Queen’s University Belfast

Queen’s University Belfast is a world-class international university built on teaching excellence, leading-edge research, innovation, collaboration, and engagement.

We are recognised globally for our academic strengths and the impact we deliver through leading research. We encourage a culture of research ambition to tackle some of the greatest societal challenges of our time.

It is our purpose and responsibility to take on major global challenges and turn research to reality; every day, we find answers to help build a better society. Staying apace with rapid societal, economic, and technological change, our aim is to shape a better world for all.

Our strategic research areas are based on our record of excellence and ambition for the future:

A Healthy Living for All

Our researchers are dedicated to deepening our understanding of diseases and developing solutions and treatments for them. Our expertise in conducting clinical trials and our world leading facilities in cancer and precision medicine research are a testament to the breakthroughs that Queen’s research has facilitated over the decades. We are also leading the way in developing strategies and initiatives which mitigate against the worst effects of illness, and which act as preventative agents to illnesses developing in the first place.

How we are delivering:

Giving Voice to the Hidden Carers of Cancer

Researchers at Queen’s are pioneering ways to better understand and support those who care for loved ones with cancer. Professor Martin Dempster, Professor of Psychology Applied to Health & Illness, explores the psychological wellbeing of informal carers; from adolescents balancing school with caring responsibilities, to families navigating the emotional and practical demands of life-limiting cancers such as oesophageal cancer. His work ensures that the voices of carers, often hidden from formal support systems, are recognised in healthcare research, practice, and policy.

Read more here.

A Transformative and Sustainable Economy

The economy of the next 100 years will be a necessarily different one to the economy we experience today. The ongoing climate crisis, our fossil fuel dependency, raw material shortages and the possibility of supply chain disruptions call for innovative, responsible, and sustainable solutions. We will continue to focus our efforts on established and emerging areas such as intelligent manufacturing and service delivery, advanced and sustainable materials, solutions to future transport requirements, and understanding and harnessing high energy and ultra-fast processes.

How we are delivering:

Moving Towards Zero Emissions Public Transport

Researchers from Queen’s, in collaboration with Wrightbus have developed best-in-class low and zero emissions technologies playing a key role in decarbonising UK and international public transport.

Read more here.

Secure Connect Intelligence – AI and the Data Revolution

Researchers at Queen’s are on a mission to make the changing global digital space both safer and faster. Our world leading teams in cyberspace resilience and networks and connectivity are breaking new ground in the digital sphere, as our teams in geographical information science are doing in the physical.

Novel computer systems and changing computing paradigms require agile and cutting edge research which can be translated quickly and effectively into real world practice. Using data fusing enabling technologies will assist in socio economic development but will also act as a positive driver for the health of populations in the future, and for their safety and security.

How we are delivering:

Using Emerging Technologies to Improve Lives

Listen to our Research to Reality roundtable discussion featuring four academics from Queen's University Belfast: Lucy Baxter, Professor Paul Best, Professor Franziska Schroeder and Professor Roger Woods. Hosted by former BBC journalist Mark Devenport, this conversation delves into the potential power of VR and AI in transforming understanding of mental abuse and improving mental health, inclusive design in the music industry, and making AI smarter, faster, and greener.

Listen here.

The impact of the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT)

Our Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) is the UK’s Innovation and Knowledge Centre for cyber security which drives forward major research breakthroughs in the field of secure information technologies.

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Human Environment Relations

Understanding the relationship between humans and our environment has never been more important.  The choices we face have never been so stark.  Our climate is changing.  The effects of this are being felt now as a day-to-day reality. There is an obligation on those involved in academic research to turn towards the challenges presented.

Whether this relates to our natural environment, creating safe and secure agri-food systems, assessing the way in which our built environment interacts with the natural world, or in the way we build and maintain truly liveable communities and societies, Queen’s researchers are at the forefront of innovative, future focused solutions that aim to make our footprint lighter, both on earth and beyond.

How we are delivering:

Fighting Hidden Climate and Environmental Threats

Listen to our engaging academics in a roundtable discussion which delves into the overarching theme of ‘Fighting Hidden Climate and Environmental Threats’. Professor Jaimie Dick highlights the potential impact of invasive alien species, Dr. Ross Cuthbert addresses the hidden cost of biological invasions, and Professor Maarten Blaauw explains the importance of peatlands as critical carbon reservoirs.

Listen here.

Inclusive and Cohesive Communities

As a university based in Belfast, we are proud of our longstanding and world leading track record in research relating to peace, identity, conflict, and social sustainability. Our lived experience of conflict as a society, its causes, and its consequences, have driven a determination to deliver research excellence which impacts on the lives and livelihoods of communities across the world.

Whether that relates to governance, accountability, and international relations, listening to and responding to the child’s perspective, understanding the need for creativity and cultural understanding, or valuing heritage in building inclusive and cohesive communities. 

How we are delivering:

Advancing Transitional Justice: Queen’s University Belfast’s Role in Global Peacebuilding

Queen’s University Belfast has established itself as a global hub for pioneering research in transitional justice, a critical field focused on addressing the legacies of conflict and fostering reconciliation. Through interdisciplinary research led by experts like Professor Kieran McEvoy, the university develops innovative frameworks for truth recovery, victim-centred justice, apologies & acknowledgement, and reintegration strategies, influencing peacebuilding efforts worldwide.

Read more here.

Harnessing the Arts to Heal Post-Conflict Societies

Queen’s University Belfast leads pioneering research examining the transformative power of literature and the arts in societies recovering from conflict, with a special focus on Northern Ireland. The university’s work, exemplified by scholars like Dr. Stefanie Lehner, investigates how contemporary Irish theatre and cultural productions negotiate memory, trauma, and reconciliation.

Read more here.