Research and innovation

We work at the forefront of global research agendas, leading the way in finding solutions to major social, political and environmental challenges. This exciting and impactful research takes us to some of the remotest places on Earth, including the high mountains, both poles and the depths of the tropical rainforests, as well as to the world’s major urban conurbations in the global north and south.

We have a strong track-record of collaborations with academic institutions, businesses, NGOs and governmental bodies around the world. We also work extensively with other schools and centres across the University of Leeds, with leadership roles in cross-faculty initiatives such as the Priestley International Centre for Climate, Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, water@leeds, Cultural Institute and strong links with the Leeds Social Sciences Institute, Cities theme, and Leeds Migration Research network.

We collaborate with civic society, businesses and governments to improve societal well-being and sustainable economic growth. Here are some examples from the recent Research Excellence Framework (REF2014) as well as ongoing projects:

• Peatland catchment research on water colour yields economic benefits for the water industry: Our research has helped water companies pursue catchment management change to reduce capitally intensive "end-of-pipe" treatment technologies.
• Influencing international climate mitigation strategies by understanding the role of tropical forests: Our research has directly influenced United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) decision making.
• Retail network research influences location decision-making and improves effectiveness for major global retailers and public service organisations: We have worked with Ford, Exxon, HBoS and Asda-Walmart to maximise store profitability and reconfigure retail networks to fit changing market conditions.
• Low-impact and ecological co-housing models. Our work has been put in practice into the LILAC project, a self-planned and managed co-housing community in Leeds.