Beautiful sky over wetlands

Our leading sustainability research mission

Our research underpins the shift to more sustainable development the world must make — from developing cleaner fuels to protecting vulnerable wildlife and environments.

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About our research mission

We are living in a climate and biodiversity emergency. Without rapid advances in technology and more sustainable societies, we will face catastrophic global consequences.

Our internationally recognised researchers are developing the knowledge to make this innovation possible. They work closely with business and public sector bodies to drive sustainability in technology, practice and policy.

Our research strengths include:

  • energy storage and conversion technologies, including the use of cleaner fuels such as hydrogen
  • aviation’s impact on climate change and routes to sustainability
  • using technology for sustainable transformations
  • species conservation
  • adapting to climate change and becoming more resilient to its effects
  • nature-based solutions to environmental problems
  • the circular economy
The project explores the ways in which we can learn from and with children and young people in the pursuit of future treescapes that are both socially and environmentally just. Central to this learning is the commitment to attending to minoritized voices, experiences and worldviews that are often overlooked in conversations around treescapes in the UK.
Kate Pahl
Professor of Arts and Literacy

Featured research projects

  • Team photo of the researchers and partners of the Place-based circular society innovations projects at the Renew Hub in Trafford

    Place-based Circular Society Innovations

    Investigating circular society innovations for place-based equitable, inclusive and environmentally sustainable living.

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  • landscape of peatland field

    Care-peat

    Restoring the carbon storage capacity of peatlands as part of a major European project.

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  • Ground crew getting a jet plane ready for take off at an international airport

    Reducing airport carbon emissions

    Our modelling shaped the global Airport Carbon Accreditation standard for airport carbon management.

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  • Two floating windmills being transported to a floating offshore wind farm

    Extreme loading on floating wind turbines

    Informing the design, manufacturing and testing of floating turbines under harsh marine environments.

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  • An aircraft mechanic inspecting and checking a jet engine in a hangar at an airport.

    Reducing emissions from aviation

    Informing international standards and agreements to reduce emissions from aircraft by modelling the climate impact of aviation.

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  • Waves crashing over coastal defences at Porthleven in Cornwall during Storm Imogen

    Protection from rising seas and severe storms

    By modelling how waves interact with coastal structures, our research has helped improve coastal flood defences.

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  • A mobile phone being held while taking an image of a field

    Edge-AI mobile app for crop disease detection

    EPIC uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to perform instant detection of crop disease through a photo-powered app.

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  • A drone hovering above a field of crops

    Crop disease diagnosis using drones

    Identifying crop disease using advanced machine learning and big data technology - from large-scale images taken by drones.

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  • Train arriving at a coastal station as a wave breaks over the tracks

    Protecting coastlines from wind-blown waves

    Developing an assessment tool to predict the effect of overtopping waves on coastal infrastructure.

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  • A view of the rooftops in city centre Manchester at night

    Air pollution monitoring and modelling

    Building the world’s largest real-time, air quality monitoring network - in Greater Manchester.

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  • St. Peter's Square

    Adapting cities for climate resilience

    Helping Manchester to plan and prepare for the inevitable effects of climate change.

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  • American Airlines plane approaching to London Heathrow airport, low above housing estate.

    Aviation Noise Impact Management

    Finding new ways to reduce the impact of aircraft noise on the communities living around airports.

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  • Recently cleared forest land in Paragominas, northern Brazil

    Biodiversity and climate in tropical forests

    Large-scale research across tropical forests in Asia, Africa and South America have informed legislation and investment for their protection.

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  • A microfluidic device used in the dating fossil samples

    Calculating the age of older fossils

    Developing new techniques for dating dental enamel to improve our understanding of mammalian evolution.

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  • Researchers in Sierra Leone taking readings in a forest

    Building capacity to monitor forests

    Supporting local scientists to investigate the function and condition of protected forests in Sierra Leone.

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  • A technician using a soldering iron to repair a desktop computer

    Circular economy network

    Applying research insights and policy expertise to help industries, communities and public bodies prepare for and join the circular economy.

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  • Researchers taking measurements from a peat bog in the Peak District

    Enabling peatland recovery

    Fostering the natural recovery of vital carbon-storing peatlands to combat climate change and habitat degradation.

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  • Carbon Literacy

    Pioneering carbon literacy training

    From being the first university in the world to teach carbon literacy to its students, to training other universities and organisations.

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  • Researchers on the island of Java looking for birds in the mountain forest

    Protecting Java’s montane wildlife

    Gathering evidence about the abundance of species only found in mountainous regions of this Indonesian island.

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  • A young wearing a face mask stood alone in the haze of foggy city

    Rethinking Healthy City post-COVID-19

    Comparing the responses to the coronavirus pandemic in the UK and China to inform Chinese public health strategies.

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  • Smart flood protection

    Guidance and advice for property owners and local authorities on how to manage flood risk.

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  • A seal with long whiskers sat on the edge of an artificial pool

    Touch sensing in mammals

    Understanding the arrangement and sensation of mammal whiskers using anatomy, behaviour, modelling and robotics.

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  • Traffic on a street overlaid with digital monitoring marks

    Urban street mobility and air pollution

    Collecting data on walking, driving and air quality to identify links between pollution and how people move around cities.

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  • A yellow frog sat on a green leaf

    Electrochemical sensors for fungal pathogens

    Helping to protect amphibian species from Chytrid infection through a new cheap and easy-to-use test.

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Manchester Met enables intellectually challenging academic work to thrive. It actively facilitates and promotes interdisciplinary research and allows me to develop to my full potential.
Professor Craig Banks

Research groups

  • A researcher in a lab coat using a machine to treat chemical

    Catalysis

    Improving fuels, pharmaceuticals, agricultural and other chemical products while helping industry to move towards a less polluting, lower carbon world.

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  • An artist's impression of a graphene nanoparticle

    Electrochemistry

    Exploring the fundamental and applied use of 2D nanomaterials for sensors and energy storage and generation.

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  • A bus made by Scania that can run off bio gas being showcased at a trade fair

    Low carbon fuels and transportation

    Helping to decarbonise the transport sector and tackle climate change through the development on cleaner and less environmentally damaging fuels.

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  • Manchester Met researcher observing a rhino

    Species biology and conservation

    Helping to conserve threatened species and discover new insights into organismal biology and behaviour.

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  • delete me

    Sustainable futures

    Providing the science base to facilitate organisations and communities in effective environmental decision-making.

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  • Workers separating paper and plastic on a conveyor belt in a recycling facility

    Waste 2 Resource Innovation Network

    Applying research insights to help employers play their part in a shift towards a circular economy based on reducing waste and reusing and recycling resources.

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  • The Earth from space

    Circular Economy Network

    Sharing innovate and sustainable ways to manage resources.

    Go to the Circular Economy Network
  • Nanoparticles seen under a microscope

    Nanotechnology

    Improving the performance of a wide range of materials by manipulating their properties at the molecular level.

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  • Offshore wind turbines and breaking waves

    Mathematical modelling and flow analysis

    Applying fluid dynamics to address engineering challenges including flooding, coastal erosion and renewable technology.

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  • A watering hole in an otherwise arid desert

    Environmental change and adaptation

    Investigating the changing Earth's environment and the measures needed to achieve sustainability and promote resilience.

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  • A long billed bird with a crest peaking out of a hiding place

    Ornithology

    Improving understanding of the world’s bird species - the threats they face and the action needed to conserve them.

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