 He would finish his academic career having been Master of Hatfield College (1949–1956); Professor of Romano-British History and Archaeology (1956–1971); Head of the Department of Archaeology (1956–1971); and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences (1968–1971).In 1949, Birley established the first International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies.During his tenure, he was president of all three of the local archaeological societies.