The Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy (SSPP) received some excellent results in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF), reflecting the far-reaching and continuing impact of our research.

Outcomes from the REF are important because they highlight the positive impact our research makes to the world and determine the funding allocations that universities will receive from Research England.

In REF2021, King’s overall has maintained its 6^th place in the national rankings and been rated third amongst multidisciplinary institutions (the Russell Group) for impact.

Within SSPP, most eligible staff in this faculty were returned into one of the four Units of Assessment (UoAs) managed within SSPP: Sociology; Geography; Education; and Politics & International Studies (POLIS).

Highlights of our results from these for Units of Assessment include:

• Education achieved 4* for 87.5% of their impact case studies and established themselves as the leading education institution in London.
• POLIS maintained their position as 1^st for ‘research power’ and improved their percentage of 4* publications by 12.5%
• Geography have improved their quartile position and their ranking to be placed 12^th nationally
• Sociology scored 75% in their Environment section and are now placed in the upper quartile nationally

The work of 57 researchers were submitted into 11 other UoAs, administered by other parts of the university.

Changes to eligibility this time meant we were able to submit the work of 100% of eligible research-active colleagues (361 in total) from all areas of the Faculty, including many postdoctoral researchers. This meant our submission could fully reflect our inclusive and diverse culture here in SSPP which has undergone a major transformation and seen increased investment since REF2014.

She said that, while the latest results were very important, the data, outputs, environment narratives and case studies submitted represent only part of the huge amount of research which is being undertaken within our faculty.

Find out more about research across SSPP

Read some of our stories of research impact:

• Helping keep track of wildfires around the world
• The poverty paradox helping the world’s poorest people
• Helping balance conservation needs with growing pressures for land
• Putting survivors at the centre of disaster response
• Helping to build bridges between east and west
• Enhancing political decision making and public debate on leaving the EU
• Supporting government to better leverage economic gains from defence expenditure
• Evaluating peacebuilding in the western Balkans through art
• Strengthening global nuclear security
• Shifting UK policy to improve peacebuilding in countries following conflict
• Researching jihadist use of social media to improve counterterrorism
• Building leadership for peace in Africa
• Transforming policymaking planning and response for emergencies
• Saving lives thorough military ethics education
• Improving access to safe and effective medicines
• Improving the way big data is used to identify failing hospitals
• Advancing transparency-and-building-trust-in-biodefence
• Helping children with English as an additional language reach potential
• Making the stem sector more equitable
• Building understanding of the value of youth work
• Saving lives through better health communications