Proud to be top 30 in the UK for world-changing research

To be a researcher is to make a difference. To be a researcher is to change the world. Every day, world-changing research happens right here at the University of Leicester – UK University of the Year 2025 (Daily Mail).

As one of the UK's top research universities, we have an international reputation for world-leading research. Join our thriving, robust and inclusive environment where you can pursue your passion and become part of the next generation of researchers to make real change.

Research degrees

Join our extensive and passionate research community. We will support your every step, from looking for a supervisor and making an application, through to graduation. We have exciting funded opportunities available to UK/EU and International students (check each funding page for the closing date), and our research degrees are supervised by staff who change the world through innovative and life-changing research.

Distinguished research history

Celebrated for ground-breaking discoveries such as genetic fingerprinting, and recognised for continued research in the issues that matter, from diabetes and cancer to ethnic health, lifestyle interventions and COVID-19, our researchers are improving the treatment and quality of life for patients, both locally and globally. Leicester is also a world leader in space science - contributing more instruments to active space missions than any other UK university.

The University ranks among the UK’s top 30 for research quality according to the Research Excellence Framework 2021 (REF21) analysis by Times Higher Education, placing you at the forefront of innovation. 89% of our overall research was assessed as world-leading (4*) or internationally excellent, whilst 95.5% of our research environment was judged to be 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent', meaning the University of Leicester is a great place to be a researcher and to foster an academic career. 

Diverse research with global impact 

As Citizens of Change, our researchers are dedicated to researching some of today’s most critical issues, from viruses and disease to air quality, preserving our natural world, and ensuring social justice for all. Just as we are diverse in our makeup, we are equally diverse in our research. Our six areas of research strength: Space Power and AI, Human Health, Earth and Environment, Heritage and Culture, Molecules and Materials and Social Justice allow our researchers to significantly improve lives and societies through the power and impact of their research.

Contact details:

Tel: +44 (0)11 6252 5281

Email: study@le.ac.uk

Top 30 UK for research

Explore Research Degrees 

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