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Record 22 subjects in global top 100

A best-ever 22 of our subjects have been ranked among the top 100 in their field in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026.
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Global Futures Summer School

Connect with others from around the world and join our 10 day residential pre-university programme, for students aged 16-17.
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Alumni Fee Scholarship

Supporting Durham graduates looking to undertake a postgraduate degree.
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Durham Master's Bursaries

Supporting UK students from low and middle-income households with postgraduate study starting in 2026.
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Inspiring Excellence Scholarships

Recognising outstanding international students, at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
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Your next steps

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Research impact at Durham

We conduct innovative and impactful research to transform lives and make a difference, globally and locally: research to empower and inspire.

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Young children have long-lasting memories of vegetable smells experienced in the womb

Experiencing bitter or non-bitter flavours before birth can shape taste likes or dislikes after being born, according to new research led by our Department of Psychology.

Global research
A young boy wearing glasses and sitting at a table eats a green vegetable from a plate full of vegetables.

UKRI Board visit highlights North East England universities collaborative impact on regional progress and national innovation

The five universities of North East England – Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside – have welcomed the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Board to the region.
Business and Partnerships
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£1.5m funding boost for Durham clean tech spinout

A pioneering clean tech company that was spun out of Durham academic research has secured £1.5m of funding to further its development.
Business and Partnerships
Two men standing with machinery

Honorary fellowship awarded for transformative research on peatlands and climate processes

Professor Martin Evans, Executive Dean in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Health, has been made an honorary fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS).
Global research
Professor Martin Evans is pictured in a brown jacket and white shirt in the Palatine Centre

How parents shape helpfulness in babies across cultures

New research from our Psychology Department has found that the way parents’ guide their babies plays a key role in how helping behaviour develops, with clear differences across cultures.
Research news
Babies learning to help in Uganda and the UK

Museum of Archaeology awarded National Lottery Heritage Fund grant for major gallery redevelopment

The Museum of Archaeology housed within Palace Green Library, has been awarded £217,844 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to redevelop its main gallery, improving access to Durham’s 10,000-year archaeological story. The award is part of The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s ongoing support for heritage projects across the UK, made possible through money raised by National Lottery players.
Durham news
A woman examining an exhibit in the Museum of Archaeology

Communication gaps undermine social innovation, study finds

New research from our Management and Marketing Department shows that misunderstandings between investors and founders are a major reason why social innovation ventures fail to grow. In many cases, they collapse altogether.
Global research
Diverse team collaborating in modern office
More news

Widely available extreme porn is normalising sexual violence

Widely available extreme pornography on mainstream platforms is eroticising masculine dominance and normalising sexual violence, according to leading law professor Clare McGlynn.

Someone scrolling on a mobile phone.

Home distractions harm remote workers’ wellbeing and productivity, study finds

Remote working can damage work-life balance, wellbeing and productivity unless clear boundaries are in place, new research finds.
Happy man working alone in a tidy room at home

Researchers create DNA “nano-rings” to control vital cell proteins

Researchers from our top-rated Biosciences Department working with colleagues at Jagiellonian University in Poland, have developed a new nanoscale tool that could transform how scientists study some of the most important proteins in biology.
Rendered in a retro-futuristic vapourwave style, the cover depicts DNA origami as luminous tweezers capturing membrane protein-loaded nanodiscs with nanometre precision. The image highlights DOC-NDs as a nanoscale tool for the controlled positioning of membrane proteins and their delivery to target lipid bilayers, shown as the planar surface where several proteins have already been delivered.

Student vocal group Northern Lights A Cappella claims second place on the world stage

Northern Lights A Cappella is named second in the world, representing the UK for the fourth time in a row at the highest level of student a cappella.

A mixed group of students on a stage holding four certificates and a glass trophy. All look very happy.

Fired up and victorious: Ten Durham sports teams shine at BUCS Big Wednesday

Ten Durham sports teams competed in the annual British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Big Wednesday event this year, coming away with an outstanding set of results.
A women's volleyball team standing behind a red 'Champions' banner, holding a trophy high, and celebrating.

Durham named a World Top 50 international university

We’ve been named in the top 50 of the world’s most international universities, by a newly published league table.
A group of female students walk down a cobbled street in the sunshine. Other students are either side of the group. In the background are the towers of Durham Cathedral.

The old adage that people leave managers, not companies is true – but only up to a point

Exploring why employees leave their jobs, PhD candidate Jafni Bin Johari Jiken and DBA graduate and alumnus Dr Asrif Yusoff from Durham University Business School examine how leadership and workplace conditions shape staff retention.

Overwhelmed business man in office surrounded by co workers

Christianity in the UK is flourishing in immigrant communities – but a US style Christian nationalism is lurking elsewhere

Has Christianity become a nationalist weapon used to defend a particular form of British culture? Professor Mathew Guest from our Department of Theology and Religion looks at the shifts in society.
Two hands holding a Bible.

Why some children with learning difficulties get identified – and others don’t

A major study has revealed that where a child goes to school plays a role in whether they get diagnosed with a specific learning difficulty or not. Lead author, Dr Johny Daniel explains.
Young children writing in a classroom

  • Durham and Italy: Strengthening Cultural and Academic Collaboration

    We welcomed Dr Francesco Bongarrà, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in London, and Mr Gabriele Magagnin, Italian Consul General (Manchester), to celebrate and strengthen our longstanding ties with Italy. We marked our strong international profile and our deep and enduring connections with Italian institutions, underpinned by close collaborations with the Italian Cultural Institute in London since 2015.
    Global research
    People posed around a table

  • First year of community action celebrated

    More than 800 young people have taken part in more than 4,000 hours of positive community activities in the first year of our partnership with the Foundation of Light charity.
    Durham news
    A girl, a woman, a man, and a boy standing, the children holding footballs

  • From barriers to breakthroughs – report highlights TechUP’s impact on women in tech

    For seven years, our pioneering TechUP programme has been successfully helping women break into tech and accelerate their careers. That’s according to a new impact report, evaluating TechUP’s impact to date.
    Durham news
    Participants in the TechUp programme pose in celebration with comical props and arms raised

Durham and Italy: Strengthening Cultural and Academic Collaboration

We welcomed Dr Francesco Bongarrà, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in London, and Mr Gabriele Magagnin, Italian Consul General (Manchester), to celebrate and strengthen our longstanding ties with Italy. We marked our strong international profile and our deep and enduring connections with Italian institutions, underpinned by close collaborations with the Italian Cultural Institute in London since 2015.

People posed around a table

First year of community action celebrated

More than 800 young people have taken part in more than 4,000 hours of positive community activities in the first year of our partnership with the Foundation of Light charity.
A girl, a woman, a man, and a boy standing, the children holding footballs

From barriers to breakthroughs – report highlights TechUP’s impact on women in tech

For seven years, our pioneering TechUP programme has been successfully helping women break into tech and accelerate their careers. That’s according to a new impact report, evaluating TechUP’s impact to date.
Participants in the TechUp programme pose in celebration with comical props and arms raised

Upcoming events

Buddha's Birthday

Sunday 24 May 2026 - Sunday 24 May 2026
12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Buddha, head, walnut plinth and bracket.

Global Futures Pre-University Summer School

Sunday 19 July 2026 - Tuesday 28 July 2026
3:00 PM to 10:00 AM
Durham University
A group of students by a river in front of Durham Cathedral

Botanic Garden Fun Day 2026

Monday 25 May 2026 - Monday 25 May 2026
11:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Botanic Garden, Hollingside Lane, South Road Durham DH1 3TN
Botanic Garden Fun Day children jumping near the pond

清閨澤華——黃金澤宜珍藏特展 Everyday Elegance: Daily Lives of Women in Late Qing China

Saturday 16 May 2026 - Sunday 20 September 2026
12:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Heavily embroidered piece of textile
See all events

From our Student Blogs:

Why I took a placement year I never planned for

Ellena, a Climate Science student, shares how saying yes to an unexpected placement opportunity helped her build experience, confidence, and a future in renewables.

Off shore wind turbines in the sea

 

 

This is the image alt text

Young children have long-lasting memories of vegetable smells experienced in the womb

Experiencing bitter or non-bitter flavours before birth can shape taste likes or dislikes after being born, according to new research led by our Department of Psychology.

Researchers found that young children are less likely to react negatively to the smell of vegetables they were repeatedly exposed to in the womb.

Read more