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Celebrating Professor Nancy Cartwright’s career and global award for outstanding contribution to philosophy

We have hosted a celebration event at St Chad’s College for Professor Nancy Cartwright following her receipt of the prestigious BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Humanities.
Nancy Cartwright with VC and Chancellor

Forgotten infants in museum collections reflect past and present injustices 

Archaeologists are shedding fresh light on the origins of infant remains held in anatomical museums, revealing a troubling history of stigma, inequality and eugenic thinking. 
A black and white image from the early 1900s showing a group of nurses wearing white dresses outside a hospital.

Scientists uncover new way plants control wood formation

Researchers from our top-rated Biosciences Department have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that helps plants control the formation of wood, a finding that could open up new directions for research into plant growth, productivity and carbon storage.
Image showing wood-forming tissue in Arabidopsis

Royal Academy of Engineering honours Professor Sarah Hainsworth in anniversary list

Professor Sarah Hainsworth OBE FREng, our Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research), has been named among the UK’s top engineers in a special list celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Prof Sarah Hainsworth

Durham athletes back North of England Olympic Games ambition

Five Durham Olympic and Paralympic athletes, alongside our Head of Rowing, are backing a vision to hold a future Olympic and Paralympic Games in the North of England.
Lauren Irwin is pictured at Durham riverside on a recent visit to the University's boat club

New mission to explore ocean’s response to climate change

We’re part of a major international mission to better understand how the ocean is responding to climate change.
A group of men and women dressed casually smiling on the deck of a ship with bright blue sky and dark blue ocean in the background.

Strengthening digital confidence through community partnerships

Our researchers have helped hundreds of people across North East England take confident steps into the digital world through the Trusted Connections project.
A group of men and women smiling at the camera, some holding up certificates.

Exploring the hidden histories of the female body

For many women, childbirth is transformative. For Dr Erin Maglaque from our Department of History, it also sparked an exploration into how history has shaped understanding, expectation and perceptions of the female body.
Seventeenth century illustrations of women undertaking what were considered feminine occupations such as cooking, sewing and weaving

Durham University rises to 85th in prestigious QS World University Rankings 2027

We have been ranked 85th in the QS World University Rankings 2027, up nine places from last year.  
Students chatting around a table

New exhibition explores 1,000 years of Durham

The Museum of Archaeology is opening a new permanent gallery on 19 June, focusing on the history of Durham County and its residents. This new permanent exhibition marks the re-opening of the upstairs gallery in the Museum which has been closed for building work since the pandemic.
Group of MA Museum and Artefact Studies students

Durham researchers recognised with Royal Society of Chemistry Horizon Prize

Researchers from our top-rated Chemistry and Biosciences Departments have been recognised as part of an international team awarded a prestigious 2026 Horizon Prize by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).
NTD TEAM

Durham alumna Mo Mowlam honoured with blue plaque at Trevelyan College

Dr Marjorie “Mo” Mowlam, one of the most influential figures in modern British politics and our esteemed alumna, has been honoured with a blue plaque at her former college. The plaque recognises both her time at Durham University and her remarkable contribution to peace and public service.
(Left to right) Lucian Hudson, Durham University, Councillor Carole Lattin, Jean Jacques, Mo’s sister, Baroness Hilary Armstrong, Sir Adam Ingram, and Professor Karen O’Brien, Vice-Chancellor and Warden of Durham University.