Our approach to Research

Birmingham Newman University welcomes research visit requests from scholars based outside the UK who wish to collaborate and engage with our academic community.

We offer opportunities for visiting scholars to connect with our research groups in areas such as Education, English, History, Psychology, Sports Studies, Theology, and other disciplines aligned with our research priorities.

About the Programme

Visiting Scholars may join us for a period of up to one year. During their stay, they are affiliated with a relevant research group or academic colleague but do not register for a formal qualification.

We encourage Visiting Scholars to participate in the academic life of the University, including seminars, lectures, and informal discussions. All activities are conducted in English, so a strong command of written and spoken English is essential.

Visiting Scholars are typically invited to present their research at one of our regular Staff Research Seminars.

Support and Facilities

During their visit, scholars will receive:

• A Birmingham Newman University ID card
• Access to library and computing facilities
• Desk space and use of research facilities (subject to availability)
• Opportunities to discuss research with staff
• Guidance on preparing work for publication
• Attendance at open seminars and public lectures
• Costs and Accommodation

Visiting Scholars are expected to be self-funded, and some services may incur charges depending on the length of the visit. On-campus accommodation is limited, but we can assist in finding suitable local housing.

Please note: Scholars are responsible for arranging their own visa/work permits, travel, insurance, and health requirements.

How to Apply

Requests can be submitted at any time using the Request for Research Visit Form. Applications must include:

• A completed form (available below)
• A full CV
• Written confirmation from your home institution approving the visit

We recommend contacting a relevant member of staff before applying to ensure your research interests align with current expertise at Birmingham Newman.

Completed requests should be sent to:

Professor Peter Childs
Birmingham Newman University
Genners Lane
Bartley Green
Birmingham B32 3NT
United Kingdom

Email: p.childs@newman.ac.uk

At Birmingham Newman University, our research groups are central to building a vibrant and inclusive scholarly community. Over recent years, we have strengthened our commitment to research through a strategic focus on cultivating a robust research culture across all disciplines.

Our mission is to broaden participation in research by supporting staff and postgraduate students in developing their scholarly activity. We foster an environment where inquiry is encouraged, collaboration is valued, and research is recognised as a vital part of academic life.

Each research group contributes to the University’s wider goals – advancing knowledge, informing practice, and making a meaningful impact in society.

Criminology

The Criminology team at Birmingham Newman University is actively engaged in research that explores the social, psychological, historical, and legal dimensions of crime and justice. All members of the team are research-active, regularly publishing in peer-reviewed journals, presenting at national and international conferences, and contributing to scholarly associations.

Our researchers collaborate with colleagues across the UK and internationally, and we welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students interested in joining our vibrant research community.

Current Projects

In addition to academic publications, the team undertakes funded research and third-sector evaluations. A key initiative is the ReachOut Project, which engages young people through street-based outreach and school-based activities in Bartley Green and surrounding areas. The project focuses on building trust, mediating resources, and supporting youth in public spaces. Funding applications are underway to support a formal evaluation of its impact.

Research Interests

Our areas of expertise include:

• Desistance
• History of punishment
• Postcolonial perspectives on crime, law, and punishment
• Psychosocial criminology
• Social justice
• Socio-legal methodologies
• Technology, sexuality, and criminal justice
• Youth crime and technology
• Youth work and youth violence

If you are interested in postgraduate research in any of these areas, we encourage you to contact the team to explore potential supervision opportunities.

Education and Professional Studies Research

In addition to delivering high-quality taught programmes, the Education and Professional Studies team at Birmingham Newman University is actively engaged in research across a wide range of areas. Our work is collaborative, drawing on expertise from across the University and involving partnerships with regional, national, and international organisations.

This research contributes to the development of educational practice, policy, and theory, and reflects our commitment to advancing knowledge that makes a meaningful impact in professional and community settings.

Research interests

• Creativity and imagination in education
• Creative drama approaches in health & wellbeing and social awareness
• Education and equality
• Education and human rights
• Education and interdisciplinary practitioner research
• Education and social policy
• Gender order and emerging femininities and masculinities
• Inter-professional collaboration and communities of practice
• Migration, diaspora and national belonging
• Professional identity and gendered identity in educational settings
• Qualitative research methodology and research representation
• School assessment and discursive negotiation of learning identities
• Safeguarding children and workforce reform

English

English at Birmingham Newman is a thriving and intellectually diverse research area. Our team brings expertise in colonial and postcolonial literature, twentieth-century and contemporary writing, drama, and manuscript and print culture.

Staff regularly present at national and international conferences, host a dedicated research seminar series, and co-organise the annual Print Networks Conference, which explores the history and impact of print culture.

In addition to publishing scholarly articles and editing literary texts and essay collections, members of the team are contracted for forthcoming monographs with leading academic publishers including Ashgate and Palgrave Macmillan.

Collaborative and Impactful Work

English staff work closely with published writers and dramatists to enrich regional and national literary and performance culture. Our research is outward-facing, creative, and committed to making a meaningful contribution to public discourse and cultural life.

Current Doctoral Research

PhD students in the department are exploring topics such as:

• Postcolonial and eco-critical representations of landscapes in Indian literature
• The twentieth-century middlebrow writer Clemence Dane
• The representation of Trade Unionism in twentieth-century literature

Research interests

• Early modern drama
• Early modern travel writing
• Print culture
• The contemporary dramatist Edward Bond
• Colonial and postcolonial literature
• African women’s writing
• South Asian literatures
• The twentieth century middlebrow writer Clemence Dane

Members of the research team

• Prof Peter Childs
• Dr Helen Cousins
• Dr Louise McDonald
• Dr Kerry Myler

If you’re interested in pursuing doctoral research in English, we welcome enquiries and encourage you to explore how your interests align with our areas of expertise.

History

History is one of Birmingham Newman University’s most successful research areas, with a strong ethos of scholarly excellence and collaboration. The team consistently produces internationally recognised publications and contributes to the wider academic community through conferences, journals, and interdisciplinary partnerships.

Areas of Expertise

Our historians specialise in a diverse range of topics, including:

• Social history of the West Midlands
• Late Victorian political culture
• Ancient Greek history
• Revolutionary and Napoleonic France

Staff regularly present at national and international conferences and publish in leading peer-reviewed journals. Recent and forthcoming monographs are contracted with prestigious publishers including Ashgate, I.B. Tauris, Oxford University Press, and Phillimore.

Postgraduate Supervision

The History team has a proven track record in supporting postgraduate researchers. Supervision is often interdisciplinary and benefits from close collaboration with other institutions, offering students a rich and supportive research environment.

Interested in pursuing doctoral research in History? We welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students whose interests align with our areas of expertise.

Research Interests

• The First and Second World Wars
• Victorian politics and political culture
• The history of the West Midlands; political, social and cultural
• The French Revolution and Napoleonic empire
• History of wine
• Early modern England
• Ancient Greek cultural history
• History of religion and magic

Members of the research team

• Dr Emma Folwell
• Dr Juliette Harrisson
• Dr Charlotte Lewandowski

Physical Education and Sports Studies

Physical Education and Sports Studies is one of the most active and successful research areas at Birmingham Newman University. The team is made up of both early-career and experienced researchers, all committed to advancing knowledge and practice in the field.

Supported by a strong institutional research strategy, staff are encouraged to pursue scholarly work that contributes to academic discourse and informs real-world impact.

Research Activity and Collaboration

Our research spans a wide range of topics within physical education and sports studies. Recent outputs include:

• Peer-reviewed journal articles
• Chapters in edited volumes
• Presentations at international conferences

The team also leads collaborative research initiatives with other universities, local authorities, businesses, and national governing bodies of sport—strengthening the relevance and reach of our work.

Research Interests

The following areas of research interest are those in which it may be possible to offer supervision:

• Young people’s physical activity, health and well-being
• Physical education pedagogy and school-based physical activity provision
• Children’s attitudes towards and engagement with physical education and school-based activity
• Influences on sport officials decisions
• Mental toughness in sport and exercise
• Combat sport psychology
• Load monitoring in team sport performance
• Physiology of team sport performance

The following are additional areas of staff research interest:

• Mental skills training to support motivation, learning, well-being, and performance
• The effects of exercise-induced muscle damage on performance and recovery
• Health, lifestyle and metabolic risk factors of UK university students
• Health and well-being in youth SEN populations
• The impact and interaction of stakeholders in elite sport
• The role and impact of stakeholders in the development of public policy
• The challenges facing policy makers and education partners in the areas of Health and Education

Members of the research team

• Dr Ibrahim Akubat
• Dr Adam Benkwitz
• Dr Mark Holland
• Dr Tony Myers
• Mr Russell Peters
• Alex Powell
• Dr Lorayne Woodfield

Psychology and Counselling

The Psychology and Counselling team at Birmingham Newman University focuses on research that explores health, well-being, and applied psychology. Our strengths in delivering professional programmes in counselling and applied psychological practice directly inform and drive our research agenda.

Staff are actively engaged in scholarly work that bridges theory and practice, contributing to the development of evidence-based approaches that support individuals and communities. Research in this area reflects our commitment to improving lives through psychological insight and professional care.

Research Interests

Health, well-being and counselling

• Assessment and rehabilitation of the dys-executive syndrome
• Students’ health risk perception, health knowledge and health behaviour
• Deliberate self-harm and suicide in adolescence
• The emergence of spirituality in contemporary psychoanalysis
• The relationship between postgraduate students’ life and learning experiences and academic outcome. The impact of this on support and counselling provision in higher education
• Developing the interface of contemporary neuroscience and evolutionary biology with the theory and practice of counselling and psychotherapy
• Assessing the competence of counsellors in working with sexual minorities and ways in which the teaching and training can be enhanced
• Counselling psychology interventions for clients with neurological conditions and their carers
• Masculinity and counselling

Applied Psychology

• Human factors
• Eye witness testimony and the influence of different questioning techniques
• Motor development in young people and specifically how children with visual impairments use auditory information to provide feedback for locomotion.

Members of the research team

• Dr Lorna Dodd
• Dr Kevin Hogan

Theology

The Theology team at Birmingham Newman University has a long-standing tradition of postgraduate teaching and research, supported by a well-established MA in Contemporary Christian Theology and a growing community of doctoral researchers.

Research Interests

Our staff are actively engaged in a wide range of theological and interdisciplinary research, including:

• Old and New Testament Studies
• The use of the Old Testament in the New Testament
• Early Post-biblical Judaism
• Reception of the Jewish and Christian Bible
• Seventeenth and eighteenth-century English Platonism and Neo-Platonism
• Contemporary developments in natural theology and science-theology dialogue
• Bioethics
• Feminist theology
• Religious Education
• Theologising and philosophising with children

Research Culture and Collaboration

Members of the Theology team regularly publish scholarly work and present at academic conferences. We place a strong emphasis on building supportive relationships between staff and students, fostering a collaborative and inclusive research environment.

The Newman Research Centre for the Bible and its Reception, housed within the Theology subject area, offers opportunities for students to engage with scholars of international standing and participate in an active research culture.

Current staff include

• Dr Louise Hickman
• Dr Thomas E. Hunt

Postgraduate Supervision

We offer MPhil and PhD supervision in areas such as:

• Christian theology
• Biblical studies
• Early post-biblical Judaism
• Contemporary philosophical theology
• History of philosophy
• Feminist theology
• Religious Education

We also welcome proposals that apply theological reflection to ministry or professional practice.

Recent appointments, including two visiting professors and a fully funded PhD studentship, have contributed to Theology becoming one of the University’s most rapidly expanding research areas.

Birmingham Newman University provides guidance on a range of government and private funding options, including scholarships, available to students with UK or EU nationality.

These students are typically classified by the UK government as ‘Home’ students. To qualify for Home status, you must:

• Be settled in the UK (i.e. have no restrictions on your right to remain)
• Have lived in the UK for the three years prior to the start of your course

Exceptions may apply for refugees and EEA migrant workers, who may be eligible without meeting the full residency requirement.

For full details on available funding and eligibility criteria, please explore the links below or contact our admissions team for personalised advice.

All Saints Educational Trust 
The All Saints Educational Trust makes personal grant awards to teachers, intending teachers and students in Religious Studies, Home Economics and related areas.

Arts and Humanities Research Council
Awards are available for Master’s and PhD study in Archaeology, Art, History (not Economic and Social History), some Architecture, Classics, English, Law Linguistics, Modern Languages, Music Philosophy and Theology.

Department for Agriculture and Rural Development
Agriculture and food-production (and closely related subjects such as veterinary science).

Funds for Women Graduates (FfWG)
FfWG offers Foundation Grants to help women graduates with their living expenses (not fees) while registered for study or research. Funding is not available for undergraduates.

Sir Ernest Cassel Educational Trust 
The Trust provides grants for overseas students from the Commonwealth, who are in their final year at a university in the United Kingdom and who are facing unforeseen financial difficulties. These grants are the Mountbatten Memorial Grants.

Commonwealth Foundation: Bursaries and Grants
Bursaries are available for short-term study, refresher courses, advisory visits and training.  Grants are available for attendance at Conferences, workshops and seminars.  The applicant must be a professional with the relevant academic qualifications, and must be a commonwealth citizen.

Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan
Applicants must be a citizen of a commonwealth country who is about to complete an undergraduate degree or who has completed the undergraduate degree in the last 5 years.  Scholarships are awarded for higher degrees, though the candidate must have been accepted by the host institution.

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Social science areas such as economics, politics, human geography, psychology, sociology, anthropology, social history, education and housing management.

Educational Grants Advisory Service
The Service offers advice to students on grants available for all academic disciplines.  To find out whether you may be eligible for a Family Action grant, you can complete an on-line form.

Gilchrist Educational Trust
Applications are considered from students who are at the last stages of a degree course and are facing unexpected financial difficulties, which might prevent its completion.

The States of Guernsey Education Department 
The Department has a limited number of awards only open to residents of Guernsey.

The Isle of Man Department of Education
The Department has a limited number of awards only open to residents of the Isle of Man.

States of Jersey Department for Education 
The Department has a limited number of awards only open to residents of Jersey.

The Leverhulme Trust
The Trust has provided funding for research projects, fellowships, studentships, bursaries and prizes; it operates across all the academic disciplines, the ambition being to support talented individuals as they realise their personal vision in research and professional training.

Lutheran World Federation
The Federation offers awards for studies in theology and other disciplines by members of Lutheran churches throughout the world.

Association of Medical Research Charities
Produce an excellent booklet guide to research funding available from small medical charities, which sometimes include individual research studentships for specific projects and small grants.

Medical Research Council (MRC)
Medicine and Bio-medical areas such as pharmacology, dentistry, medicine and biochemistry.

Mercers’ Charitable Foundation 
The Foundation sponsors individuals to research nationally and internationally in the field of education.

Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC)
NERC fund around 1,100 PhD students each year. Studentships are funded through university departments and NERC research centres.

Sidney Perry Foundation
PO Box 2924
Faringdon
Oxon
Oxfordshire
SN7 7YJ

Offer educational grants, primarily to anyone including prisoners or ex offenders, who are studying for a first degree. This is a maximum of £700, to supplement other funding.

Student Awards Agency for Scotland 
Students may receive support for certain full-time vocational courses, mostly at diploma level. It does not support all postgraduate courses.

Wellcome Trust
A charitable trust connected with the pharmaceutical multinational Wellcome Plc. which provides support for research in biomedical sciences and the history of medicine, including clinical medicine, tropical medicine and veterinary science. Studentships and some smaller grants and awards available.

Student Finance England
For information on financial assistance to support your learning, please visit their website or contact 0800 100 900.

If you’re preparing a research proposal, it’s important to explore potential funding opportunities early in the process. Below are links to organisations that may offer funding for research projects.

Proposal writing support

Before submitting your proposal, we recommend reviewing the following resources:

• ESRC – Economic and Social Research Council: Offers guidance on writing and submitting research proposals
• SSRC Publication – On the Art of Writing Proposals: A helpful guide for crafting compelling and fundable research proposals
• Learner Associates – Provides a curated selection of books and resources to support proposal development

UK Research Councils

• Arts and Humanities Research Council [AHRC]  supports world-class research that furthers our understanding of human culture and creativity.
• Allen Lane
• Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council [BBSRC] is the UK’s leading funding agency for academic research and training in the non-clinical life sciences.
• Clore Duffield
• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [EPSRC] is the main UK government agency for funding research and training in engineering and the physical sciences.
• Economic and Social Research Council [ESRC] funds research and training in social and economic issues.
• Esmee Fairbairn
• Medical Research Council support research across the entire spectrum of medical sciences.
• Natural Environment Research Council [NERC] funds world-class science in universities that increases knowledge and understanding of the natural world.
• Nuffield
• Science and Technology Facilities Council [STFC] offers grants and support in Particle Physics, Astronomy, Nuclear Physics and Facility Development
• Royal Society

Charitable Foundations

Major charitable foundations which sponsor research projects include:

• All Saints Educational Trust funds imaginative new projects which will enhance the Church’s contribution to higher and further education.
• Clore Duffield Foundation is a grant-making organisation which concentrates its support on education, the arts, museum and gallery education, cultural leadership training, health and social care and enhancing Jewish life.
• Esmee Fairbairn Foundation is responsive to requests for support across the broad range of their interests, which are: the cultural life of the UK, education and learning, the natural environment and enabling disadvantaged people to participate more fully in society.
• Ford Foundation’s grant making focuses on reducing poverty and injustice; promoting democratic values; and advancing human knowledge, creativity and achievement.
• Jerwood Foundation offers funding and sponsorship of the arts, education and other areas of human endeavour and excellence.
• The Allen Lane Foundation makes grants for up to three years, with a value of £500-£15,000 in total. Funding is focused on a number of specific beneficiary groups and grants are made across the UK.
• The Bradley Foundation is a private, independent grantmaking organization based in Milwaukee. Its grants support research and educational projects, programs, and other activities.
• The British Academy provides research funding to postdoctoral level scholars in all subjects within the humanities and social sciences.
• The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is not a grant-making organisation and does not accept speculative enquiries for funding. It issues ‘calls for proposals’ and invite submissions to them.
• The Leverhulme Trust makes awards for the support of research and education. The Trust emphasises individuals and encompasses all subject areas.
• The Nuffield Foundation supports projects that are imaginative and innovative, take a thoughtful and rigorous approach to problems, and have the potential to influence policy or practice.
• The Royal Society runs nineteen funding schemes which are designed to enhance the UK science base and foster collaboration between UK-based and overseas scientists.

For a list of UK charitable organisations, please visit the Association of Charitable Foundations website.

Governments Departments and other public bodies that sponsor research

• Department for Culture, Media and Sport commission specific studies. Its sponsored bodies also publish their own research reports.
• Department for Education tenders research projects in the areas of education and early years.
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [Defra] is a major funder of science, spending over £300 million annually on research, monitoring and surveillance activities.
• Department for International Development funds many organisations across the globe who are working to end poverty.
• Department for Transport commissions research to assess the effectiveness of transport policies.
• Department for Education for Northern Ireland issues requests for research proposals at least once every two years.
• Environment Agency has well-established links to many UK universities and we are keen to establish more of these strategic partnerships.
• Heritage Lottery Fund use research to understand how grant programmes are working and what difference the projects funded have made – both to heritage and for people.
• Higher Education Funding Council for Wales provides funding to institutions for the training of postgraduate research students, and for capital investment in research equipment and facilities.
• Home Office publish requests for expressions of interest on their website.
• The Education and Skills Funding Agency produces a wide variety of publications, which support our work in funding and regulating further education and skills in England.
• Office for Students and student finance
• Scottish Government funds a wide range of research programmes, helping to inform and assess policy.
• Scottish Funding Council provides block grant funding for universities to carry out ground-breaking research of their choosing.