about Applied research, enterprise and scholarship

We undertake applicable research in the areas of Cybersecurity, autonomous systems and the Internet of Things. The key focus of our research is to explore and create solutions that can be applied in practical situations (e.g. cybersecurity approaches for real-world systems such a vehicles and energy systems; work on Artificial Intelligence that can be applied to communication networks and new technologies that can be deployed within the Internet of Things). We have undertaken internationally recognised research and collaborate with researchers from within the UK, Europe and globally. Our staff hold editorial positions and undertake reviews of research grant applications for EPSRC as well as representing the Department on the committee of the Council of Professors and Heads of Computing (CPHC) which maintains regular contain with UK Research and Innovation and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Corporate Governance is an ever evolving, multi-disciplinary field. In addition to drawing on expertise from both law and business faculty across the University, our corporate governance scholarship draws on expertise from our Legal and Financial Technology research.

Our research interests are wide ranging and include terrorism and counterterrorism, police and probation service responses to LGBT hate crime, the victimisation of LGBT people online, domestic abuse and violence against women and girls, forensic and criminal psychology, the politics of weight, austerity, the experiences of Black women in UK prisons, desistance and digital coproduction, desistance and religion, psychoanalysis, police power, modern day slavery, the safeguarding of vulnerable persons, law enforcement and transportation, art crimes, global policing, mass casualty disasters, critical social policy, policy making, equality and human rights law. We have published journal articles, books and book chapters. In addition, we make appearances in the national and international media, act as reviewers, and regularly speak at conferences. We are also involved in knowledge exchange work, particularly with the third sector. Our research contributions inform our curriculum design and teaching.

We undertake research and scholarly activity in several areas of education, particularly higher education. Research expertise areas include academic identity, creative approaches to teaching, learning and research, academic integrity, assessment and feedback, environmental sustainability, and novel qualitative research approaches. We have published in journals including the International Journal of Academic Development (as well as various others) and contributed book chapters to a wide range of education-based publications. Our staff have also guest-edited journal special-issues and other outputs and collections. We are well represented at numerous conferences including those hosted by the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE), the European Conference of Educational Research (ECER) and Advance HE, amongst others.

Human rights law can be approached from a wide array of perspectives and has a potentially impactful practical application that is also contingent on theoretical depth. This overlap makes it a rich and complicated area of study for students and researchers and we are interested in all frameworks and methods that can help inform this understanding.

The University’s Tech Research Academy (ULTRA) is committed to bringing new opportunities to staff and students to equip them with the knowledge and skill set for the evolving technologies that will revolutionise professional practice. ULTRA conducts leading research in the field of disruptive technology and its impact on professional practice across both law and business.

To find out more, please visit: Tech Research Academy | University of Law

Healthcare Law and Ethics is a broad and constantly evolving field, bringing about new moral choices and forcing us to question our traditional views of ourselves. The core question will always be as to the compatibility of healthcare law with ethics: what might be legal isn't necessarily ethical and this relationship is of particular interest. Our Healthcare Law and Ethics research draws on the theoretical and the practical, incorporating the latest developments in case law, both from England and Wales and internationally, to inform our approach. We recognise that Healthcare Law is porous, being influenced and shaped by other branches of law, especially Tort Law, Healthcare Regulation, Mental Health Law and Human Rights Law, and our research encompasses and encourages an open, multi-disciplinary framework.

Our students are the professionals of the future. Our research and scholarship interests encompass understanding our students’ employability concerns, supporting them through clinical legal education and employability modules and working with firms, charities, and industry partners to identify trends and developments, and new ways of enhancing partnerships and our student experience.

Our staff are research active, investigating areas including forensic psychology, social psychology, cognitive and biological psychology and mental health and wellbeing. As well as undertaking our own research, we are also involved in activity including peer reviewing for journals, books, funding bodies, as well as journal editorial roles. We frequently publish in academic journals, books and book chapters to contribute to our fields of expertise which also feeds into our teaching across the Psychology modules. We also contribute to the activities of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Association of Heads of Psychology Departments (AHPD). Our staff have a growing external profile, with invitations to contribute to BBC News and other media.

Widening Participation is a multi-disciplinary field, rooted in education and sociology, but also psychology and other social sciences. It is an action-oriented area of research, designed to help us to better understand who our students are and how we can ensure equitable student experiences and outcomes. The research interests of our staff include critical race theory, processes of racialisation, gender, sexuality, colonialism and decolonisation. We are working actively to decolonise the curriculum and promote inclusive teaching methods. Our widening participation research directly informs the work that we are doing at the University as well as contributing to knowledge and practice within the wider higher education sector. We are currently looking into the differences in student outcomes by ethnicity, gender and campus, and planning research into the impact of differences in expression (‘code-switching’) on student outcomes and experiences and into the experience of British Muslim staff and students.

At the University of Law, we believe that there should be no barriers to becoming a successful researcher. We are committed to ensuring that we have a diverse and inclusive research environment that enables our community to develop and thrive. We seek to ensure that the research we undertake is inclusive and actively considers diversity.

To find out more please take a look at our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion webpage.

A Case Study on the Breach of International Law and its Consequences - Savvas Michael (Summer 2023)

Terminal Sedation: Euthanasia by the Back Door? - Jo Samanta (Summer 2023)

The Issue of Propriety Rights in Digital Assets: Should a Third Class of Asset be Created to Revolutionise the Use of Blockchain in the Commercial World? - Alicia Bates (Summer 2023)

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Boardroom (March 2023)

The use of Technology in International Arbitration (March 2023)

A Critical Approach to Imposter Syndrome (February 2023)

Regulating in the Private and Public Interest - Thomas Bullman (February 2023)

Science School Webinar: The State of Art Crime Policing - John Kerr (December 2022)

First Do No Harm: Truth-Telling in Medicine - Vicky Gregory (December 2022)

Directors Duties: A Consideration of Recent Case Law - Abigail Jackson (November 2022)

Dr Julie Prescott: Research Insights From a Psychologist (November 2022)

Dr Dan Weston: Categorical Analsis and Proportionality in Judicial Reasoning: Competing Approaches to Free Speech Regulation (October 2022)

Significant Moments: How Our Own Assessment Journeys Guide Us in Assessing and Providing Feedback to Others - Dr Patrick Baughan (October 2022)