
Interdisciplinary research
The sheer scale of our interdisciplinary research activity sets us apart. We're able to combine disciplines and capabilities to meet both the challenges of leading-edge research and the external demands of government, business and communities.
The University of Manchester Research Institute (UMRI) is central to our goal, outlined in our vision and strategic plan, of building on our path-breaking interdisciplinary research.
UMRI enables us to achieve this by ensuring that the necessary structures, resources, incentives and governance frameworks are in place. It also nurtures the emergence of new cross-cutting themes and networks.
Research beacons
Our research beacons are examples of pioneering discoveries, interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector partnerships that are tackling some of the biggest questions facing the planet.
Find out more about the pioneering research underway in:
University interdisciplinary research institutes
Our interdisciplinary research institutes are established where we have achieved, or aspire to, world-leading status.
- Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute
- Cathie Marsh Institute for Social Research
- Dalton Nuclear Institute
- Global Development Institute
- Henry Royce Institute
- Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute
- Institute for Health Policy and Organisation
- Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
- John Rylands Research Institute
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation
- Manchester China Institute
- Manchester Environmental Research Institute
- Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology
- Manchester Institute of Innovation Research
- Manchester Urban Institute
- National Graphene Institute
- Photon Science Institute
- Sustainable Consumption Institute
- Thomas Ashton Institute
- Work and Equalities Institute
Research platforms
Research platforms have a university-wide reach and support the research, external engagement and impact of the activities of our institutes and individual academics (typically several hundred academics are affiliated to a platform).
Research centres and groups in our Faculties
We also have many research centres and groups undertaking innovative and excellent research. These are detailed on the Faculty web pages.
Pump prime initiatives supported by UMRI
We support new interdisciplinary initiatives through a pump prime open competition. The current and recent projects are:
PI | School/Department | Title | Start date | End date |
Professor David Johnson | Earth and Environmental Sciences | Developing satellite optical and radar sensing to estimate greenhouse gas emissions in grasslands | 1 June 2019 | 1 February 2020 |
Professor Elaine Bignell | Biological Sciences | The infection network: an integrated community of researchers focussed on antimicrobial strategy in the settings of mono- and multi-morbidity | 1 April 2019 | 31 January 2020 |
Dr Niels Peek | Health Sciences | A multidisciplinary research network to tackle multimorbidity | 1 May 2019 | 31 January 2020 |
Professor Kevin Taylor | Earth and Environmental Sciences | GeoUrbaNet – geochemistry of toxic elements in urban sediment-water-drainage systems: an interdisciplinary approach to monitoring, managing and mitigation | 1 May 2019 | 31 January 2020 |
Dr Richard Allmendinger | Alliance Manchester Business School | Industry 4.0 innovation lab: ensuring long term prosperity of UK manufacturing | June 2019 | January 2020 |
Dr Eduardo Martinez Ceseña | Electrical and Electronic Engineering | Energy system digital twin of Greater Manchester | 1 April 2019 | 30 September 2019 |
Professor Neil Hanley | Medical Sciences | Towards a centre of excellence in interdisciplinary single cell biology | 1 April 2019 | 31 January 2020 |
Professor Stefan Bouzarovski | Environment, Education and Development | The age of infrastructure: China as a global urban agent (AGORA) | 15 April 2019 | 31 January 2020 |
Professor Nigel Scrutton | Manchester Institute of Biotechnology | Industrial biotechnology: enabling clean growth | 1 April 2019 | 31 March 2020 |
Professor Simon Lovell | Biological Sciences | Manchester genomics: using interdisciplinary basic science approaches to improve interpretation of human genomic variation | 1 June 2019 | 31 May 2020 |