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The Institute of Citizenship, Society and Change at UCLan conducts transdisciplinary research that addresses 21st century challenges through the lens of citizenship, society and change. We pride ourselves on incubating and developing promising transdisciplinary research ideas and facilitating collaboration, co-production and innovation through the development of research clusters. Staff and post-graduate students make meaningful contributions to current academic debates in their fields and promote the importance of working in transdisciplinary teams. Our research clusters are dynamic and organic, evolving over time. Current Clusters support the strategic priorities of ICSC and centre on four thematic areas that are defined by our members and underpin the work they are doing:
Our focus is on providing a high-quality research environment within which our members can meet, deliberate, and produce knowledge that addresses contemporary real-world problems. We collaborate with external stakeholders to co-produce cutting-edge questions and answers to these issues, recognising that solutions are complex and context-dependent and require inter- and trans-disciplinary thinking to be meaningful. Our post-graduate students and external collaborators value this transdisciplinary research environment as it provides them with the tools to explore their work through a different lens and with insights from other disciplines to their own. Our collaborations are both global and local, from India and Indonesia to Lancashire and Preston, ensuring that our concerns about civil society and human and planetary wellbeing recognise the synergies of global interactions. We welcome Masters by Research students and PhD students working in areas aligned to our research clusters and currently have over 40 post-graduate students affiliated with the Institute.
ICSC was formed in 2018 and built on the existing strengths of UCLan staff and ongoing external transdisciplinary partnerships. It brought together people from units and groups across the university: Psychosocial Research Unit , with a focus on arts and culture in civil society. ChiCI (Child-Computer Interaction) Group, focusing on children’s interaction with technology. Centre for Children and Young People’s Participation, promoting participation, inclusion and empowerment. Centre for Citizenship and Community, focusing on social networks, social inclusion and wellbeing. Healthy & Sustainable Settings Unit, pioneering work in public realm settings such as higher education and criminal justice. Connect Centre for International Research in Interpersonal Violence and Harm, researching lived experience of harm and abuse. International Institute for Sign Languages and Deaf Studies, empowering deaf communities globally. Energy and Society Research Group, focussing on the social impacts of energy systems. Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing, focussing on social inclusion, mental health, and wellbeing across the lifespan. International Research Institute for Sport Studies, focussing on social and cultural aspects of sport. Institute for Research into Organisations, Work and Employment, informing the development of effective workplace practice and employment policy. Applied Policy Sciences Unit, a political science unit contributing to policy and its implementation. Since then the Institute of Citizenship, Society and Change has gone from strength to strength. We have seed-funded and/or supported many research projects that have led to significant funded research programmes including Climate Resilience, Social Justice and COVID-19 Recovery in Preston and Crafting Contention: The role of zines in contesting mental health knowledge and practice. Our structure and style is highly collaborative and democratic, with strong and open leadership that encourages members to develop new initiatives. The Institute is led by four Co-Directors from four Faculties: Professor Mark Dooris, Professor Lynn Froggett, Professor John Whitton, Professor Ulrike Zeshan and is coordinated by Senior Researcher Dr Mags Adams.
