University of Nottingham - Research

Research

Nottingham is a research-led institution and the alumni of the university have been awarded two Nobel Prizes this decade. Much of the work on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was carried out at Nottingham, work for which Professor Sir Peter Mansfield received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2003. Nottingham remains a strong centre for research into MRI. Nottingham has contributed to a number of other significant scientific advances. Professor Frederick Kipping, Professor of Chemistry (1897–1936), made the discovery of silicone polymers at Nottingham. Major developments in the in vitro culture of plants and micropropogation techniques were made by plant scientists at Nottingham, along with the first production of transgenic tomatoes by Professor Don Grierson in the 1980s. Other innovations at the university include cochlear implants for deaf children and the brace-for-impact position used in aircraft. Other facilities at Nottingham include a 12 teraflop supercomputer.

Nottingham had 26 departments rated 5 or 5* (internationally excellent) in the UK Funding Councils' 2001 Research Assessment Exercise, and the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise found 60 per cent of Nottingham's research to be "world-leading" or "internationally excellent"., ranking 7th in the UK in terms of 'Research Power'. Nottingham is also in the top four universities in Britain for the amount of research income received, being awarded over £150 million in research contracts for the 2009–2010 academic year. Indeed, League tables compiled by the Times Higher Education based on UK Research Councils grants have revealed that The University of Nottingham came joint second in Britain in 2009 for its success rate for grant applications, ahead of Oxford, University College London (UCL) and Imperial College.