UCL Minds

This week we’re looking at how parliaments question prime ministers. How does questioning work? And does it actually do any good? Date of episode recording: 2024-01-25T00:00:00Z Duration: 37:22 Language of episode: English Presenter: Prof Alan Renwick Guests: Ruxandra Serban Producer: Eleanor Kingwell-Banham

This week we’re looking at the politics of power-sharing in Northern Ireland. What is it? Why is it not currently working? And what is its future? Date of episode recording: 2024-01-11T00:00:00Z Duration: 40:31 Language of episode: English Presenter:Prof Alan Renwick Guests: Conor Kelly and Alan Whysall Producer: Eleanor Kingwell-Banham

Join hosts Doctor Xand van Tulleken and Dr Rochelle Burgess for Season 4, Episode 3 of Public Health Disrupted. "It's not our children who are disordered, it's the environment in which we're expecting them to operate." In this month’s episode, our experts explore the pressing issue of children's mental health in the UK. With one in five young individuals facing probable mental health disorders, th...

For this podcast we are visited by Chris Layne (Nova Southeastern University) to discuss the topic 'Resilience in grief and bereavement'. The podcast is hosted by Shi-Hui Kau (UCL). This podcast covers: 1. What are the similarities between posttraumatic stress and grief reactions? 2. Does the circumstances or reasons of death affect the way a bereaved person grieves and build resilience? 3. What i...

In this episode, we’re moving beyond the UK to explore global climate policy in the wake of COP28. Hosts Mark and Simon are joined by Pierre Cannet, the Global Head of Public Affairs and Policy at Client Earth, to discuss how the law can be used to create change. More about Client Earth: https://www.clientearth.org/ For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/climate-c...

In this episode, we are hosting Professor Maria Todorova from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to revisit her illuminating book 'Imagining The Balkans.' Professor Todorova specializes in Eastern Europe, particularly the Balkans in the modern period, focusing on historical demography, nationalism, socialism, and post-communism. Her work has had a major influence on the study of the Balka...

Hosted by Olivia Moir, this very special episode discusses prenatal therapy with Prof Anna David, Director of the Institute for Women's Health here at UCL. Today we cover the basics of what the field of prenatal therapy is about, discussing the general lack of prenatal therapy in clinic and some of the factors behind why this is. We talk about the importance of conducting research to advance clini...

Celebrate International Women's Day with a special first episode of the new series of Life of PIE! Onya, your host, delves into the complex world of women's health alongside Kris Teow, an MSc PIE alum from the 2022-23 cohort. Kris shares findings from her qualitative study on the experiences of Malaysian corporate women, shedding light on the diverse ways women's health is perceived and managed gl...

We are back with the second series of the Life of PIE podcast. Dr Onya Idoko lets us know what we can expect from this season. Date of episode recording: 2024-03-04T00:00:00Z Duration: 00:02:28 Language of episode: English Presenter: Dr Onya Idoko; Juan Manuel Castillo Producer: Juan Manuel Castillo

Introducing episode 3 of season four! Our hosts Mark and Simon continue this series with a discussion on the fallout from COP28 for the UK, and what needs to be done on a national, governmental and local level. Joining them are our guests Ian Townsend (ONS Divisional Director of Environment), Robbie Macpherson, (APPG lead at Uplift), Annabel Rice (Political Advisor at Green Alliance) and Deputy Ma...

We are most likely to think about environmental data as sets of facts, but have you thought of it as having a social life? In this episode, we explore how those who collect and prepare environmental data may not necessarily be the ones to use or benefit from it: Dr Tone Walford and Dr Cecilia Chavana-Bryant draw on their experiences of collecting data across the Amazon in Brazil, French Guiana and...

E-scooters provoke a 'Marmite' love or hate response in many of us. Still being piloted across UK cities, they straddle an uncertain legislative space, with concerns around safety not far from the headlines. Yet there are other important questions raised by this still-emergent form of transport. In this episode, we speak with Dr Daniel Oviedo about the multifaceted dimensions of transport-related...

In this episode, UCL’s Professor Jessica Ringrose shares her research on unsolicited sexual images on Snapchat, a social media platform which plays a central role in the lives of many teens. We discuss how this work uncovered high rates of non-consensual image sharing and led to the establishment of cyber flashing as a new criminal offence in the UK’s 2023 Online Safety Bill. We also explore how c...

The practical challenges of surviving harsh environments and limited resources in outer space have long been a focus of space research. But how might asking questions about living differently in space help us meet the challenges of living differently on earth? In this episode, we explore this with Dr Aaron Parkhurst as he discusses his multidisciplinary approach to studying ‘off-world living’. Fro...

What do we mean when we talk about collaborative social science? Why is collaborative research useful? What are the standout themes of the collaborative projects featured in this second season of Together We Create? In this episode, we discuss these questions and more with Professor Carey Jewitt, Chair of UCL's Collaborative Social Science Domain. Carey Jewitt is Professor of Technology and Learni...

This week we ask "how can we improve public services?" In particular, what are the structures and management strategies that best enable effective service delivery? Date of episode recording: 2023-12-14T00:00:00Z Duration: 36:08 Language of episode: English (UK)

 Presenter: Prof Alan Renwick Guests: Marc Esteve Producer: Eleanor Kingwell-Banham Transcript link: https://ucl-uncovering-politics.sim...

This week, we’re looking at how Russian leaders talk about sovereignty. In particular, how do their ideas about sovereignty help them rationalise war in Ukraine? Date of episode recording: 2023-12-07T00:00:00Z Duration: 34:46 Language of episode: English (UK)

 Presenter: Prof Alan Renwick Guests: Kalina Zhekova Producer: Eleanor Kingwell-Banham Transcript link: https://ucl-uncovering-politics.sim...

This week we’re discussing the politics of climate change and loss and damage policy, ahead of the upcoming COP28 conference. Date of episode recording: 2023-11-23T00:00:00Z Duration: 39:39 Language of episode: English Presenter: Emily McTernan Guests: Lisa Vanhala Producer: Eleanor Kingwell-Banham Transcript link: https://ucl-uncovering-politics.simplecast.com/episodes/climate-change-loss-and-dam...

This week we’re looking at the role of historical research in political science. What’s it good for, and how’s it best done? Date of episode recording: 2023-11-30T00:00:00Z Duration: 33:56 Language of episode: English Presenter:Prof Alan Renwick Guests: Sam Erkiletian and Zeynep Bulutgil Producer: Eleanor Kingwell-Banham

About the Lecture: The extent to which a face appears alive or lifeless has long been a topic in psychology, with the idea that more humanlike-looking faces achieve greater familiarity until a point is reached at which subtle imperfections give a sensation of strangeness – the uncanny valley effect. The uncanny valley effect term describes the sense of discomfort or unease we experience when we en...

About the Lecture: In 2022 the government introduced the out-of-home calorie labelling policy in England to help people make informed nutritional decisions as part of a broader strategy to reduce rates of obesity. However, little is known about how this policy impacts people’s mental health, especially those with lived experience of eating disorders. This lecture will explore why the policy might...

About the Lecture: In this lecture, we will explore the ways in which popular culture constitutes a privileged site for LGBTIQ+ teenagers’ identity formation, analysing how the queer protagonists of Netflix’s hit TV show “Sex Education” turn to cinema, graphic novels, music and fashion to find inspiration for the development of their non-normative gender identities, “forbidden” desires and sexual...

In this episode we hear from Abbie Chapman, a research fellow at UCL respond to the question 'Is taking A-Level worth it?' Abbie talks us through her experience. Date of episode recording: 2024-02-13T00:00:00Z Duration: 00:08:39 Language of episode: English Presenter: Roberta Livingston Guests: Abbie Chapman Producer: Emma Bryant and Roberta Livingston

About the Lecture: In 2022 the government introduced the out-of-home calorie labelling policy in England to help people make informed nutritional decisions as part of a broader strategy to reduce rates of obesity. However, little is known about how this policy impacts people’s mental health, especially those with lived experience of eating disorders. This lecture will explore why the policy might...

About the Lecture Perhaps the most powerful way to understand the Holocaust and the myriad methods through which Jewish people across Europe were dehumanised, excluded, persecuted and murdered is through the direct testimony of those who were the targets of Nazi antisemitism. In this special Lunch Hour Lecture to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2024, Holocaust survivor Mala Tribich, who was nine years...