Dr Penny Rumbold

Associate Professor

School: Sport Exercise and Rehabilitation

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.

Campus Address

City Campus; Room 230 Northumberland Building

Email Penny

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
DE-PASS Best Evidence Statement (BESt): A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis on the Effectiveness of Trials on Device-Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour and Their Determinants in Children Aged 5-12 Years, Khudair, M., Marcuzzi, A., Tempest, G., Ng, K., Peric, R., Bartoš, F., Maier, M., Brandes, M., Carlin, A., Ciaccioni, S., Cortis, C., Corvino, C., di Credico, A., Drid, P., Gallè, F., Izzicupo, P., Jahre, H., Kolovelonis, A., Kongsvold, A., Kouidi, E., Mork, P., Palumbo, F., Rumbold, P., Sandu, P., Stavnsbo, M., Syrmpas, I., Vilela, S., Woods, C., Wunsch, K., Capranica, L., MacDonncha, C., Ling, F. 1 Feb 2025, In: Sports Medicine
Hydration, mood, and cognition in primary school aged children in the United Kingdom, Roberts, C., Boak, K., McCullogh, N., Brownlee, I., Haskell, C., James, L., Green, B., Tempest, G., Bruce-Martin, C., Rumbold, P. 1 Dec 2025, In: Physiology and Behavior
The effect of a short recipe book intervention on nutrition confidence and sports nutrition knowledge of women football players, Peart, D., Walshe, I., Briggs, M., McIver, V., Esen, O., Spurr, T., Rumbold, P. 27 Jun 2025, In: Performance Nutrition
University course choice: Views and experiences of undergraduate sport and physiotherapy students from a United Kingdom higher education institution, Hibbs, A., Thornton, C., Hayes, P., Johns, K., Bruce-Martin, C., McCullogh, N., Peart, D., Baker, K., Rumbold, P. 27 Nov 2025, In: Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education
Are there interindividual differences in the reactive hypoglycaemia response to breakfast? A replicate crossover trial, Gonzalez, J., Lolli, L., Veasey, R., Rumbold, P., Betts, J., Atkinson, G., Stevenson, E. 1 Dec 2024, In: European Journal of Nutrition
DE-PASS best evidence statement (BESt): determinants of adolescents’ device-based physical activity and sedentary behaviour in settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Kolovelonis, A., Syrmpas, I., Marcuzzi, A., Khudair, M., Ng, K., Tempest, G., Peric, R., Bartoš, F., Maier, M., Brandes, M., Carlin, A., Ciaccioni, S., Cortis, C., Corvino, C., Di Credico, A., Drid, P., Gallè, F., Izzicupo, P., Jahre, H., Kongsvold, A., Kouidi, E., Mork, P., Palumbo, F., Rumbold, P., Sandu, P., Stavnsbo, M., Vilela, S., Woods, C., Wunsch, K., Capranica, L., MacDonncha, C., Ling, F. 26 Jun 2024, In: BMC Public Health
DE-PASS Best Evidence Statement (BESt): Determinants of self-report physical activity and sedentary behaviours in children in settings: A systematic review and meta-analyses, Ling, F., Khudair, M., Ng, K., Tempest, G., Peric, R., Bartoš, F., Maier, M., Brandes, M., Carlin, A., Ciaccioni, S., Cortis, C., Corvino, C., Di Credico, A., Drid, P., Gallè, F., Izzicupo, P., Jahre, H., Kolovelonis, A., Kongsvold, A., Kouidi, E., Mork, P., Palumbo, F., Rumbold, P., Sandu, P., Stavnsbo, M., Syrmpas, I., Vilela, S., Woods, C., Wunsch, K., Capranica, L., MacDonncha, C., Marcuzzi, A. 25 Nov 2024, In: PLoS One
Fluid and electrolyte balance following consumption of skimmed milk and a plant-based soya beverage at rest in euhydrated males, Peden, D., Derbyshire, S., Funnell, M., McLeod, C., Rumbold, P., Hansell, E., Clifford, T., Mears, S., James, L. 1 Oct 2024, In: European Journal of Applied Physiology
Determinants of physical activity and sedentary behaviour among children and adolescents with disabilities: A narrative review, Yu, J., Wang, W., Peric, R., Khudair, M., Brazo-Sayavera, J., Lopez-Gil, J., Sakalidis, K., Aija, K., Marcuzzi, A., Tempest, G., Brandes, M., Carlin, A., Ciaccioni, S., Cortis, C., Corvino, C., Di Credico, A., Drid, P., Galle, F., Izzicupo, P., Jahre, H., Kolovelonis, A., Kongsvold, A., Kouidi, E., Mork, P., Palumbo, F., Rumbold, P., Stavnsbo, M., Syrmpas, I., Vilela, S., Woods, C., Wunsch, K., Capranica, L., MacDonncha, C., Ling, F., Ng, K. Jun 2023, The 24th International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity
Investigation into the transition to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, between new and continuing undergraduate students, Briggs, M., Thornton, C., McIver, V., Rumbold, P., Peart, D. 1 Jun 2023, In: Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Other: Additional funds to support the nutritional interventions for metabolic health in adolescent-academy footballers project 2017
Other: The effect of milk or fruit consumption on subsequent energy intake and appetite in 7-10 y old primary school children 2011

PGR Supervision

Catrin Roberts Moo’ving towards better hydration and cognition in school children: Applying novel neuroimaging technology to determine a neurophysiological basis. Start Date: 01/10/2022