Research in the Department of Geographical and Life Sciences takes place in five main areas. Research funding has been gained from a wide range of funding bodies including Pfizer UK ltd, the European Union (EU), the RSPCA, MAFF, the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC), South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Recent successful PhD projects have included subjects such as: sustainable local food marketing schemes; restoration of coal waste tips; disability access in heritage towns; the geography of rural school provision; estuarine biomonitoring; fisheries research using geographic information systems (GIS); the sexual habits of freshwater snails; the ecology and conservation of the Black Shaheen falcon in Sri Lanka; and biological control of red spider mites.