Our ten academic departments are all located on the South Kensington campus, giving a concentration of talent that creates a stimulating and vibrant research culture, which promotes multidisciplinary collaborations and attracts internationally leading researchers and scholars.
Engineering departments
Institutes and research centres
The multidisciplinary research institutes and centres at Imperial provide a platform for our world leading researchers to collaborate and focus on significant research challenges.
By harnessing previously dispersed research capability, the Faculty's model for supporting cross-College multidisciplinary research provides space for new and existing activities to flourish and translate research outcomes into products, processes and services that benefit wider society.
Institutes
Research centres by strategy theme
- Transition to zero pollution
- Engineering resilient and secure infrastructure
- AI and machine learning for engineering applications
- Affordable technologies for an ageing society
- Core engineering
- All research centres
Sargent Centre for Process Systems Engineering
Multi-institute research centre applying a process systems engineering approach to managing systems involving physical and chemical change.
Director: Professor Claire Adjiman
Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation
Enhancing the capacity of the construction industry using the application of systems engineering in the built environment.
Directors: Professor Jennifer Whyte and Dr Ana Mijic
London Centre for Nanotechnology
Combining the skills of researchers engaged in nano research activities across departments at both Imperial College London and University College London.
Director: Professor Sandrine Heutz
Directors: Professor Nigel Brandon and Dr Adam Hawkes
Centre for Advanced Structural Ceramics
Science and engineering applications of structural ceramics
Director: Professor Eduardo Saiz Gutierrez
Centre for Nuclear Engineering
A multidisciplinary research and teaching group dedicated to nuclear engineering and science.
Director: Dr Michael Bluck
The Composites Centre
Researching a range of composite materials, including polymer, ceramic and metal matrix materials, nano, short and long fibre reinforcement types.
Director: Professor Emile Greenhalgh
Centre for Transport Studies
Multidisciplinary research and teaching in relation to transport and communication systems, services, products and technologies.
Director: Professor Washington Ochieng
Robotic Additive Manufacturing Lab
A national facility dedicated to advanced large-scale metal 3D printing, with a focus on the construction sector.
Director: Dr Craig Buchanan
Rolls-Royce Nuclear University Technology Centre
Addressing nuclear engineering research in partnership with Rolls-Royce.
Director: Dr Michael Bluck
Rolls-Royce Vibration University Technology Centre
A focus for fundamental and applied research projects in the area of vibration, of direct relevance to the aerospace and power generation industries.
Director: Professor David Nowell
Shell Advanced Interfacial Materials Sciences (AIMS) Centre
Director: Professor Mary Ryan
Centre for Cryptocurrency Research and Engineering
A leading international centre for ongoing research and application activity related to cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.
Director: Professor Will Knottenbelt
DSI Future Digital Ocean Innovation Centre
Director: Professor Julie McCann
Dyson Robotics Lab
Developing computer vision programmes that will enable robots to move beyond their controlled environments and successfully navigate the real world.
Director: Professor Andrew Davison
Centre for Bio-Inspired Technology
Inventing, developing and demonstrating devices to meet global challenges in healthcare, taking inspiration from biological systems.
Director: Professor Chris Toumazou
London Centre for Nanotechnology
Combining the skills of researchers engaged in nano research activities across departments at both Imperial College London and University College London.
Director: Professor Milo Shaffer
Pharmaceutical Systems Engineering Lab (PharmaSEL)
Director: Professor Claire Adjiman
Centre for Computational Methods in Science and Engineering (CMSE)
Integrate and build a community of researchers to bring powerful new methods into engineering and science practice.
Directors: Professor Demetrios Papageorgiou and Professor Paul Kelly
IARC - Impacts and Astromaterials Research Centre
Addressing a wide range of fundamental planetary science questions ranging from the origins of the Solar System to the continuing evolution of the planets, asteroids and comets.
Director: Dr Matthew Genge
Caterpillar Innovation and Research Centre (I&RC)
Directors: Professor Ricardo Martinez-Botas and Dr Aaron Costall
CRRC Sifang-Imperial Centre for Rail Transportation Manufacturing Technologies
Developing rail technologies to streamline the construction and testing of high speed trains.
Director: Professor Jianguo Lin
Shell Digital Rocks LAB
Director: Professor Geoff Maitland
Shell University Technology Centre (UTC) for Fuels and Lubricants
Gaining insights into spray formation, deposit effects and combustion characteristics to further our understanding of formulating fuels for modern engine technologies.
Directors: Professor Hugh Spikes and Professor Daniele Dini
SKF University Technology Centre
Applying research to real SKF applications such as prolonging the life of rolling element bearings in difficult environments and decreasing energy consumption by reducing bearing friction.
Director: Professor Hugh Spikes and Associate Director Dr Amir Kadiric
COMAC - Imperial Research Centre for Wing Technology of Commercial Aircraft
Directors: Professor Bamber Blackman and Professor Spencer Sherwin
Petronas Centre
Director: Professor Omar Matar
For a full list of research institutes, centres and groups at Imperial College, please visit the research and innovation section.
- Caterpillar Innovation and Research Centre (I&RC)
Centre Directors: Professor Ricardo Martinez-Botas and Dr Aaron Costall - Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation
Enhancing the capacity of the construction industry using the application of systems engineering in the built environment.
Centre Director: Professor Jennifer Whyte and Dr Ana Mijic - Centre for Transport Studies
Multidisciplinary research and teaching in relation to transport and communication systems, services, products and technologies.
Centre Director: Professor Washington Ochieng - COMAC - Imperial Research Centre for Wing Technology of Commercial Aircraft
Centre Directors: Professor Bamber Blackman and Professor Spencer Sherwin
- The Composites Centre
Researching a range of composite materials, including polymer, ceramic and metal matrix materials, nano, short and long fibre reinforcement types.
Centre Director: Professor Emile Greenhalgh - CRRC Sifang-Imperial Centre for Rail Transportation Manufacturing Technologies
Developing rail technologies to streamline the construction and testing of high speed trains.
Centre Director: Professor Jianguo Lin
- Data Science Institute Future Digital Ocean Innovation Centre
Centre Director: Professor Julie McCann - Dyson Robotics Lab
Developing computer vision programmes that will enable robots to move beyond their controlled environments and successfully navigate the real world.
Director: Professor Andrew Davison - IARC - Impacts and Astromaterials Research Centre
Addressing a wide range of fundamental planetary science questions ranging from the origins of the Solar System to the continuing evolution of the planets, asteroids and comets.
Centre Director: Dr Matthew Genge
- London Centre for Nanotechnology
Combining the skills of researchers engaged in nano research activities across departments at both Imperial College London and University College London.
Centre Director: Professor Milo Shaffer
- Petronas Centre
Centre Director: Professor Omar Matar
- Pharmaceutical Systems Engineering Lab (PharmaSEL)
Centre Director: Professor Claire Adjiman - Robotic Additive Manufacturing Lab
A national facility dedicated to advanced large-scale metal 3D printing, with a focus on the construction sector.
Director: Dr Craig Buchanan
- Rolls-Royce Nuclear University Technology Centre
Addressing nuclear engineering research in partnership with Rolls-Royce.
Centre Director: Dr Michael Bluck - Rolls-Royce Vibration University Technology Centre
A focus for fundamental and applied research projects in the area of vibration, of direct relevance to the aerospace and power generation industries.
Centre Director: Professor David Nowell - Shell Advanced Interfacial Materials Sciences (AIMS) Centre
Centre Director: Professor Mary Ryan - Shell Digital Rocks Lab
Centre Director: Professor Geoff Maitland - Shell University Fuels and Lubricants University Technology Centre
Gaining insights into spray formation, deposit effects and combustion characteristics to further our understanding of formulating fuels for modern engine technologies.
Centre Directors: Professor Hugh Spikes and Professor Daniele Dini - SKF University Technology Centre
Applying research to real SKF applications such as prolonging the life of rolling element bearings in difficult environments and decreasing energy consumption by reducing bearing friction.
Centre Directors: Professor Hugh Spikes and Dr Amir Kadiric
Research groups
Each department in the Faculty has specific areas of research that it focuses on. Within each research area there are several groups, many of which work across different disciplines and collaborate with other departments.
Find out about how the research is structured in each department using the links below: