UCL Minds

Considering recent cases and societal issues, how can built environment practitioners influence policies for women's safety in cities? With Professor Priti Parikh, Director of Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, Dr Hanna Baumann, UCL Institute for Global Prosperity and Dr Margarita Garfias Royo, Deputy Director of the Engineering for International Development Centre.  Transcription link:...

How is super small tech (we're talking a billionth of a meter small) going to change healthcare? It sounds like quite a far-fetched - really small things helping to diagnose cancer and other diseases? It's a type of X-ray? In this episode, we speak to Alessandro Rossi is a Research Fellow in Electronic and Electrical Engineering at UCL to answer these questions and explain how nanotechnology is ch...

What is the Climate and Nature Bill, and why does it matter? The Zero Hour campaign is here to tell us, as we dive into their efforts to secure widespread backing for the Climate and Nature Bill. The Bill, which had its Second Reading in Parliament on 24 January 2025, aims to strengthen the UK government’s commitments to cut emissions, restore nature, and ensure public consultation on the road to...

Following our first podcast where we dispelled some Myths about apprenticeships and spoke about why growing talent within is important, we now take a look at two factors that will help apprentices succeed during their training: the importance of a Growth Mindset and making the most of networking. Join UCL Apprenticeship Managers Paula and Uzma as they have a chat over a cuppa and provide some hint...

This is the third of five podcasts in celebration of National Apprenticeship Week 2025. Today Apprenticeship Managers, Paula and Uzma focus on the role of the line manager and the pivotal role they play in supporting apprentices during their programme. For line managers, those that are considering recruiting an apprentice or for anyone interested in apprenticeships to better understand the support...

Join Paula and Uzma, Apprenticeship Managers as they discuss the importance of time management and how to view failure as an opportunity, providing advice and guidance for apprentices to support wellbeing. Part of the series of podcasts developed to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week 2025. Links: Date of episode recording: 2025-02-13T00:00:00Z Duration: 00:14:00 Language of episode: English

This is the final podcast in the series to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week 2025. Paula and Uzma discuss what next after an apprenticeship, what apprentices should consider and do to develop their careers and keep their skills alive. For apprentices and managers who want to find out more about life after an apprenticeship. Date of episode recording: 2025-02-14T00:00:00Z Duration: 00:18:00 La...

Today we are continuing our discussion on gene therapy, with Dr Rajvinder Karda, hosted by Olivia. Raj is both a researcher and professor at the UCL Institute for Women's Health, with her role as an associate professor of Gene Therapy, as well as leading a team of research focussing on developing pre-clinical gene therapy and RNA editing treatments for childhood epilepsy, including Dravet Syndrome...

Welcome to the first of our five daily podcasts to celebrate National Apprenticeship week 2025. UCL Apprenticeship Managers Paula Sandamas and Uzma Sadiq chat about apprenticeships, who they are for, the positive impact they can have and dispel all the myths. Thought you know about apprenticeships – think again! Find out how apprenticeships are relevant to you no matter who you are and what you do...

How are we improving dental health so we don't have to keep going back to the dentist? Anastasios Koulogiannis is a Post Graduate Researcher at UCL. He's looking at engineering applications in healthcare in the department of Mechanical Engineering and so whilst he's not a dentist (although he does have a lot of dental knowledge after spending a lot of time with dentists), Anastasios speaks to us a...

In today’s episode, we delve into the complex and often misunderstood world of autocratic leadership. At first glance, it might seem like authoritarian rulers wield unchallenged power, free to govern without opposition. After all, the term "autocrat" stems from the Greek for "self-rule." But is that really how it works in practice? A fantastic new book, 'Autocrats Can't Always Get What They Want',...

We all know that meat production emits a substantial amount of greenhouse gases, nearly 60% by some estimates, and so we need to do something about it. Darren Player, Associate Professor in Musculoskeletal Bioengineering, discusses the development of lab-grown meat, why he's working on engineering new, sustainable sources of meat and how he's doing it. We're also joined by Beren Fidan, a Colotarun...

In the final episode of series 2 of The Life of PIE, we explore the unique challenges social enterprises face as they balance growth with their mission. How can social enterprises expand while staying true to their core purpose? Onya and Jacob McMahon, a Life of PIE alum from the 22-23 cohort, discuss external pressures, such as securing funding and managing customer expectations, alongside intern...

Existing commercial buildings in the UK are being converted to create new housing, circumventing the planning system through permitted development. But what could be the impact of those conversions, especially from a health perspective? Julia Thrift, Director, Healthier Place-making at the Town and Country Planning Association, joins expert researchers Professor Lauren Andres and Professor Ben Cli...

Genetic discovery in inflammatory bowel disease has been incredibly successful. This provides a unique opportunity to understand what goes wrong when people develop disease, which in turn could identify better treatment targets. Yet most of this potential remains unrealised, as moving from where genetic associations lie to an understanding of how they drive disease is a formidable challenge. James...

Social media plays a significant role in shaping political debates and, some argue, even influencing election outcomes. Politicians increasingly use platforms like X (formerly Twitter) to communicate directly with the public and run their campaigns. However, this unfiltered communication can sometimes spread misinformation or undermine democratic values. A prime example is incoming US President Do...

In a turbulent political summer, few surprises were greater than that caused by French president Emmanuel Macron’s decision in June to call early parliamentary elections. Macron’s party had just been trounced in the European Parliament elections; and victory for the far right seemed likely. In the end, thanks to some last minute deals, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally did not win. Rather, it was an...

There have been longstanding calls for reparations to address the profound injustices of colonialism and compensate for the vast extraction of resources from colonized nations. However, with few recent exceptions, these demands for reparations have largely been ignored by the former colonial powers. So, what comes next? Over the past two decades, renewed interest in colonial reparations has emerge...

In recent years, policing in England and Wales has appeared to be trapped in a cycle of crisis. From high-profile scandals to criticisms of operational standards, concerns about the police’s role and conduct have intensified. Perhaps most shockingly, a serving police officer was convicted of the murder of Sarah Everard, a tragedy that underscored the urgent need for accountability within the force...

We’re familiar with the idea that history shapes contemporary politics, but what about the reverse? How do today’s political dynamics influence the way we remember the past? In this episode, we explore a compelling study that examines this question in the context of Ukraine—a country caught between conflicting historical narratives from Russia and the West. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Uk...

Episode Summary This week we’re looking at how to improve public services. How can bureaucracies best be managed to deliver positive outcomes? Does compliance get in the way of building trust between citizens and governments? Episode Notes The state of public services is a pressing issue both in the UK and globally. News headlines are frequently dominated by stories of chronic failures and acute c...

This lunch hour lecture will cover the latest findings of the Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change, a UCL-led project bringing together over 300 researchers from around the globe.

Today's episode hosted by Olivia, features Miss Adeola Olaitan, who is a Consultant Gynaecological Oncologist, for a discussion on gynaecological cancers and Human papilloma virus (HPV). We discuss the five different types of gynaecological cancers, including: ovarian cancer, uterine or endometrial (womb) cancer, cervical cancer, vaginal and vulval cancer. Adeola also describes the overarching the...

This week we’re looking at the elections in the United States. Donald Trump has won; the Democrats have been comprehensively defeated. What explains the result? And what are the implications – for the US and the wider world? Episode Notes One week after the US elections, Donald Trump has claimed victory, securing the presidency, the Senate, and almost certainly – though not yet confirmed – the Hou...

Here Jane Perryman and Alice Bradbury present data which explores how the Ofsted inspection is experienced and stakeholders’ views on how it could be improved. They discuss the report’s recommendations for change and discuss how this would benefit teachers and schools.