Research quality
"Materials and innovation are at the heart of the modern world. Everyday people watch television, use computers, read newspapers, drive a car, fly in a plane, need medical treatment or use performance and fashion clothing."
The School of Materials is the largest academic Materials focus in Europe, with over 60 academic staff and around 1000 students. Comprising the Materials Science Centre, the Corrosion and Protection Centre and Textiles and Paper, the School encompasses an exceptional breadth of research and training in materials, from design and development, to performance and protection and management and marketing.
In the 2008 research assessment exercises, a key indicator of international research quality and impact, the School of Materials came top in the UK in terms of research power. The RAE also showed that 80% of our research activity is internationally rated. The current annual research income of the School exceeds £10M and is derived from diverse sources, including the Research Councils, government and, industry, and this financial platform supports more than 190 research students and 70 postdoctoral research assistants drawn from all parts of the world, creating a unique research facility and environment. By effectively integrating the School's research infrastructure, collaborative and multidisciplinary projects have been established across the School, the University and with industry. Staff in the School have extensive networks and interactions with researchers throughout the world, encouraging not only an exchange of research ideas and staff, but also the creation of a dynamic pro-active scientific community. A number of specialist School research centres have been established, providing a focus on specific research areas involving nuclear science and engineering, metal/polymer and composite characterisation, and aerospace technology:
These Centres underline the wider research activities within the School, which is organised into ten research areas, but many interdisciplinary projects straddle research groups, other schools and other universities.
RAE Research Power Rankings
| Rank | Name | Quality | FTE | Power | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Manchester | 57.8 | 49.3 | 1.00 | 15.2% |
| 2 | University of Oxford | 60.0 | 37.3 | 0.78 | 12.0% |
| 3 | University of Cambridge | 72.2 | 29.5 | 0.75 | 11.4% |
| 4 | University of Sheffield | 51.9 | 38.4 | 0.70 | 10.6% |
| 5 | University of Birmingham | 55.0 | 26.5 | 0.51 | 7.8% |
| 6 | Queen Mary, University of London | 46.9 | 30.1 | 0.49 | 7.5% |
| 7 | Imperial College London | 50.0 | 27.0 | 0.47 | 7.2% |
| 8 | University of Salford | 42.2 | 22.0 | 0.33 | 5.0% |
| 9 | Swansea University | 49.4 | 15.0 | 0.26 | 4.0% |
| 10 | University of Liverpool | 62.2 | 11.0 | 0.24 | 3.7% |
| 11 | Sheffield Hallam University | 33.4 | 20.0 | 0.23 | 3.6% |
| 12 | University of Ulster | 41.9 | 12.0 | 0.18 | 2.7% |
| 13 | Manchester Metropolitan University | 28.8 | 13.8 | 0.14 | 2.1% |
| 14 | University of Kent | 60.9 | 6.0 | 0.13 | 2.0% |
| 15 | Open University | 40.9 | 6.0 | 0.09 | 1.3% |
| 16 | Coventry University | 21.9 | 10.5 | 0.08 | 1.2% |
| 17 | Glyndwr University | 32.5 | 6.8 | 0.08 | 1.2% |
| 18 | University of Northampton | 22.2 | 6.4 | 0.05 | 0.8% |
| 19 | University of the West of Scotland | 38.8 | 3.0 | 0.04 | 0.6% |
| 20 | London Metropolitan University | 11.6 | 4.0 | 0.02 | 0.2% |