School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of Science produces world-leading research

Results show that three quarters of research activity submitted to the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 by the School is either “world-leading” or “internationally excellent”.

The REF is the system for assessing the quality and impact of research conducted in UK higher education institutions, as well as the environment that supports this research.

Our School was assessed by disciplinary units, categorised into Units of Assessment (UoA) for the purposes of the REF. Our School produced REF submissions to the Philosophy UoA 30 panel and the Theology and Religious Studies (TRS) UoA 31 panel.

Research environment

We are proud that the vitality of our School’s research environment has been recognised by the REF 2021 expert panels. 100% of the research environment statements submitted by Philosophy and TRS were rated as either “world-leading” or “internationally excellent”.

As a large, interdisciplinary School, we have created a thriving and interconnected research culture that emerges from our research centres – the Centre for Religion and Public Life, the Centre for Philosophy of Religion and Theology, the Centre for Metaphysics and Mind, the Centre for History and Philosophy of Science, the Centre for Aesthetic, Moral, and Political Philosophy, and the Centre for Interdisciplinary Ethics Applied – as well as our externally-funded research project groups.

We look forward to maintaining and further improving the research environment that enables our high-quality research activity.

Research quality and impact

Researchers in the School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of Science make a substantial contribution to bold, complex, and world-leading research at the University of Leeds, which is reflected in the REF 2021 results.

Our impact case studies involved partners and collaborators including policymakers, business, media, and minority faith groups. 100% of the impact case studies submitted to Theology and Religious Studies (TRS) and 50% of those submitted by Philosophy were ranked as “world-leading” or “internationally excellent”. 

Our research outputs spanned the wide range of topics covered by our centres. 86% of the research outputs submitted to TRS and 77% of those submitted to Philosophy were ranked as “world-leading” or “internationally excellent”.

The REF 2021 results are a snapshot of a transformative period in our recently integrated School, and our excellent research environment puts us in a strong position to build on these successes in the future.

We take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to and supported the research and impact activity undertaken in the School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of Science.

Further information

For media enquiries contact the University of Leeds press office via pressoffice@leeds.ac.uk.

View the University of Leeds results for all units of assessment.