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Research and Business
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Durham University Strategic Research Fund (SRF)

Durham University’s Strategic Research Fund (SRF) aims to stimulate significant growth in research income for the University through substantial investments in our research capability, community, and infrastructure.

We have committed to invest around £18 million over four years into six ground-breaking transformative initiatives, each centred around an interdisciplinary team of researchers working towards shared objectives. Under the umbrella of the SRF, we have also launched the Strategic Hires Pathway (SHP), which enables the recruitment of leading named individual researchers. With these investments, both the SRF team projects and the SHP appointments will enhance our research capacity, our institutional reputation and will work towards becoming financially sustainable.

We are delighted that the SRF and SHP funding offers around 60 new vacancies across the University, including permanent academic staff, support staff and new PhD studentships.

Our SRF Projects

Gain deeper insights into our SRF projects by exploring the information provided below. The sidebar also highlights how four of our six SRF projects are actively contributing to the achievement of the SDGs.

 

The Soil and Microbiome Augmentation and Restoration Technologies (SMART) Lab

SMART Soils Lab demonstrates how adding minerals and organic matter back into the soil can regenerate brownfield land and improve soil health.
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Just Transitions to a Net Zero World (JusTN0W)

JusTN0W aims to stimulate significant growth in research income for the University through substantial investments in our research community, capability & infrastructure
Globe for JusTN0W

Durham University Space Research Centre - for a sustainable future in space

Our Responsible Space Innovation Centre is linking world-leading research, impactful partnerships and industry-relevant training to ensure a sustainable future in space
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Heritage 360

Heritage 360 nurtures a new research field at the interface of cultural and natural heritage by bringing significant interdisciplinary expertise to Durham
Durham Castle

Centre for Research into Inner Experience (CRIE)

We bring together a multidisciplinary group of researchers with the aim of transforming scientific, humanities and social sciences approaches to human inner experience.
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Global Centre for Contextual Safeguarding (GCCS)

Contextual Safeguarding is an approach to understanding, and responding to, young people’s experiences of significant harm beyond their families.
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Our SHP Appointments

Prof. Lisa-Marie Shillito head shot

Professor Lisa-Marie Shillito

Professor of Geoarchaeology and Heritage Science, Dept of Archaeology

Research themes: Human-environment interactions, Geoarchaeology, Sediment micromorphology and XR-CT, Coprolite analysis in archaeology and palaeoecology, Phytolith analysis.