Queen's Lanyon building

One of the University's guiding principles is the recognition that knowledge knows no boundaries, and the forging of international partnerships is central to the realisation of its Vision for the Future. Queen’s has links with universities around the world and is committed to enhancing these partnerships still further. American staff and research scholars from the USA have contributed significantly to research collaborations, and have highlighted the key achievements of Queen’s in the USA. We host a number of American delegations each year and our academic staff  have visited the USA many times. Queen’s links with the USA include student and staff exchanges, research and taught collaborations.

Georgetown University

Queen’s has established strong academic and research ties with Georgetown University in Washington, DC. The President of Georgetown, Dr John DeGioia, received an honorary degree from Queen's in 2008, and this major initiative includes a wide variety of academic disciplines including Cancer Research, Peace and Conflict Studies, Law, Politics and the Humanities. The universities have also worked very closely on developing joint seminars and conferences at both campuses.

Vanderbilt University

The realtionship with Vanderbilt University is a broadly-based programme of research partnerships and staff/student mobility. Opportunities for collaboration between Queen's and Vanderbilt are being explored in respect of English (Creative Writing), Music (Sonic Arts and the Curb School of Music) and Chemistry/Pharmacy (Drug Discovery). Additionally, Belfast and Nashville have been Sister Cities since 1995 which has strengthened the ties between the universities.

University of Massachusetts Lowell

The link between Queen’s and UMass Lowell involves research as well as both student and staff mobility. To date the areas of collaboration have included Archaeology, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Irish Studies.

Fordham University

Every summer Queen’s is honoured to host students from the Fordham University School of Law. Fordham students are able to attend lectures given by Queen’s academics and meet with solicitors, barristers and politicians during their time in Belfast.

University of Maryland

Queen’s is developing its academic links with the University of Maryland. In January 2010, a group of 20 social science students from Maryland who are interested in the study of deeply divided societies visited the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy for a talk by Dr John Garry on the theme of consociationalism and conflict resolution. More infromation is available here.

A further group of Maryland students will be visiting in 2011 for an expanded series of talks and events. Given that many academics in both institutions focus on political conflict, further academic linkages between Queen’s and Maryland are being actively considered.

Boston College

A long standing relationship exists between Queen’s and Boston College. The collaboration between the institutions has involved the mobility of both students and staff. Through the Irish Studies initiative, academics at Queen’s are able to apply for a short term teaching exchange at Boston College.