Research in social sciences and business

The School of Management & Languages (SML) is an integrated, research-driven community, delivering cutting edge theoretical understandings in conjunction with practical and policy-oriented insight with increasing emphasis on interdisciplinary endeavour. Our research centres and groups provide insight, knowledge and expertise across a range of disciplines alongside strong academic leadership in research and research excellence in the following areas. The School hosts a number of research centres, including, the Logistics Research Centre, Centre for Research on Work & Wellbeing, George Davies Centre for Retail Excellence, and Centre for Finance and Investment with other research groups addressing Creativity, Enterprise & Sustainability.

Founded in 1997, the Edinburgh Business School is a wholly own company of Heriot-Watt University providing MBA, MSc and DBA programmes globally. It is one of the largest distance learning MBA programmes in the world. Research is conducted via the DBA programme. See the School of Management & Languages above for research programmes covering business and management at Heriot-Watt University

Combining the research concentration in actuarial and financial mathematics within the School of Mathematical & Computer Sciences with the strength in accountancy, finance and investment within the School of Management & Languages brings together a large critical mass of experts in finance. Heriot-Watt University works closely with the financial sector offering considerable expertise and wide experience. Heriot-Watt University hosts the Scottish Financial Risk Academy (SFRA), the Centre for Finance and Investment, and the Genetics and Insurance Research Centre.

Planning and urban design are fundamental to shaping our cities and towns and have a pivotal role in achieving important development objectives, such as a wealthier and fairer, healthier and safer society. The mission of the Institute for Building & Urban Design is to achieve greater use of design quality assessment tools relevant to buildings, infrastructure, public spaces and places by advancing scientific understanding in architectural engineering, construction management and planning. The Institute for Housing, Urban and Real Estate Research (IHURER) conducts research into social and urban policy dealing issues such as real estate, mobility, communities, homelessness, and travel.

The School of Life Sciences has built a substantial programme of research in psychology. This research is focused on two research groups concerning Lifespan Cognitive and Social Development, and Attention, Perception and Action. Topics include social development, early numeracy, adult development and ageing, personality and behavior, autism, social interactions social learning and cultural transmission, perception of visual texture and psychosocial influences on health and safety in small businesses.

SIRE is the outcome of a substantial investment in Economics Research in Scotland by the Scottish Funding Council and ten participating universities. It builds on the distinguished tradition of Economics in Scotland, with eminent contributions from, among others, Adam Smith and David Hume, and the more recent history of successful collaboration in the Scottish Graduate Programme in Economics, founded in 1989.