Questions of peace, security, and justice are central to the discussions of governments, international organizations, and civil society. Queen's University stands as a world-leading institution in addressing these critical issues, bringing together one of the UK’s largest and most diverse groups of scholars across conflict studies, human rights, politics, and international relations.

Situated in Northern Ireland, a post-conflict society, the university offers a unique vantage point for exploring peacebuilding and conflict resolution from multiple perspectives.

We have a globally recognized research centre dedicated to improving children's lives by advancing knowledge on children’s rights, participation and amplifying children’s voices. Our work focuses on key issues such as children’s involvement in decision-making and rights-based research methods. Our research is organized around two interconnected areas: children's rights and research with children.

In the Children’s Rights area, we use the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international standards to assess laws, policies, and practices affecting children. In Research with Children, we focus on the best methods for conducting research on children’s lives, particularly approaches that actively engage children in the research process. Our expertise includes employing the 'Lundy Model' of child participation, a recognized framework for involving children in research.

We recognize that we live in multilingual, multimodal societies where language and education are central to individuals, groups, and cultures. Our approach goes beyond seeing language as a mere code and addresses social justice issues tied to language use.

Research at Centre for Language Education Research spans topics such as bilingual education, multilingualism, language awareness, assessment, digital literacy, multimodality, and refugee education. Our goals include advancing knowledge on language in multilingual environments, bridging research-practice divides through partnerships, and building research capacity in Applied Linguistics and Language Education.

We challenge everyday assumptions about language use, collaborating with international researchers and stakeholders to explore how communication and learning shape our ultra-social lives, always grounded in evidence and interdisciplinary research.

Our research drives transformation in business and society by analysing economic, business, and social trends to generate new theories, insights, and recommendations for public policy and business innovation. We enhance understanding of how markets, organizations, and social institutions develop over time.

With a strong, diverse research culture, we take pride in our contributions to the economy and society. Looking ahead, we are committed to expanding our international collaborations, increasing research impact, and enhancing our PhD programs.

Politics influences every aspect of society, shaping decisions about how we understand, organize, and plan for our collective future. At Queen's University Belfast, the discipline of Political Science and International Relations is explored in its broadest sense—ranging from local to global contexts and across diverse theoretical and methodological approaches.

With a rich tradition of studying complex issues like sovereignty, identity, and power-sharing, Queen's provides an ideal environment for examining the political forces that impact both governance and societal structures.

Discover our research outputs

History at Queen’s University is an internationally renowned centre for historical research and teaching, spanning from antiquity to the present. Our research community is recognized for both academic excellence and societal impact.  The expertise and publications from staff at the school have significantly shaped public understanding and debate on a variety of historical topics. They have been active in commemorations like the ‘Decade of Centenaries’ and the First World War in Ireland and Britain, and in contributing to museum and heritage work.

Key research areas include the role of religion, women's equality, and race relations. Recent projects span subjects like women in 19th-century America, war and the supernatural in early-modern Europe, popular music in early-modern England, and the global history of the Irish revolution.

Discover Research Outputs

• The Senator George J Mitchell Institute For Global Peace, Security and Justice
• Institute of Irish Studies
• Institute of Professional Legal Studies
• Centre for Children’s Rights
• Centre for Technological Innovation In Mental Health and Education
• Centre for Shared Education
• Centre for Language Education Research
• Centre for Child, Youth and Family Welfare