Staff research activity is at the heart of our vibrant and inclusive research culture in TRS. Over the past decade, the reputation of research at Chester has grown rapidly, with our team of academics recognised as international leaders in their respective fields, extending across the fields of Religious Studies, Theology, and Biblical Studies.
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research in Higher Education Institutions, and the most recent results in 2021 recognised TRS Chester as one of the top Theology and Religious Studies departments in the country, outperforming many Russell Group Universities.
- 88% of our research activity was judged to be world-leading or internationally excellent (8th in the UK)
- 100% of our research impact was judged to be in the two highest categories for reach and significance (6th in the UK)
- TRS Chester achieved the greatest increase in overall score from the last REF exercise in 2014 than any other Theology and Religious Studies Department in the UK.
You can find out more about individual staff research interests, publications, and expertise here.
We pride ourselves on making our research accessible to wider audiences beyond higher education, through public lectures, podcasts and webinars, media work and consultancy. We work closely with schools, faith groups, policy-makers, campaigners and voluntary organisations. Our research also informs our teaching across all our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
TRS staff have a successful track record in supervising research students, many of whom have gone on to careers in higher education, publishing, non-governmental organisations and religious leadership. You can find out more about our research degrees and look for a supervisor here.