The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities. The university ranked 17th in the United Kingdom in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) and is consistently ranked in the top 20 universities in the United Kingdom according to The Good University Guide. It was the Sunday Times University of the Year in 2001. In 2011, QS World University Rankings placed Sheffield as the 72nd university worldwide. It was named 'University of the Year' 2011 in the Times Higher Education awards.

Furthermore, the university is ranked amongst both the UK's and world's Top 100 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, and the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise found 41 submissions out of 49 of Sheffield's research to contain more than 50% of "world-leading" and "internationally excellent" research, which made Sheffield among the Top Ten in the Russell Group. The university has produced five Nobel Prize winners so far.

Sheffield ⁱ/ˈʃɛfiːld/ is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base. The population of the City of Sheffield is 555,500 (2010 est.) and it is one of the eight largest regional English cities that make up the English Core Cities Group.

During the 19th century, Sheffield gained an international reputation for steel production. Many innovations were developed locally, including crucible and stainless steel, fuelling an almost tenfold increase in the population during the Industrial Revolution. Sheffield received its municipal charter in 1843, becoming the City of Sheffield in 1893. International competition in iron and steel caused a decline in traditional local industries during the 1970s and 1980s, coinciding with the collapse of coal mining in the area.