Queen’s University Belfast
Working, teaching and research at Queen’s University Belfast
Information about Queen’s University Belfast for Academics
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Key Statistics for Professionals
Key data points related to studying at Queen’s University Belfast
- Over 99% of Queen’s research environment was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent. (REF 2021)
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- Gold Athena Swan award
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- 4000+ staff
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- AN EXTENSIVE NETWORK OF RESEARCH CENTRES AND INSTITUTES
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- Queen’s is a member of the Russell Group, the UK’s 24 leading research-intensive universities.
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- Ranked 5th in the world for international outlook. (THE World University Rankings 2026)
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- Queen’s is the 1st university in Ireland and 2nd in the UK to achieve a Gold Athena Swan award for gender equality.
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Jobs at Queen’s University Belfast
Open positions for academics and staff at Queen’s University Belfast
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Research Fellow in the Re-use of Concrete
Queen's University Belfast
United Kingdom, Belfast
Queen's University Belfast
United Kingdom, Belfast
About the Role: Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is currently seeking to appoint an exceptional candidate to the post of Research Fellow to join the Intelligent and Sustainable Infrastructure Group and a wider EU project with 9 partners and led by led QUB which is exploring the a move towards the full re-use of concrete structures. The post offers an exciting opportunity for a researcher with expertise in the field of concrete compression structures, SHM and NLFEA and to work in a multidisciplinary team with researchers from industry and academia. About the Person: The successful candidate must have and your CV/Cover letter (or application form) should clearly demonstrate you: Have, or are about to obtain, a PhD in, Civil/Structural Engineering or a related discipline. Have obtained a first or upper second degree in Civil/Structural Civil/Structural Engineering or a related discipline. A minimum of three years’ relevant research experience in: Concrete compression structure Use of sensors for SHM and post processing techniques e.g. computer vision Experience in NLFEA of concrete structures Impact loading To be successful at shortlisting stage, please ensure you clearly evidence in your application how you meet the essential and, where applicable, desirable criteria listed in the Candidate Information. Fixed-term contract (36 months). Fixed term contract posts are available for the stated period in the first instance but in particular circumstances may be renewed or made permanent subject to availability of funding. To view more information and to make an application, please visit our website.
Salary
£42,972 - £51,270 per annum
Posted
3 Aug 2026
Research Fellow, School of Natural and Built Environment
Queen's University Belfast
United Kingdom, Belfast
Queen's University Belfast
United Kingdom, Belfast
About the job: Landscapes of Catastrophe: archaeology, social-ecological and biological contexts for the Great Irish Famine, 1845-52 is an interdisciplinary project investigating the ecological, biological and social contexts of An Gorta M r, the most profound demographic and diasporic event in Ireland over the last millennium during which more than two million people died or emigrated. The project develops new approaches to constraining environmental and landscape chronologies for the period 1650-1960 CE and uses these to reconstruct demographic and agricultural change through bioarchaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence. Six case-study landscapes across Ireland form the core analytical framework, each illuminating different demographic, environmental, social, and religious impacts of the Famine. The successful candidate will contribute a broad, multi-isotopic skillset to the project. They will both collate published bioarchaeological data and undertake multi-isotope analyses (C/N/Sr/O/H/Pb) of famine era human and animal remains from across Ireland. They will have expertise in dentine incremental analysis and an understanding of how isotopes can provide insights concerning physiological stress and diet, in addition to other relevant themes related to the palaeodemographic and socio-economic changes caused by the Famine. They will work closely with the project Co-Leads to deliver integrated biogeochemical work packages within the context of broader archaeological and archival work of the project. The successful candidate will receive tailored training and mentorship as appropriate, and will have access to state-of-the-art facilities at QUB, including the 14CHRONO Centre (https://14chrono.org) and the Institute for Heritage and Environmental Science(https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/NBE/Research/facilities-infrastructure/HeritageandEnvironmentalScience/). Successful applicants will have responsibilities for independent and directed research, supervision of technical analysis, assisting in the planning and day-to-day management of the bioarchaeological work packages, related collaboration and outreach. The successful candidate will join laboratories with internationally recognised strengths in radiocarbon dating, palaeoecology, scientific archaeology and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the past. The post benefits from more than £6m of recent investment in geochronology, isotope geochemistry, and analytical instrumentation (including XRF, X ray imaging, Micro CT, SEM, LA ICP MS, TQ ICP MS, and microprobe), offering extensive opportunities for training, skills development, and professional growth. About the person: The successful candidate must have, and your application should clearly demonstrate that you meet the following essential criteria: Have or be about to obtain a relevant PhD in Archaeological Science or closely cognate discipline (must be obtained within three months of appointment) Have specific, relevant* research experience to include: An established expertise and proven portfolio in multi-isotope analyses (some of C, N, Sr, O, H, Pb). Demonstrable experience in the collection, preparation and analysis of osteological materials. Experience of conducting all stages of incremental dentine analysis. Proven capacity to expand skillset to incorporate new and novel proxies and/or techniques. Proven ability to publish in national/international journals (commensurate with stage of career). Experience of working effectively as part of a research team in the development and promotion of research project results. Experience of archaeological fieldwork, sampling and archival assessment. To be successful at shortlisting stage, please ensure you clearly evidence in your application how you meet the essential and, where applicable, desirable criteria listed in the Candidate Information document on our website.
Salary
£42,972 per annum
Posted
26 Jul 2026
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