ResearchPod

Microbes are everywhere. Their ability to adapt to environmental conditions means they can survive on surfaces and enter the food manufacturing chain where they continue to multiply. This presents a daunting uphill battle for food manufactures to maintain hygiene and prevent contamination.  Of the more than 200 pathogenic organisms that cause foodborne illness, Listeria monocytogenes is among the...

Shrinkflation is the practice of reducing product sizes while keeping prices the same – a subtle form of inflation many consumers overlook.   In this episode, we explore new research by Aljoscha Janssen at Singapore Management University, examining how widespread shrinkflation is in retail, why consumers react differently to size changes than price rises, and what this means for transparency and c...

Menopause affects every woman differently, but for many the symptoms are significant and long-lasting. Yet despite effective treatments being available, many women never seek help. This podcast from NHS Ayrshire and Arran explains how hormone replacement therapy works, the different forms it can take, and how to use it safely and effectively to manage the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. O...

In this episode of Enterprise Sessions from the University of Bristol, Professor Michele Barbour speaks with Dr Rebecca Shepherd , Senior Lecturer in Anatomy, whose unconventional journey from NHS histology labs to ivory identification expert has sparked a thriving research‑led enterprise. What began as an enthusiastic promise to TV anatomist Professor Alice Roberts during a book‑tour lunch has si...

Food insecurity and sustainability are huge global challenges. Yet research suggests that farmers, retailers and consumers reject up to 40% of the food we produce because it simply looks unattractive.  New research published by Singapore Management University looks at the psychology behind consumers’ behaviour and how to mitigate its effects.  Read the original research: doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar...

In this episode of Enterprise Sessions from the University of Bristol, Professor Michele Barbour speaks with Professor Paul Bates , world‑leading expert in flood inundation modelling and co‑founder of Fathom , one of the University’s most successful research‑driven companies. Paul reflects on a remarkable career that began with a Bristol PhD in the late 1980s and evolved into pioneering work that...

Of all the scares and scandals around meat farming practices in the UK, few have been as persistent as been bovine TB. While we're nowhere near the 1930s estimate of the number of cattle infected, it's never really gone away. Why is that? Dr. Neil Watt of MV Diagnostics joins us to cover where bovine TB has been hiding between outbreaks, how changes in testing may help pin it down, and w...

In this episode of Enterprise Sessions from the University of Bristol, Professor Michele Barbour sits down with Professor Ash Toye and Professor Jan Frayne , two leading biochemists whose long‑standing research partnership has evolved into one of the UK’s most exciting biotechnology spin‑outs: Scarlet Therapeutics . Together, Ash and Jan share the remarkable journey from academic collaboration to...

​What ​if ​you ​could ​tell ​ahead ​of ​time ​who ​needed ​how ​much ​pain ​relief?  ​What ​if ​you ​could ​avoid ​administering ​opioids ​to ​those ​with ​the ​highest ​risk ​of ​addiction, ​even ​if ​they ​didn't ​already ​know ​for ​themselves?  What ​if ​you ​could ​help ​ease ​the ​pain ​of ​a ​patient ​in ​need ​and ​be ​sure ​that ​you've ​made ​the ​right ​call?  Brian ​Meshkin ​...

What if one university helped shape modern climate science? Discover how the University of Reading became synonymous with the field and why it remains at the centre of that story. This World Meteorology Day 2026, we trace the evolution of climate science, from the Antarctic ozone hole in 1985 to today’s global challenges, and explore how Reading became a hub for the ideas, research and people driv...

  In this episode of Enterprise Sessions from the University of Bristol, Professor Michele Barbour speaks with Dr Myles‑Jay Linton , Senior Lecturer in the School of Education, whose career has woven economics, health research, digital innovation and co‑production into a distinctive, socially impactful research portfolio. Myles‑Jay reflects on his journey from an interdisciplinary PhD at the Unive...

In the first double-guest episode of Enterprise Sessions from the University of Bristol, Professor Michele Barbour speaks with Professor Martin Kuball and Dr Katie Hore for a compelling conversation about Rewire — the UK’s flagship Innovation and Knowledge Centre transforming the future of power electronics, semiconductors and clean energy.  Together, they unpack how advanced semiconductor materia...

The climate crisis is one of the most pressing challenges of our time; but diverse sources of knowledge may help us navigate it better. This was the thematic focus of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change workshops recently hosted at the University of Reading. In this live Q&A, Professor Jim Skea (chair of the IPCC) was joined by Rowan Sutton (Met Office), Sarah Honour (Dept. of E...

In this episode of Enterprise Sessions from the University of Bristol, Professor Michele Barbour sits down with Dr. Richard Cole, Lecturer in Digital Futures within the Department of Classics and Ancient History, for a fascinating deep dive into the unexpected synergy between ancient narratives and cutting-edge technology.   Discover how Richard’s journey from historical fiction to virtual reality...

ChatGPT has been a game-changer for education. Students now frequently use Generative Artificial Intelligence to complete assignments, but concern is growing about how this affects their academic integrity and critical thinking. Michelle Cheong is a Professor of Information Systems in Education at the Singapore Management University. By evaluating ChatGPT’s performance in spreadsheet modelling, he...

Join Professor Michele Barbour for an energising and deeply insightful conversation with Dr Luke Cox , CEO of Impulsonics , a University of Bristol spin‑out transforming how cell handling and automation are done in biotechnology.  What begins as an exploration of Luke’s journey from engineering undergraduate to PhD researcher becomes an exhilarating story of invention, grit, and entrepreneurial dr...

Obesity is one of the most pressing health challenges of our time, yet public campaigns on diet and exercise have struggled to reverse rising global rates. Assistant Professor Xuan Zhang from the School of Economics at Singapore Management University explores how a simple, low-cost intervention – a series of short, personalised text messages – can help people better understand their weight classif...

Professor Keon West has long been interested in the gap between what people think they know about racism and what the science actually shows. Alongside his academic work, he regularly appears at events like Cheltenham Science Festival, opening up conversations about bias, scientific literacy, and why facts matter even in the most emotionally charged topics. In this episode, we talk about applying...

In this episode, we explore the revolutionary concept of a living network with Prof. Dimitra Simeonidou, Director of the Smart Internet Lab. Discover how data and AI can transform our urban environments into intelligent ecosystems that enhance our quality of life. From traffic management to public health, learn how the infrastructure we already have can become a sensor-rich network, improving our...

In this episode, we explore the fascinating concept of sensory living networks with Prof. Dimitra Simeonidou, director of the Smart Internet Lab, Paul Wilson, chair of the advisory board for SmartCitiesWorld and Simon Saunders, honorary professor at the Smart Internet Lab. Discover how these intelligent networks can revolutionise emergency responses and provide critical data to enhance urban livin...

In this final episode of the series, we join a round-table discussion among experts from the Smart Internet Lab at the University of Bristol. Join Dimitra Simeonidou, Simon Saunders, and Paul Wilson as they explore the future of telecommunications and the exciting advancements in network technology.  Discover how AI and sensing capabilities are transforming networks into intelligent systems that n...

In this inspiring episode of The Enterprise Sessions, Professor Michele Barbour sits down with Dr. Camilla Morelli, a senior lecturer in social anthropology at the University of Bristol, whose groundbreaking work with indigenous youth in the Amazon rainforest has taken an unexpected and powerful turn toward enterprise.   What begins as immersive ethnographic research with the Matses people of Peru...

Artificial intelligence often struggles with the ambiguity, nuance, and shifting context that defines human reasoning. Fuzzy logic offers an alternative, by modelling meaning in degrees rather than absolutes. In this roundtable episode, ResearchPod speaks with Professors Edy Portmann, Irina Perfilieva, Vilem Novak, Cristina Puente, and José María Alonso about how fuzzy systems capture perception,...

  Join Professor Michele Barbour in this captivating conversation with Professor Marc Holderied from the University of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences. Discover how a serendipitous encounter with a fluffy moth in Costa Rica sparked a 30-year scientific journey that led to the development of ultra-thin, nature-inspired sound-absorbing materials.   🎙️ In this episode follow Marc’s path to Br...

This is the third in a series of three podcasts exploring ‘Claiming Tomorrow – Sociodigital Futures in the Making.’ 'Who is making claims over sociodigital futures' looks at which actors are making futures claims. Should we pay heed to government announcements around the capabilities of AI and how it will change our lives? Can any single actor make such sweeping generalisations when ther...