51

Skip navigation

Dr Penny Rumbold

Associate Professor

Department: 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 51. 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 51 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 51.

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.

Penny Rumbold

Campus Address

City Campus; Room 230 Northumberland Building



  • Marc Briggs Investigating the Dietary Habits of Adolescent Academy Soccer Players Start Date: 27/09/2016 End Date: 15/06/2017
  • Ruth Boldon Nutritional Interventions for Thyroid Function in Adolescent Academy Footballers Start Date: 05/02/2020 End Date: 28/09/2021
  • Susan Allsop Acute Appetite, Energy Intake and Physical Activity Levels of 8 to 11 Year-Old Boys in Response to Active Video Gaming Start Date: 13/11/2014 End Date: 05/05/2016
  • Victoria Duke Nutritional interventions to support thyroid function in female high intensity functional training (HIFT) athletes: a mixed methods exploration. Start Date: 01/03/2024
  • 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
  • Graham Mytton Pacing Strategies in Competitive Middle Distance Events Start Date: 09/02/2015 End Date: 11/11/2016
  • Dean Allerton Postprandial Metabolic and Appetite Responses Following Whey Protein Supplementation at Breakfast Start Date: 16/12/2015 End Date: 20/04/2017
  • Benjamin Green Appetite and Metabolic Responses to Acute and Moderate-Term Dairy Snack Consumption in Young People Start Date: 01/05/2012 End Date: 25/02/2016
  • Philip Stead . Start Date: 01/10/2015 End Date: 09/09/2021

  • Sport PhD July 05 2010
  • Senior Fellow (SFHEA) Higher Education Academy (HEA) 2016
  • Sport, Exercise and Nutrition Register SENr


a sign in front of a crowd
+

Northumbria Open Days

Open Days are a great way for you to get a feel of the University, the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the course(s) you are interested in.

Research at Northumbria
+

Research at Northumbria

Research is the life blood of a University and at 51 we pride ourselves on research that makes a difference; research that has application and affects people's lives.

+

Find out what life here is all about. From studying to socialising, term time to downtime, we’ve got it covered.


Latest News and Features

In2Air study flats
Professor Greta Defeyter
a map showing areas of ice melt in Greenland
S2Cool project lead Dr Muhammad Wakil Shahzad
The Converted Flat in 2049, by the Interaction Research Studio, is one of seven period rooms built as part of the Real Rooms project which opened in July at the Museum of the Home in London.
The UK Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM), based at 51, has been awarded over £400,000 by the European Space Agency to investigate tipping points in the Earth’s icy regions with a focus on the Antarctic. Photo by Professor Andrew Shepherd.
More news

Back to top