With campuses in Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd, University of South Wales (USW) is a large and diverse organisation with 2,000 staff and 25,000 students from a broad range of backgrounds. Around half of our students come from our region, and the majority stay and work here after graduation, adding value to their communities and the regional economy. USW is a hugely positive force in South Wales, and our impact is felt globally.

In an area with higher-than-average rates of poverty and poor health as evidenced by the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivations, with significant regional variations in economic structure and performance, USW embodies the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, working to improve the social, cultural, environmental and economic well-being of the communities we serve.

We have identified four interdisciplinary areas of strength, which align to our societal and global challenges and the sustainable development goals.

•            Sustainable Environment
•            Crime, Security and Justice
•            Health and Wellbeing
•            Creative Industries

Our strategy is clear: we want to continue to positively change lives and our world for a better tomorrow.

Working in collaboration with industry, our research and innovations tackle some of the biggest global challenges from energy to health to security. This purpose connects our teaching and research with the world. It inspires us to find new, more effective ways to make society healthier, safer and more just, to sustain our environment, enrich our culture, and to change behaviours through research-informed professional practice.

A public policy think-tank, USW offers independent advice to government, industry and third sector across the UK on health, education, economic growth, social policy, and governance (for examples, refer to Professor Sandra Esteves and waste recovery; Professor Carolyn Wallace and Family Resilience; Professor Ruth McElroy and media policy in Wales; Professor Ali Wardak and Justice in Afghanistan).

The industrial connections that shape our research culture make it genuinely international (e.g. work by Professor Sandra Esteves), multilingual (e.g. work by Professor Florence Ayisi and Professor Lisa Lewis) and outward-looking. We are committed to nurturing a pipeline of research talent and to maintaining a research environment that enables all our students and staff to thrive.

Discover Faculties

• Computing, Engineering and Science
• Creative Industries
• Life Sciences and Education