Our research
Our large and vibrant department brings together researchers from the disciplines of Sociology, Criminology, Politics, International Relations, Philosophy, and Anthropology. SPSPA researchers are working on some of the biggest challenges facing the world today. The methods we use are diverse and range from in-depth ethnographic case studies to the analysis of large and complex datasets. Our strong and growing strand of work in computational social science is leveraging cutting edge techniques using AI and Natural Language Processing to tackle real-world problems.
As a multidisciplinary department, we value interdisciplinary approaches and the need to work with a wide range of external partners. Our research is diverse but is connected by a commitment to using rigorous concepts and methods to achieve societal benefits. The department’s large community of established academics, researchers and postgraduates facilitates a range of regular seminars, workshops and reading groups which all contribute to the lively and collegial research culture. Our research is world-leading, achieving excellent research impact, output quality and environment scores for Politics and Sociology in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), ranking 5th and 6th for research power in the UK respectively.
Read more from Professor Alex Prichard
Professor Alex Prichard
Director of Research
Research developed across our interdisciplinary centres, and funded by numerous external and internal grant bodies, has led to a myriad of real-world innovations. Work by our academics has shaped agricultural policy and resilience, as well as policing practices, UK foreign policy towards Russia, and anarchist constitutional processes in the third sector and social enterprises. Other projects have impacted areas such as the use of data-intensive AI in research and medicine, illicit finances, and the UK higher education sector. Case studies submitted to the REF 2021 are available at their website.
Dr. Catarina P. Thomson
Director of Impact
Research centres
Our research is structured around University and Department research centres which focus on research themes and provide additional institutional structures for facilitating research. Most receive substantial external research funding and work across disciplinary boundaries.
