A, Krijgsman, C, Langdon, J, White, RL, Litalien, D, Lubans, D, Mahoney, J, Nalipay, MJN, Patall, E, Perlman, D, Quested, E, Schneider, S, Standage, M, Stroet, K, Tessier, D, Thogersen-Ntoumani, C, Tilga, H, Vasconcellos, D & Lonsdale, C 2023, 'A classification system for teachers’ motivational behaviors recommended in self-determination theory interventions.', Journal of Educational Psychology, vol. 115, no. 8, pp. 1158-1176. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000783

Carr, RM, Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C, Ntoumanis, N, Prestwich, A, Gucciardi, DF & Quested, E 2023, 'Experiences of postpartum mothers and a significant other in a dyadic physical activity programme', Asian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 89-101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajsep.2023.07.003

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

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