Join a forward-thinking research community exploring the power of leadership to drive meaningful change in a complex and evolving world. In today’s vastly complex and evolving world, leadership is important to either combat or accelerate change and identify opportunities.
Organisations that develop their leadership talent pools find that the teams associated with talented leaders have less turnover, higher engagement scores and better well-being than that of other teams with less talented leaders. Leadership is central in the creation of social, environmental, and economic value within organisations.
Areas of Law Research expertise
Our research harnesses the power of law to drive real-world impact by advancing rights, shaping policy, and enabling positive change locally and globally.
Many of our staff undertake research on aspects of Scots law. However, much of our current research relates to questions of rights in various contexts covering Scotland, UK and wider international legal frameworks.
Research Areas
Our ongoing areas of research include issues as wide-ranging as:
- Access to justice
- Food sovereignty
- Immigration and asylum law
- The impact of international human rights at the domestic level
- Transgender rights
However, the team also has broad expertise in the following areas:
- Cyber, IT and Telecommunications law
- Family law
- International criminal law
- International law
- Public law
At present there are several ongoing projects and studentships funded by bodies such as the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Our research team have experience of providing expert evidence and advice to:
- Scottish and UK Governments, through written evidence and working groups
- Legal practitioners, through CPD workshops
- NGOs, through consultancy projects
United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
We can confidently state that our activities directly map to 3 UN SDGs:
SDG 5 - Gender Equality; SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities; SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
UWS aims to be among the global leaders of excellent, relevant and purposeful research aligned with the United Nations SDGs by placing them at the heart of our Strategy 2025.
In the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024, UWS was officially recognised in the top 400 universities worldwide as assessed against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UWS was recognised as the 2nd most impactful university in Scotland, and 16th globally, for 'reducing inequalities' (UN SDG 10).
Current Research Projects
We are currently actively engaged in the following areas:
- Access to justice
- Immigration and asylum law
- International and domestic human rights law
- International criminal law
- Law, gender and sexuality
We welcome applications from anyone whose research ambitions links, however broadly, with these areas, and members of the Unit are happy to discuss the possibility of developing studentship and funding applications.
Law Research degrees
- Qualification(s): Master of Research (MRes) / Master of Philospohy (MPhil) /
Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) in Law - School: School of Business & Creative Industries
- Campus(es): Paisley & Lanarkshire
- Start date: October, February, April, or June
- Admissions Deadline: September, January, March, or May
- Duration(s): MRes: Minimum of 12 months full-time or 24 months part-time. MPhil: Minimum of 24 months full-time or 48 months part-time. PhD: Minimum of 36 months full-time or 72 months part-time
- Fees: Tuition Fees for Research Degrees
Entry Requirements
MRes / MPhil / MPhil-PhD
The minimum requirements for an applicant for registration for the degree of MRes or MPhil or for the degree of MRes/MPhil with the intention of transfer to PhD shall be a first or second class honours degree of a university in the United Kingdom, or of an equivalent qualification.
Applicants holding qualifications other than those specified in (above) shall be considered on their merits and in relation to the nature and scope of the programme of work proposed.
PhD - direct application
Direct registration for the degree of PhD may also be approved, at the discretion of the University if the applicant holds an MRes/MPhil degree of a United Kingdom University, or an MRes/MPhil degree of equivalent standard of a non-UK University, provided that the MRes/MPhil degree is in a subject area which is appropriate to the proposed programme of work.
Exceptionally, direct registration for the degree of PhD may also be approved, at the discretion of the University, even if the applicant is not the holder of an MRes/MPhil degree, but does hold an exceptionally high-quality honours degree or taught master’s degree (or equivalent) in an appropriate discipline, AND has appropriate research experience at postgraduate level which has resulted in significant peer-reviewed publications, and where verifiable evidence of accomplishment is supplied.
English Language Requirements
For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. The qualifications below must have been gained within two years of the start of your course.
General English language requirements at UWS: International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)
For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf), applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
- Overall score of 6.5
- No sub-test less than 6.0
ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
HOW TO APPLY
Applying for postgraduate research study at UWS has never been simpler. Click the link below to find more information about:
Postgraduate Research step-by-step guide – everything you need to know to submit a successful application
Link to our online application system
Last updated: 10/02/2026
Search Research System
PURE is the University's research information management system and provides a single source of research information for UWS. It is used to record and manage research activity with details of research outputs, funding applications, conference contributions, external impact and staff profiles.