University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT
Switchboard: +44 (0) 113 243 1751
Fax: +44 (0) 113 244 3923
Email: enquiry@leeds.ac.uk
Website: www.leeds.ac.uk
Recent news
2nd Languages Festival
BBC Chinese broadcast from Leeds explores the city?s Olympic connection
China in Leeds on Sunday
Leeds Festival of Science
A silver bullet to beat cancer?
About the University of Leeds
At the University of Leeds we strive to create, advance and disseminate knowledge, which not only develops outstanding graduates and scholars, but also has a direct impact on global society.
Established in 1904, we are part of the prestigious Russell Group - the 20 leading research universities in the UK, and are well known throughout the world for our quality of teaching and research.
Our degrees are also well respected by employers and universities worldwide, and in the latest World University League Tables, published in October 2009, our employer review score was 99 out of 100.
Our size and international reputation enables the University to offer one of the widest ranges of academic courses in the UK. And our single-site campus, just a short walk from the thriving city centre means Leeds is the perfect place to live and learn.
Rankings
- THE 2009: 99
- THE 2008: 104
- THE 2007: 80=
- SJT 2009: 101-151
- SJT 2008: 101-151
- SJT 2007: 102-150
Landmark buildings
Our University is one of the largest single campus universities in the UK (98 acres) and just one mile form Leeds city centre. It is an eclectic mix of the old and the new reflecting its 100-years history. Brand new buildings and state-of-the-art facilities co-exist with impressive older landmark buildings in a variety of architectural styles.
- Parkinson Building, including the Brotherton Library
- Marjorie and Arnold Ziff Building
- Charles Thackrah Building
- Stage@leeds
- EC Stoner Building
- New swimming pool and fitness complex to open Spring 2010
International partnerships
- Leeds was a founder member of the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) and it is chaired by our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Arthur.
- We lead the ground-breaking White Rose Health Innovation Partnership (WRHIP) for which we received international recognition including a USA Thomas Edison award for innovation in 2008. The partnership allows UK and American universities to work with hospitals and businesses to fast-track new healthcare technologies.
- 40% of our academic staff actively work in applied research or as consultants to industry, many with global corporations including Tesco, BP, GlaxoSmithKline and Astra Zeneca.
- We are also establishing collaborative research in the field of nanotechnology and a range of other initiatives with King Saud University in Saudi Arabia.
Famous academics
Our well-known academics include:
- Professor Alastair Hay OBE
- Professor Sir Alex Markham
- Professor Piers Forster (Nobel Prize Winner)
- Professor John Fisher
- Professor Richard Williams OBE
- Professor Fiona Williams OBE
- Professor Griselda Pollock
- Professor Eileen Ingham
- Professor Julia Newton-Bishop
- Professor Zygmunt Bauman
Notable research areas
In the recent RAE exercise (which assesses the quality of research in universities and colleges in the UK) more than half our schools were ranked in the top 10 in the country - and 61% of our research was judged to be "world leading" or "internationally excellent".
Our experts represent their fields in global and national organisations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the UK Food Standards Agency.
The University of Leeds has one of the largest medical and bioscience research bases in the UK. The Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (iMBE) has recently launched a £50 million research initiative, aimed at giving people "50 active years after 50". Read the press release
We are leaders in cancer research, and are transforming the treatment of TB, HIV and malaria across the world.
Our first-rate expertise in nanotechnology, environmental sustainability, climate change, energy, culture and society, and transport has influenced many aspects of everyday life
We also excel in the areas of English, electrical engineering, post-colonialism and medieval studies.
Most significant research breakthrough in the last 12 months
Professor Animesh Jha and his team, in the Faculty of Engineering, discovered how to recover significant quantities of rare-earth oxides, present in titanium dioxide minerals. The rare-earth oxides, which are indispensable for the manufacture of wind turbines, energy-efficient lighting, and hybrid and electric cars, are extracted or reclaimed simply and cheaply from the waste materials of another industrial process.
If taken to industrial scale, the new process could eventually shift the balance of power in global supply, breaking China's near monopoly on these scarce but crucial resources. China currently holds 95 per cent of the world's reserves of rare earth metals in a multi-billion dollar global market in which demand is growing steadily.
Mission
We are a research-intensive University which strives to create, advance and disseminate knowledge, develop outstanding graduates and scholars and to make a major impact upon global society.
The standard of excellence to which we aspire means undertaking research of international quality which makes a real difference to knowledge, its application and the way in which our society thinks and functions.
Vision
By 2015 our distinctive ability to integrate world-class research, scholarship and education will have secured us a place among the top 50 universities in the world.
Our vision informs all our decisions and activities. It is the living, breathing heart of our organisation.
Student profile
- Total number: 32,815 students from over 130 countries
- Home country numbers: 28,040
- Own continent numbers: 1,450
- International (out of continent) numbers: 3,325
- Undergraduate numbers: 24,965
- Postgraduate numbers: 7,850