Research impact stories

Themes

Impact of our research

Selected highlights

  • maths spheres Philosophical reasoning brings clarity to the complex
    Are there any meaningful commonalities in how the different scientific disciplines tackle complexity and can they provide a reliable definition for this constantly evolving field? A rigorous investigation that unpicks the theories and crunches the numbers finds a way through the confusion - but points out that no definition can ever be absolute.
    Theme: Knowledge
  • Sandra Arndt Cretaceous Sediment Investigations (CSI) of the Deep Biosphere
    Buried deep within the sediments at the bottom of the ocean – up to a kilometer below the seafloor – there are organisms that we know little more about than had we discovered them on Mars. But thanks to Bristol researchers, we are learning more each day.
    Theme: Environment
  • Davide Pisani Tracing the evolution of genes sheds light on the origins of life, including humans
    Looking at how genes function across different species is helping to answer questions about human origins as well as how we view life on Earth. Dr Davide Pisani is integrating genomic data with palaeontological data to answer fundamental questions such as when vision first originated in animals and what was the first chemical smelled.
    Theme: Knowledge
  • halkieria fossil Research that marries molecular biology and palaeontology helps solve evolutionary puzzles
    Fossils can capture a moment in time and provide a glimpse into how organisms looked and changed through time, revealing how, for instance, the major vertebrate groups – jawed fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds – diverged and diversified. However, there are many groups that are poorly represented within the fossil record, and the origins of which are far more. Dr Jakob Vinther, a lecturer in Macroevolution, is trying to resolve some of these evolutionary ambiguities.
    Theme: Environment
  • Prof Gainsborough Vietnamese reform influences design of government interventions
    Since 1986, Vietnam has been undergoing economic reform with the goal of creating a socialist-oriented market economy. The ruling Communist Party has overseen this reform, known as Doi Moi, working with the international donor aid community since 1993 to instil major changes within its governance systems.
    Theme: Society and economy
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About our impact stories

Research at the University of Bristol contributes to the University's international reputation, it informs our teaching and it is the basis of our economic and societal role in the region and of our collaborations across the world.

The stories here celebrate the range and depth of this research undertaken at the University of Bristol and how it impacts on society, on a local, national and international level.

New stories are added regularly to reflect our sustained and evolving research activity, focusing on key projects that are currently active or have recently been completed from each of the University faculties.

In addition to the research impact stories presented here, our public engagement stories delve further into how academic staff around the University are using their research and teaching practices to engage directly with and inspire members of the public.

Browse our stories

Use the links in the left hand navigation menu to filter our stories by theme, or view all our impact stories.