The School of Politics and International Relations is home to several research centres and research groups.
The Mile End Institute is Queen Mary University of London's primary centre for the study and public discussion of the major challenges facing British politics, policymaking, and public life. Established in 2015 under the patronage of Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield, the Mile End Institute has hosted hundreds of public events, produced research papers and policy briefings, and hosted dozens of Research Fellows.
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The Centre for the Study of Race, Class and Empire is committed to shaping and promoting cutting-edge multidisciplinary research examining the intersections of race, class and empire in politics and international relations. Working across the Humanities and Social Sciences, the Centre addresses key questions relating to the production of racism and other forms of marginalisation in politics, society, arts, culture and everyday practice.
The Centre for Governance and Democracy is dedicated to the study and analysis of political systems, governance and democratic processes. It brings together scholars and practitioners to explore key issues such as the politics of democracy and authoritarianism, the complexities of political institutions and public policy and the challenges facing contemporary democracies.
The Research Group on International Political Sociology explores international, political and social phenomena through a transdisciplinary lens that dialogues with fields such as micro-sociology, global historical sociology, political sociology, sociolegal studies, and international relations.
The Gender Research Group is the home for scholarship, public engagement and policy expertise on gender in the School of Politics and International Relations. Its collective approach to gender is expansive (incorporating queer, postcolonial, intersectional and masculinity perspectives), interdisciplinary (overlapping with political philosophy, global health, sociology and history), and global (spanning parliaments, social movements, and international institutions).
TheoryLAB provides a space for creative and critical thinking about politics and society. Open to academics and non-academics alike, TheoryLAB offers a platform for staff and PhD students in the School to engage with one another’s work, for visiting scholars to find an intellectual home, and a place for new theory-focused scholarship to be developed, within and beyond conventional academic spaces.
Newly founded in the academic year 2024-25, the Pedagogy and Critical Scholarship Group is devoted to exploring contemporary issues around nature and significance of both pedagogy and scholarship. It provides a forum for the development of a community of practice open to all teaching staff in the School of Politics and International Relations.