Latest news with #AHRC
Business News Wales
2 days ago
- Science
- Business News Wales
Swansea's Former Woolworths Building at Centre of £3m Research Project
The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) is playing a leading role in a major new UK-wide project that has secured £3 million in funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The project, Retrofitting for the Future: Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Adaptation, brings together a consortium of academic and societal partners to explore how biophilic design – working with nature rather than against it – can help urban areas adapt to the intensifying impacts of climate change. The four-year transdisciplinary project, which is one of only three selected across the UK through the AHRC's new Mission Awards, will investigate how older urban buildings and public spaces can be reimagined as sustainable, liveable places that promote human and ecological well-being. The project's flagship case study is the transformation of Swansea's former Woolworths building, now The Biome, into the UK's first retrofitted 'living building', integrating housing, commercial, community and education spaces with nature at its core. Dr Jeremy Smith, Dean of the Institute of Education and Humanities from University of Wales Trinity Saint David, said: 'This award reflects the bold, collaborative thinking required to address the climate and nature emergencies. I'm especially proud of UWTSD's leadership in this work, which brings the arts, humanities, and sciences together with civic and community partners to explore how we can make urban life healthier, greener and more resilient. This is not only about buildings – it's about people, place, and the futures we're building together.' The research team at UWTSD will lead key strands of the project focusing on the cultural, social, ecological, and policy dimensions of biophilic retrofitting. Working in close collaboration with industry, housing, health, education and policy partners, the team will identify and overcome the technical, regulatory and behavioural barriers that hinder the adoption of nature-based solutions in cities. Dr Luci Attala, Deputy Executive Director of the UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES global coalition and Associate Professor in Anthropology at UWTSD, added: 'Retrofitting for the Future aligns with Wales's Well-being of Future Generations Act and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. We urgently need to rethink the way we live in cities not just structurally, but emotionally and ecologically. Our research is grounded in co-creation and lived experience, ensuring that the voices of residents, creatives, and communities shape the future of urban living. This project offers a blueprint for how we can retrofit not just our buildings, but our relationships with nature, each other, and the systems that govern us.' The consortium includes University College London, Swansea University, Hacer Developments, Pobl Group, Natural Resources Wales, and the City and County of Swansea Council, along with a range of local and international partners.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
New report reveals shocking number of Aussies sexually harassed in the workplace
More Australians are being faced with the decision between their livelihoods and their safety, with new data revealing one in three have experienced workplace sexual harassment. The Australian Human Rights Commission's (AHRC) Speaking from Experience report found a significant number of victim-survivors identified as a vulnerable person. Of the 300 workers interviewed, 47 per cent of those were young people aged between 15 to 17, 53 per cent identified as having a disability, while 44 per cent of survey respondents were from LGBTQIA+ communities. Twenty-six per cent were citizens of another country or visa holders. The findings pointed to those who had 'more to lose', or were in positions with no power, were most often targeted. 'Speaking from Experience was a groundbreaking listening and reform project,' Sex Discrimination Commissioner Dr Anna Cody said. 'It provided a full picture of how harassers target people of all identities within our community … what we learnt was that WSH is rarely only an issue of gendered power. 'WSH relates to, and intersects with, other forms of discrimination such as race, migration status, sexuality, gender identity, disability, First Nations status and age. 'These solutions to prevent workplace sexual harassment come from listening to those who have lived it,' she added. 'We heard the experiences of more than 300 Australians from diverse backgrounds, who told us what needs to change in addressing workplace sexual harassment. 'Workers shouldn't have to choose between their safety and their livelihood.' The AHRC is now calling for a number of reforms – including amending the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 to limit the use of confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements, increasing funding for specialist support services and introducing civil penalties for employers who breach their Positive Duty – to be introduced to make Australian workplaces safer. A major reform centred around accessibility, with many workers, especially those from non-English speaking backgrounds, facing barriers to information as resources were often presented in complex and legalistic language. Many respondents noted a sense of denied justice, with employer responses to WSH reports often leading to being disbelieved or harming career prospects and community relations. 'Secure work conditions, characterised by fair contracts, financial stability, and robust worker protections, are foundational to addressing WSH,' the report read. 'Safety and inclusivity go hand-in-hand.' Dr Cody said workplace sexual harassment can affect every part of life, with plenty of work still to be done in addressing, and ultimately curbing, the issue. 'While it is a final crucial step in the Commission's Respect@Work agenda, there is still plenty of work to be done … for real action, accountability, and cultural shifts for everyone to be safe and respected at work.'
BBC News
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
New Generation Thinkers 2025 selected to shape programming on BBC Radio 4
Six of the UK's most promising early career researchers in the arts and humanities have been chosen as this year's New Generation Thinkers, a scheme supported by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the BBC. Each year, a nationwide search identifies outstanding academics and helps them bring their research ideas to a broader audience on BBC radio. Selected from hundreds of applicants, these six researchers represent some of the brightest emerging minds in their fields. The New Generation Thinkers will collaborate with four Radio 4 teams across the UK, who work on programmes such as Free Thinking and Thinking Allowed, weekly science programmes, Front Row and Woman's Hour. The 2025 group of New Generation Thinkers have a wide range of research interests, including: the role which language plays in healthcare; Second World War espionage; evolving perceptions of crime and justice from Medieval times until the present day; how marriage, labour and climate impact migration; and women's contributions to television and film. Matthew Dodd, Commissioning Editor, Arts, BBC Radio 4, says: "As the biggest speech radio station in the UK, Radio 4 is thrilled to introduce six brilliant early-career academics to such a broad audience. Their commitment to reaching the wider public with their research will enrich Radio 4's programming, delivering new perspectives that inspire and challenge.' Professor Christopher Smith, AHRC Executive Chair says: 'New Generation Thinkers communicate fascinating ideas to the public, expanding our cultural, social and philosophical horizons while prompting important conversations. 'With subjects as diverse as climate change, war and healthcare, and methodologies as varied as film making and storytelling, these early careers researchers will explore important ideas that have shaped, and continue to shape, our world. 'I look forward to see what these six brilliant, original thinkers can produce with the resources of the BBC at their fingertips.' About the 2025 cohort Ashleigh Percival-Borley Ashleigh Percival-Borley is a British Army veteran of the war in Afghanistan and military historian at Durham University who brings a distinctive perspective to Britain's wartime past. Combining first-hand experience with academic insight, she specialises in the cultural history of the Second World War, with a focus on British secret intelligence and the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Her research explores how wartime espionage has been remembered, represented, and mythologised through personal testimony, film, and popular culture. Ashleigh has delivered lectures for NATO, spoken at the National Intelligence History Conference, and given a TED Talk on the feminine paradox of being a woman soldier and the emotional legacy of conflict. A skilled communicator, she has already taken part in a Free Thinking discussion in May looking at ideas about peace, which is available on BBC Sounds. Dr Beth Malory Dr Beth Malory works closely with healthcare professionals, researchers from different fields, policymakers, and charities to better understand the role language plays in healthcare experiences. Dr Malory is a lecturer in English Linguistics at University College London (UCL). Her research explores how the language used around reproductive and sexual healthcare shapes people's experiences of diagnosis and public understanding of health conditions. She is particularly interested in how language affects the way people think and feel about pregnancy endings, such as pregnancy loss or termination, and sexually transmitted diseases. Dr Malory works closely with healthcare professionals, researchers from different fields, policymakers, and charities to better understand the role language plays in healthcare experiences. Whilst completing her PhD at Lancaster University, Dr Malory held research roles and visiting lectureships at several universities, including Lancaster University, the University of Central Lancashire, the University of Manchester, and Liverpool Hope University. Since joining UCL as a lecturer in 2022, she has led a series of projects exploring the role of language in experiences of pregnancy loss, in partnership with national charities, including Tommy's and Sands. She is also involved in large interdisciplinary projects on pandemic preparedness and response. Dr Laura Minor Dr Minor is a Lecturer in Television Studies at the University of Salford, UK. Her research primarily focuses on women's contributions to television—both behind the camera and on screen—along with representations of social class in British popular culture. Dr Minor serves as Co-Investigator on the AHRC-funded project What's On? Rethinking Class in the Television Industry, collaborating with industry partners Channel 4 and the BBC. Edinburgh University Press published her first book, Reclaiming Female Authorship in Contemporary UK Television Comedy, in 2024. Dr Reetika Revathy Subramanian Dr Reetika Revathy Subramanian is the creator of Climate Brides, a multimedia project and podcast investigating how climate change is deepening the drivers of child marriage in South Asia. Why people move, who stays behind, and how marriage, labour, and climate change shape these choices are central questions explored by Dr Subramanian, Senior Research Associate at the School of Global Development, University of East Anglia. With a background in journalism in India and a PhD in Multidisciplinary Gender Studies from the University of Cambridge, Dr Subramanian works at the intersection of academic research and creative storytelling—drawing on podcasts, comics, and women's work songs to surface grounded, everyday narratives. Dr Sarah Louise Smyth Dr Sarah Louise Smyth is currently writing a book about filmmaker, writer, journalist, and playwright Nora Ephron, due to be published by Edinburgh University Press in 2026. Dr Smyth is a Lecturer in Film in the Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies at the University of Essex. Her research focuses on women's representation and authorship in contemporary film and television. Dr Smyth's Nora Ephron project is part-funded by a BA/Leverhulme Small Grant, awarded for research on Ephron's early screenplays held in the USA. The findings of this research will help write the history of Ephron in Hollywood—one of the most popular and successful women filmmakers of all time. Dr Smyth completed her PhD in Film at the University of Southampton in 2019, funded by the AHRC project Calling the Shots: Women and Contemporary UK Film Culture. Since then, she has published research on topics such as women's filmmaking in Britain, women's genre filmmaking, and women's television production. In 2024, she co-edited a special dossier on women's television authorship and adaptation for the journal New Review in Film and Television Studies. She currently serves on the Steering Group of the Women's Film and Television History Network UK/Ireland. Dr Stephanie Brown Dr Stephanie Brown is a co-creator of Medieval Murder Maps, an interactive website offering unique insights into violence and justice in medieval England. Her upcoming book, Murder and Mercy: Homicide and Capital Punishment in Nineteenth-Century Wales, argues that not everyone had an equal chance of being shown mercy, and will be published by Routledge. Dr Brown is a historical criminologist at the University of Hull, exploring change and continuity in crime, punishment, and policing from the Middle Ages to the modern day. She is an expert in the law, context, and history of homicide, suicide, and abortion. Her research uncovers how society's views of violence, gender, ethnicity, and class shape who is seen as a 'criminal' and how the law is applied in England and Wales. She also explores contemporary issues, including how the media reports crime and what the public thinks about justice. FK About the New Generation Thinkers scheme Every year, the BBC and AHRC hold a nationwide search for the best new arts and humanities academics with ideas that will resonate with a wider audience. These New Generation Thinkers represent some of the best early career researchers in the country. They will benefit from training and development with AHRC. They will also spend a year being mentored by producers from BBC radio, where they will appear and take part in discussions during the year. The New Generation Thinker scheme has been running since 2011 with over 100 academics having passed through it. New Generation Thinkers alumni include Shahidha Bari, Laurence Scott, Nandini Das, Noreen Masud, Alexandra Harris, Daisy Hay, Islam Issa, Joanne Paul, Jonathan Healey, Oskar Cox Jensen, Tiffany Watt Smith, Daniel Lee, Lucy Weir, Victoria Donovan, Eleanor Barraclough, Jade Cuttle, Ellie Chan, Leah Broad, Diarmuid Hester, Elsa Richardson, Preti Taneja, Christopher Harding, Christina Faraday, Sandeep Parmar, Jake Morris-Campbell and Catherine Fletcher, who have gone on to publish for broad audiences outside of academia. Other alumni who have curated exhibitions, appeared as expert guests on TV or hosted radio broadcasts and podcasts include Fern Riddell, Xine Yao, Sean Williams, Dina Rezk, John Gallagher, Jade Munslow Ong, Joan Passey, Susan Greaney, Naomi Paxton, Sophie Coulombeau, Louise Creechan, Christienna Fryar, Alexandra Reza, Jake Subryan Richards, Danielle Thom, Fariha Shaikh, Will Abberley, Shona Minson, Becca Voelcker, Tom Simpson and Lisa Mullen.
Rhyl Journal
10-06-2025
- Science
- Rhyl Journal
Historic England laboratories given ‘state-of-the-art' refurbishment
The Fort Cumberland Laboratories in Portsmouth, Hampshire, have been equipped with tools to help understand how historic artefacts are made and how best to preserve them. The site has been central in projects ranging from the re-excavation of Silbury Hill in Wiltshire, conserving artefacts from the 18th century Dutch warship the Rooswijk off the Kent coast and the analysis of human remains at Birdoswald Roman Fort Cemetery at Hadrian's Wall in Cumbria. An Historic England spokeswoman said: 'The specialist work of Historic England's science facility at Fort Cumberland plays a vital role in telling the stories of England's past. 'Over the last 75 years, its archaeologists and heritage scientists have made a significant contribution to understanding our past. 'Housing nationally important reference collections and advanced analytical instrumentation, Fort Cumberland is managed by a team of heritage scientists who provide bespoke advice and services to the heritage sector, as well as producing globally-recognised best practice guidance.' The renovations, funded by Historic England, have involved reconfiguring the lab spaces with new flooring, heating and cooling systems while new posts have been created with funding awarded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The new equipment includes a scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectrometry system (SEM-EDS) for analysing historic materials to which will provide an insight into how they are made as well as assess their condition and how to preserve them for longer. The spokeswoman said: 'The upgraded SEM-EDS allows imaging of very small features (e.g. nanocrystals) as well as mapping the chemical composition of a wide range of materials. 'Expected uses include identifying dental wear in archaeological remains; causes of bone discolouration or butchering marks; wood and fibre species; insect remains; plant remains; and historic building materials.' Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: 'The amazing work of our archaeologists and heritage scientists is helping to uncover the hidden stories that connect us to our distant past. 'This new investment in Fort Cumberland's laboratories will enhance our research and conservation work, and improve access to our expertise, equipment and collections, helping more people to enjoy and care for their heritage.'
The Independent
10-06-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Historic England laboratories given ‘state-of-the-art' refurbishment
The laboratories used by Historic England's scientists to carry out research from some of the country's most significant heritage sites are reopening after a state-of-the-art refit. The Fort Cumberland Laboratories in Portsmouth, Hampshire, have been equipped with tools to help understand how historic artefacts are made and how best to preserve them. The site has been central in projects ranging from the re-excavation of Silbury Hill in Wiltshire, conserving artefacts from the 18th century Dutch warship the Rooswijk off the Kent coast and the analysis of human remains at Birdoswald Roman Fort Cemetery at Hadrian's Wall in Cumbria. An Historic England spokeswoman said: 'The specialist work of Historic England's science facility at Fort Cumberland plays a vital role in telling the stories of England's past. 'Over the last 75 years, its archaeologists and heritage scientists have made a significant contribution to understanding our past. ' Housing nationally important reference collections and advanced analytical instrumentation, Fort Cumberland is managed by a team of heritage scientists who provide bespoke advice and services to the heritage sector, as well as producing globally-recognised best practice guidance.' The renovations, funded by Historic England, have involved reconfiguring the lab spaces with new flooring, heating and cooling systems while new posts have been created with funding awarded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The new equipment includes a scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectrometry system (SEM-EDS) for analysing historic materials to which will provide an insight into how they are made as well as assess their condition and how to preserve them for longer. The spokeswoman said: 'The upgraded SEM-EDS allows imaging of very small features (e.g. nanocrystals) as well as mapping the chemical composition of a wide range of materials. 'Expected uses include identifying dental wear in archaeological remains; causes of bone discolouration or butchering marks; wood and fibre species; insect remains; plant remains; and historic building materials.' Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: 'The amazing work of our archaeologists and heritage scientists is helping to uncover the hidden stories that connect us to our distant past. 'This new investment in Fort Cumberland's laboratories will enhance our research and conservation work, and improve access to our expertise, equipment and collections, helping more people to enjoy and care for their heritage.'
