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Communities

Our research focusses on providing knowledge, insight and innovative technological breakthroughs that promote the role of communities in sustaining and enhancing the quality of life for people globally, through economic, social and cultural benefits, social justice and equality, diplomacy and policy making, security, and the mitigation of the impacts of climate change, conflict and mass migration.

Aligned with the Government’s GCRF challenge areas, our strengths mean we can make a significant impact on the  global societal challenges with our challenge-led, interdisciplinary research. 

Our work in improving the quality of life in communities

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Research expertise

Our multidisciplinary research into sustainable comunities is underpinned by a number of research groups including:

Accounting and Auditing Investigating current issues in accounting that include financial reporting, assurance, corporate governance, corporate social responsibility and business models in large and small business entities

AI Social and Digital Innovation Social, economic and strategic effects of AI and associated technologies. Impact of AI and related technologies on societies, organisations and individuals.

Anthropological Research on Childhood Youth and Education Cross-cultural understanding of the notions of the ‘child’, ‘youth’ and ‘education’

Brunel Education Research and Guidance Hub Focusing on investigating current issues in higher education including leadership and management, knowledge-behaviour gap, student and staff information literacy, building inclusive pedagogies, coaching and mentoring, community building, E-learning in Accounting Education and curriculum development.

Circular Food Forum Leads discussions across the “food chain” with the aim to improve resource management, through working with industries and Government to respond to global pressures of growing resource scarcity and food waste.

Comedy Studies As an interdisciplinary centre it considers the production, content, reception and wider socio-political implications of comedy in a variety of formats and from a range of perspectives.

Comparative Politics, Public Policy and Political Thought Our political scientists carry out cutting-edge research into institutions, public policy, elections, and public opinion.

Contemporary Writing The group facilitates, promotes and disseminates cutting-edge creative, critical and socially-engaged work within English Studies and affiliated fields.

Culture and Evolution Evolution and culture are the two most fundamental and powerful influences on human behaviour, and their effects are what we study at the Centre for Culture and Evolution.

Education, Identities and Society Research at the intersection of Education, Sociology, Human Geography, Youth Studies and Digital Presence.

Embodiment in Academic and Professional Practice Development of an enhanced awareness of bodies as sensors of crucial information about ourselves and our reality; Enhancing our performance as human beings, practitioners, researchers and educators.

Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Our focus is on how individuals, businesses and societies can tap into creative and entrepreneurial flair to develop innovative solutions, in order to not only create economic value, but also solve social and environmental problems.

Equitable Development and Resilience Centred on development and social justice issues, our group continually reflects upon how individual and collective agency can contribute to meaningful change around climate action and sustainability across Global North and South nations.

Global Lives Research conducted in the Centre addresses the challenges facing society, helping to change the lives of people around the world by bringing economic, social and cultural benefits.

Health and Wellbeing Across the Lifecourse Inequalities in health and wellbeing in the UK and internationally; welfare, health and wellbeing; ageing studies; health economics.

Healthcare Management, Culture and Leadership Group We focus on the intersection among healthcare management, culture and leadership from an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach.

Histories and Concepts of Anthropological Knowledge Research into historicity, emotion, ignorance, and memory, as well as on the fundamentals of anthropology: ethnographic practice and writing.

Human Geography: space, place and society A space in which to encounter and deepen engagement with cutting edge spatial, urban and geographical research and theory.

Human Resource Management and Organization Behaviour The group's five main themes of research include excellence in workplace innovation, diversity, team work, social inclusion, and employee selection.

Human rights, society and arts We aim to understand, define and criticize social mobilization, cultural challenges and institutional limitations over conflicting notions of human rights, building on the wide and world-leading human rights expertise of Brunel academics.

Institute of Communities and Society The Institute focuses on the social, community, and cultural aspects of pressing contemporary issues including migration and movement, social unrest, intersectional inequalities, and institutionalised poverty.

Institute of Digital Futures Brings together digital science and technology innovation and advancement, aligned with the Grand Challenges of the UK’s Industrial Strategy, thereby enhancing the global citizen’s quality of life.

Institute of Health, Medicine and Environments Our challenge-led work in health and wellbeing focuses on understanding the relationships between biological, social, natural, and built environments and health and wellbeing outcomes.

Intelligence and Security Studies As an inter-disciplinary research centre, established to deal specifically with intelligence issues, policy and institutions, to promote and develop social science and policy-oriented approaches to intelligence.

Interculturality for Diversity and Global Learning Challenging conventional attitudes and practices and promoting respectful and effective intercultural communication, cross-cultural intelligence, diversity and inclusion, within a world that is increasingly interconnected digitally.

International History We are a group of historians focusing on the fundamental role that identity plays in the modern age, including gender, religious, ethnic and national identity, and the role of boundaries in demarcating collective identities. Our work is highly relevant to analyses of contemporary conflict, as we contribute a historical perspective to studies of conflict over borders or ethnicity.

International Law Addressing the fields of public international law, from human rights law to refugee law, the laws of war, international criminal law and dispute resolution.

International Medical Anthropology Alleviating inequality, suffering from disease and contributing to debates on global health medical anthropology and Disability Studies

International Relations Our political scientists and historians work on vital international problems like security and intelligence, or violent conflict.

Kidspace: Key skills and participation in childhood Research on key skills and participation in childhood

Law, Economics and Finance The Centre for Law, Economics and Finance aims to advance the wider societal impact of our research by engaging with policymakers, practitioners and other stakeholder.

Living avatars Uniquely interdisciplinary approach to better understand the social, cognitive, and political impacts of avatar use.

Magna Carta We analyse how best to create and maintain just societies that fairly balance both personal freedom and authority, and the rights and responsibilities of individuals and society.

Marketing and Corporate Brand Management Our research-active faculty are engaged in cutting-edge applied scholarship across a broad spectrum of marketing areas.

Open data analysis in social and political science A forum for discussion and analysis of key issues in theory-driven empirical research in social and political science.

Operations and Information Systems Management We specialize in responsible and sustainable operation management exploring information systems, operations research, management science, and general management and strategic management knowledge and approaches across public and private industry sectors

Pedagogy, Policy and Professional Education Focusing on pedagogy, policy and professional education, including the education of teachers.

Performance, Politics and Violence From symbolic, mystical and structural violence to genocide and other forms of physical violence, and from far-reaching State and international political control to the micro-politics of everyday life.

Pollution Research and Policy Predictive approaches in toxicology, including combined chemical exposures and development of new frameworks for non-animal approaches for predicting toxicity; Endocrine disruptor research with an emphasis on mechanisms of disease and test method development; Pollution monitoring, clean-up technologies and chemical analytics.

Social Justice Concepts of social justice and understanding of climate change, health and wellbeing, digitalisation, poverty, conflict, and inequality. Our focus is on a broad social justice agenda that is alert to and critical of inequalities.

South Asia Studies We provide a research base for the development of new South Asia specific programmes and teaching, and bring together scholars from across the University working on South Asia from different disciplinary perspectives.

STEM Education Research about education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics

Strategy Entrepreneurship and International Business Our themes of research range from entrepreneurial and internationalisation strategies of small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to inward and outward investment by large enterprises and supra-national governance.

Sustainable Energy Use in Food Chains Energy demand and GHG emissions reduction in all stages of the food chain; optimal ways the food chain can utilise different energy sources and interact with the energy supply system; resource efficiency through intensification of food processing.

Sustainable Plastics SPLaSH group combines the strengths of social scientists in the Department of Social and Political Sciences with colleagues working in the area of plastic pollution from Environmental Sciences, Design, Business & Marketing, and Engineering. We are leading experts on behaviour change, public health protection, resource and waste management, governance aspects and sustainability design.

Global, Secure, Connected Communities