Why research at UHI?
Postgraduate research with us
A research degree at the University of the Highlands and Islands gives you an exciting and rewarding opportunity to explore a topic in real depth in order to make new contributions to knowledge. When you study for a research degree with us, in your specialist field of research, you will be based in one of our campuses which offer unparalleled natural laboratories, environmental opportunities to support world-class research.
You will work independently under the guidance of a Director of Studies and a small supervisory team with relevant academic expertise. You will also be allocated a Third Party Adviser; an active researcher who will be available to offer independent pastoral support and guidance.
You will have regular meetings with your supervisory team throughout your studies and, at intervals during your degree, you will be expected to demonstrate that your research and writing are progressing and any concerns are addressed in a timely fashion (if you have a sponsor, such as one of the UK Research Councils or an overseas government, this is also an assurance that they will expect). You will also have access to a wide range of training and development opportunities to support your studies.
Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES)
AdvanceHE runs PRES, which is the only UK sector-wide survey to gain insight from postgraduate research students about their learning and supervision experience.
We conduct PRES every other year and in the most recent 2022 survey, we scored an overall student satisfaction rating of 74%. Respondents indicated that they were particularly pleased with our performance in areas including supervision, research skills and progression. The results also highlighted areas where we can make improvements, many which may have been temporarily impacted by the effects of the pandemic. We are working to address areas including our institutional research culture and research resources.
Read the full Higher Education Academy report on PRES 2022 (opens in new window)
Read the UHI privacy notice - PRES
Research at UHI - REF2021 results
Our results from REF2021 confirm our strong position in the research landscape of the UK; we may be relatively small but the results show nearly 3/4 of the research publications we submitted for assessment were deemed to be world leading or internationally excellent. Our impact ratings (a measure of our reach and influence in business and our communities) also show how strong our research influence is. Read more on our REF webpage, where there are also case studies of some of our research projects...