School of Education and Social Sciences Research
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Our School has an international reputation for excellence in research and teaching. Our research is supported by an established and growing team of researchers. We have an active research culture with staff and doctoral students engaged in educational research, which is recognised locally, nationally, and internationally.
Our academic staff conduct cutting-edge research in the fields of education and social sciences with internationally excellent outputs.
In the most recent REF 2021, 65% of the Education research outputs was ranked as either 'world-leading' (4*) or 'internationally excellent' (3*). Our research also makes a positive impact on education and society. In the REF 2021, 83% of research impact in the ‘Education’ Unit of Assessment was rated as 'internationally excellent' (3*) or 'recognised'.
In the ‘Social Work and Social Policy’ Unit of Assessment, a third of Research Impact rated as ‘world-leading’ (4*); 68% of Research Output rated as ‘world-leading’ (4*) or ‘internationally excellent’ (3*). We are committed to producing research that makes a difference in social policy and practice for marginalised groups and communities.
Students are important members of our research community. Expressions of interest for doctoral studies related to the areas outlined above are welcome. We also offer a suite of Masters programmes within the School of Education and Social Sciences which are aligned to the School’s research expertise.
Note: The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a national assessment of the research taking place across UK universities.
Centre for Culture and Disability Studies (CCDS)
CCDS is an international research centre based in the School of Education and Social Sciences. It hosts and/or endorses a growing array of internationally recognised courses, publications, research projects, events, series, networks, and affiliations. The main focus of the Centre for Culture & Disability Studies is on challenging and changing all aspects of dehumanising practice, fully acknowledging the ontology and epistemology of people who are disabled.
CCDS is interdisciplinary in its approach. The research projects and related activities combine disability studies with fields and disciplines that include aesthetics, art, cultural studies, education, film studies, gender studies, genre studies, geography, happiness studies, history, humour studies, inclusion studies, international studies, linguistics, literary studies, media studies, medicine, philosophy, popular music studies, post colonial studies, psychology, queer studies, sociology, television studies and technology.
For further information, please contact CCDS Director, Professor David Bolt, or visit the CCDS website.