Research projects

Our applied research is broad, inherently interdisciplinary and collaborative and provides a unique blend of methodological and substantive expertise.

Current projects

hands holding a purse with some change

Older low paid workers in the UK

The policy implications of a better understanding of the circumstances and experiences of low paid older workers are far reaching.
A photograph of a graveyard

The financial cost of a funeral

The focus of this scoping research project is the cost of funerals in England.
People movement in rush hour at King's Cross station, London.

Future migration scenarios for Europe

Understanding the patterns of migration at multiple levels, from the international over the national and regional to the local level. 
Research and development hologram on aerial view of road, busy urban traffic highway at night.

Integrating Research Infrastructure for European expertise on Inclusive Growth

The InGRID-2 project is a continuation of the launch in 2013 and will work on it as an advanced research infrastructure.
Abstract geometric texture.

Third EU-SILC network on income and living conditions

Developing common tools regarding various aspects of data production for the whole European Statistical System.
Parked bicycles outside University Place.

Statistical modelling of cyclist accidents with Big Data

Bicycling is an often overlooked means of transportation, both for commuting and for recreation.
anonymous data

PROVANON (provenance and anonymisation)

Investigating the relationship between data provenance and anonymisation.  

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Other projects

  • Methodological advancements on the use of administrative data in official statistics, funded by the ESRC from February 2021 for 18 months. It carries out research to assess and improve the quality of administrative data in the UK national statistical system and to create statistical registers for producing statistical outputs.
  • Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE), concerned with understanding changing ethnic inequalities and identities.
  • International Centre for Lifecourse Studies (ICLS), identifying the pinch points in peoples' lives where targeted support can help us flourish.
  • National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM), focuses on delivering cutting-edge research methods training across the UK.
  • Q-Step at Manchester, offering courses and training to support future social science researchers.
  • UK Anonymisation Network (UKAN), providing information about anonymisation for people who handle personal data.
  • Evolutionary algorithms and data synthesis. This project is exploring the application of multi-objective optimization to develop novel data synthesis methods that optimise simultaneously the two conflicting criteria, data utility (to be maximised) and disclosure risk (to be minimised).
  • Does father involvement increase children's educational attainment at primary school? This study will provide the first empirical analysis that uses longitudinal data to analyse the relationship between fathers’ childcare involvement and their children’s primary school attainment in England.
  • Re-counting crime: New methods to improve the accuracy of estimates of crime (2020-2022, ESRC secondary data initiative). There is probably no other scientific endeavour more relevant to the field of Criminology than to count crime accurately. Crime estimates are central to policy. They are used to in the allocation of police resources, and more generally they are a central theme of political debate with apparent increases in crime serving as an indictment on existing law and order policies. Academics also make regular use of crime statistics in their work, both seeking to understand why some places and people are more prone to crime and using variations in crime to help explain other social outcomes. And of course, members of the public also refer to this information. For example, historic crime trends are now included on many house buying websites.