UCL Minds

About the lecture: Most cases of mental disorders worldwide start in adolescence, and rates of mental health problems are rising among adolescents. The important question is: What can we do to prevent the onset of mental health problems in adolescence? In this talk, Dr Marie Mueller will explore a promising but understudied factor for prevention: academic pressure. Adolescents cite academic pressu...

About the Lecture: This lecture will describe findings from author's recent book, The Transformation of British Welfare Policy: Politics, Discourse and Public Opinion. It explains the political forces that have shaped the British benefits system and sets out a roadmap for reforming the system in the aftermath of Universal Credit. Since 2010, the UK has enacted radical welfare cuts and reforms that...

This week we ask: Is there value in taking offence? Indeed, should we cultivate a readiness to take offence in ourselves and others? Episode Notes This week we welcome Dr Emily McTernan, co-host of this podcast, into the guest seat. Emily is talking about her new book, On Taking Offence. In it, she argues that taking offence is an important and often valuable response to affronts against our socia...

This week we ask: what are the effects when authoritarian governments ban protests? EPISODE NOTES Governments in many countries have powers to authorize – or not authorize – planned demonstrations. So what are the effects of such decisions? We might think the main effects are going to be on whether the demonstrations happen or not, but new research suggests that the impacts can be much subtler tha...

In this lecture, Dr Mikaela Bloomberg will examine the evidence for joint effects of sleep and physical activity on cognitive function. About the lecture Sleep and physical activity are intrinsically linked behaviours thought to contribute to cognitive health and dementia risk. In this lecture, Dr Mikaela Bloomberg will examine the evidence for joint effects of sleep and physical activity on cogni...

Today's episode, hosted by Olivia Moir, discusses preconception health, or health before pregnancy with Dr. Jenny Hall. She is a Clinical Associate Professor and NIHR Advanced Fellow here at the Institute for Women's Health. When it comes to reproduction, socialization often focusses on two main areas: either not getting pregnant or being pregnant. But there is more to it, and it’s important to ed...

Hosted by Olivia Moir, today we discuss Gene Therapy with Professor Simon Waddington. He is a professor and researcher in the field of Gene Therapy here at UCL. The topic of gene therapy can come across as slightly daunting to those who may not have a background in the field, but this episode dives into the nitty gritty to help clear things up! We cover what gene therapy really is about, from the...

This week's episode is about PCOS, or polycystic ovary syndrome. To do this, we have Dr. Bassel Wattar, who is a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist based in London – United Kingdom with advanced expertise in the fields of fertility, assisted conception, endocrine gynaecology, polycystic ovary syndrome, and menopause. He is a experienced clinician scientist and currently co-leads a research...

Hosted by Olivia Moir, this episode discusses ectopic pregnancy with Dr. Annie Solangon, who is a who is an Obstetrician & Gynaecologist specialising in Early Pregnancy, Gynaecology and Advanced Ultrasound at UCLH. Presently she is undertaking a PhD in ectopic pregnancy and pregnancies of unknown location, under the supervision of Professor Jurkovic here at UCL. We discuss what ectopic pregnancy i...

In this episode, Ferdouse speaks to Shoba Poduval about health inequalities among ethnic minorities – including childbirth and mental health treatment – and wonders how digital technology could help the situation. Shoba is a GP and clinical academic in UCL’s eHealth unit where she spends her time developing and evaluating digital health services. Shoba has recently completed a secondment at the Of...

In the tenth episode, Dr Anne Lane, CEO of UCLB and Dr Chris Hollowood, CEO of Syncona Investment Management, discussed the collaboration between their respective organisations in commercialising research. Syncona is a leading healthcare investment company focused on creating, building and scaling a portfolio of global leaders in life science; and Chris has been instrumental in the foundation and...

Ken Li is an Associate Professor looking at technology you can use to manage diabetes. He's currently creating a sort of artificial pancreas to help those with diabetes lead less stressful and anxious lives. We're joined in this episode by Melissa Connolly who tells us what life is like as a diabetic and how the device Ken is creating will change her life. For more information and to access the tr...

M. T. Z. Tyau (Diao Minqian 刁敏謙), Law student, describes arriving in London as an international student from China in 1909. This extract is from Tyau’s account of his London years. M. T. Z. Tyau, London through Chinese Eyes (London: Swarthmore Press, 1920). Voiced by Yitao Qian. For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/culture/projects/generation-ucl-200-years-st...

In the ninth episode of this podcast series, Ana Lemmo Charnalia, Senior Business Manager at UCLB, is in conversation with Orla O’Donnell , Divisional Manager at the UCL Div of Biosciences and former Chief Operating Officer of Health Digital CIC, a Community Interest Company incorporated in 2015 to commercialise HeLP-Diabetes. It is also an opportunity to celebrate Professor Elizabeth Murray’s lif...

'Overcoming' can be a difficult and daunting task, especially when faced with personal struggles and academic pressures. In our first episode, Beth, who is autistic, anxiety-ridden, and a trauma survivor, recounts her struggles and her life-long journey of self-discovery. Rather than trying to fit into preconceived molds or forcing oneself to conform to certain expectations, Beth encourages everyo...

Professor Jenny Bizley talks to Caswell and Steve about how different sounds are perceived by the brain. For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/neuroscience/brain-stories-podcast Date of episode recording: 2023-08-29 Duration: 00:38:23 Language of episode: English Presenter: Caswell Barry; Steve Flemming Guests: Professor Jenny Bizley Producer: Pa...

Peter Kok talks to Selina and Steve about how the brain determines our visual experience of the world and how his research aims to understand the neural circuit underlying this. For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/neuroscience/brain-stories-podcast Date of episode recording: 2023-08-17 Duration: 00:42:40 Language of episode: English Presenter:...

Over a 15 year journey, UCLB spinout company Senceive Ltd became the world leader in the design, manufacture and supply of wireless enabled remote condition monitoring solutions for use in rail and construction applications. Recognition of the innovative and scalable nature of Senceive’s solutions to keep people and critical infrastructure safe, led to the company being acquired by Eddyfi in April...

Mehiyar Kathem talks to former scholarship awardee, Dr Ali Naji. Ali completed a Nahrein Network - British Institute for the Study of Iraq (BISI) scholarship at University College London. In this podcast Ali speaks about heritage challenges in Najaf and Kufa in Iraq and his research at Kufa University into the connections between tangible and intangible heritage in the country. For more informatio...

Mehiyar Kathem interviews Mr Dlshad A. Mutalb, heritage manager of the Directorate of Antiquities in Soran, in Iraqi Kurdistan, who completed a scholarship at Cambridge University under the support and supervision of Professor Graeme Barker. Dlshad speaks about Northern Iraq's important neanderthal site, Shanidar Cave. For more information and to access the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/nahrein/media/...

Mehiyar Kathem speaks with Dr Hossam Mahdy, conservation architect, who is working to rethink and reform the ways in which conservation activity is pursued in the Middle East. Dr Mahdy speaks about the significance of community and intangible cultural heritage to sustainability and cultural continuity. For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/nahrein/media/podcasts...

Join hosts Doctor Xand van Tulleken and Dr Rochelle Burgess for Season 3, Episode 5 of Public Health Disrupted with Dr Halima Begum Prof Delan Devakumar. “It’s the indirect act of racism that is leading to poorer outcomes for racialised groups.” How does racism impact people’s health? And how big is this problem? We're three years on from George Floyd's murder, which launched a wave of global prot...

Professor Sarah Garfinkel talks to Caswell and Steve about her research exploring emotion and how brain body interactions may go awry in clinical conditions. For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/research/domains/neuroscience/brain-stories-podcast Date of episode recording: 2023-07-14T00:00:00Z Duration: 00:41:21 Language of episode: English Presenter: Caswell Ba...

This week we’re looking at the European Court of Justice. How does it operate? How political is it? And is public opinion ever taken into account? One of the chief stumbling blocks in negotiations over the Northern Ireland Protocol has concerned the role of the EU’s top court, the European Court of Justice, and parts of the Conservative Party are ever agitated by the quite separate European Court...

This week we’re looking at praise. When is it a good thing? And when, crucially, is it not? EPISODE NOTES At first blush, it might seem obvious that praise is a good thing. It involves complimenting others on what they have done; it tends to make them feel good; and it’s a way for us to communicate insights about virtuous behaviour. But dig a little deeper and things are not always as they seem. T...