North America

Partnerships with USA and Canada

North America has been one of our largest partners in terms of research co-authored publications. We have collaborated with ca. 1000 North American institutions on a range of projects.

Discover our work in other global regions

Durham University has strong ties with North America. We have a long and exciting history of collaboration with the University of Notre Dame (since 2012) where we signed a first MoU between the institutions in 2014. In 2023, we signed a monumental MoU with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, a collaboration designed to co-create world-leading research, exchange, and training opportunities for students and academic and professional staff. Within the Matariki Network of Universities (MNU), we work closely with Queen’s University in Canada.

Our academics collaborate in world-leading research with their North American colleagues. Projects range from cyber security with Dartmouth College, to galaxy and black hole studies with the Universities of Waterloo & Queen's and a collections-based research exchange programme with the Huntington Library in California. The past 5 years sees our top co-publishing partners in the US to be CIT and Harvard and in Canada Toronto and UBC, mostly focused in the area of Physical Sciences.

The US-born journalist and author, Bill Bryson, served as Durham University's 11th Chancellor, and formal head of the University, from April 2005 to 31st December 2011.

Durham University’s 13th and current Chancellor, Dr. Fiona Hill, was born in County Durham and has her own ties to North America. She is an acclaimed foreign affairs specialist, author, and former presidential advisor to three US Presidents.

Collaborating for Impact

Explore a snapshot of our collaborative work with our partners in North America

Durham’s Global Lecture Series arrives in Washington DC

Senior University colleagues have been visiting Washington DC to reinforce Durham’s relationships with our wider community, research partners and our alumni in the US.

Developing our cultural partnerships in the US

We have recently signed an MoU between the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and Durham University's Centre for Nineteenth-Century Studies.

Festival of Fulbright

Hosted by Durham University, the Festival of Fulbright was organised by the UK Fulbright Alumni Council, with support from the US Embassy and US-UK Fulbright Commission.

Strengthening our North American partnerships

In April we celebrated our long-standing partnership with the University of Notre Dame with a delegation in North America

Lake with Notre Dame University in the distance

Celebrating international connections with the Canadian High Commissioner

Durham welcomes the Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Honourable Ralph E. Goodale to Durham

Pinpointing carbon-free helium gas fields to avert global supply crisis

Our Durham Energy Institute researchers are part of an international team that has identified hidden natural helium gas fields.

Helium gas glowing when in contact with a plasma ball

Changing approaches to Infant Sleep Safety

As a result of joint research with partnerships in the US & other institutions, the rate of SIDS has reduced through promoting safe sleeping practices

Infrared light therapy potential to help dementia patients

Our researchers have worked in pilot Alzheimer’s disease clinical studies in the USA looking at the effect of Infrared light in memory improvement

Patient wearing a specially adapted helmet which delivers infrared light deep into the brain

Detecting and Mapping Water on the Lunar Surface

We are participating in the development of the Lunar Thermal Mapper with Oxford, RAL Space on UK side & NASA, JPL Caltech, Lockheed Martin on US side.

Debunking the myth of the ‘evil people smuggler’

SGIA and York University, Canada examine the narrative of the "evil people smuggler" in the context of the global refugee crisis and people’s attempts to claim asylum.

Coevolution of cultural intelligence, extended life history, sociality, and brain size in primates

In collaboration with McGill University (Canada) and St Andrews (UK) we address why primates vary in how much they use social learning.

Space Telescope launched by helium balloon the size of a football stadium

We collaborated with NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, Toronto & Princeton universities to launch a space telescope to measure properties of DM

Gigantic helium balloon lanching space telescope

Informing peacebuilding through everyday lived experiences

With Bandeis University we founded Everyday Peace Indicators; to conduct research to build bridges between diverse actors working on peace & conflict

History of Catholicism conference dubbed as "Changing the Field"

The well-established conference in partnership with the University of Notre Dame has resulted in field leading publications.

Preparedness and planning for the Mountain Hazard and Risk chain in Nepal

A £2M grant funding is helping our academics, working in collaboration with UBC in Canada and other partners to reduce the impacts of mountain hazards

A long way from home: the Scottish Soldiers of 1650

We shared knowledge at US universities Harvard, Brown & Boston on the Scottish Soldiers of 1650 and met with their descendants living across the US.

Archaeologist digging up skeleton of Scottish soldiers

White dwarf feeding from an orbiting companion star

Our astronomers in collaboration with US & European colleagues discovered a white dwarf switching on and off whilst feeding on surrounding material.

White dwarf star feeding on neibouring star

Alumni in North America

We have established a presence in key world cities, to enhance engagement with our growing alumni including in North America and unlock the opportunities for new innovative collaborative programmes.

Visit our alumni community

North American Students and Scholars

We welcome several hundred North American students annually. US Scholarships opportunities such as Marshall & Fulbright have brought high quality students & distinguished scholars to Durham to experience British academia and culture. We support internships in Canada funded through the Mitacs scheme.

Explore our exchange agreements with North America

Devoting the first year of my postgraduate studies to research among cosmology's brightest minds at Durham is a true luxury. The Fulbright scholarship has enabled me to work on a project that will make an immediate contribution to one of the world's largest dark energy experiments.

Sasha Safanova

Durham Fulbright Scholar 2018-2019

Our partnership with the Fulbright Commission

We have a long-standing partnership with the US-UK Fulbright Commission and support a number of collaborative initiatives, including co-funding one Scholar Award and one PGT Student Award each academic year.

Click here for further information

Sports Scholarships

We are Britain's top Team Sport University (ranked Number 1 in the UK by BUCS). We're pleased to offer scholarships for exceptional sportsmen and women. International students are all eligible for a sport scholarship at Durham and US candidates can also access Federal Aid from the US loans system.

Find out more about our sports opportunities

I chose Durham University because I knew I would get world-recognized education and top-tier level of play (BUCS and NVL) while on Team Durham. This once in a lifetime international experience will separate me from my peers back in the US.

Gary Slade

Team Durham Volleyball Player

Partner with us

We have collaborated with a wide range of prestigious institutions across the region and we are always interested in new partnerships opportunities in North America. Our Canadian & USA partnerships, programmes & projects strongly align with our strategic plans.

Interested to partner with us? Contact us