Research

Research Areas

We focus our research in four specialised and interdisciplinary growth areas, integrating expertise from diverse disciplines.

Research Impact Research Explorer
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Our Research Areas

Crime, Security and Justice

The Crime, Security and Justice Accelerator aims to positively impact global security, policing, and the criminal justice system. USW excels at addressing real-world challenges and educating the next generation of professionals to make our lives safer and more secure.

Our purpose is to advance organisations and inform policy and practice through our internationally excellent multi-disciplinary research in areas including policing, youth justice, substance misuse, terrorism, political violence, cyber security, homicide and violence, forensic science, and social policy.

Health and Wellbeing

The University has delivered health, care, and related education for decades. Accordingly, it has a wealth of experience and expertise, and is superbly networked across the Welsh health education and healthcare delivery ecosystem.

Our research expertise in developmental disorders, intellectual disabilities, cognitive psychology, and sport and exercise science is helping to tackle a wide range of issues around healthy ageing, the promotion of population health, and reducing gaps in the quality of care experienced by vulnerable groups.

We ensure that our teaching and learning is research-informed, and in some cases, research-led, ensuring our graduates are receiving contemporary knowledge and skills, ready for contributing to our society and economy.

Health and Wellbeing Accelerator

Creative Innovation

The Creative Innovation Accelerator works to make creative impactful interventions that help our stakeholders, partners, and communities, using creativity and innovation to assist business and sector transformation. Working across all faculties and professional services, we maximise expertise from across USW to innovate and provide solutions to challenges that are facing the many partners and industries that we work with.

From supporting an innovation ecosystem for a pipeline of new media products and services, to developing curriculum and a Digital Transformation Intensive Learning Academy that will help leaders in health and social care to deliver more effective and efficient services to patients, our experts are at the forefront of creative problem solving and innovation.

Sustainable Environment

We are helping to create a safer, more sustainable world with our ground-breaking multi-disciplinary research in hydrogen, ecology, anaerobic digestion, and advanced power systems. In partnership with local and global companies, we are working to deliver the output in ways that benefit both the University and the wider community.

Our world-leading experts use their cutting-edge research to develop curriculum that help our students to address the challenges facing the world, now and in the future.

Sustainable Environment Accelerator

Our Research and Innovation Groups

Our Research and Innovation Groups (RIGs) work with organisations of all sizes, and from all sectors, to develop new ideas, products and services that solve a specific problem. We provide solutions for society and the economy, supporting our local and international communities. We help policy makers gather evidence to understand the needs and experiences of a sector or industry to better inform solutions.
Psychology student fitting neuropsychology equipment on subject.
Applied Psychology
Anaisia Mbowe
Business
Postgraduate research presentation talk - a group of participants watching a presentation
Computing, Cybersecurity, Mathematics and Informatics
creative industries
Creative Industries
A group of police officers sat with their helmets resting on their knees
Criminology, Policing and Security
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Earth, Ecology and Environment
two engineers standing on a wind turbine
Engineering
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Health, Care and Wellbeing
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Humanities
Police in uniform walking through the University's Hydra Simulation Centre.
Hydra
Pedagogy
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Social Policy
sport research
Sport and Exercise
Sustainable Environment Research Centre

CENTRES AND GROUPS

We also have Research Centres and Groups that work strategically with partners to generate research income and undertake research and innovation projects that tackle real-world challenges. These are aligned to Research and Innovation Groups.   

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The Centre for Gender Studies in Wales is aligned to the Humanities Research and Innovation Group. 

Centre for Gender Studies in Wales
A sunrise over the Ty Crawshay building in Treforest

The Centre for Social Policy is aligned to the Social Policy Research and Innovation Group.

Centre for Social Policy
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The Centre for the Study of Media and Culture in Small Nations is aligned to the Creative Industries Research and Innovation Group.

Media and Culture in Small Nations
a book on a table in a library

The English Research Group is aligned to the Humanities Research and Innovation Group.

English Research Group
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The George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling is aligned to the Creative Industries Research and Innovation Group.

George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling
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The History Research Group is aligned to the Humanities Research and Innovation Group.

History Research Group
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The International Centre for Policing and Security is aligned to the Criminology, Policing and Security Research and Innovation Group.

International Centre for Policing & Security
A landscape view of Glyntaff Campus behind flowers

The Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care is aligned to the Health, Care and Wellbeing Research and Innovation Group.

Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care
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Research Explorer

Find information about our academic and postgraduate researchers, research activity, and research outputs. It provides a publicly accessible, fully searchable and navigable interface, with information drawn directly from the University's Research Management System, Pure.

Search for researchers and publications