
Research programmes, centres and groups
Find out about our research programmes, centres and groups.
Strategic Research Programmes
Our Strategic Research Programmes are the result of substantial strategic investment in areas of existing research strength to build critical mass through further research-led appointments and studentships. They have been designed to address some of the key challenges and opportunities facing contemporary society by bringing together expertise from many disciplines across campus.
University Research Centres
Our University Research Centres are groupings of academics undertaking research that is widely recognised as world-leading in an established area of expertise. They address significant international challenges and problems and redefine the parameters of one or more disciplines.
University Research Centres are distinguished from Research Centres primarily through their significance to the University Strategy and through the external funding they attract. They are expected to maintain a portfolio of significant grants over a sustained period.
- Andrew and Virginia Rudd Centre for Adoption Research and Practice
- Centre for Global Health Policy
- Centre for Innovation and Research in Childhood and Youth
- Centre for International Education
- Genome Damage and Stability Centre
- Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science
- Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability Centre
- Sussex Centre for Migration Research
- Sussex Centre for Quantum Technologies
- Sussex European Institute
Our Regional Research Centres are interdisciplinary groupings working on collaborative, regionally focussed research, whose collaborative work provides added value over and above their individual work. Their research is internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour and has considerable impacts.
Regional Research Centres host research-led undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programmes, which enable our students to develop regional expertise; and they may be the focal point for the University's international strategy of engagement with the regions themselves, through international student recruitment, researcher and student exchanges, institutional partnerships, and research collaboration.
- Sussex Africa Centre
The Sussex Africa Centre is a focal point for research and exchange of ideas among faculty and postgraduate students. It provides a hub for cutting edge scholarship and runs a lively programme of events, including visiting speakers and postgraduate workshops.
- Sussex Asia
Sussex Asia is a focal point for inter-disciplinary research on Asia. It seeks to promote the exchange of critical ideas relating to Asia and its conceptualisation as a region.The Centre provides a hub for cutting edge scholarship and public debate. It runs a lively programme of events, including talks by visiting speakers, PhD workshops, and specially themed research roundtables.
- Sussex Centre for American Studies
The Sussex Centre for American Studies connects scholars and students for disciplinary and interdisciplinary work and collaborative projects, promoting networking (internally and externally) and knowledge exchange in American Studies. We provide an institutional platform for grant applications and the development of postgraduate research and postdoctoral fellowship activity in the field. More generally, SCAS serves as a forum to project American research at Sussex on diverse levels: sponsoring public events at the University and elsewhere, hosting academic visitors from other universities and engaging in public dissemination and discussion.
Our Research Centres are groups of faculty working together intensively on collaborative research, whose collaborative work provides added value over and above their individual research. They are often interdisciplinary in nature, undertaking research that is internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour and that has considerable impacts.
- Centre for Advanced International Theory
CAIT invites advanced fundamental research on international politics from within and outside the discipline - including but not limited to international political theory, international historical sociology, international political economy and from all theoretical backgrounds, orthodox and heterodox - free of the requirement for direct policy relevance and reflexive of the knowledge/power nexus.
For more information, visit the Centre for Advanced International Theory site.
- Centre for Byzantine Cultural History
The Sussex Centre for Byzantine Cultural History maintains a Byzantine and medieval presence at Sussex. It acts as a focal point for those interested in the history of the Mediterranean world in the Classical and medieval periods. For more information, visit the Centre for Byzantine Cultural History site.
- Centre for Coastal Research
The aim of this centre is to address the key coastal issues of climate change and sea level rise to inform management policy and practice. We do this by up-scaling our process-response research to engineering timescales. Our approach contributes to predictive modelling of coastal behaviour to assist end-users in adaptive management of the coastline. Our focus is to further understanding of coastal dynamics for sustainable development, engineering and adaptation through effective mitigation of natural hazards and risk.
For more information, visit the Centre for Coastal Research site.
- Centre for Cognitive Science
COGS fosters interaction and collaboration among all those working in cognitive science at Sussex, including researchers and students in artificial intelligence, psychology, linguistics, neuroscience and philosophy. It is a pioneering, internationally recognised centre for interdisciplinary investigation into the nature of cognition, be it natural or artificial. For more information, visit the Centre for Cognitive Science site.
- Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics
The CCNR is in an interdisciplinary research group positioned between the Neuroscience subject group in the School of Life Sciences and the Evolutionary and Adaptive Systems group in the Department of Informatics.The aim of the CCNR is to encourage a two-way flow of ideas and methods between the Life and Computational sciences. The benefits of a cross-disciplinary approach are reflected in the nature of the research that is carried out here. Some of the research in the Centre can be characterised as Biologically-Inspired Engineering, this includes autonomous agent research and evolutionary robotics and electronics. Other research involves the modelling and analysis of biological topics such as insect navigation, neuronal circuits and evolutionary theory.
For more information, visit the Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics site.
- Centre for Creative and Critical Thought
Based in the School of English, the Centre for Creative and Critical Thought (CCCT) draws on not only the energies of creative and critical writing amongst faculty and students, but also on longstanding research interests at Sussex in critical theory, including deconstruction and continental philosophy, psychoanalysis, postcolonial theory, Marxism, feminism and queer theory.
For more information, visit the Centre for Creative and Critical Thought site.
- Centre for Cultures of Reproduction, Technologies and Health
Reproductive and sexual cultures are complex, lived phenomena which can only be researched through interdisciplinary and multi-method approaches. Sussex has faculty expertise in such approaches across its schools and departments (anthropology, sociology, gender studies, arts and humanities, health sciences, development).
For more information, visit the Centre for Cultures of Reproduction, Technologies and Health site.
- Centre for Early Modern and Medieval Studies
The Centre for Early Modern and Medieval Studies at Sussex is one of the foremost interdisciplinary institutions of its kind in Britain. Consisting of distinguished and committed academics from the School of English and Departments of History and Art History, as well as a thriving postgraduate community drawn from across the country and the world, the Centre covers most aspects of early modern study and is currently undergoing a new expansion into the medieval period.
For more information, visit the Centre for Early Modern and Medieval Studies site.
- Centre for Gender Studies
Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary subject taught across many of the Schools within the University. Sussex boasts a broad field of expertise in this subject, which makes for fresh and innovative content and a variety of approaches to teaching and learning. The Centre for Gender Studies, which draws all this expertise together, is based in the School of Law, Politics and Sociology.
For more information, visit the Centre for Gender Studies site.
- Centre for Global Political Economy
The Centre for Global Political Economy at Sussex was launched in 2000 to fill an important gap in the theory and practice of International Political Economy. The Centre's current work applies this broad approach to a number of themes of central importance to the contemporary global political economy: including trade and finance; environment and development; labour and social movements. Our regional expertise includes East Asia, Latin America, Africa and India and we have partnerships with many research and activist institutions in those regions.
For more information, visit the Centre for Global Political Economy site.
- Centre for Higher Education and Equity Research
Located within the Department of Education in the School of Education and Social Work, the research centre CHEER has been established to consolidate higher education research and scholarship at the University of Sussex. For more information, visit the Centre for Higher Education and Equity Research site.
- Centre for Innovation and Research in Wellbeing
The Centre for Innovation and Research in Wellbeing brings together research, scholarship and expertise on wellbeing and builds on growth in academic research and service development in this area. The Centre is working to establish itself as a leading interdisciplinary, innovative and international centre in the field and includes research clusters on wellbeing in relation to health and mental health, ageing, children, place, spirituality, cultural diversity and migration.
For more information, visit The Centre for Innovation and Research in Wellbeing site.
- Centre for Intellectual History
The University of Sussex has long been an important national and international centre for research in intellectual history. At its foundation, intellectual history at Sussex brought together faculty from disparate areas in the arts and social sciences (Economics, English, History, Philosophy, Classics, Sociology, Politics, and Theology). Intellectual history has thrived at Sussex because of the University's traditional focus upon interdisciplinarity, and the Sussex Centre for Intellectual History's task is to maintain this tradition. The Centre continues the tradition of investigation into political, economic, and social thought and its connections with literature from early modern to modern times in Britain and in Europe.
While maintaining a focus on the national and international history of social, political and economic thought, the Centre has sought to broaden the agenda to include the history of philosophy and science and their connections with religious thought. We maintain a broad European perspective in these areas through recent and current work on Dutch, English, French, German, Irish, Italian, Scandinavian, Scottish, and Swiss topics. The transfer of ideas internationally and across continents is also a central concern of the centre.
For more information, visit the Centre for Intellectual History site.
- Centre for Leadership, Ethics and Diversity (LEAD)
The Centre for Leadership, Ethics, and Diversity (LEAD) is committed to the production, dissemination, and application of research investigating the nature and consequences of leadership. Because power often carries the weight of social responsibility, a comprehensive and socially-relevant examination of leadership theory and practice must also include ethics at its core. As societies become increasingly multi-cultural, it also becomes important to understand the factors that create or impede diverse representation at all levels of organisational hierarchy, particularly top positions of leadership.
For more information, visit the Centre for Leadership, Ethics and Diversity (LEAD) site.
- Centre for Life History and Life Writing Research
Life history and life writing research uses life story - whether in the form of oral history, personal narrative, autobiography or biography - as a primary source for the study of history and culture. Life stories capture the relation between the individual and society, the local and the national, the past and present and the public and private experience. Research involves grappling with theories of memory, relationship and self representation, and with debates about literacy and orality. Many disciplines contribute to the field, including history, sociology, anthropology, literary philosophy, cultural studies and psychology.
Life history and life writing researchers present their work in many forms. As well as academic publications, we contribute to radio and television documentaries, auto/biographical drama, reminiscence work, digital and video presentations and exhibitions. Life history and life writing research is, of necessity, concerned with ethics and power relationships, and with the potential for advocacy and empowerment.
For more information, visit the Centre for Life History and Life Writing Research site.
- Centre for Modernist Studies
The Centre for Modernist Studies brings together faculty and students to explore key questions relating to the cultural forms of Modernism. Researchers in English, History, American Studies, History of Art, Film and Media, Music, and Philosophy contribute to an ongoing programme of conferences, seminars, readings and performances. For more information, visit the Centre for Modernist Studies site.
- Centre for Poverty and Inequality Research
The Centre for Poverty and Inequality Research conducts research into all aspects of inequality and poverty: their meaning and measurement, causes and consequences, in both developing and developed countries. Building on the rich history of the former Poverty Research Unit at Sussex (PRUS), CPIR brings together researchers across the University of Sussex, and aims to create partnerships with governments, international organisations, other academic institutions and NGOs. CPIR draws on the interdisciplinary approach and values that Sussex embodies to generate impact through world-class research.
For more information, visit the Centre for Poverty and Inequality Research site.
- Centre for Research in Creative and Performing Arts
The Centre for Research in Creative and Performing Arts works to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and to connect current work and thinking in the creative and performing arts with research across all Schools at the University of Sussex. It seeks to enable practitioners, research students, scholars and theorists to work together on projects producing new experience, new knowledge or new understanding in the fields of creative and performing arts. For more information, visit the Centre for Research in Creative and Performing Arts site.
- Centre for Research in Opera and Music Theatre
The Centre for Research in Opera and Music Theatre (CROMT) is a national and international centre for research and development in the practice and theory of contemporary opera, music-based theatre and other related forms of sonic or multimedia performance. The Centre promotes innovative artistic and critical practices across a range of forms through academic programmes, creative, theoretical and historical research projects, and research collaborations with relevant professional and educational partners.
For more information, visit the Centre for Research in Opera and Music Theatre site.
- Centre for Social Work Innovation and Research
The Centre is intended to advance the international profile and impact of research on innovative inter-disciplinary and inter-professional approaches to social work and allied relationship-based 'social' professions. In particular, the Centre will enable innovation in the advancement of theory, methodology and policy and practice impact at the intersection of the 'social', 'political', 'legal', 'psychological', 'health' and other cognate disciplinary perspectives which inform social work and align it to other professional interventions. The overall aim is to ensure our cross-disciplinary collaborative research is placed centre-stage in the process of activating the social rights, citizenship, health and wellbeing of those most vulnerable to social injustice and the harm this causes.
For more information, visit the Centre for Social Work Innovation and Research site.
- Centre for Social and Political Thought
The Centre for Social and Political Thought (formerly the Centre for Critical Social Theory) was established in 1997, as an interdisciplinary centre for research spanning social sciences and the humanities. It represents Sussex University's longstanding tradition in critical theory, European philosophy and Social theory, and radical, cutting-edge thinking. Research in the Centre is diverse but is committed to critical social theory broadly construed. More specifically, research at the Centre is focused around the following interests:
- Hegel, Marx & the Frankfurt School
- Cosmopolitanism
- Modernity
- Contemporary Political Philosophy
- Race Critical Theory
- Feminist Social Theory
- Socialist & Anarchist Thought
- The Unconscious & Social and Political Thought
For more information, visit the Centre for Social and Political Thought site.
- Centre for World Environmental History
The Centre for World Environmental History (CWEH) specialises in the environmental history of the tropics. It is the only Centre in Britain and Europe with the capability to do so. As a distinctive named discipline Environmental History is a relatively young subject, which has roots in historical geography, historical ecology and the history of material culture. It draws widely from the sciences, social sciences and the humanities. For more information, visit the Centre for World Environmental History site.
- Centre for the Analysis of Regional Integration at Sussex (Economics)
The Centre for the Analysis of Regional Integration at Sussex (CARIS) was established in 2006 and conducts research in all areas related to regional integration - feasibility, scope and effect both in developed and developing countries. Its main aim is to examine the impact of regional trade agreements and preferences on the economies involved in the agreements, those excluded, and also on the interaction between such preferential arrangements and the multilateral trading system.
For more information, visit the Centre for the Analysis of Regional Integration at Sussex (Economics) site.
- Centre for the Study of Sexual Dissidence
The Centre for the Study of Sexual Dissidence is the focal point for research in queer studies at the University of Sussex. Founded over twenty years ago, the Centre gained international acclaim by pioneering the field of queer studies. Today, we continue to bring together faculty, undergraduate and postgraduate students from across the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton, and members of the Brighton community, to create a thriving network of enquiry, dialogue and experimentation.
For more information, visit the Centre for the Study of Sexual Dissidence site.
- Crime Research Centre
The Centre for the Study of Crime brings people together from a variety of disciplines, focused on research into ‘crime’ broadly conceived. This includes experts from law, sociology, criminology, politics, psychology, and international development. The Centre will take a leading role in shaping research, engaging in debate, as well as looking to engage in reform exercise and the spreading of good practice.
For more information, visit the Crime Research Centre site.
- Data Intensive Science Centre at the University of Sussex
DISCUS is the Data Intensive Science Centre at the University of Sussex, a research unit built to address real social and economic challenges by applying data interpretation techniques developed by a cross-disciplinary team over a number of years. DISCUS aims to support the UK’s public and private sector organisations as they seek to make better use of their largest and most complex data sets, delivering better outcomes for the general public, and staying competitive on the international stage.
For more information, visit the Data Intensive Science Centre at the University of Sussex site.
- Harvard Sussex Program
HSP is an inter-university collaboration for research, communication and training in support of informed public policy towards chemical and biological weapons. The Program links research groups at Harvard University in the United States and the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom. It began formally in 1990, building on two decades of earlier collaboration between its co-directors.
For more information, visit the Harvard Sussex Program site.
- Sensor Technology Research Centre
The Sensor Technology Research Centre is a world leading centre focusing on electric and magnetic sensor technologies and their applications. Our research activity includes the fundamentals of sensor operation, mobile communications and networks, modelling of measurement scenarios and application specific projects. These applications are very broad, ranging from electrophysiological monitoring to security, forensics and materials characterisation for the semiconductor industry. In mobile communications, we focus on wireless networks and embedded systems to accomplish communication for a variety of applications.
For more information, visit the Sensor Technology Research Centre site.
- Sussex Addiction Research and Intervention Centre (SARIC)
The SARIC includes faculty researchers based at the University of Sussex as well as clinicians from the Sussex Partnership NIH Foundation Trust. The SARIC aims not only at improving our understanding of the neurobiology of drug and alcohol addiction but also, by pursuing a translational approach extending into clinical intervention, at making a meaningful impact on the daily lives of individuals with substance misuse problems and their families.
For more information, visit the Sussex Addiction Research and Intervention Centre (SARIC) site.
- Sussex Centre for Cultural Studies
Formed in 2006, the Centre is a new site for consolidating the current and historical work that has been long-established at the University since its inception 40 years ago. Cultural Studies at Sussex has enjoyed an international reputation for decades, and we recently decided to formalise our research in a centre in order to work more effectively with each other in a supportive, collegiate environment.
For more information, visit the Sussex Centre for Cultural Studies site.
- Sussex Centre for Global Insecurities Research (CGI)
SCSR is an interdisciplinary research centre dedicated to supporting research, and informing public and policy debate, on issues of conflict and security. Its ambition is to advance understanding of, and to challenge established orthodoxies on, conflict and security, through rigorous and theoretically reflective scholarship and engagement. For more information, visit the Sussex Centre for Global Insecurities Research (CGI) site.
- Sussex Centre for Human Rights Research
The Sussex Law School's Research Centre for Responsibilities, Rights and the Law was launched in July 2008. The aim of the Centre is to facilitate and develop doctrinal, theoretical and empirical research into responsibilities, rights and the law nationally, in the European Union and internationally. The Centre is thus distinctive in exploring aspects of human rights from a variety of perspectives along with questions of responsibility. The Centre's work is organised around four established research themes:
- Family Responsibilities
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Human Rights
- International Law
The Centre also supports the development of research examining law from the perspective of rights or responsibilities including criminal law and justice, corporate social responsibility, international law, international human rights, minority rights, gender justice, environmental law.
For more information, visit the Sussex Centre for Human Rights Research site.
- Sussex Centre for Research on Kindness
Sussex Centre for Research on Kindness is an interdisciplinary research network created with the aims of exploring, investigating, and illuminating kindness and its impacts on people and communities.
For more information, visit the Sussex Centre for Research on Kindness.
- Sussex Centre for Sensory Neuroscience and Computation
The Sussex Centre for Sensory Neuroscience and Computation spans across 25 independent research-laboratories at Sussex broadly interested in the mechanistic basis of sensation and its computational implementation in the nervous system. Based across the neighboring Schools of Life Sciences, Informatics and Engineering, and Psychology, our highly interdisciplinary grouping is brought together by a shared curiosity in how animals sense and interact with their surroundings, how their circuits evolved, and what they can teach us about fundamental principles of neural computation.
- Sussex Drug Discovery Centre
The Sussex Drug Discovery Centre (originally the Translational Drug Discovery Group) was established in 2011 as part of a major strategic investment within the School of Life Sciences. The group comprises medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology laboratories and plays a pivotal role in the School's translational research strategy which aims to translate a fundamental understanding of disease processes and molecular targets, whether that knowledge resides within the University of Sussex or in UK-based and international academic and industrial institutions, into novel drugs.
For more information, visit the Sussex Drug Discovery Centre site.
- The Centre for the Study of Corruption
The Centre for the Study of Corruption takes an interdisciplinary approach to analysing what corruption is, where and why it flourishes and also what (most importantly) can be done to counteract it. For more information, visit The Centre for the Study of Corruption site.
- The Sussex Energy Group
The Sussex Energy Group undertakes academically rigorous, inter-disciplinary research that engages with policy-makers and practitioners. The aim of our research is to identify ways of achieving the transition to sustainable, low carbon energy systems whilst addressing other important policy objectives such as energy security. We have funding from a diverse array of sources. We are core partner in the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and part of the UK Energy Research Centre.
For more information, visit the The Sussex Energy Group site.
- UK Trade Policy Observatory
The UK Trade Policy observatory (UKTPO), is a partnership between the University of Sussex, which has the largest concentration of economic, legal and international relations scholars with trade policy expertise and experience in Britain and Chatham House. Established in June 2016, the Observatory provides independent expert comment and analysis of trade policy proposals for the UK, as well as training for British policy makers and negotiators through tailored training packages.
The UKTPO is committed to engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders to ensure that the UK’s international trading environment is reconstructed in a manner that benefits all in Britain and is fair to Britain, the EU and the world.
For more information, visit the UKTPO site.
- Brighton and Sussex Centre for Global Health Research
The Brighton and Sussex Centre for Global Health Research contributes towards improving the health of some of the world¿s poorest people by equipping high-calibre researchers to undertake excellent research that will impact on important, locally relevant global health problems. The centre supports the development of low- and middle income researchers in genomic science within a framework that addresses the ethical, legal and social implications of such research for individuals and their communities.
For more information, visit the Brighton and Sussex Centre for Global Health Research site.
- climate@sussex
Confronting these great challenges requires an understanding of the complex web of scientific, socio-economic, political, technological and policy processes. Climate@sussex brings together world leading researchers from the University of Sussex and the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) in a multi-disciplinary programme of research and teaching to improve our understanding of how climate change is developing, the impacts on people and the implications for policy and action.
For more information, visit the climate@sussex site.
- Sussex Weidenfeld Institute of Jewish Studies – Centre for German-Jewish Studies
Sussex Weidenfeld Institute of Jewish Studies – Centre for German-Jewish Studies seeks to deepen understanding of the German Jewish experience from the early modern period through the Shoah and its subsequent reconstruction. Located in the School of History, the Centre builds on Sussex's long-standing tradition of interdisciplinary cultural history, with a view towards inviting interested colleagues across the Humanities and Social Sciences to develop strengths in the study of Jewish cultures. For more information, visit the Sussex Weidenfeld Institute of Jewish Studies – Centre for German-Jewish Studies site.
Our Research Groups and Networks provide a focus for a collection of academics working on a particular research topic or theme. They may be working in an emerging or established area of expertise for Sussex.
- Advanced Communications, Mobile Technology and IoT (ACMI)
The ACMI Research Group will conduct work related to the development of advanced communications, mobile technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT). Core elements of the research will include new wireless and optical communications and networking technologies for 5G, beyond-5G and 6G mobile communications, satellite communications and next generation WiFi, as well communications and sensor technologies for the automotive, automation and health/medical sectors and the IOT. In addition to component and system-level development and integration fundamental enabling research in disruptive technologies on the component, radio, physical, network and architecture levels will be undertaken to provide step-change advances in the field.
The group is committed to validation and experimentation of the results obtained from fundamental and computational research through proof-of-concept hardware and software development and laboratory and field trials. The ACMI Group is committed to working closely with industry and business, and to technology transfer as well as world-leading academic research. It benefits from close collaborations with a number of key players in industry, such as Samsung, Huawei, BT, NXP, Cobham Wireless as well as involvement in important UK, European and International for a and relevant industry standardization and regulatory bodies.
For more information, visit the Advanced Communications, Mobile Technology and IoT (ACMI) site.
- AI Research Group
The AI Research Group at the University of Sussex was created through the merger of the Evolutionary and Adaptive Systems (EASy) and the Data Science groups. We conduct research and teach a wide range of AI related topics, often cross-disciplinary and with a unique Sussex angle. We collaborate internationally and locally with academics, businesses and public stakeholders, working at the frontiers of knowledge, on solving real-world problems, and in policy and public outreach.
For more information, visit the AI Research Group site.
- Analysis and Partial Differential Equations Research Group
Research within the Analysis and Partial Differential Equations group concentrates on the nonlinear problems. The focus is on rigorous analysis of mathematical models motivated from applied mathematics involving nonlinear partial differential equations, dynamical systems, evolution equations, geometric measure theory, calculus of variations and their applications in material microstructure, nonlinear elasticity, image processing and financial mathematics.
For more information, visit the Analysis and Partial Differential Equations Research Group site.
- Astronomy Centre
The Astronomy Centre's research interests are tightly focused on the extra-galactic: cosmology and early universe; structure formation; clusters; galaxy formation and evolution. Researchers at the Centre address questions with a full combination of theoretical, numerical and observational techniques.
For more information, visit the Astronomy Centre site.
- Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Research Group
Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics research at Sussex University is devoted to the study of fundamental physics and quantum effects using the techniques of atomic and laser physics. Based at the University of Sussex, this group is part of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
For more information, visit the Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Research Group site.
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Research Group
Within this research group there is a close inter-relationship between animal, human and clinical work, and an emphasis on translational research.
For more information, visit the Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Research Group site.
- Business and Finance Research Group
The Business Finance interdisciplinary research group combines traditional corporate finance with entrepreneurship perspectives to provide a unique understanding of Business Finance in post-crisis Europe. The group focuses on company finance in both public and private companies as well as the evolution of start-ups to different types of public and private companies, examining the roles of venture capital and other intermediaries such as accounting firms and investment banks in facilitating this transition.
For more information, visit the Business and Finance Research Group site.
- Centre for Colonial and Postcolonial Studies
The Centre for Colonial and Postcolonial Studies reflects significant interdisciplinary and cross-school interest in the histories and cultures of colonialism, and in postcolonial studies.
The Centre's remit includes:
- acting as the forum for a seminar series and for more informal discussions of work in progress among its members
- supporting existing and potential MA programmes
- providing an intellectual 'home' for research students in both Arts and Humanities schools
- hosting occasional international conferences and symposia
- raising the profile of research at Sussex outside of the university
- capitalising on Sussex's historic and existing strengths in postcolonial studies, area studies, and imperialism/colonialism.
For more information, visit the Centre for Colonial and Postcolonial Studies site.
- Centre for Computer Graphics
The Centre for Computer Graphics is located in the internationally renowned Department of Informatics and has extensive research and development experience on hardware and software of electronics systems, particularly focused on computer graphics, virtual and augmented reality, creative systems we have our own film studios primarily used for video production techniques and web casting, etc.
For more information, visit the Centre for Computer Graphics site.
- Centre for International Business and Development
The Centre for International Business and Development (CIBD) is one of the top centres of International Business research in the United Kingdom (Global Research Performance Database, 2017), and draws upon the reputation of the University of Sussex as a renowned location for research on development studies (QS World University Rankings, 2019).
For more information, visit the Centre for International Business and Development site.
- Centre for Teaching and Learning Research
The Centre for Teaching and Learning Research (CTLR) is engaged with research on all aspects of learning and teaching in a wide range of educational contexts, official and informal. It places particular enphasis on schooling, transitions, equity and inclusion.
For more information, visit the Centre for Teaching and Learning Research site.
- Cognitive Psychology Research Group
The Cognitive Group has wide-ranging interests in Language and Communication, including Mammal Vocal Communication, Learning, Memory, Attention, Visual Perception and Cognition, and Consciousness. As well as normal adult cognition we study both developmental issues and various pathologies. We use a variety of techniques, including traditional behavioural methods, and modern neuroscientific methods, such as EEG/ERP, TMS, and fMRI.
For more information, visit the Cognitive Psychology Research Group site.
- Communications Research Group
The Communications Research Group is based within the Sensor Technology Research Centre in the School of Engineering and Informatics. For more information, visit the Communications Research Group site.
- Creative Technology
The research of the Creative Technology Group aims to understand and improve the myriad ways that computing now serves humanity. The group pushes traditional discipline boundaries, being concerned with basic principles, novel approaches and innovative interfaces in exploring the interactions between systems and their users. We draw on cognitive science, media technology, human-centred methods, participatory design and research into experience to make the use of computing systems both productive and pleasant.
For more information, visit the Creative Technology site.
- Dementia Research Group
The Dementia Research Group is a group of Researchers based at the University of Sussex and Brighton and Sussex Medical School who aim to address knowledge gaps by focusing on greater understanding of the underlying mechanisms of disease in Alzheimer's disease. This network encompasses neuroscientists, structural biologists, psychologists, clinicians and members of the translational drug discovery group.
For more information, visit the Dementia Research Group site.
- Developmental Genetics Research Group
Work in this group is concerned with the molecular and cellular processes underlying the transformation of the fertilised egg into the complex organism. The group explore how information in the genome is converted into a set of instructions that through guiding collective cell behaviours underlie the formation of tissues, organs and systems in the developing organism.
For more information, the Developmental Genetics Research Group site.
- Developmental and Clinical Psychology Research Group
The Developmental and Clinical Psychology research group has a common aim of advancing theoretical approaches to human development and clinical psychology in order to inform practical interventions to support cognitive, emotional and social growth. Research spans three intertwined areas:
- Development of cognition and communication
- Social and emotional development
- Mental health through the lifespan
For more information, visit the Developmental and Clinical Psychology Research Group site.
- Dynamics, Control and Vehicle Research Group
The Dynamics, Control, and Vehicle (DCV) research group is internationally known for its high quality automotive research and fundamental work in dynamics and control. Industrial research sponsors and partners include the EPSRC, the EU, BP, Caterpillar, Jaguar Land Rover, Ford, Garret, Spirax Sarco, Oxford Magnet Technology, Allen-Bradley, and Johnson Matthey. Facilities include four fully-functioning engine test-beds; a full range of emissions measuring equipment; engine calibration and control tools, laser-based vibration measurement hardware, and a suite of computer workstations.
For more information, visit the Dynamics, Control and Vehicle Research Group site.
- Energy and Materials Chemistry
The principal research thrust of the Energy and Materials Chemistry group concerns the globally transformative issues of energy sustainability and climate change. The Group's activities range widely within the Clean Energy theme and include computational modelling of materials for the nuclear industry and of transition metal complexes for homogeneous catalysis, nanomaterials for hydrogen generation through photocatalytic cleavage of H2O, new photovoltaics through nanoparticle technology and activation of small molecules through coordination to transition metals, lanthanides and actinides.
For more information, visit the Energy and Materials Chemistry site.
- Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The Entrepreneurship and Innovation (E&I) research group includes ten core faculty, and is led by Professor Stephan Manning.
For more information, visit the Entrepreneurship and Innovation site.
- Evolution Research Group
The Evolution group at the University of Sussex follows the traditions established by John Maynard Smith. The group investigates a number of problems in evolutionary biology using a mix of experiments, analysis and theory. The group has one of the largest concentrations of social insect biologists in the world as wll as a strengths in molecular evolution. For more information, visit the Evolution Research Group site.
- Experimental Particle Physics Research Group
The Experimental Particle Physics Group is part of the Department of Physics and Astronomy within the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the University of Sussex. Our research aims to answer some of the fundamental questions posed by modern physics, such as: What is the origin of mass? Why is there more matter than anti-matter in the Universe? What is the nature of the neutrino? Is there physics beyond the Standard Model?
For more information, visit the Experimental Particle Physics Research Group site.
- Foundations of Software Systems
The Foundations of Software Systems research group focuses on both practical and theoretical aspects of compilation, programming languages, pervasive computing, distributed systems and networking.
For more information, visit the Foundations of Software Systems site.
- Future of Work Hub
The Future of Work (FoW) Research Group is a focal point for interdisciplinary research on work and employment. It brings together Sussex researchers that draw from different disciplinary areas such as: human resources, employment relations, sociology of work and the professions, organization studies, personnel and labour economics, political economy, law and history.
For more information, visit the Future of Work Hub site.
- Gene Expression Research Group
The Gene Expression Research Group is a group of Researchers based at the University of Sussex and Brighton and Sussex Medical School who aim to address the molecular mechanisms that regulate the expression of genes. The research interests of the eight members of faculty and their research teams span a range of processes from chromatin structure, through transcription and translation to small RNAs.
For more information, visit the Gene Expression Research Group site.
- Haematology Research Group
The Haematology Research Group brings together investigators from the School of Life Sciences and the Brighton & Sussex Medical School with shared research and teaching interests in both normal and malignant haematology. The broad remit of the group is to increase understanding of the molecular changes that occur in blood cancers, with the ultimate aim of designing novel and effective therapies. To this end the network adopts a range of translational and biochemical approaches in the laboratory, whilst also taking on responsibility for training the next generation of haematology scientists and doctors.
For more information, visit the Haematology Research Group website.
- Industrial Informatics and Signal Processing Research Group
The Industrial Informatics and Signal Process group (i2sp) promote and develop innovative ideas and place them into commercially viable environments. With multi-disciplinary expertise and the latest technological processes, they provide systems-level solutions to challenging problems in industry, government & business.
For more information, visit the Industrial Informatics and Signal Processing Research Group site.
- Infectious Disease Modelling Group
The Infectious Diseases Modelling Lab focuses on developing statistical methods to estimate relevant parameters within complex ecological setting by integrating various sources of information in order to better understand the dynamics of diseases’ transmission and mitigate their public health risk.
For more information, visit the Infectious Disease Modelling group site.
- Insect Navigation Research Group
The navigational strategies employed by insects enable them to walk or fly over long distances, find food and return to their nest. To accomplish this they utilise a toolkit of elegant sensory and 'cognitive' strategies. The Insect Navigation Group study these strategies using traditional behavioural experiments as well computational and robotic models.
For more information, visit the Insect Navigation Research Group site.
- Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects
The Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects (LASI) at the University of Sussex is the largest research group in the UK studying honey bees and other social insects. Social insects are the insects that live in a colony with a queen and workers like many bees, ants, wasps and termites. LASI research studies the honey bee and other social insects "in the round" addressing both applied and basic questions. The applied research is aimed at helping the honey bee and beekeepers, whilst the basic research studies how insect societies function.
For more information, visit the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects site.
- Learning, Memory and Plasticity Group
This research group is a lose affiliation of senior research neuroscientists and faculty with a common interest in the molecular, cellular and physiological mechanisms of neuroplasticity especially as they relate to learning and memory formation. For more information, visit the Learning, Memory and Plasticity Group site.
- Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarship Programme: 'From Sensation and Perception to Awareness'
This is interdisciplinary research network that brings together researchers from across neuroscience, robotics, psychology and the arts to advance our understanding of the interactions between sensing, perception and awareness in humans, animals and machines. The network was initiated in 2018 through an award of £1.05M from the Leverhulme Trust to the University of Sussex to fund a Doctoral Scholarship Programme, and creates a new thematic focus around this topic designed to stimulate new collaborative research across campus.
For more information, vist the Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarship Programme site.
- Marketing, Consumption and Innovation
The Marketing, Consumption and Innovation (MC&I) research group includes eleven core faculty, and is led by Professor Michael Beverland.
For more information, vist the Marketing, Consumption and Innovation site.
- Materials Physics Group
Research within the Materials Physics Group focuses on understanding the fundamental structure-property relationships in materials containing one- and two- dimensional structures such as carbon nanotubes, graphene and other layered nanomaterials. The group is particularly interested in developing viable applications for nano-structured organic composites (mechanical, electrical and thermal), the directed-assembly and self-assembly of nanostructures into functional acrostructures and more recently interfacing biological materials with synthetic inorganic and organic materials and associated applications.
For more information, vist the Materials Physics Group site.
- Mathematical Physics Group
We focus on the mathematical aspects of physics which include: classical and quantum gravity, black holes, quantum field theory, foundations of quantum mechanics, rigorous quantum mechanics, mathematical challenges in quantum chemistry, statistical physics, fracture problems in solids, percolation and foundations of statistical physics. The group promotes interdisciplinary research that uses applied mathematical and theoretical physics methods, for example in applications to finance and econophysics.
For more information, visit the Mathematical Physics Group site.
- Mathematics Applied to Biology Research Group
Research within the mathematics applied to biology group focuses on two broad research areas. The first area of interest is population modelling with a focus on mathematical epidemiology, evolutionary game theory and population genetics. The second area focuses on reaction diffusion equations and dynamical systems with applications in developmental biology and bio-medicine ranging from pattern formation, tumor growth and angiogenesis to biomechanics of the muscle-skeletal system.
For more information, visit the Mathematics Applied to Biology Research Group site.
- The Middle East and North Africa Centre at Sussex
The Middle East and North Africa Centre at Sussex brings together scholars and students researching the Middle East and North Africa from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives spread across the humanities and social sciences. It leverages multiple new hires – including a philosopher and an anthropologist studying Islam and five historians studying the Middle East, North Africa, and Israel from differing perspectives – to consolidate, advance, and broaden research, teaching, and engagement activities that would otherwise be fragmented across a disciplinary-focused departments.
It is a focal point for international engagement with and about the Middle East and North Africa. In support of its mission to facilitate collaborative research and teaching, as well as support research students, it runs a programme of events including visiting speakers and postgraduate workshops.
- Neurodegenerative Disease and Ageing Research Centre
The ultimate goal of the Neurodegenerative Disease and Ageing Research Centre is to find cures for neurodegenerative diseases and markers of the disease for early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention. The group brings leading basic scientists with diverse expertise in Neuroscience, molecular genetics, biochemistry, structural biology, and electron microscopy together with neurologist clinicians to form a vibrant and collaborative environment for research into neurodegenerative diseases.
For more information, visit the Neurodegenerative Disease and Ageing Research Centre site.
- Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing Research Group
Research within the Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing (NASC) group concentrates on the modelling and analysis of problems coming from engineering, the physical and the life sciences. The interests of the group range from rigorous existence and uniqueness analysis of (coupled systems of) PDEs and variational inequalities, through the development and analysis of numerical methods to the implementations of these methods (scientific computing). Current research directions comprise free boundary problems, numerical methods for nonlinear partial differential equations, optimisation with PDE constraints, inverse problems, large scale scattered data approximation and numerical methods for high dimensional problems.
For more information, visit the Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing Research Group site.
- Pharma Supply Chains and Healthcare Technology
The mission of the Pharma Supply Chains and Healthcare Technology research group is to advance, transmit, and sustain knowledge and understanding through research for the benefit of Pharma and healthcare communities. Our focus is on the technological and socio-organisational nature of innovation, sustainability, and risk within Pharma supply chains and healthcare systems.
For more information, visit the Pharma Supply Chains and Healthcare Technology site.
- Probability and Statistics Research Group
Research interests are in random processes in random environment, point processes, applications of probability to fractional calculus and non-local operators, hydrodynamic limits, large deviations and interacting particle systems, rigorous bayesian methods in inverse problems, numerical solution of stochastic partial differential equations, the probabilistic theory of networks. Areas of applications include mathematical statistical physics, mathematical epidemiology, economics and mathematical finance.
For more information, visit the Probability and Statistics Research Group site.
- Quantitative International Finance Network
The QFIN at Sussex provides independent, customized and responsible solutions to promote innovation in financial markets. Our flexible approach resolves problems ranging from small boutique model development to advice on implementing complex financial systems.
For more information, visit the Quantitative International Finance Network site.
- RNA Biology Research Group
The RNA Biology Research Group is a network of 7 laboratories based in the Brighton and Sussex Medical School as well as Life Sciences, University of Sussex. Members of the group share common interests in the way that RNA molecules can regulate the expression of genes important for cellular processes such as proliferation and migration, as well as human diseases. The group works on interlinked but complementary projects using a diverse range of organisms and techniques with the ultimate aim of understanding the ways that RNA-based regulation can be manipulated to alleviate human disease.
For more information, visit the RNA Biology Research Group site.
- Robotics and Mechatronics Systems Research Group
Current technological development requires close integration of mechanical, electronic, electrical, control and computer systems which are designed to perform autonomous tasks in the most various environments, such as in surgical operation halls, agricultural fields, space, land, water and air vehicles and manufacturing plants.
The Robotics and Mechatronic Systems Research Group has been set up to facilitate research in robotics, biomedical instrumentation, industrial automation, mechatronics and MEMS with applications in any of the areas mentioned above. The expertise of the academics in the Group spans the fields of human-robot interaction, assistive robotics, human motor control, industrial automation, autonomous systems, bioelectronics, sensors including biosensors, medical and surgical robotics, intelligent and modern control theory and applications.
For more information, visit the Robotics and Mechatronics Systems Research Group site.
- Self-Affirmation Research Group
The Self-Affirmation Research Group works to develop the scientific understanding of self-affirmation and its practical application. Self-affirmation can help people deal effectively with threatening but useful information such as personally-relevant health information, and can protect them from threats such as those arising from negative stereotypes. We have a particular focus on better understanding how self-affirmation works in the areas of health and education.
For more information, visit the Self-Affimation Research Group site.
- Social and Applied Psychology Research Group
Social and Applied Psychology is a field that concerns itself with the attitudes and behaviour of people in their social environments. Above all, it focuses on how people's relationships - with others in their groups or with those who belong to different groups affect behaviour and in turn, how relationships are affected by the social context in which people find themselves. The Social & Applied Psychology Group is one of the largest groups of social and applied social psychologists in the UK. Its work is concerned with theory development, testing, and application in the following four main areas.
For more information, visit the Social and Applied Psychology Research Group site.
- Social Science and Ethics Research Group
The Social Science and Ethics Group works to develop a platform for the collaborative study of both the social science of ethics and the ethics of social science. We aim both to foster interdisciplinary explorations of this area and provide a forum for the dissemination of ongoing research through workshops, seminar series, and network-building.
For more information, visit the Social Science and Ethics Research Group site.
- Space Research Group
The Space Research Group conducts work related to the development of space instrumentation and systems for space science, exploration, commercial purposes. Core elements of the research include new X-ray spectrometers for astronomy and planetary science, electron spectrometers for space plasma physics, and optics for advanced spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control systems. In addition to system-level instrumentation development, fundamental enabling research is undertaken to provide step-change advances in the component and material technologies on which the group's instrumentation and systems are based. The Space Research Group is committed to technology commercialisation as well as academic research.
For more information, visit the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences site.
- Sussex Health Outcomes Research and Education in Cancer
The central aim of Sussex Health Outcomes, Research & Education in Cancer (SHORE-C) is to conduct pragmatic research in psychosocial oncology. The group's work includes helping improve the communication skills of members of cancer teams, developing and evaluating patient interventions, producing educational training materials and measuring quality of life in clinical trials of cancer therapy.
For more information, visit the Sussex Health Outcomes Research and Education in Cancer site.
- Sussex Rights and Justice Research Centre
The Sussex Rights and Justice Research Centre promotes research initiatives and intellectual exchange on 'rights' and 'justice', both of which have long been central intellectual and political concerns within the University of Sussex. The Centre began its life in the early 2000s as the 'Justice, Violence and Rights Research Centre', which drew particularly from the departments of anthropology, law and international relations. An expanded centre was newly re-launched in 2015. Its aim is to bring together faculty, doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, and interested postgraduate students from across the University and enable them to share their own work, build relationships and exchange ideas with each other in a rigorous but friendly interdisciplinary forum. The Centre, moreover, facilitates collaboration with other scholars and institutions interested in the study of the ethics and politics of rights and justice.
For more information, visit the Sussex Rights and Justice Research Centre site.
- Synaesthesia Research Group
Synaesthesia is a joining together of sensations that are normally experienced separately. Studying synaesthesia may help us to understand how the brain segregates and integrates different sensations and thoughts. The Synaesthesia research group here at Sussex look at a wide variety of topics related to the phenomenon, encompassing the neurological and behavioural aspects as well as the potential application of synaesthesia research.
For more information, visit the Synaesthesia Research Group site.
- The Reginald Phillips Research Network for Improving Education for People with Visual Impairment
The aim the RM Phillips Research Network is to promote the education of blind and visually impaired children. The Network will investigate the problems that blind children have with understanding information and the way it is typically represented in the sighted world (including via text and images). The Network will explore how new technology can be developed to address these limitations in educational settings and beyond. All partners in the network share a common approach of using knowledge and theories of cognition to inform the research agenda but bring expertise from different areas including language comprehension (Oakhill), multi-sensory perception (Ward), and information visualisation (Cheng).
For more information, visit the The Reginald Phillips Research Network for Improving Education for People with Visual Impairment site.
- Theoretical Particle Physics Research Group
The Theoretical Particle Physics Group's research deals with questions regarding the fundamental constituents of nature and their interactions, such as: What is the origin of the masses of the known elementary particles? What is the quantum theory of gravitation? How did an asymmetry between matter and antimatter develop in the early universe? How can we test these ideas at experiments, such as the Large Hadron Collider, or the Planck Satellite? TPP has close ties with both the experimental particle physics group as well as the astronomy centre here in Sussex. We are a member of the the NExT institute, including particle theory and experimental groups at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), Royal Holloway and Queen Mary, University of London and Southampton University.
For more information, visit the Theoretical Particle Physics Research Group site.
- Thermo-Fluid Mechanics Research Centre
The Thermo-fluid Mechanics Research Centre (TFMRC) is a dedicated research laboratory specialising in both fundamental and applied research in thermofluids. The group has expertise in the areas of aerodynamics and heat transfer is generally applied to research in gas turbine technology. There is a particular emphasis on gas turbine internal air systems and modelling of aeroacoustics and combustion.
For more information, visit the Thermo-Fluid Mechanics Research Centre site.
Contact us
Research development enquiries:
researchexternal@sussex.ac.uk
Research impact enquiries:
rqi@sussex.ac.uk
Research governance enquiries:
rgoffice@sussex.ac.uk
Doctoral study enquiries:
doctoralschool@sussex.ac.uk
Undergraduate research enquiries:
undergraduate-research@sussex.ac.uk
General press enquiries:
press@sussex.ac.uk