PhD study at CRESR is a unique experience. Candidates are treated as integral members of the CRESR team, located directly alongside staff in the Centre. Students benefit from and contribute to a thriving, collegiate research environment. CRESR has a strong commitment to academically rich, applied policy research which provides a particularly enriching research environment for postgraduate scholars, providing detailed day-to-day insights to the world of policy and practice through an academic lens.

The Centre and its members hold an enduring commitment to academic rigour through applied policy research, and has been recognised for its success in doing so through the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) in which CRESR's research is assessed under Unit of Assessment (UoA) 16: Architecture, Built Environment and Planning

• 81 per cent of research was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour
• over 50 per cent of research was rated as world leading in terms of impact

CRESR was ranked in the top quartile of UK institutions and the highest ranked post-1992 university.

CRESR produces high quality research in a number of areas including housing, regeneration, labour market studies, environmental sustainability and energy, and the Third Sector.

The Centre successfully conducts research with a range of local, regional, national and international funding bodies. It works with central and local government, research councils, regeneration partnerships, charitable trusts, and various other research bodies to deliver research of the highest quality. 

The CRESR Postgraduate Programme

Continuing researcher development is a core component of a PhD at CRESR. Although it is expected that applicants will have already completed some research training, CRESR postgraduate students will normally undertake additional research training in their first year on an existing MA in Social Research Methods. The research environment for PhD candidates includes opportunities to engage with regular cross-Centre academic discussion groups; a high profile Seminar Series; research conferences and workshops hosted by CRESR; an annual PhD student showcase; and a PhD Forum dedicated for discussion and development among other candidates.

The University offers a range of researcher development modules and successful applicants will also have the opportunity to engage with a suite of networking and development activities led by the ESRC White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership. Candidates will therefore become part of a cross-institution cohort of high-achieving students with similar research interests. Students are also routinely provided opportunities to engage in teaching and research within the University, providing experience critical to future employability.

For an example of research titles within this area, please see students' current thesis titles.