UCL Minds

In this contributed interview from the Department of Statistical Science at UCL recorded for the Royal Statistical Society Conference 2021, we speak with a former member of the department, Dr Anna Heath. Dr Heath is currently a bio-statistician at SickKids hospital in Toronto within the Child Health Evaluative Sciences (CHES) program, and an assistant professor at the University of Toronto in the...

In the second episode of season two, host Christoph speaks with two researchers at The Bartlett to think about buildings and how we can see society’s understanding of gender dynamics and imbalances of power reflected in them. Join Maria Venegas Raba, an architectural historian, PhD student in transnational histories of Latin-American modernist architecture and lecturer (teaching) in the Architectu...

How do texts reflect their surrounding environment? How thin really is the boundary between word and the world, and what creative possibilities emerge when our 'eyes stray from the page'? Join us to discuss 'Ambience', our latest issue of Moveable Type, featuring interviews with our editors, Q&As with this issue's article writers, poetry readings and 30-Second Book Reviews. This podcast is present...

Date of lecture: Thursday 9 December 2021 About the lecture: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology for quantifying the environmental impacts associated with goods or services and supporting decision-making processes. The talk will begin with a brief introduction on life cycle thinking, environmental sustainability and LCA. Taking examples from a variety of research undertaken by the group,...

Date of lecture: Tuesday 7 December 2021 About the lecture: Priti Parikh will be discussing how women bear the burden of lack of infrastructure and how climate change further exacerbates this inequity. Virginie Le Masson will then talk about how violence against women and girls undermines their resilience to climate risks and Jordana Ramalho will explore the centrality of home and housing to women...

Date of Lecture: Thursday 2 December 2021 About the lecture: In this talk Professor Scior will share national and international work on Intellectual Disability Stigma, presenting research on a range of interventions to combat stigma. Lisa Richardson will describe a recent UCL Unit for Stigma Research study, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), which works directly with peop...

In this episode, host Professor Rose Luckin (UCL Knowledge Lab, UCL IOE) speaks to Professor Jack Stilgoe (UCL Department of Science & Technology Studies, Maths & Physical Sciences) and Dr Molly Morgan Jones (British Academy) to explore what kinds of research are most needed in the AI space - and how we should go about filling the gaps. For more information and to access the transcript: https://ww...

About the lecture: Teresa Domenech Aparisi will use evidence to assess the carbon footprint of fashion, address why fast fashion is problematic and identify ways to decarbonise your wardrobe. Following on from this, Jo Hale will look at ways to extend the lifetime of our clothes (reuse, repair and repurpose), including presenting research into barriers and enablers on these behaviours, and strateg...

In this episode, host Professor Rose Luckin (UCL Knowledge Lab, UCL IOE) explores “Future Skills” with Dr Louise Hickman (University of Cambridge) and Jordan Cummins from (CBI). As jobs and work will change with the increasing use of AI, we discuss what future skills are needed to close the AI-skill gap in the UK. We examine the roles of government, industry and academia in addressing this issue a...

Welcome back to the final episode of series one of Generation One, this week host Matt Winning is chatting about finance and tackling the question: Must cutting CO2 cost more for those with less? He is joined by Heather McKay, sustainable finance policy advisor at E3G, an independent climate change think tank, and Ashish Ghadiali, filmmaker and activist-in-residence at the Sarah Parker Remond Cent...

Date: 23 November 2021 About the lecture: Marina Romanello will give an overview of the work of the Lancet Countdown on tracking the impacts of climate change on human health. Jenny Mindell will speak about active travel (walking, cycling and using public transport) and the way in which this reduced carbon emissions and provides numerous health benefits. Ilan Kelman will talk about the health impa...

In our final episode of this series, Cassidy and Cerys reflect on some of their favourite interviews. They share updates from guests and discuss the ground-breaking research that has really surprised or changed them in the course of making the podcast. For more information and to access the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/made-at-ucl/podcasts/s2-ep11-resolution Date of episode recording: 15/11/20 Durati...

In this episode, host Professor Rose Luckin (UCL IOE) discusses how UK businesses - small and large, and across different regions - can engage with AI and attract tech talent, with guests Vimla Appadoo, Head of Experience at Culture Shift, and Dana Elman-Vishkin, Innovation Delivery Manager at Digital Catapult. For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-minds/podc...

Does the earth have to be a fashion victim? This week host Mark Maslin chats with Juliet Russell, Head of Sustainability at Stella McCartney and Max Bittner, CEO of Vestiaire Collective about all things fashion. We’re discussing the fashion industry, from greenwashing to fast fashion and how you can shop more consciously. Join Juliet Russell and Max Bittner as they discuss the current problems in...

Is online space real space? Does it, should it and can it work in the same way and follow the same rules? This is a big question that couldn’t possibly be answered in one episode, so we thought we’d be a bit more specific and ask, what does, or should, an online classroom look like? Alongside two innovative educators from The Bartlett School of Architecture, host Christoph explores their personal...

Date: Tuesday 16 November 2021 About the lecture: The existential threat to humanity from Climate Change requires action at a scale and speed that can seem almost impossible, transitioning systems that have operated for decades on fossil fuels to a completely new paradigm. Aidan O’Sullivan will talk about how Artificial Intelligence is a natural ally and catalyst for this change and the fundamenta...

This is the sixth podcast in the Resilience Research Group's series on 'What is Resilience?'. For this podcast we are visited by Dr Gretchen Pianka (Resilience University), Eleanor Parrott (UCL), Lindad Turck (Primary School teacher), Prof Orit Nuttman-Shwartz (Sapir College, Israel). The podcast is hosted by Dr Seonaid Anderson (Neurodiverse). This podcast covers: Why is resilience in children an...

In this episode, Professor Nick Tyler (Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering, UCL Engineering) shares his vision of how cities are built, evolve, and how this process might include more creativity and humanity. Using perspectives from academia and the arts, Professor Tyler paints a picture of cities that puts people at the centre.

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr Jamie Woodcock (Open University) and Dr Zeynep Engin (UCL computer science) to discuss disenfranchisement by AI in the world of work. We cover topics like algorithmic management and the biases that can be exacerbated by AI driven technologies – and discuss broader inequities AI can highlight and make worse. We also consider positive uses of AI in work and discus...

This week we’re talking trees, from Kew Gardens to Dame Judi Dench’s back garden. Join hosts Matt Winning and Mark Maslin as they chat to Prof Mat Disney about measuring trees, and to Craig Bennett, CEO of Wildlife Trusts about the importance of biodiversity, and how the UK is ‘beaver ready’. Listen now to hear about a NASA app that allows you to measure trees around you and assess how much carbon...

About the UCL East Lunch Hour Lecture: Dr Qasim Rafiq will explore the challenges and opportunities of manufacturing advanced personalised therapies, and the impact these regenerative, curative treatments will have on the treating previous unmet clinical need. Dr Rafiq will discuss what advanced therapies are, how they will revolutionise healthcare and the challenges involved in manufacturing thes...

In this contributed series from the Department of Statistical Science at UCL, we speak with Professor Tom Fearn about how UCL is acknowledging and addressing its historical links with the eugenics movement, and in particular the roles of the prominent statisticians and eugenicists Francis Galton and Karl Pearson. For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/statistics/t...

Dr Harry Kennard chats to UCL academics from the Institute of Sustainable Resources, Lilia Couto and Professors Jim Watson and Michael Grub, about the experience of attending COP26 and the implications of the Glasgow Climate Pact. To find out more and access the transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/news/2021/oct/podcast-episode-reflections-cop26

In this episode we discuss what “good” work means with Rob McCargow (PwC) and Mary Towers (Trades Union Congress), and how AI can impact this - considering both positive and negative uses of AI technologies in workplaces. For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-minds/podcasts/working-well-ai

Date: Tuesday 2 November 2021 Speakers: Nadia Ameli, Principal Research Fellow at UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources (UCL ISR) Ashish Ghadiali, Activist-in-Residence at Sarah Parker Remond Centre, Institute of Advanced Studies, UCL Dr Joshua Ryan-Collins, Head of Finance and Macroeconomics at UCL’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose About the UCL Lunch Hour Lecture: The sustainable f...