Research at Department of Politics and International Studies
You are viewing:
About
About
The Department of Politics and International Studies is one of the leading research-driven centres in the UK.
We are a high-performing research-intensive department that supports a collegial and rigorous research environment for all colleagues. In collaboration with our academic partners across the world, our work focuses a ‘global lens on the critical issues of our time’ and our research suggests new avenues of dealing with these.
Our research focuses on the Global South. Our research is critical, cutting edge, diverse and plural in its approach, with strong regional expertise, with Asia, Africa and the Middle East as our primary, though not exclusive, concerns.
Research clusters
Our academics conduct research across eight Department clusters specialising on the international politics of Asia, Africa, Middle East, Political Economy, Political Theory, Security and Conflict, and Political Identities. Work in these clusters is also enriched by Visiting Scholars and by doctoral researchers enrolled in our PhD programme.
REF 2021
In the 2021 UK Research Excellent Framework (REF), almost 90% of the publications produced by our academic staff were considered world-leading or internationally excellent. The Department ranked 7 in the UK in terms of its research impact, and its research environment was judged to be excellent, highlighting interdisciplinarity, international connections and diversity as particular strengths.
The overall REF result placed the Department in the first quartile among 56 institutions. Here you can find a selection of our REF impact case studies.
