The University has pledged £3.7m of investment to three departments in the Faculty of Science to support world-leading research in key disciplines.
The funding in physics, biosciences and psychology - which will be made over five years - has been announced following success in the recent REF 2021.
In the bioscience/physics interface, the investment will create a critical mass in an area where the Faculty of Science already has a strong track record. The investment will help create a research arc from soft matter physics and materials through to the physical principles of how living things function, encompassing elements of mechanobiology and energy capture.
Investment in bio-inspired global carbon capture approaches will help build capacity and resilience in an area where Sheffield has a leading profile. The funding will support research to develop novel experimental approaches to mitigate climate change and to inform climate change policy at a national and international level.
There will also be investment in particle physics to exploit emerging advances in the area of dark matter, embedding Sheffield within major international consortia addressing fundamental aspects of the physical world. The funding is in addition to previously announced strategic investment from the University for work on Quantum technologies between physics and engineering.
In psychology there will be investment in precision and computational approaches to health, cognition and development. This will align research with a clear trajectory through to impact in both social science and medicine, building on research excellence in neuroscience and cognition, as well as synergising with major University investment in Machine Learning.
Director of Research and Innovation in the Faculty, Professor Andrew Fleming said: “This is wonderful news for Science in Sheffield.
“The investment will enable us to develop our research in several critical areas, helping us to achieve our goal of research excellence coupled with addressing major global challenges.”
The investment will be through a range of appointments, including recruiting established researchers at Chair level and Faculty Research Fellowships to attract the brightest future research talent to Sheffield.