Research community and environment
Edinburgh Law School is a dynamic and inclusive community of legal, sociolegal and criminology scholars. We value the remarkable range of ideas and influences that a research community of our scale produces as well as the diversity of our approaches to research, knowledge exchange and impact.
Our research environment was recognised as 100% world-leading in the last Research Excellence Framework exercise (REF2021).
REF2021 recognises Edinburgh Law School’s world-leading ideas and influence | Edinburgh Law School
Centres and Institutes
Our research centres, institutes and networks are an integral part of the School community. They support our research by connecting researchers at all career stages working in specific fields and facilitating dissemination through outward-facing activities. Find out more about our Research Centres and Institutes.
Supporting our Researchers
The School is committed to supporting colleagues at all stages of their careers to conceive and progress their own research and impact ambitions and produce the highest quality work. This is provided in a range of practical and material ways such as needs-centred mentoring, peer review, proactive research planning, research leave and seed funding. The School also has an active Early Career and Project Researcher group which meets monthly and provides crucial peer support for these colleagues.
The School has one of the largest cohorts of legal, sociolegal and criminology PGRs in the UK and they are hugely valued members of our research community. Our PGRs benefit from a range of support including training opportunities for both research skills and professional development, writing retreats and individual funding allocations to support conference attendance, fieldwork etc. Our PGRs have an opportunity each year to participate in the LERU exchange scheme which enables them to work under the supervision of an expert in one of the participating institutions for a short period. PGRs are also able to gain governance experience through engagement with research centres and institutes.
Research Projects
Edinburgh Law School is a disciplinary leader for research income in the UK and funding supports all kinds of activities, from leading large-scale research projects that engage with and aim to benefit research users to individual exploratory projects. Find out more about our current and completed projects.
Estate and facilities
The School is located in Old College, in the heart of Edinburgh, which has been our home for over 300. Old College recently benefitted from a £35M refurbishment and the whole School community is now co-located on the same site, with much improved social spaces and meeting hubs to encourage and facilitate integration and collaboration.
The Law Library, one of the most significant academic law libraries in the UK, is also located within Old College. It offers outstanding digital resources alongside a world-leading print collection, including a unique collection for Scots law research.
