In trying times, we all look for leadership. But leadership skills have to come from somewhere. Understanding how, where and why these skills develop is an important part of the continuing journey to more inclusive and collaborative leadership practice. Dr Nicola Patterson, Dr Amy Stabler and Professor Sharon Mavin discuss the programme they lead at Newcastle University Business School. The MSc in Strategic Leadership course seeks to engage with leadership learners in a critical way, so as to un...
Jun 25, 2025•47 min
How do analysts respond to company forecasts during mergers? Dr Ahmad Ismail from the American University of Beirut analyses over 2,000 U.S. takeovers to find out. His research shows that analysts are more likely to revise earnings upwards when companies forecast large cost-saving synergies, and when led by level-headed CEOs. These revisions often predict real market gains, pointing to a clear investment signal. Read more research: researchgate/Ahmad-Ismail...
Jun 18, 2025•10 min
What can film reviews tell us about gender bias in the movie industry? Dr Wael Khreich from the American University of Beirut explores this question with Genderly , a custom-built AI tool that analyses the language of 17,000 professional reviews. His findings reveal that female-led films are far more likely to be judged through a biased lens—subtly and overtly reinforcing stereotypes. This research sheds light on how language shapes perception, influences careers, and contributes to broader soci...
Jun 04, 2025•10 min
Communication shapes the mediation process, influencing trust, negotiation dynamics, and dispute resolution outcomes. Associate Professor Dorcas Quek Anderson from Singapore Management University explores how different communication modes – face-to-face meetings, video-conferencing, audio communication, and text messaging – affect mediation effectiveness. Her research highlights the strengths and limitations of each mode, offering a framework to help mediators choose the right approach for diffe...
May 28, 2025•11 min
What makes open societies more resilient in the face of global crises like climate change and artificial intelligence? Stefan Brunnhuber of the World Academy of Art and Science unpacks why open societies—rooted in critical thinking, civic freedom, and institutional balance—hold the key to thriving in the 21st century, while autocracies remain reliant on the very systems they oppose. Visit the World Academy of Art and Science website: worldacademy.org Read more: amazon.co.uk/Stefan-Brunnhuber...
May 21, 2025•16 min
Heating and cooling our homes, workplaces and public spaces is a source of constant effort, and expense. What can new technologies offer to help hold warmth, or aid air circulation? What if one solution could do both? Dr Miren Juaristi Gutierrez from Eurac Research in Bolzano, Italy, joins us to discuss innovative architectural features that could save energy, money, and carbon in future designs. Find more at : https://zeraf-technology.eu/...
May 14, 2025•42 min
What impact does artificial intelligence have on the evolution of consciousness, and could it mark the beginning of a new form of awareness beyond the human? Stefan Brunnhuber of the World Academy of Art and Science explores how AI, as a transformative technology, reshapes not only society but the filters through which we perceive modern life — bridging biology, cognition, and cosmic consciousness. Visit the World Academy of Art and Science website: worldacademy.org Read more: amazon.co.uk/Stefa...
May 07, 2025•12 min
Space is a key feature of social life. But does the digitalisation of society affect its spatial dimensions, and if so, how? In this podcast, Leverhulme Visiting Professor Theodore Schatzki discusses his work exploring digitality, different types of space and notions of virtual realities, such as cyber space. With Dale Southerton and Leverhulme Visiting Professor Theordore Schatzki. This podcast is brought to you by the Centre for Sociodigital Futures – a flagship research centre, funded by the ...
May 01, 2025•31 min
Economic forecasting is particularly challenging during global crises, with predictions often hampered by uncertainty and external factors. Hwee Kwan Chow and Keen Meng Choy from Singapore Management University examine Singapore’s GDP and inflation forecasts during the Global Financial Crisis and COVID-19 pandemic, uncovering the influence of government projections and herding behaviour that affect prediction accuracy. Read the original research: doi.org/10.1007/s00181-022-02311-8...
Apr 30, 2025•11 min
The fifth and final TRUUD podcast explores the future of urban development and the necessary investments for creating healthier places. Host Andrew Kelly with experts Daniel Black, TRUUD Research Co-Director and Thomas Aubrey, Credit Capital Advisory, discuss the issue of short-termism in planning and the importance of long-term vision, drawing parallels with historical and European examples. They highlight the need for integrated planning that includes transport, green spaces, and social infras...
Apr 29, 2025•25 min
The fourth podcast episode from the TRUUD programme explores public engagement in shaping healthier urban environments. Hosted by Andrew Kelly in conversation with Dr Andy Gibson, University of the West of England and Dr Miriam Khan, GP and member of the TRUUD Public Advisory Board, they explore the importance of involving communities and listening to their lived experiences in policy creation. They examine methods for effective engagement, such as deliberative approaches and the use of visual a...
Apr 29, 2025•28 min
The third podcast episode from TRUUD explores the complexity of achieving long-term, lasting change within urban development to foster healthier lives. Host Andres Kelly discusses with Dr Krista Bondy, University of Stirling, and Dr Neil Carhart, University of Bristol, how current systems struggle to address interconnected challenges, often leaving practitioners feeling powerless. The conversation emphasises the necessity of an interdisciplinary approach and systems thinking to understand the va...
Apr 29, 2025•24 min
The second podcast in the series from the TRUUD research programme explores the challenges of translating urban health research into effective government policy and action. Host Andrew Kelly is in conversation with Professor Sarah Ayres, University of Bristol, and Dr Geoff Bates, University of Bath, about their work on the TRUUD project, specifically examining how to make government take notice of evidence and implement long-term preventative strategies. They discuss the Health Appraisal of Urba...
Apr 29, 2025•28 min
The first podcast for the TRUUD (Tackling the Root Causes Upstream of Unhealthy Urban Development) research programme explores how we value health and the opportunities to shape urban environments for healthier lives. Host Andrew Kelly interviews Daniel Black, TRUUD Research Co-Director and Professor Jim McManus, Public Health Wales, about the TRUUD programme, which examines the interplay between property, transport systems, and public health, aiming to reduce non-communicable diseases and healt...
Apr 29, 2025•28 min
Crowd management is key to evacuation safety. Yet, evacuation simulation programmes often lack experimental verification due to the inadequacy of benchmarks with real-world experiments. Ilias Panagiotopoulus, Jens Starke, and Wolfram Just from the University of Rostock, Germany, have developed a model-free approach to analyse field experiments. This innovative method provides quantitative benchmarks and extends our understanding of crowd dynamics. Read more in Research Features Read the original...
Apr 23, 2025•12 min
In the late 1960s Cambridge PhD student Jocelyn Bell Burnell was studying quasars (very luminous active galactic nuclei) when she reported anomalous data which was later identified as pulsars (‘pulsating stars’). While she was controversially missed off the list for the Nobel Prize awarded in 1974 for this discovery, Bell Burnell continued to be a pioneer in the field. Now nearing the end of her career, Dame Jocelyn tells Research Features what it was like to grow up in Northern Ireland, be the ...
Apr 16, 2025•22 min
The COST COSY Action is redefining scientific collaboration by fostering diversity, equality, and inclusion across chemistry, physics, and materials science. Led by María Pilar de Lara-Castells, the network of 400+ researchers from 45 countries is breaking barriers in academia by supporting women in science, early-career researchers, and underrepresented scientists. Initiatives like FemCOSY, mentorship programs, and leadership training are transforming the research landscape, proving that inclus...
Apr 09, 2025•12 min
In this episode, we’re looking at research from an interdisciplinary network named COSY, funded by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) agency. Their workgroup researching ‘Confined systems in Astrochemistry’ is led by Professors Lauri Halonen from Helsinki University in Finland and Malgorzata Biczysko from Wroclaw University in Poland. They are engaged in laboratory and computational experiments on new molecules detected in the interstellar medium. Visit their site: https:/...
Apr 02, 2025•10 min
Storage plays an important role in managing global resources, from energy and water to carbon and data, shaping landscapes, supply chains, and environmental systems. Sayd Randle from Singapore Management University investigates resource storage, examining its types—including stockpiling, warehousing, and containment—and their impacts on socio-economic and environmental systems. Her research highlights how storage is not just a logistical necessity but a key force in addressing modern challenges ...
Mar 26, 2025•11 min
The directions of Chinese politics and economics echo restrictive practices that may hinder China’s technological and economic competitiveness. Professor Yasheng Huang’s The Rise and Fall of the EAST has shaken perspectives outside academia. He focuses on how exams, autocracy, stability, and technology (EAST) have historically shaped China’s governance, impacting both prosperity and creativity. Read more in Research Features Read the book: yalebooks.co.uk/9780300274912/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-e...
Mar 19, 2025•12 min
Comedian, performer, and writer Robin Ince has been asking questions about the world around him for as long as he can remember. Perhaps most famous for his radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage which he co-hosts on BBC Radio 4 with Professor Brian Cox, Ince has been bringing science to the masses in new and hilarious ways since the 90s. In this interview with our sister publication, Research Features , we discover what it's like performing 'science' at Glastonbury, why people may be frightened of ...
Mar 12, 2025•1 hr 6 min
In this International Women’s Day episode, we chat to Professor Gene Feder OBE, Professor of Primary Care at the Centre for Academic Primary Care, Bristol Medical School, about the Healthcare Responding to Violence and Abuse (HERA) programme. For the past five years, HERA has been co-developing and testing women-centered and culturally-appropriate domestic violence and abuse (DVA) healthcare interventions in low-and middle-income countries – Brazil, Nepal, occupied Palestinian territories and Sr...
Mar 05, 2025•17 min
Humans are social creatures; we live in family groups, socialise with friends, and work with colleagues both in person and online. Yet, how many friends do you really have? Evolutionary psychologist Professor Robin Dunbar says it won’t be more than 150. Proposed in the 1990s, ‘Dunbar’s number’ puts a limit on the number of stable relationships humans can maintain at any given time, and his ‘social brain hypothesis’ suggests that brain size is directly related to social group size in mammals. In ...
Feb 26, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Humanity is overwhelmed by planetary tragedies: climate crisis, widespread hunger, desertification, migrations, destruction of biodiversity, corruption and many more. They are out of control because they are too complex for common-sense approaches like analysis and committees. But now there are grounds for hope. Dr Alfredo del Valle’s method, ‘Participatory Innovation Praxis’, can make tragedies governable through new forms of social interaction, fostering ‘strong participation’ and ‘future-buil...
Feb 19, 2025•10 min
In Switzerland, young adults face major challenges when transitioning from school to the workplace—especially those with special educational needs. How can peer support help them navigate career choices and build resilience? Professors Claudia Schellenberg and Annette Krauss explore this question through the Empower Peers 4 Careers project, and examine how structured peer discussions can foster social-emotional skills, strengthen community, and support students’ career development. Read the orig...
Feb 12, 2025•11 min
In East Asia, high marriage rates coexist with some of the world’s lowest fertility rates. So, why are so few children born in these societies? And how is this related to the strongly embedded cultural and Confucianist influences? Professors Sunha Myong, Jungjae Park, and Junjian Yi investigate the cultural and socioeconomic factors shaping these trends. Using a mathematical model, the team explore how deeply rooted social norms – like unequal childcare and stigma against out-of-wedlock births –...
Feb 05, 2025•11 min
The knowledge gained during the COVID-19 pandemic and other health emergencies could prove invaluable for devising responses to and planning for future health crises. Dr Landry Ndriko Mayigane and Dr Stella Chungong from the Health Security Preparedness Department of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergency Programme recently devised the ‘Nuggets’ of Knowledge (NoK) platform , an open-source platform, to facilitate effective knowledge management and knowledge continuity during health eme...
Jan 29, 2025•11 min
Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a vital enzyme in the immune system, with the potential to revolutionise antiseptics and cancer therapy. Professor Robert C. Allen has developed MPO-based antiseptics effective in blood which are systemically safe, while also demonstrating selective anticancer properties. Together with Jackson T. Stephens, the work overcomes obstacles to bring these therapies into widespread use, offering promising solutions for infection control and bladder cancer treatment. Read more i...
Jan 22, 2025•7 min
Hybrid psychological agents and transformative hybrid contexts offer new ways to bridge cultural divides, foster inclusion, and drive social change. Dr. Beatriz Macías-Gómez-Estern from Universidad Pablo de Olavide investigates hybrid learning spaces where diverse cultural, social, and institutional worlds connect. From service-learning projects with Roma communities to community music initiatives, her work highlights the transformative potential of collaboration, co-construction, and empathy in...
Jan 16, 2025•11 min
Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with treatment responses varying widely among patients. Dr. Carminia Maria Della Corte from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is at the forefront of research into using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to identify immune biomarkers. Her work explores the cGAS/STING pathway, DDR gene mutations, and advanced 3D tumour models, offering insight into predicting immunotherapy responses and tailoring treatments...
Jan 15, 2025•11 min
