The University of Liverpool aims to help create a fairer, better world through the global reach and impact of its research.
Our location within one of the world’s most famous maritime cities, combined with a history of innovation that spans life changing discoveries and partnerships, means that we are well-placed to tackle challenges affecting our city region, as well as locations further from home.
Established in 2024, the Interdisciplinary Centre for Sustainability Research (ICSR) is part of the University's Strategy 2031 initiatives , and focuses on tackling the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It will bring together researchers with different types of knowledge, experience and skills from across the University, as well as engaging with national and international experts.
Professor Katie Atkinson, Academic Director of the Centre said “The ICSR is a hugely exciting new initiative and will expand impactful interdisciplinary research collaborations here at Liverpool.”
“We are looking forward to engaging with a wide range of colleagues and partners through the Centre. Our initial focus will be on climate-related SDGs, spanning several of the goals that cover this topic.
The University of Liverpool's work in digital solutions and innovation will also be fundamental in supporting a range of interdisciplinary research.”

At the University of Liverpool, we are world leaders in our expertise and commitment towards the protection of human rights. Our extensive research covers a diverse array of fields, including international and European human rights law, environmental rights, the rights of migrants and minorities, children's rights, and the safeguarding of human rights in the digital age.
Liverpool human rights experts are renowned academically and play a leading role in advising governments, civil society, international organisations and European institutions in the field of human rights protection. These include the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for the Security and Collaboration in Europe, the European Commission, and the European Parliament.

At Liverpool we have an outstanding reputation for applying our advanced digital and computational modelling capabilities to design net-zero materials, proven by our recent Queen's Anniversary Prize. Digital tools and robotics are pivotal, enabling our researchers to rapidly identify sustainable solutions.
We will further develop easy-access academic facilities, providing immediate benefits to our city and beyond. With secured investment in new Centres for Doctoral Training, we are cultivating the scientists and engineers of the future and building cutting-edge facilities for the next generation.

Effective medicines are essential for the prevention, treatment and cure of disease, and there is an urgent need for the development of medicines that are both clinically effective and cost-efficient. With a rich history of groundbreaking discoveries and translational research in infectious diseases and global health, the University of Liverpool is ideally positioned to revolutionise the drug discovery and medicine development pathway.
Our renowned expertise can be accessed in the form of Open Innovation Platforms, or separately through conventional collaborations with our Centres, which will improve the development, posology, and implementation of medicines for better health outcomes. Our distinctive capabilities bridge the gap between industry, global charities, and academia, enabling us to work collaboratively to tackle major health challenges such as cancer, infection, women's and children’s health, cardio-metabolic disease and neurological conditions.

A research team led by the University of Liverpool excavated the world’s oldest wooden structure on the archaeological site of Kalambo Falls, Zambia. Collaborating with international and interdisciplinary experts, working with local communities and using novel technologies, we’re using research like this to piece together how humans lived and worked. And how this has shaped who we are today.

At the University of Liverpool, we are collaborating with the UK Space Agency and Kayser Space Ltd to carry out research experiments on the International Space Station to help solve the puzzle of why our muscles get weaker as we age and find possible ways to prevent it. Physical fragilty is a major factor affecting the ability of individuals to maintain independence and is primarily due to age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function (known as sarcopenia). The mechanisms underlying age-related loss of muscle are not fully understood, but by sending muscle cells up to the International Space Station we are working to better understand the process, with the ultimate hope of finding new therapies to tackle it.

Across sub-Saharan Africa more than 90% of schools rely on wood fuel and charcoal for cooking for students and staff. In Kenya alone this translates to more than 1.3 million metric tonnes of wood being consumed each year by its schools and colleges. This has huge environmental impacts on forest reserves in the region. The high levels of air pollution damage the health and wellbeing of school cooks, learners and staff. Co-directed by the University of Liverpool, CLEAN-Air Africa tested air quality in school kitchens, classrooms and playgrounds. They found dangerous levels of particulate matter that causes respiratory disease. In East Africa governments are helping public institutions move to LPG and electricity. CLEAN-Air Africa now works with the major Development Bank Foundations supporting these transitions. They are also evaluating a scaled transition to clean cooking in schools across East Africa. They will document the air quality, health and educational impacts from switching to clean cooking. This evidence will inform future strategies for health equity in Rwanda and Kenya.

The University of Liverpool will co-lead a new research hub to develop state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Chemistry and accelerate its adoption. The AI for Chemistry Hub, AlChemy, will bring together leading academic researchers, industry, and other stakeholders to promote a collaborative community, offer training, and create new approaches at the rapidly evolving AI-chemistry interface to position the UK as the global leader in Digital Chemistry.