A tribunal ruled in July 2021 that Mr Duxbury had won the right to return to work and should be reinstated by the university into his role as a senior lecturer. It had unfairly required him to complete a PhD or face losing his job. He already had a professional qualification in accountancy and was a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and informed his employer of concerns that the heavy workload would not be possible alongside his work commitments. He suffered from stress and said this would have a negative impact on his mental health. But after several disciplinary hearings, the university sacked him.