Dr Penny Rumbold

Dr. Penny Rumbold completed a BSc in Applied Sport and Exercise Science in 2006, followed by a PhD in Paediatric Appetite Regulation in 2010, both awarded by Northumbria University. She also holds a PGCE in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (HE) from the University of Sunderland (2011) and has been a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) since 2016. 

After completing her PhD, Dr. Rumbold worked as a Lecturer in Further Education (FE) Sport (Exercise, Health and Fitness) at City of Sunderland College from 2009 to 2010. She returned to Northumbria University in 2010, where she has remained, starting her academic career in HE as a Senior Research Assistant. She subsequently held positions as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Nutrition. Since 2021, she has served as an Associate Professor in Exercise and Health Nutrition within the Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, where she leads the Sport, Health, Exercise, and Nutrition (SHEN) research theme. Since 2019, Dr. Rumbold has also held several leadership roles, including Department Director of Enterprise and Engagement, Head of Subject (Sport and Exercise Science), and most recently, Faculty Academic Board Representative and Staff Governor on the Board of Governors at Northumbria University. 

Dr. Rumbold's research and teaching interests primarily focus on promoting nutritional strategies to improve metabolic health in both adult and paediatric populations. Over her academic career, she has generated approximately £228,000 in research funding as a principal investigator through contract research and consultancy activities to support her research. She is an Academic Associate on the Sport, Exercise, and Nutrition Register (SENR) and has published 36 papers in her field, alongside four pedagogical research papers reflecting her interest in evidence-based teaching practices and enhancing the student learning experience. She recently contributed to an Advance HE initiative exploring student engagement in HE through partnership. 

Her PhD research explored energy and appetite regulation in young athletes, specifically examining appetite and energy intake responses to netball-specific exercise in adolescent girls under ‘free-living’ conditions. Following this, Dr. Rumbold secured funding from industry partners such as the Dairy Council (now Dairy UK) and Cool Milk to investigate the impact of milk and dairy products on energy and appetite regulation, with a particular focus on females and paediatric populations, to inform nutritional policy in schools. Her research later expanded to include the impact of active video games on appetite and energy intake in children, contributing to the understanding of how interactive technology influences health behaviours. 

Currently, Dr. Rumbold is advancing research on the acceptability and effectiveness of milk and milk products in schools to improve hydration and learning, while also investigating the underlying mechanisms, such as gastric emptying and neurophysiological processes. Her research interests have also evolved to include the interplay between nutrition and thyroid function, inspired by her own experience with a thyroid condition. This work combines her expertise in appetite regulation with nutritional strategies to support thyroid function in populations with compromised or impaired metabolic health, such as adolescents, females undertaking high-intensity functional training (HIFT), and individuals with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Collaborating with local adolescent and female athlete groups, Dr. Rumbold is exploring nutritional interventions using functional foods to support metabolic health. These projects assess stressors such as high-intensity training loads, growth and maturation, and energy deficits, using thyroid status as a key measure to develop nutritional strategies for maintaining health in at-risk athlete populations. Her recent research on functional foods, particularly dairy, also investigates their potential to improve thyroid function, reduce inflammation, enhance body composition, regulate appetite, and improve quality of life in individuals with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. 

Dr. Rumbold's contributions to the field of health and exercise nutrition, particularly concerning paediatric populations and female health, underscore her commitment to advancing research that informs both academic understanding and practical applications in nutritional strategies.