ResearchPod

From the 1920s to now, technology has transformed radically; from the Spirit of St Louis to super-sonic stealth bombers, from the discovery of insulin to mRNA vaccines, from the candle-stick telephone to a 5G powerhouse in your pocket As the reports of sensitivity to WiFi and mobile signals rise, we discuss the recognised restrictions , risks, and reasonable alternatives for public health with Mic...

In times of crisis, the public workforce faces unprecedented changes, redefining their roles and environments. The COVID-19 pandemic was no exception, with burnout and fatigue running high among public servants. What does that stress mean for employee behaviour, satisfaction and turnover?     Assistant Professor Lee Seulki from Singapore Management University reports on data from South Korea, find...

Digital devices have changed the information landscape in many ways, be it through podcasts such as this, or accessing medical care. Today, any illness requiring professional medical help may be made easier to manage thanks to having a digital device nearby. Professor Leonard Egede speaks with us again about how accessing care via Telehealth tools is another facet of his research on race, finance...

The pandemic disrupted leaders on every level. It forced them to re-examine their assumptions about their organisation’s purpose and place in society. It impacted their perceptions and their actions around responsible business, and their leadership attitudes and practices. The worst of the pandemic is now firmly behind us – although we remain in the depths of an economic and cost-of-living crisis,...

Modern life can feel like one of constant crisis, through exposure on social media feeds, local news or even your personal life. Recovering from the physical and emotional toll of these is hard, but also essential.  Doctor Sara Spowart from the University of South Florida, is a researcher specialising in the psychology of support around survival. Her framework of integrative happiness sets out a v...

While data science can transform public sector policy-making, places like Lebanon lack the data infrastructure and governance rules needed to support public sector data analysis. Professor Lama Moussawi and Raghda Kawass at the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business, American University of Beirut, examine how Lebanon can promote data analytics to improve policy-making and service delivery. Read more...

Many of us first experience the concept of learning in formal school settings, but how do we learn in non-formal settings like museums and zoos? This is a question that Professor Joe E Heimlich and colleagues at the Center of Science and Industry (COSI), a science museum in Columbus, Ohio, USA are working to answer. Read more in Research Outreach Read the original research: doi.org/10.1080/1059865...

In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, Jess Miles speaks with Julia Mortimer, Journals Director and Head of Open Access at Bristol University Press. They discuss recent developments in Open Access, including funder mandates, community-led models and the direction Bristol University Press are heading in.  In addition, they offer advice for authors, and potential authors, for navigatin...

Robots play an important part in our everyday lives. Non-autonomous systems can be found in industry, surgical theatres, and even our homes, and more autonomous robots are integral to space and deep-sea exploration. Dr Sirko Straube and Professor Dr Frank Kirchner from the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) are seeking to translate this greater autonomy of space and maritime...

Communication and consent are key in doctor-patient relationships. Doctors need to know what’s expected of them, and patients have the right to receive adequate information about diagnosis and treatment, and seek damages if things go wrong.    If that patient has mental health issues, how are their rights around informed consent and court challenges impacted?     Professor Gary Chan Kok Yew from Y...

In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, Richard Kemp speaks with Ed Atkins, author of A Just Energy Transition: Getting Decarbonisation Right in a Time of Crisis , about what is needed for an energy transition to be just. They discuss the need to ensure decarbonisation doesn’t come at the expense of already marginalised communities, the role that green jobs will play and the importanc...

Since 2020, various crises have disrupted leaders on every level and have led to the emergence of some new and welcome leadership styles. In this episode, Professor Veronica Hope Hailey and her guest Nick Hampton, Chief Executive Officer at Tate & Lyle, discuss whether these new styles will stick, and talk candidly about the challenge of being a leader in a world beset by crises. Find out more...

What are the spatial factors influencing health inequalities within a socio-economically homogeneous country? Dana Hübelová, Alice Kozumplíková, and colleagues from Mendel University in Brno investigate health disparities across different regions of the Czech Republic. The team explore how economic conditions, social care access, and regional characteristics impact health, and why urban areas don&...

In this episode, Oscar Berglund and Elizabeth A. Koebele, Co-Editors of the Policy & Politics journal, talk to Jess Miles about the latest special issue – ‘Transformational change through public policy’ . They discuss what transformational change is, how public policy academia needs to adapt to bring it about and their hope to inspire a new generation of scholars by setting out the structure f...

How can social annotation transform traditional reading into a collaborative learning experience? Damijana Keržič and Vida Zorko from the University of Ljubljana delve into this question through their research on Diigo, a social annotation tool. They investigate its impact on student motivation, comprehension, and the correlation between learning approaches and online activity. Read the original r...

When decisions need to be made in politics, business or daily life, it's worth giving all due care to The Problem to be solved, and The Action to be taken.  This is also the foundation of classical philosophy - but when was the last time politics seem philosophical to you?  Professor John Martin Gillroy of Lehigh University speaks with us today about how philosophical frameworks can teach us...

In this episode, Alison Shaw, Chief Executive of Bristol University Press, talks about 25 years of publishing with a purpose to mark the end of the Press’ anniversary celebration year. Alison speaks to Jess Miles about the past, present and future of the press and its mission to address global social challenges, support positive social change and to be a top-tier University Press recognised for th...

What are the risks versus rewards when challenging norms and pushing new boundaries in the quest for scientific discovery?  Dr Alan Herbert, President and Founder of InsideOutBio, gives an honest account of his journey in the discovery of left-handed DNA in his latest book, and how the way we view DNA and genetics has evolved from old to new thinking.  Read more in Research Features Read Dr Herber...

In this episode, Richard Kemp speaks with Dan McQuillan, author of Resisting AI: An Anti-fascist Approach to Artificial Intelligence , about what artificial intelligence really is. They discuss how artificial intelligence damages society in ways that are not easily fixed and why it needs to be restructured from the ground up, as well as how these fundamental changes to AI can help create a better...

 Stefan Brunnhuber is a medical director, chief medical officer and professor in Germany, and takes an evolutionary, human-centric approach to economics and psychology and looks towards a sustainable future in a new way. In this exciting interview, we find out more about Brunnhuber’s concept of an artificial intelligence-driven ‘ third culture ’; science and politics; the UN Sustainable developmen...

In this episode of the Transforming Society podcast, Jess Miles speaks with Malcolm Evans, former Chair of the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture and author of Tackling Torture: Prevention in Practice . They discuss the traps we fall into when talking about torture, including the disturbing normalisation of torture in television and film, why the distinction between torture and inhuman t...

While the sciences naturally evoke complex philosophical questions, the philosophy of science itself remains a relatively new discipline.  José Antonio Chamizo, an esteemed researcher in organometallic chemistry, is now dedicated to the philosophy of chemistry. Today, we explore the evolution of chemistry from its early days in 18th-century Europe, the intriguing C60 diffraction experiment, and th...

Oxygen is activated quantum-mechanically in the body to act against bacterial infections. Professor Robert C Allen shows that the antibacterial action of oxygen can be monitored by measuring the light emitted as the immune system responds to pathogen attacks. He has developed techniques based on the use of chemiluminigenicmolecules which provide unprecedented insight into the neutrophil activity a...

Language – be it spoken, written, or signed – is a fundamental part of how we interact with the world and each other. It’s also an important developmental milestone for children as they grow.  Dr. Vittorio Tantucci from Lancaster University works on linguistic development, focussing on children from China and other cultures. His research examines the reasons and impact of how autistic children str...

The key to understanding oxygen activation is the conversion of this molecule into a reactive singlet species within neutrophil cells in the blood. This process leads to light emission, which can be used to monitor in real time how the immune system functions. Based on over 40 years of research, Professor Robert C Allen proposes an exquisitely detailed model of how oxygen becomes an aggressive bac...