Research in the School of Health and Social Sciences

The School of Health and Social Sciences is one of the largest in the University. Its research is characterised by tenacious scholarship, real-world application and a drive for curiosity and exploration.  The School features a body of internationally recognised research staff and scholars, leading a large variety of major, privately- and publically-funded research projects.

In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, the School submitted five units of assessment - Nursing and Midwifery, Allied Health professions, Geography and Environmental Science, Social Work and Social Policy, and Psychology with Social Work and Geography achieving an international excellence rating for over 40 per cent of its output. Its research income has a current project value of £11 million, funded via a range of significant public and private organisations including the European Commission, EPSRC, ESRC, AHRC, the RSA, the London Probation Service, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Barnet, Haringay, Enfield, and Bracknell Forest Borough Councils, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Leverhulme Trust, and the Department of Health, amongst many others. It has secured over £3 million in business and consultancy-related activities.

Research in the School spans the breadth of the health and social sciences. Projects include investigations of: probation and offender management; drug consumption in London; organised crime and drug trafficking; sustainable urban drainage; assessment of water toxicity; electrical impedance tomography for studying brain activation; new cancer imaging technology based on electrical impedance; diagnostic and investigative oncology; predictors of disease progression; biomedical markers of disease progression; disorders of pregnancy; water hazard and urban pollution prevention; developmental dyslexia and visuo-spatial ability; applications of VR environments to memory and cognition; the psychology of humour; the development of infant cognition; narcissism in groups and individuals; interventions to avoid plagiarism; learning styles and personality; the effect of olfactory stimuli on behaviour; gay and lesbian issues in adoption; determinants  of egg donation; treatment of rape allegations; perception of terrorist threat; smoking cessation interventions; skilled labour migration and the impact of migration; and assessment of palliative care for children and nursing care quality.

Following a £50 million capital investment in its science and technology infrastructure, the University opened the Hatchcroft building, its purpose-built science research and teaching facility at its Hendon campus, North West London, in 2008.  Hatchcroft features state of the art teaching and research laboratories in environmental science, sport and exercise science, biomedical science, developmental psychology, computing science, and psychophysiology.

The School’s research is focused on the following areas:

The School has approved the establishment of three new Research Institutes:  the Institute of Health and Social Sciences; the Institute of Biomedical Sciences; the Institute of Sustainable Environment; and a University-wide research grouping: Education. These are intended to shape the School’s research output and prepare it for the Research Excellence Framework.

Spotlight on Research

The School of Health and Social Sciences also produces a newsletter called Spotlight on Research. This newsletter is designed to let you know about the research we undertake at the school. Recent issues can be found below.

 

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