Our research impact

Woman at a climate protest

Uniting research disciplines, the University of Southampton aims to solve pressing global challenges. Our work ranges from enhancing cancer treatments to revolutionising renewable energy and defeating COVID-19. Uncover our multidisciplinary approach to a better future.

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Research highlights

Microscopic close up of a cancer cell

Finding cancer treatments using AI

AI, big data and analytics
Health and wellbeing
Southampton researchers are using AI to study how immune cells function in the body, aiming to improve immunotherapy treatments and patient outcomes.

Research highlights

A large crowd of people stretches as far as the eye can see. A low, bright sun highlights a number of individuals who make up the crowd
7 March 2025

Mapping tomorrow’s population distribution

Environment, sustainability and clean growth
Future societies and communities
AI, big data and analytics
Health and wellbeing
Research group WorldPop, based at Southampton, is developing maps which can be used to predict the impact of climate change on the distribution of Earth’s population by the end of the century. The maps will provide detailed pictures of humanity by 2100, including predicted population sizes, ages and genders.

Research highlights

Young child playing on a phone as an adult watches them over their shoulder looks
7 Mar 2025

Harnessing AI to improve eye health

AI, big data and analytics
Digital
Health and wellbeing
Innovative smartphone games support treatment and testing for children’s eye conditions.

Research highlights

Shot of train passing
6 Mar 2025

Keeping trains on track

Engineering
Environment, sustainability and clean growth
Sensors under railway lines provide crucial data to help tackle trouble spots, saving cash and carbon.

Research highlights

Mars to Humans rover
6 Mar 2025

Insights from Mars transforming healthcare technology

Engineering
Health and wellbeing
Laser and light-based techniques lie behind both the search for life on Mars and accelerated drug discovery on Earth.

Research highlights

A satellite image of Bhubaneswar, India.
5 Mar 2025

Building greener communities with satellite technology

Environment, sustainability and clean growth
Future societies and communities
Space
AI, big data and analytics
Scientists at Southampton are using satellite data to assess the carbon production of plants, monitor the Earth’s health, and help create greener, healthier global communities.

Research highlights

A hospital ward showing a trolley of equipment at the end of each bed. There is 1 member of staff facing away from the camera completing a chart.
5 Mar 2025

Serious health risks posed by nurse shortages

Health and wellbeing
AI, big data and analytics
Understaffing is linked to an increased risk of serious illness and patient death in hospitals.

Research highlights

The Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. It is a rainy day and there are dark clouds surrounding the hills in the distance.
27 Feb 2025

Increasing rainfall reveals climate change contradiction

Environment, sustainability and clean growth
Marine and maritime
Scientists from Southampton have found that there has been an unexpected increase in Indian monsoon rainfall that contradicts widely-held views on global warming.

Research highlights

Towing tank
25 Feb 2025

Autonomous ships tackle the high seas and climate change

Engineering
Marine and maritime
Environment, sustainability and clean growth
Tests prove fuel cell vessels can cut shipping’s carbon burden.

Research highlights

A satellite image of a galaxy, with a box zooming in on the centre and revealing a supermassive black hole hidden behind a cloud of gas and dust.
31 Jan 2025

Revealing space’s secret supermassive black holes

Space
Scientists from the University of Southampton have found that there are more hidden supermassive black holes in the universe than previously thought.

Research highlights

Zoomed in view of a hand holding a 5D memory crystal between two fingers. The memory crystal is a small clear disc with diagrams of human DNA on the surface.
31 Jan 2025

Preserving DNA in everlasting memory crystals

Digital
Future societies and communities
Environment, sustainability and clean growth
Scientists at the University of Southampton have successfully stored the full human genome (or complete set of DNA) onto a 5D memory crystal – an achievement which could hold the key to restoring life after extinction.

Research highlights

A digitally rendered cross-section of the RRS Discovery showing the different levels and holds of the ships interior
30 Jan 2025

Creating RRS Discovery’s ‘digital twin’

AI, big data and analytics
Digital
Marine and maritime
A team led by the University of Southampton has developed a highly accurate 3D representation of the entire research vessel RRS Discovery, shedding light on the lives of Antarctic explorers.

Research highlights

A satellite image of two galaxies colliding with each other.
29 Jan 2025

Demystifying the universe’s largest galaxies

Space
The mystery of the creation of the universe’s biggest galaxies has almost been solved, thanks to new significant discoveries from an international team of experts, including members of the University of Southampton.

Research highlights

Two scientists observing blood test results on a screen. The results are colour coded in red and blue to show whether cancer is present or not.
29 Jan 2025

Transforming early cancer diagnosis

AI, big data and analytics
Health and wellbeing
University of Southampton researchers are developing a new diagnostic blood test that uses biomarkers and artificial intelligence to predict multiple cancers at an early stage.