The University of Reading supports nationally and internationally recognised research across the areas of:
- life sciences
- environmental and physical sciences
- business, economics and social sciences
- arts and humanities.
We also support researchers from different disciplines to undertake interdisciplinary research that aims to solve some of the major challenges facing the world today.
Visit the School and Department websites listed here to find out more about the research subject areas available to you.
*98% of our research is of international standing (Research Excellence Framework 2021, combining 4*, 3* and 2* submissions).
Download our comprehensive guide to PhD study
A to Z of doctoral research areas
- Accounting
- Agricultural, environmental and food economics (see Agriculture, policy and development)
- Agriculture, policy and development
- Ancient history
- Animal, dairy and food chain sciences (see Agriculture, policy and development)
- Applied health research
- Applied linguistics
- Archaeology
- Architecture
- Art
- Artificial intelligence
- Atmosphere, oceans and climate
- Biological sciences
- Biomedical engineering
- Biomedical sciences
- Built environment (see architecture; construction management; and energy and environmental engineering)
- Business
- Business informatics, systems and accounting
- Chemistry
- Classics
- Climate
- Clinical language sciences
- Comparative and intercultural studies (available in the departments of English Language and Applied Linguistics, English Literature and Languages and Cultures)
- Computer science
- Construction management
- Consumer behaviour and food marketing (see Agriculture, policy and development)
- Crop sciences (see Agriculture, policy and development)
- Curating (see practice in curating, below)
- Cybernetics
- Data Science (available in the departments of Computer Science and Mathematics)
- Development studies
- Early modern studies
- Ecology and agri-environmental research (see Agriculture, policy and development)
- Ecology and evolutionary biology
- Economics
- Education
- Electronic engineering
- Energy and environmental engineering
- English language and applied linguistics
- English literature
- Environmental science
- Film, theatre and television
- Finance and capital markets
- Food science
- Food, nutrition and health
- French studies
- Geography and environmental science
- German studies
- Graphic communication
- Gut immunity
- History
- Human geography
- Informatics and system science
- International and rural development
- International business and strategy
- International relations
- Italian studies
- Law
- Leadership, organisations and behaviour
- Linguistics
- Management
- Marketing and reputation
- Mathematics and statistics
- Medieval studies
- Meteorology
- Microbiology
- Modern languages
- Neuroscience
- Nutritional sciences
- Pharmacy
- Pharmacy practice
- Pharmaceutics
- Pharmaceutical chemistry
- Philosophy
- Physiology and pharmacology
- Politics and international relations
- Practice in curating (art)
- Psychology
- Psycholinguistics
- Psychopathology
- Real estate and planning
- Renewable energy
- Soil science
- Space weather and solar-terrestrial physics
- Spanish and Latin American studies
- Speech and language therapy
- Teaching
- Television
- Theatre
- Translation studies
- Typography and graphic communication
- Weather and climate
- Zoology