Global Impact - Durham University

Research to empower and inspire

We are a globally outstanding centre of teaching, learning and research excellence. We are a world top 100 university, with 12 of our subjects ranked in the world top 50 and 19 in the world top 100. We conduct innovative and impactful research to transform lives and make a difference, globally and locally: research to empower and inspire.

Explore our latest research news

Explore our global research

Discover how our research is changing lives around the world using the button below. We also have a static PDF version available.

Read our research brochure

Static PDF version

Latest news

Wind power industry faces size problem as blades get longer than football pitches. Simon Hogg comments on Financial Times.

Simon Hogg commented on FT expressing concern on wind turbine models' rapid development.

Pioneering technological research in our Computer Science Department

Our Computer Science Department is one of the top ranked in the UK and we are at the forefront of next generation innovation. Our research projects are having a world-changing impact.

Durham involved in new X-ray satellite mission to explore space

We’re involved in a major international satellite launch mission which aims to observe some of the most energetic objects and events in the cosmos, further advancing the science of space exploration.

An Artist impression of XRISM. Credit: JAXA

A summer of research and collaboration with Zaporizhzhia National University

Over the summer, we have welcomed over 40 friends from our twinned Ukrainian university, Zaporizhzhia National University (ZNU) to Durham.

Students and researchers from ZNU at Durham Law School

Re-accreditation by Association of MBAs upholds triple-crown accreditation

Our MBA programme has been re-accredited by the Association of MBAs (AMBA), confirming our place as a top global business school, committed to excellence in business and management education.

World-class research groups showcase our expertise in Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence

Our Computer Science is one of the top-ranked departments in the UK and it is rapidly growing.

Traditional male gender roles still dominate in entertainment industry

The characters that actors portray in films, television and on stage conform too closely with traditional gender roles according to new research by Jamie Callahan, Professor of Organisation and Ethics, in collaboration with Northumbria University.

Thomas Pollet, Jamie Callahan and Clare Cook seating in a theatre

Infant sleep expert calls for a multi-agency approach to help reduce sudden unexpected death in infancy

Leading infant sleep expert Professor Helen Ball, from Durham’s Infancy and Sleep Centre, has published a report and new research calling for a multi-agency approach for the prevention of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI).

Building Europe’s largest solar telescope

We’re part of a project to build Europe’s largest solar telescope.

A montage image of the EST telescope on a hillside (left and right) with a close up image of a solar flare in the centre

Policymaker incentives vital to increase green innovation

The pursuit of green innovation strategies by firms is likely to boost their competitiveness as it allows them to enter new markets and build up ‘green’ capabilities, however this does not translate to increased turnover or performance, according to new research.

Businessman on blurred background drawing renewable eco lightbulb sketch

New supercomputer simulation to test model behind Universe’s formation

We’re part of an international team of astrophysicists who’ve simulated galaxy formation and large-scale cosmic structure with unprecedented detail to investigate how the Universe formed.