Overview
The Institute of Gerontology at King's College London is one of the leading gerontological research and teaching centres world-wide. Founded in 1986, the Institute is at the vanguard of multi-disciplinary research and teaching, acting as a bridge between the social and clinical sciences.
The objectives of the Institute are to:
- Engage in state of the art research into the demographic, sociological, psychological, financial and institutional processes of adult ageing.
- Provide multidisciplinary, research-led education and research training for both clinical and social scientists, including practitioners in health, social care, government and the voluntary sector.
- Engage critically with social policy issues for the benefit of older people both nationally and internationally.
The Institute's inter-disciplinary nature is reflected in its broad research sponsorship base; it has received funding from UK Research Councils (i.e. ESRC, MRC, EPSRC & AHRB), from many of the charities concerned with the welfare of older people and from government (including the Department for Work and Pensions & the Department of Health).
Our research is focused on three core areas:
- Ageing policy, health and healthcare: investigating what factors lead to better physical, mental and social health in later life and how health services throughout the lifecourse can be optimised to improve health and well-being at older ages.;
- Communities, work and family life: examining how changes in work, the environment and family life have affected the lives of older people and how government policies impact on intergenerational relations; and
- Global ageing: studying how governments should be preparing for the rapid ageing of populations around the world and how changes in family and community structures impact on support, housing, health and care in later life.
The translational value of our research can be seen in independent critical analysis and advice given to Government, NGOs including the WHO, and to professional groups including Medicine, Nursing, Clinical Psychology, Social Work, Architecture, Engineering and Law. Advice to overseas academic institutions has also been given to help promote the study of Gerontology worldwide. At the Institute, research is central to our work. It helps maintain our position at the forefront of gerontology and at the same time helps to enrich the learning experience of our students. Encouraging the development of doctoral research is a central part of our research activity. Our MPhil/PhD Gerontology programme will enable you to develop an area of research in great depth and help you become a leading expert in your own right.
RAE score: The Institute is situated in the newly founded Department for Social Science, Health & Medicine which ranked within the top 10 of sociology departments in the UK in only its 2nd year of existence. 100% of the impact of its research is judged to be world-leading or internationally excellent.
Research income: £1.6 million in research funding from December 2013 – December 2012 including including major grants from the ESRC, MRC, NIHR, and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation . As a multi-disciplinary institute a wide range of funding sources are open to us including NGOs, charities and government. Recent and ongoing projects have been funded by the Lifelong Health and Wellbeing initiative (a cross-research council funded programme), ESRC, Atlantic Philanthropies, the Family Law Bar Association, the Department of Health, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, Dunhill Medical Trust, and the Leverhulme Foundation. Current number of research students: We typically have between 5 and 10 PhD students at any time.
Most of our PhD students have been funded via the Research Councils, Health Trusts, NGOs, charities, employers or King's College London studentships. Being a multi-disciplinary institute we are able to supervise PhD research in a wide range of disciplines relating to ageing, and students should see our web pages for details of the research interests of members of staff. Students are expected to complete a full time PhD within 3 years, and a part-time PhD within 6 years.
Partner organisations: The Institute has many long-standing research and teaching collaborations including the Institute of Psychiatry, the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing and Midwifery and the School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, as well as close working links with King's Health Partners, one of the UK's five Academic Health Science Centres. King's Health Partners brings together King's College London, a world leading research led university and three successful NHS Foundation Trusts (Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley).