The School of Law at Queen Mary University of London is ninth in the UK for 3* and 4* research, according to the results of the Research Excellence Framework (REF).
The School delivered an exceptional performance across a number of areas, including impact, in which every submission was deemed to be of 3* or 4* quality.
On the GPA measure, the School achieved an overall score of 3.09 – up 14 per cent from 2008. In total, 86 per cent of submissions from the School of Law scored 3* or 4*.
According to Professor Valsamis Mitsilegas, Head of the Department of Law, the results provide an affirmation of the “world-class research which takes place at QMUL’s School of Law.”
“These results confirm our status as a leader in innovative, impact-focused, high-quality research. The proportion of 3* and 4* submissions is exceptional, and is a huge source of pride for our growing community at QMUL.”
Professor Spyros Maniatis, Director of the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, described the results as “a welcome confirmation of the impressive progress that the School has made since 2008.”
“Our remarkable increase in overall GPA score underlines the quality of our submission. This would not have been possible without the expertise and commitment demonstrated by colleagues across the School. I look forward to building on these excellent results, and further strengthening QMUL’s status as a leader in legal education and research.”
More broadly, the results confirm Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)’s place in the very top group of research-led universities.
QMUL has been ranked 9th among multi-faculty institutions in the UK, according to tables published today in the Times Higher Education.
A total of 154 institutions were submitted for the exercise.
The 2008 RAE confirmed Queen Mary to be one of the rising stars of the UK research environment and the REF 2014 shows that this upward trajectory has been maintained.
Professor Simon Gaskell, President and Principal of Queen Mary, said: “This is an outstanding result for Queen Mary. We have built upon the progress that was evidenced by the last assessment exercise and have now clearly cemented our position as one of the UK’s foremost research-led universities. This achievement is derived from the talent and hard work of our academic staff in all disciplines, and the colleagues who support them.”
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. Universities submit their work across 36 panels of assessment. Research is judged according to quality of output (65 per cent), environment (15 per cent) and, for the first time, the impact of research (20 per cent).
The School of Law has as its central focus the role of law and its institutions in contemporary international society and it is divided into two organisational units: the Department of Law and the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS). The School of Law at Queen Mary University of London has been ranked third in the UK and first in London in the Guardian University Guide 2015 subject league tables.