Our values underpin our approach to research today – our mission depends on the freedom of our staff and students to pursue, create and share knowledge within the context of promoting an open, enquiring, educated and tolerant society, recognising that this fosters the progress of research and benefits society as a whole. We are dedicated to attracting and growing the best and the brightest, and giving them the support and resources that they need, and we are committed to developing the careers of our researchers and to promoting equality and diversity at all levels.
Our success can be measured in a variety of ways – most obviously via the national peer review conducted in the most recent REF. Excellence within disciplines was recognised across all three Faculties and this also underpins our ability to conduct outstanding interdisciplinary work, which is fostered in over 50 research centres and institutes. Emergent opportunities are supported as well as large-scale new initiatives such as in Life Sciences. The importance of the research environment is paramount, and this includes significant institutional support for PhD students, and a range of collaborative Doctoral Training Centres with the other London universities. Alongside this are staff development practices which support our researchers at all stages of their careers.
Our trajectory in research over the past two decades has been steep and our ambitions remain high. Whilst there are many challenges for research in the current environment, there are also opportunities, and we believe that we are well-placed to take advantage of these.
5th in the UK for 4* and 3* research outputs
REF 2014
9 Nobel Prize winning staff and alumni
£144m – annual research income
2016/17
3,500m2 of open-plan cell and molecular science labs at our Blizard Building
£105m on new facilities in the past 5 years
1,595 postgraduate research students