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Our research impact

Woman at a climate protest

Research at the University of Southampton is addressing some of the most challenging issues facing society. From improving cancer treatments to optimising renewable energy and fighting COVID-19. Discover how our research is changing the world for the better.

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A tractor scattering crushed rock as it drives across a field.

Removing carbon from the atmosphere

Environment, sustainability and clean growth
A Southampton geochemist is carrying out research to speed up the removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. It is receiving an explosion of international interest in the global bid to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) in the atmosphere and reach net zero.
vineyard on a hillside
11 July 2023

Helping local winegrowing communities adapt to global challenges

Environment, sustainability and clean growth
Ethnographic research in Burgundy’s vineyards inspired new perspectives on how rural communities can tackle issues such as globalisation and climate change.
ink sketch of womwn of varying age in cllothes from 1870 to 1950
10 Jul 2023

Recovering women's contributions to archaeology, history, and heritage

Digital
Culture and creativity
AI, big data and analytics
A Southampton historian has been using his digital humanities expertise to help rediscover the less well-known who worked in archaeology, history and heritage of 19th and 20th century Britain.
A block of wooden card catalogue drawers
6 Jul 2023

Uncovering bias in the way we document the past

Culture and creativity
Digital
AI, big data and analytics
Professor James Baker researched the impact of curatorial labour on the legacy of museum collections. This inspired new perspectives on how to make our cultural heritage accessible to future generations.
Mars to Humans rover
3 Jul 2023

From Mars to Humans: revolutionising healthcare technology

Engineering
Health and wellbeing
Innovative technology used to search for signs of life on Mars is poised to revolutionise disease detection and monitoring, thanks to research led by the University of Southampton.
Mobile phone displaying news story about the police recruiting rabbits
15 May 2023

The motivational power of positive news stories

Environment, sustainability and clean growth
Future societies and communities
Culture and creativity
Professor Denise Baden challenged traditional ideas about how news should be reported, inspiring initiatives by leading media organisations such as the BBC and “the Guardian”.
A Black man writes on a notepad as he stands outside, a blue sky and a bridge behind
24 Mar 2023

Uncovering the importance of mentoring in supporting young writers

Culture and creativity
The Romantic myth of the lone poet has dominated our understanding of creative practice. Yet a collaborative project led by the University’s Will May has shown how mentors shape the work of contemporary poets
Istanbul skyline, including the famous Galata Tower, with birds soaring above
22 Feb 2023

Giving young people the skills to challenge myths about history

Culture and creativity
Future societies and communities
Professor Jonathan Conlin teamed up with teachers to give students the skills to challenge popular historical myths about the 1923 Lausanne Treaty
An international student packs their bag, including their passport, to come to the UK
15 Feb 2023

Developing a new way to inform international student migration policy

Future societies and communities
Government statisticians needed help to find out if migration statistics were accurate. They turned to University researchers to carry out research on how many international students settle in the UK
An aerial shot of a UK town, with some signs economic fortunes are not strong such as underused spaces
8 Feb 2023

Getting policymakers to focus on England's left-behind towns

Future societies and communities
University experts have made the fortunes of coastal and former industrial towns easier to see. Thanks to research by professors Will Jennings and Gerry Stoker, data on towns is now routinely collected
A person is holding an ECG or Electrocardiogram result on a piece of paper. We see their hand holding it up.
2 Feb 2023

Discovering how to save cardiac patients' lives with deep learning

AI, big data and analytics
Health and wellbeing
University mathematics expert Alain Zemkoho had worked on optimising decisions in areas such as transport. PhD supervision led to him and his team developing a way cardiologists can use hours, not seconds, of data provided by heart activity tests.
A maths teacher writes on a white board and looks intently at the equations. We imagine he is in front of a classroom of pupils.
30 Jan 2023

Maximising teachers' ability to improve pupils' maths skills

Future societies and communities
Digital
Southampton education expert Professor Christian Bokhove is leading on a project to make high-quality mathematics textbooks available for teachers across the UK. The aim is to improve pupils’ maths scores to draw even with those achieved in other countries
An exterior view of HMS Victory docked at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
21 Nov 2022

Conserving maritime history

Culture and creativity
Engineering
Marine and maritime
Engineers at Southampton are working with the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) to help find the best materials to ensure Nelson’s flagship, HMS Victory, is weatherproof and watertight for the next half century.
A patient and Southampton student nurse smiling at each other in a hospital room, as the nurse takes the patient's blood pressure.
21 Nov 2022

Keeping patients safe in hospital

Health and wellbeing
Future societies and communities
Professor Peter Griffiths, Professor Jane Ball, Dr Jeremy Jones and their team have shaped the public debate around safe nurse staffing levels in hospitals, and informed clinical guidelines and legislation in the UK.
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