Early Career Academics, Public Services

Challenging, interesting and constantly changing, the University of Derby is an extraordinary place to learn and an incredibly rewarding place to work. 

Here at the University of Derby we have committed to nurture and encourage research excellence across all our disciplines and career stages, recognising the strong link between excellent research and an excellent student experience. 

We have entered a new and exciting era at the University, making investments in our students, staff and research infrastructure to help us achieve our overall aim of producing research that is high in quality and impacts, national and internationally. This ensures that knowledge created at our University informs our curriculum and supports industry, policy makers, international partners and the wider research community.

Our 2021 REF submission showed significant increases in all our metrics, supported by a dedicated research and knowledge exchange office and enhanced governance processes.  Our doctoral cohort has increased by 63.4% since 2014 and we now have over 450 doctoral students. Investment in our research facilities has continued at pace and in March 2022 we opened our Facility for Omics Research in Metabolism (FORM). Our KEF outcome positioned us in the top 10% for working with business. Our Research Council funding and collaborative research income, from funders such as Innovate UK continues to rise, engaging our academics with both multinationals as well as small and medium size enterprises. 

It is thus an exciting time to be joining us and to play a role in supporting the University’s ambitions. The University, proud of its achievements in growing Innovation and Research, is embarking on the next step change to drive academic performance. We are focussing our investment into 6 areas of academic excellence: 

• Zero Carbon
• Biomedical and Clinical Sciences
• Data Science
• Business Economic and Social Policy
• Creative and Cultural Industries
• Public Services

Public Services

Our research in the Public Services theme is interdisciplinary and has impacted on theory, policy and practice in the fields of education, psychology, wellbeing, therapeutics, nursing, health, social care, criminal justice and policing. Our aims for research in this theme, centre on the enhancement of public services towards the optimisation of human thriving through 1) developing, enhancing, and transforming the capacity of public services to improve opportunities and quality of life for all, 2) developing the contemporary public services workforce, and its capacity to contribute to human thriving, and 3) leading theorisation, critical thought, and critical commentary on Public Services. Our research in this area connects with the University’s innovative portfolio of professional programmes for teachers, educators, police, legal professionals, social workers and nurses. Examples of our track record in research excellence for the Public Services include compassion based interventions, person centred care, nurse education, careers education, vocational education, policing practices, and educational inclusion for people with Special Educational Needs.

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