Here are five highlights from our first social responsibility newsletter of 2025.

We are excited to reaffirm our status as a global leader in sustainability by retaining our position in the top 10 worldwide in the 2025 QS World University Sustainability Rankings. The University ranks 9th out of 1,751 institutions, placing us within the top 1% of universities globally.

The University recently received two Times Higher Education Awards at the 20th-anniversary edition of the ceremony: Outstanding Support for Students and Research Project of the Year: STEM. Many congratulations to all involved!

A research team led by the University’s Dr Jonathan Ritson has been awarded a prestigious Bezos Earth Fund Greenhouse Gas Removal Ideation Prize for their research into enhancing carbon capture and reducing methane emissions through the strategic use of Sphagnum moss in peatland restoration.

We’d like to announce that nominations for our annual Volunteer of the Year Awards are now open. The Awards recognise the outstanding volunteering efforts of our undergraduate or postgraduate students. Entries are open until 3 March.

Last month university students from across Greater Manchester gathered at the GM Green Summit to showcase their innovative solutions to the region’s most pressing environmental challenges. The annual event, hosted by the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, marked an important milestone in the city-region’s mission to achieve its ambitious zero-carbon target by 2038.

Read about these and many more social responsibility stories in our January newsletter.

Dr Julian Skyrme

Executive Director of Social Responsibility and Civic and Engagement