History research

Overview

Our broad ranging History research has shown impact in both academic circles and communities around the world.

Explore the components of our history research community, whether you are:

• a student looking to take a postgraduate degree.
• a scholar or heritage professional wanting to know the latest developments and cutting-edge methods in history.
• a member of our local and regional communities wishing to get involved in our projects.
• interested in understanding the past.

Internationally significant research

The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise judged 100 per cent of our research at international quality, with 25 per cent of our output as world-leading.

History at the University of Hertfordshire was ranked 7th equal out of 83 submissions.  

We are highly successful in generating peer-reviewed research income from such bodies as the:

• AHRC
• ESRC
• European Research Fund
• Heritage Lottery Fund
• JISC
• Leverhulme Trust
• Wellcome Trust

Read about our externally-funded research projects and collaborations.

Building communities

Our research projects are far-reaching, and seek to have a much broader impact beyond academia. 

Professor Tim Hitchcock’s digital history projects, (Old Bailey Online, Connected Histories) have created new internet resources for all to share as well as new historical methodologies.  

The Heritage Hub, led by Dr Sarah Lloyd, Dr Christine Garwood and Alix Green, oversees an exciting and varied range of heritage-based initiatives involving local communities in partnership with the university.  

The de Havilland airfield reminiscence project and Remembering the First World War are just two of the many successful projects bringing History at the University of Hertfordshire and local residents together.  

Read more about the Heritage Hub and our community and outreach activities.

Collaborating and innovating research

We always seek to break new ground in our research, whether it is exploring:

• how Italian coffee became an international brand (the Cappuccino Conquests).
• how data mining hundreds of thousands of words of criminal trials (Data Mining with Criminal Intent).
• the portrayal of terrorism in film (a global history of cinematic terrorism).

We collaborate with historians nationally and worldwide in major collaborative projects.

We also work closely with museums and institutions including:

• British Museum
• Bank of England
• Museum of London
• a variety of local and regional heritage sites

By offering AHRC collaborative PhD grants, and with ready access to archives and museums in the region, London, and beyond, we offer a rich and supportive scholarly community.  

Read more about our projects.