West Cumbria Researchers on Top of the World
Academic research stars from Westlakes Research Institute (WRI), part of the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), have been celebrating their successes after the long awaited results of the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) were recently revealed.
The RAE provides quality ratings for research within all UK universities and across all academic disciplines. Individual ratings are calculated by peer assessment panels according to how much of the work submitted for assessment is judged to reach national or international levels of excellence.
Staff from Westlakes, led by Professor Damien McElvenny, Professor Jan Tawn and Dr Richard Hill, contributed research within the fields of genetics, epidemiology and the environment.
The Westlakes teams entered work within the research categories of Architecture and the Built Environment and Allied Health Professions and Studies.
Both UCLan categories were graded as containing research of world-leading expertise.
Dr Graham Baldwin, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Skills and Employer Engagement) said: "We are delighted that these latest RAE results confirm there is research of world-leading excellence and international importance in terms of originality, significance and rigour being carried out at UCLan’s Westakles Research Institute.
We are delighted that all 17 of UCLan's subjects were assessed as having areas of internationally excellent research. This is good news for West Cumbria and for UCLan - we anticipate that our excellent results will attract even more internationally outstanding academics to West Cumbria. The news also confirms Westlakes Research Institute as a key player on the UK research map.
"Research excellence is extremely important for UCLan because it feeds into the overall teaching experience and drives academic enterprise. The RAE is a benchmark of our research quality and these results highlight a positive step change in the breadth and depth of our research capacity.”
UCLan RAE 2008: Summary information
• UCLan submitted to 17 Units of Assessment (UoAs) in RAE 2008.
• All 17 subject areas contain research which is regarded as internationally excellent.
• In the last RAE of 2001 UCLan attained evidence of international excellence in three areas.
• 11 of the subject areas contain research which is regarded as world leading.
Academic subject areas containing research which is regarded as world leading:
• Linguistics
• Communications, Cultural and Media Studies
• Nursing and Midwifery
• Social Work and Social Policy & Administration
• History
• Allied Health Professions and Studies
• Physics
• Architecture and the Built Environment
• Business and Management Studies
• Psychology
• Archaeology
Academic areas containing research which is regarded as internationally excellent:
• General Engineering and Mineral and Mining Engineering
• English Language and Literature
• Law
• Art and Design
• Education
• Politics and International Studies
8/1/09