Oxford Brookes University (OBU) is a premier learning and teaching institution with an outstanding research record. It is widely acknowledged to be one of the UK’s leading modern universities. It has topped the rankings for modern universities for 11 of the past 12 years in the Sunday Times University Guide. Its motto is “Excellence in diversity”.
OBU has developed significant research strengths right across the University, illustrated by the results of the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF14), which showed that 94% of research at the University is internationally recognised. Developing a research community that equally values research and knowledge transfer is a key aim. OBU was awarded the European Commission’s “HR Excellence in Research” logo, as a demonstration of its commitment to supporting researchers. It is also committed to gender equality in research, and signed the Athena SWAN charter as recognition of the supportive culture and practices towards women researchers, particularly in STEMM subjects.
OBU spends over 2% of its salary budget on staff development and has achieved the sought-after “Investors in People” (IIP) status. The School of the Built Environment (SoBE) is one of the leading research and teaching departments in its field. It is ranked the (5th out of 34 institutions) in the 2018 Times Good University Guide and 48th in the World in the QS Rankings. 91% of the students are satisfied with their courses according to the 2016 National Student Satisfaction Survey. It was one of the most successful research areas at OBU in REF14. 69% of research in the unit “Architecture, Built Environment and Planning” was assessed as being ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. REF14 rated 97% of the School’s research as internationally recognised. The School’s Construction Project Management Group, where the research will be undertaken, is set within the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development (OISD). OISD is formed of eight vibrant and interdisciplinary research groups covering all aspects of sustainable development. It secured over L1.1million of research funding in 2015/16.
During the past 5 years, major grants have come from Horizon 2020, FP7, UK Research Councils and other prestigious funding bodies. It also runs many research and knowledge transfer partnerships with industry.