Our research addresses the key challenges facing society in areas including sustainable energy, green transport, resource efficiency, resilient infrastructure, and mitigating climate and environmental change.
96% of our Engineering research impact is recognised as world-leading or internationally excellent (REF2021).
Below we feature examples of ways in which our research is changing the world for the better and impacting on the lives of people in the UK and around the globe.
Ecological Engineering at Southampton has improved the sustainability of river infrastructure throughout the world. Our impact is estimated to have exceeded £20m and has been achieved through innovative fish passage and screening in the UK, South America and Asia, preventing the spread of invasive fish in North America and Africa, and dam decommissioning in Europe, and North and South America.
Pioneering research into bubble acoustics is developing exciting applications in several fields. Professor Tim Leighton and colleagues in the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR) are discovering new ways of understanding the oceans, delivering drugs and medical procedures and even making cleaning systems work more efficiently.
Our maritime engineering research has reduced CO 2 emissions and improved the safety of the ships ranging from small fishing vessels to the large bulk carriers, and improved understanding of deep-sea environments by advancing intelligent robotic survey capabilities.
Cochlear implants have been available in the UK for over 20 years and are the only successful treatment available for people with severe to profound deafness. They can transform lives by restoring an individual’s ability to hear and understand speech or help a deaf person hear for the first time. Pioneering research into the devices at the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR) has improved their performance and led to changes in health policy by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
Research at the University of Southampton has shed new light on a damaging condition suffered by workers who use hand-held power tools. Millions of workers in the UK and around the world are at risk of developing the hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Engineers and scientists in the Human Factors Research Unit within the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research work with experts in the Faculty of Medicine to learn more about this condition, to develop ways of diagnosing it, and to suggest how to work with power tools so as to control the risks.
Research carried out at the University of Southampton has enabled major players in the aerospace industry, including Rolls-Royce, Airbus, and Boeing, to produce more fuel efficient, longer lasting engines and aircraft at reduced cost. Southampton engineers have provided the aerospace industry with modelling tools and software to assist the companies in investigating complex new designs quickly while managing product risk in a competitive market.
An estimated 1.3 million artificial knee joints are implanted annually around the world. Southampton researchers in bioengineering are working with one of the world’s leading manufacturers of total knee replacements to support them in developing new and better implants. They have developed advanced computer simulations for use in the early design phases which are helping to assess wear, taking account for differences in patients and surgical procedures.
Cloud computing is now in common use for companies and individuals who want wide access to computing, data handling and storage at affordable prices.
Research at the University of Southampton created the concept as a way for design engineers in the aerospace, defence, energy, civil engineering, automotive and other industries to use massive amounts of computing power for complex and essential calculations without the expense of setting up their own systems. Its founders Professors Simon Cox, Andy Keane and Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt launched Dezineforce in 2007; it was sold to Microsoft in 2011.
Performance Sports Engineering at Southampton supports advances in competitive sailing, motorsport, cycling, wintersports, watersports and swimming. Our expertise and facilities have supported round the world races such as the Vendée Globe, match racing at the latest America’s Cup, and Team GB athletes competing at every winter and summer Olympic games since 2008. This is through our partnership with English Institute of Sport’s Research and Innovation team and the ongoing work of the Wolfson Unit for Marine Technology and industrial Aerodynamics.
Our research has achieved significant performance and reliability improvements for railway and other critical infrastructure systems. It has led to substantial cost and carbon savings, supported government decision-making and enabled industry innovation for economic gain.
As Britain’s roads get busier and busier, we need intelligent and sustainable solutions to keep traffic flowing swiftly and safely. Members of the University of Southampton’s Transportation Research Group (TRG) are investigating ways of improving how we get around our cities and exploring how to cut congestion on motorways and major trunk roads. Their expertise is also in demand around the world from transport planners who want to avoid gridlock in their communities.
Hip replacement operations transform lives. More than 85,000 are carried out every year in England and Wales, primarily to treat osteoarthritis, and most are very successful and give patients pain-free movement for well over ten years. However, younger, more active patients present a greater challenge. Engineers at the University of Southampton have worked closely with the orthopaedics industry and clinicians to come up with new implant solutions aimed to treat this patient group. Their research contributed directly to the development of two hip replacement products and more than 3,500 operations using the new hips have now been carried out.
Our research into novel signal processing for sound and vibration have benefited diverse areas from the aerospace and maritime industries, to border security, broadcast audio and home entertainment.
Research at the University of Southampton’s Airbus Noise Technology Centre (ANTC) and the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in Gas Turbine Noise has given Airbus and Rolls-Royce tools to understand, predict and reduce noise pollution from commercial aircraft. This will help them make sure they are on track to meet the European Union’s stringent noise reduction targets, and maintain their competitive edge. This is also good news for the millions of people who live near our busiest airports.
Ten years ago, small scale wind turbines in towns and cities were becoming popular as perceived sources of green energy by generating electricity at the point of use. However, research by specialist environmental engineers at the University of Southampton revealed these micro-wind devices were very inefficient and some actually consumed more power than they generated. Publication of their findings in 2009 attracted considerable media coverage and major DIY chain B&Q withdrew from selling domestic wind turbines altogether.
If deafness can be diagnosed at birth, then the child can get educational support or hearing aids to help his or her development. Research at the University of Southampton’s Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR) helped to evaluate a pioneering test that enables deafness to be detected in newborn babies. Since it has been adopted by the National Health Service, all newborn babies in the UK are routinely screened. The research at ISVR has contributed to the World Health Organisation’s recommendations in favour of universal newborn hearing screening.
The University of Southampton’s research into space debris has made a vital contribution to space policy by addressing an issue identified by the United Nations (UN) as having important implications for all humanity. It has played a key role in advising policymakers on how best to manage the orbital environment in a sustainable manner for generations to come and avoid the risk of satellites encountering debris in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO).
Research by engineers at the University of Southampton into reducing railway noise has created an exciting new technology that is being used to expand rail networks in Europe and Australia while preserving the quality of life for people who live nearby.
Under a licence agreement with the University, Tata Steel has supplied patented rail dampers that have been fitted on track in 16 countries. These dampers have proved particularly crucial for a new rail line in Sydney.
The UK economy loses £24billion every year because of problems with friction, wear and lubrication. That figure represents up to 1.6 percent of the country’s GDP. This field of engineering, known as Tribology, looks at ways of reducing this damage in transport, manufacturing, energy and life sciences. The University of Southampton is the home of the national Centre of Advanced Tribology (nCATS).
Understanding how winds blow and how pollution moves around towns and cities is increasingly important to environmental engineers designing new urban spaces. It is also crucial in developing fast responses to the release of toxic materials whether through accidents or terrorism. This is all primarily a matter of applied fluid mechanics involving specialist field trials combined with appropriate wind tunnel and computational modelling.