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Research Clusters

The Department of Sociology, Social Policy, and Criminology's Research Clusters provide focal points for collaboration in different areas of sociological, social, and criminological research. Through them our academic researchers can share ideas, develop projects, gain peer support, access broader networks, and organise seminars and conferences.

Staff members and PhD students can belong to multiple clusters, as can collaborators from across the University and beyond.

Clusters provide the framework for delivering postgraduate research supervision and support, with students fully integrated into projects.

Centre for Ageing and the Life Course Older people holding hands.

Centre for Ageing and the Life Course (CALC)

CALC fosters research in critical and cultural ageing studies, exploring the underpinning factors shaping inequalities in ageing, as well as the subjective meaning and lived experience of health and well-being in later life.

Criminal Justice Unit People walking on the pavement.

Criminal Justice Unit

The Criminal Justice Unit brings together leading scholars across law, sociology, social policy, and criminology to advance research on criminal justice processes, law, and policy, as well as fostering cross-department collaboration.

International Criminological Research Unit CCTV cameras

International Criminological Research Unit (ICRU)

ICRU is committed to advancing theoretically-informed, empirically rigorous, and policy-relevant research in criminology and criminal justice that resonates locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Liverpool Sociological Research Cluster Hands on a table in a line

Liverpool Sociological Research Cluster (LSRC)

LSRC serves as a vibrant intellectual hub for sociologists. Members explore a diverse array of topics, including AI and online life, contemporary state structures, racial capitalism, knowledge production dynamics, climate emergency responses, medical artefacts, social class dynamics, cultural industries, and architecture.

The Decolonial Critique Two old books on a shelf with two statue bookends

The Decolonial Critique

A global network of more than 1,800 scholars, students, and activists who have an interest in theoretical and applied approaches to coloniality/decoloniality.