Meliora: a podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute

We know you often ask ‘if there’s a Zombie Apocalypse, how on Earth will we achieve the Sustainable Development Goals? ’. So, we have recorded a special double 🧟‍♂️ episode addressing this very question!  The brilliant Jack Dinham (UG, Meliora producer & editor) and I discuss our nerdy love for dystopian Sci-fi and fantasy, explore the sustainability metaphors surrounding zombie culture, and...

We're thrilled to welcome the wonderful Charlotte Bonner, Chief Executive of the EAUC and one of the true leaders of the Sustainability Education sector onto the Meliora Podcast!  In this episode we chat about Charlotte's passion for sustainability, how a chance encounter about bike storage changed her life, and every stage in her hugely impactful sustainability career. Charlotte is some...

We are delighted to welcome the excellent Bronwyn Lee, Consultant at Oil Spill Response Ltd onto the podcast to learn about she has managed to build a sustainability career as a recent Masters graduate. Bronwyn discusses her early love for the marine environment and how that has guided her trajectory throughout her education and employment.  We also discuss the important work provided by OSRL in m...

Michelle Papayannakos is a widely recognized and highly respected leader in the sustainability world, and someone I have a tremendous amount of respect for.  With a career that spans the media (BBC, Paramount), rail industry, safety, and Market Analysis working at a senior strategic level we hear from Michelle about her journey from studying Environmental Science at the University of Southampton,...

We are delighted to welcome Sarah Misselbrook, Director of the award-winning not-for-profit Riba Rocks association in Catalunya, Spain to this episode of the Meliora podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton. In this episode Sarah tells us all about her background in art and journey in sustainability, the challenges of growing her inspirational ass...

Welcome to the second part of 'Sport and Sustainability' with Emily Cole, where we continue our chat exploring the complexity, joy, challenges and wellbeing benefits in this fascinating area of sustainability on this episode of the Green Gown Award winning Meliora podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton. In this two-part episode, Emily...

We are joined again by Sustainability Teaching Fellow, PhD student and regular Meliora guest Emily Cole to discuss the complexity, joy and challenges in sport and sustainability on this episode of the Green Gown Award winning Meliora podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton. In this two-part episode, Emily expands on a lecture she gave on our &apo...

The Social Impact Lab, hosted by the Meliora podcast, is delighted to be joined by Steve Fleming MBE to discuss the inspirational work of Kick4Life F.C., a football club dedicated to social change.  Kick4Life is a multi-award-winning charity and social enterprise using the power of sport to transform the lives of vulnerable children and young people in Lesotho, helping to promote long-term sustain...

The Meliora podcast is delighted to share that we have partnered with the Social Impact Lab (SIL) at the University of Southampton to release episodes all about their wonderfully transformative work.  In this introductory episode we chat with the SIL Director David Light to find out all about their work, the history of SIL from its formation by our much missed friend Prof Pathik Pathak, and David&...

We are delighted to be joined by the brilliant Rebecca Kinge and Izzy Sargent of the Southampton Climate Action Network (SoCAN) to discuss the crucial work they and community collective colleagues are conducting across the city of Southampton. Although climate focused in the name, their work addresses all the different dimensions of sustainability and this episode explores this through a local com...

In the summer of 2025 the DRAGON-Mekong Institute at Can Tho University Viet Nam and the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton UK worked together on a research exchange programme for undergraduates, masters students, postgraduate research students, and early career academics.  This programme is all about transformative impact in the broadest fields of sustainab...

In the summer of 2025 the DRAGON-Mekong Institute at Can Tho University Viet Nam and the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton UK worked together on a research exchange programme for undergraduates, masters students, postgraduate research students, and early career academics.  This programme is all about transformative impact in the broadest fields of sustainab...

In the summer of 2025 the DRAGON-Mekong Institute at Can Tho University Viet Nam and the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton UK worked together on a research exchange programme for undergraduates, masters students, postgraduate research students, and early career academics.  This programme is all about transformative impact in the broadest fields of sustainab...

This is just a bit of fun. Not a serious sustainability research, education or careers episode, this is an informal recording of some of the Meliora team chatting before, during and after the 2025 Green Gown Awards.   We reflect on the podcast journey to this point, discuss our favourite episodes to date & the 2024 awards in the pub before the awards, attend the 2025 ceremony, chat to one of t...

We are delighted to welcome the inspirational and all round wonderful sustainability expert Professor Denise Baden to what is now the 'Green Gown Award Winning' Meliora podcast from the Sustainability and Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton. Denise continues to innovate in her approach to maximising the sustainability impact of her work.  We chat about her journey to su...

The Meliora podcast is back for a new academic year, and we're joined by the brilliant Jenny Abery (Principal Educator) at the wonderful Hawk Conservancy Trust ( https://www.hawk-conservancy.org/ ) to chat all things wildlife, studying, building a conservation education career, and the lifelong relationships and connections from studying at University.   We always love having our alumni join...

Billy Weir MSci Environmental Science joins us again for his episode, this time on his Masters research project "Assessing the impact of Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber) reintroduction on fish populations in Plymouth, England". Abstract - Rewilding has become an aim for conservation across the globe, and a crucial aspect of that is species reintroductions. Ecosystem engineers such as Euras...

Nurulhuda Gumay Riswandi BA Philosophy and Politics joins us to discuss their research project "How can we explore and compare health infrastructures and delivery of healthcare services of two regions affected by conflict and political instability?". This research explores and compares the health infrastructures and healthcare delivery systems of four post-conflict countries: Rwanda and...

Joelle Foster BSc Psychology joins us to discuss her research project titled "An investigation into music engagement in adults in the UK and its relationship with general levels of nostalgia and mental well-being". Research on music listening is vast in showing the mental health benefits of such a practice. Nostalgia has also shown great effect in eliciting positive emotions. Emerging re...

We’re joined by three of our students - Jack Carter and Shaska Nicholson, who are studying BSc Biology, and Montasir Ahmed, who is studying BSc Pharmacology to discuss their research project ‘The Use of GenAI in Higher Education’ Over the past 6 months, they have been working on their Capstone Research Project as part of their School of Biological Sciences ‘Science Communication’ module. They inve...

Joseph Gray, BA Geography, joins us to discuss his research project 'Exploring how international visitors perceive the sustainability of transport at Milford Sound & the role of COVID-19 in reimagining travel at the site.' Abstract: Environmental sustainability contradictions are at the heart of national park tourism. Increased transport accessibility allows tourists to experience th...

James Machay, BA Geography, joins us to discuss his research project 'The Catalyst for change - exploring sustainability and pressures in non-league football'. Abstract - Attentiveness towards sustainability has expeditiously intensified due to the evolving climate emergency. Yet non-league football remains neglected in academic and media discourse regarding its capacity to become more s...

Sophie Vokes, BSc Geography joins us to discuss her research project "Does Crymlyn Bog follow the traditional theory of hydrosphere wetlands?" Abstract This study employed macrofossil analysis to investigate environmental changes in Crymlyn Bog (Swansea) and assessed the site's compliance with the conventional hydrosphere hypothesis of wetland succession. Based on distribution and a...

Eleanor Toppin, BA Geography, joins us to discuss her research project 'A Comparative Study: Exploring Student Consumer Perspectives on the Transition from Non-Ethical to Ethical Fashion Purchases'. Despite many students having an ethical mindset, they often fail to translate their intentions and attitudes into ethical purchases. This study aims to understand whether sustainability- base...

Sam Atkinson, BSc Geography, joins us to discuss his research project "Is the Siberian Boreal Forest nearing a Tipping Point?" Abstract Increasing air temperatures, drought and wildfire is impacting the health of the Siberian Boreal Forest, with the boreal biome being predicted to be replaced by grasslands/steppe. Multiple scholars have referred to this transition as a 'tipping poin...