Newsroom University of 51��

The Digital Environment Conference 2026: Open Call

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 15:38:26 +0000

is excited to announce that the presentation and poster submission is now live for !

Interested in presenting your work at The Digital Environment Conference 2026, hosted at SISTER on 1st April 2026? We are looking for individuals to present their research in 15 minute speakers slots, or present their work on a poster board at the event.

Please email Jade at digitalfutures@manchester.ac.uk with your presentation and/ or poster title, and topic or area of research.

Please note that the open call for presentation or poster submissions deadline is Friday 27th February 2026.

Creative 51�� Showcases Student Research and Celebrates University Collaboration at BEYOND Conference 2025

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 15:18:30 +0000

were delighted to once again be a partner of this year’s , engaging with industry leaders, researchers and artists from across the creative sector. The conference provided an opportunity to explore applications of and research into CreaTech and build collaborative links across the UK.

One of the highlights was Professor John McAuliffe, Creative 51��’s Platform Director, taking part in the panel discussion “Civic, Creative and Cultural: University Collaboration”. The session brought together members of the , including Professor Kirsty Fairclough (School of Digital Arts, 51�� Metropolitan University), Dr Sam Ingleson (University of Salford) and Professor Wiebke Thormählen (Royal Northern College of Music). Together, they demonstrated how universities are helping to create a more connected, creative and equitable city-region through strategic partnerships and cultural engagement.

Creative 51�� also invited three PhD students and their supervisors along to BEYOND for their CreaTech Student Research Showcase. The showcase, located among many other exciting product and research demos in the Immersive Futures Lab, featured the students’ PhD research and celebrated the University of 51��’s vibrant postgraduate research community. These projects show how creative technology can tackle real-world challenges across diverse industries:

- PhD in Electroacoustic Music Composition
Stream of Strings explores embodied music cognition, blending cultural heritage with creative technology to create motion-responsive performances and visual works. The project reimagines the ancient Chinese Guqin as an interactive instrument for live performance and public engagement. She is supervised by .
- PhD in Electroacoustic Music Composition
Data Sonification for Algorithm Behaviour uses sonification, the mapping of non-auditory data into sound, to better understand how optimisation algorithms work. This approach advances mathematical research while inspiring educational tools and musical compositions. He is also supervised by Professor Ricardo Climent.
- PhD in Computer Science
ReflectanceFusion is a neural text-to-texture model that generates editable, relightable materials from text prompts. It enables precise control of physical attributes, producing highly accurate textures for rendering and material design. He is supervised by .

The showcase sparked lively conversations among attendees, with many playing the Guqin virtually via a Leap Motion Controller and others listening to the beats generated by algorithms being solved in real time. Not only did the students get to practise their pitching skills, but they also found partners for onward collaboration and learning. It was great to see how the next generation of researchers and business partners can come together and seize opportunities for R&D.

More content from BEYOND 2025 will be shared soon, but to get an idea of the atmosphere at this special conference.

Great Science Share for Schools secures UNESCO Patronage for third year

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 15:41:24 +0000

For the 3rd year running, has been awarded Patronage to the UK National Commission for UNESCO for 2026.

This patronage is a formal endorsement by a National Commission for UNESCO for an external activity that aligns with UNESCO's mission, acting as a recognised mark of quality.

The Great Science Share for Schools (GSSfS) aims to engage young people in asking, investigating and sharing scientific questions. The campaign has over 800,000 young people registered in 50 countries across the world.

Earlier this year, GSSfS celebrated 10 years of the programme, leading to registrations from 835,135 pupils. 51�� hosted more than 35 schools from across Greater 51�� in its Nancy Rothwell building. They explored questions such as, are all flowers the same? And, does the temperature of the ocean affect coral?

The team are now working towards their 11th year, seeking to continue to build international engagement, with significant inroads made in training teachers and engaging schools in Malta, Spain and Slovenia.

CDT in 2D materials of Tomorrow part of the TechExpert pilot

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 14:30:04 +0000

2DMoT CDT is part of the pilot offering enhanced stipend of £10,000 above the UKRI minimum stipend of ca. £21,000 to students eligible for home fee status. Join us and help grow the UK’s national capability in advanced materials, part of the UK’s modern industrial strategy.

The TechExpert pilot, part of the , will support 500 new doctoral students eligible for home fee status in participating UKRI Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) and Doctoral Focal Awards (DFAs) in the six frontier industries under the digital and technologies sector in the , plus a small number prioritised for digital and technologies in the Financial Services sector agreed between the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and HM Treasury.

TechExpert students will receive an enhanced stipend of £10,000 above the UKRI minimum stipend. In return students will be asked to take part in additional TechExpert activities for up to 10 days each year, including outreach to promote tech careers, networking with the TechFirst community and engagement with the tech industry.

The aim of the TechExpert pilot is to strengthen the UK’s innovation pipeline and build a more inclusive, resilient and high-impact research ecosystem. It will test whether a higher stipend makes doctoral study a more competitive and financially viable alternative to entry-level industry roles, retaining talented graduates in research roles at doctoral level to upskill for future tech careers, as well as providing a viable way back into these roles for those who are employed.

This programme is being delivered by the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), working with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Spotlight on: Hazel Gardner

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 14:26:21 +0000

Hazel Gardner has worked as a Communications and Engagement Coordinator with Creative 51�� since 2022. She is also a , working with Macmillan Children’s Books on the Penguin and Pup series of books, and a new series beginning next year. Hazel has worked at the University for 20 years and is leaving to spend some time .

Tell us a bit about yourself and the roles you have had at the University over the past 20 years

After I finished my master's degree, I worked as a Research Assistant for three years in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures. I then joined the Faculty of Life Sciences IT team in a projects and planning support role – it was during this time that I became a PRINCE2 practitioner and developed my project management skills. Following this, I came back to SALC as a project manager of research projects. In parallel, I spent 15 years in self-employed roles – firstly as a freelance web designer, and then 10 years as co-director of an events company. The company stopped operating during the pandemic and it was then that I turned my hand to writing children’s books. In 2022 I began working for Creative 51�� in my current communications and engagement position which brought together the different skillsets I have gained over my career so far.

Looking to the future, what are your plans once you leave the University?

Once I leave the University, I will be taking some time to do the things I find fulfilling and that spur me on creatively – reading, walking, spending time in nature, letting my mind be calm and allowing it to wander. Of course, I hope to get a lot of writing done, and I will be working hard promoting my school and library visits.

After 20 years, what will you miss most about working at the University of 51��?

I am going to miss my Creative 51�� colleagues so much! I feel very lucky to have spent the past few years with such a lovely group of people. I will also miss seeing the campus in the autumn, when I think it is particularly beautiful, and being able to have a quick look around 51�� Museum or the Whitworth Art Gallery on my lunch break.

What is your favourite Creative 51�� memory?

That’s a tough question as there are lots of lovely memories. Event-wise, probably the Bicentenary weekend, which was a big team effort with a fun atmosphere (and lots of Diet Coke). Another highlight was attending the AMA conferences in Brighton and Edinburgh with the team. Lastly, I have enjoyed working with 51�� Museum and the Linguistic Diversity Collective on developing and promoting a language trail for children.

How has your time with Creative 51�� prepared you for the next phase in your career?

I’ve had the chance to refine my skills in communications and marketing during my time with Creative 51��, which I will take forward in promoting my books and my school visits.

Finally, what literature is keeping you inspired at the moment?

I am currently halfway through book four of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan – it's a very long series which I should finish in about a year or so. I like to read across different genres, but the world-building found in fantasy really tickles my imagination. I was also recently given a book on the history of vampires, which I know will inspire me for a future project.

In Memoriam: Professor Roger Ling (1930s–2025), Distinguished Scholar of Roman Art

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 14:11:00 +0000

In Memoriam: Professor Roger Ling

It is very sad to report that Roger Ling, a distinguished member of the Art History staff at the University of 51�� for more than 50 years - as lecturer, senior lecturer, Professor, and emeritus - died at the beginning of November after a long illness. During much of that time, especially in the 1970s and 80s, the Department had expanded to its maximum extent in terms of personnel and interests, with particular strengths in the medieval period and extending to the 20^thcentury. In this milieu, Roger for a number of years singlehandedly saw to the teaching of ancient and classical art at all undergraduate and postgraduate levels, until he was joined by colleagues with interests in early Greece and pre-Roman Italy, as well as in Minoan and Egyptian art, enabling him to concentrate more on the Roman world.

Roger was, in international terms, a leading historian of ancient Roman art and architecture. His deep knowledge of Pompeii originated with his PhD on stuccowork in Roman Italy, and he went on to publish many books on related topics, including Roman painting (on which he wrote the standard English textbook), and mosaics - he was also a frequent contributor to the journal Mosaic which is concerned with the rich material of Roman Britain. But Roger’s lasting monument is the four-volume Insula of the Menander at Pompeii published by Oxford University Press, to which his wife Lesley, who died three years before him, was a major contributor and was co-author of volume 2 (on the wall decorations). This housing block occupied a large residential space in the ancient town and encompassed more than half a dozen dwellings along with various service areas. As well as meticulous recording of archaeological detail, the Menander volumes offer a fascinating social history concerned with the different levels of humanity inhabiting the various parts of the insula at different periods, from prostitutes and down-and-outs to families of the highest rank.

For all the time that he worked at 51��, Roger and Lesley lived a somewhat austere life in beautiful but remote parts of the High Peak near Buxton. Internet receptivity could never be relied on. Without a television, Roger would go over to friends and neighbours, or the local pub, to watch his beloved Watford football team play their matches. Without a car, he would ski across the fields in winter to the local station at Chapel-en-le-Frith to catch the 51�� train in time for his 9.00 am lectures. Occasionally he would sleep over in his office in the department if the weather got too bad for the return journey. But with a knowing smile Roger was cheerful and imperturbable in almost all circumstances. The only things that seemed to depress him were departmental meetings.

United Nations staff brief HCRI students on career-building in international institutions

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 13:53:55 +0000

This month, HCRI hosted a careers webinar with staff from UNICEF and UNDP Türkiye.

The speakers shared their personal experiences of joining the UN system, and gave practical advice on the job application process.

The guest speakers were:

Laura Sunnen, Global Humanitarian Access Adviser, UNICEF, HQ, New York
İpek Özel, Human Resources Administrator, UNDP Türkiye

The webinar also covered the volunteering route, through ‘’.

HCRI has produced two careers guides, which can be accessed via:

Workshop on Emotions and Affect in Transitions – Exploring the Affective Dimensions of Environmental and Socio-Technical Change, University of 51��, 27 March 2026

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 13:38:37 +0000

We invite abstract submissions to participate in the workshop “Emotions and Affect in Transitions: Exploring the Affective Dimensions of Environmental and Socio-Technical Change”. This interdisciplinary event aims to foster discussions on how emotions, affect, and sentiment shape socio-political and socio-technical transitions, including climate action, mobility shifts, infrastructure development, and governance transformations. The workshop seeks to develop ideas, identify research opportunities, and generate dialogue across disciplines, rather than presenting fully completed research outputs.

Workshop Rationale
Transitions toward sustainable futures are not only technical or political challenges but also deeply affective ones. Emotions such as hope, fear, grief, or anger can influence agency, resistance, decision-making, and the lived experiences of change. Despite the centrality of affect in shaping transitions, these dynamics remain underexplored in interdisciplinary research.

This workshop aims to provide a space for researchers to examine and discuss the emotional dimensions of sustainability transformations, including how affect mediates engagement with policy, technology, infrastructure, and communities. It is designed to stimulate new collaborations and inspire future research directions across disciplines.

The goal is to foster a nuanced, cross-disciplinary conversation around the role of emotions, sentiments, and affect in shaping pathways of change. The workshop will be held in person and include keynote talks, paper presentations, and discussion sessions. We also aim to explore opportunities for a collaborative publication or blog series based on workshop discussions.

Workshop Speakers and Discussants

Our three invited speakers bring foundational theoretical, political, and sociological perspectives on emotions and socio-technical change, offering broad conceptual frameworks that set the stage for the workshop.

Kristina Bogner – Assistant Professor of Just Sustainability Transitions at Utrecht University. Kristina’s research investigates the intersection of emotions, justice, and transformative action in sustainability, including topics such as Dutch farmers’ protests and transition-related challenges. She co-hosts the Critical Emotions Collective and contributes to projects such as POTRANSI and Feeling Futures.

Benoit Dillet – Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Bath. Benoit studies political theory of technology, affect, and future climate imaginaries. He is co-author of Transition Imaginaries (2025) and translator of Bernard Stiegler’s Philosophising by Accident (2017).

Jonathan H. Turner – University Professor (UC system) and Distinguished Professor at UC Riverside. Turner is a leading sociologist of emotions, with over 45 books and 250 articles spanning sociological theory, emotions, and evolutionary sociology. He is a Fellow of the AAAS and recipient of numerous lifetime achievement awards.

Complementing the speakers, our discussants bring applied, methodological, and interdisciplinary perspectives—from community sustainability and behavioural science to AI-driven text analysis—to enrich debate and connect theory with empirical practice.

Dr Melanie Rohse
Dr Melanie Rohse is Associate Professor of Sustainable Communities at Anglia Ruskin University’s Global Sustainability Institute. Her research explores how people experience and respond to environmental change, focusing on the emotional and narrative dimensions of energy and water transitions. She has worked on major UKRI projects across Europe, Africa, and the UK, using storybased and participatory methods to understand how lived experience and emotion shape sustainability and resilience.

Prof Paul Upham
Prof Paul Upham is Professor of Science and Technology Studies at the University of Groningen. His work examines public perceptions, social acceptance, and the role of emotions in sustainability and low-carbon transitions. Bridging psychology, policy, and socio-technical change, his interdisciplinary research brings valuable insights into how people understand and engage with climate and energy transitions.

Dr Siobhan Caughey
Dr Siobhan Caughey is a Research Fellow at Alliance 51�� Business School and Manager of the University’s Behavioural Research Laboratory. A social cognitive psychologist, she studies self-concept, attention, and automatic processes in decision-making. Her expertise in emotional and affective responses supports experimental and behavioural research across disciplines.

Guowei Huang
Guowei Huang is a PhD candidate at Alliance 51�� Business School, specialising in Artificial Intelligence, including large language models, deep learning, and NLP. His research uses machine learning to analyse communication, influence, and emotional expression in areas such as green crowdfunding. His data-driven approach offers tools for identifying sentiment and narrative patterns that complement qualitative research on socio-technical change.

Themes of Interest

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

Emotional dynamics in climate action, environmental justice, or adaptation
Affect and resistance in environmental and mobility transitions
Emotional framings in sustainability discourse and policy
The role of hope, fear, grief, or anger in shaping public responses to change
Cross-cultural or place-based differences in affective responses to transitions
Methodological approaches to studying affect and emotion in environmental contexts
Intersections of affect with technology, infrastructure, or governance
Emotions and lived experiences of socio-technical disruption

Call for Abstracts
We particularly encourage submissions from Master’s students, PhD researchers, and Early Career Researchers (ECRs) across disciplines such as geography, sociology, political science, psychology, environmental studies, and science & technology studies. A small number of spots will be reserved for established scholars to provide mentorship and feedback.

Please submit an abstract of 250–300 words, along with a short bio (up to 100 words), to pawan.srikanth@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk, copying in aarti.krishnan-2@manchester.ac.uk, by 15 December 2025. Abstracts should clearly outline your research question, methodology (if relevant), and how your work relates to the theme of the workshop. Notifications of acceptance will be sent by 15 January 2026.

School of Social Sciences awarded Advanced HE Athena Swan Silver award

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 12:49:43 +0000

We are proud to announce that the has been awarded the Athena Swan Silver award, by , for advancing gender equality, improving senior representation, and embedding inclusive practices in teaching, research, and leadership. The award is testament to the school’s commitment to equality and inclusivity and to building a diverse, inclusive and supportive environment in which students and staff can thrive.

The is a framework which is used globally to support and transform gender within higher education and research. The school will now build on this to make even greater progress towards equality and inclusivity.

Claire Fox, Director of EDI reflects “To be honest, it was about time SoSS applied for this award, given the progress and achievements we’ve made in recent years. Achieving Silver is a real credit to all our colleagues who have put in the unglamorous work behind the scenes. I’m delighted the awarding panel recognised this.”

Claire Alexander, Head of School stated: “This is a prestigious award, which recognises a commitment to advancing gender equity in Higher Education and a tremendous achievement. The Award is also a stepping stone on a longer journey to embed gender equity throughout the School of Social Sciences”.

51�� launches new strategic partnership with NatWest

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 09:29:18 +0000

51�� has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the major bank NatWest, marking the start of a new strategic partnership focused on innovation, enhancing student employability, promoting social mobility and advancing research excellence.

Driven by the University’s Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange (BEKE) team, The , the (AMBS) and the , the partnership will focus on creating opportunities for collaboration that drive innovation.

The partnership aims to create tangible outcomes to benefit students, staff, businesses and the wider community, across the North West region and beyond.

Students will benefit from real-world learning experiences embedded within their academic programmes, supported by opportunities for internships, placements, and professional mentoring. The partnership also creates scope for a wide range of innovative activities, including enterprise competitions, advanced skills development, and initiatives to nurture entrepreneurial ventures and start-ups.

For staff and researchers, the partnership provides a platform for meaningful engagement with industry, enabling knowledge exchange and joint projects that address emerging challenges and drive innovation.

Dr Cat Headley, CEO of 51�� Innovation Factory, commented: “The signing of this MoU with NatWest is a really positive step in building a partnership that has the potential to span across many areas of innovation in the University, in a way that will benefit researchers, students and entrepreneurs across our community.”

The signing event for the MoU was held at 51�� and it was signed by Professor Kenneth McPhail, Head of School at AMBS and Stephen Sankson, Regional Director at NatWest, on NatWest’s behalf.

Mr Sankson said of the partnership: “We are delighted to sign this agreement with 51��. Whether focussing on entrepreneurship with students, supporting spin outs, or helping early-stage ventures to flourish, this partnership will not only provide opportunities to work on our shared goal of supporting growth, but will also be a catalyst for even greater collaboration and innovation across the City Region and beyond.”

The MoU establishes a three-year framework for collaboration, with regular reviews to ensure continued progress and impact. A dedicated Steering Committee will guide the partnership, focusing on broad strategic priorities that strengthen innovation, enhance the student experience, and create opportunities for knowledge exchange and enterprise across the University and beyond.

The MoU will merge the University’s world-class academic expertise and NatWest’s leadership in the financial sector, with the aim of shaping a future of inclusive, sustainable growth.

John Rylands Library wins prestigious FX Museum or Exhibition Space award

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 18:39:56 +0000

The John Rylands Library, part of 51�� Library, has been awarded the FX Award for Museum or Exhibition Space 2025, triumphing in a highly competitive international category.

International competition

The Library was recognised alongside an exceptional field of global institutions including The Long Museum (Shanghai, China), The Florence Nightingale Museum (London, UK), Übersee Museum (Bremen, Germany), National Maritime Museum (London, UK), Missoni Sky (Toronto, Canada), KINCANG Lounge (Shaoxing, China), 51�� Art Gallery (51��, UK), Perth Museum (Perth, Australia), Rapt Studio (Milan, Italy), Toyota City Museum (Toyota, Japan), and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts (Antwerp, Netherlands).

About the winning project

The award recognises the successful completion of The John Rylands Library Next Chapter project, delivered through a collaboration between the University Library, architects Donald Insall Associates, and designers Nissen Richards Studio. The achievement is particularly fitting as The John Rylands Library celebrates its 125th anniversary year, having first opened to readers and visitors on 1 January 1900.

Leadership and vision

Professor Christopher Pressler, University Librarian, and his senior team at the University of 51�� have been working for five years through the University Library's Imagine2030 vision to deliver this transformative project. The work focused on the sensitive upgrade to key areas to enhance visitor engagement and to ensure that the Grade I-listed building can respond to and cater for the challenges of the next generation.

Key improvements delivered

The project included the total refurbishment of the main exhibition spaces, the development of a state-of-the-art advanced imaging laboratory, the creation of a flexible event and teaching space, and a complete reimagining of the main entrance, retail and welcome areas.

One of the key elements of the brief was to create new display possibilities, so that more of the remarkable treasures from the Rylands' collection could be put on display at any one time. The temporary gallery was already working as an exhibition space but had not been upgraded for many years. It now features new exhibition furniture that underwent rigorous testing with different materials and light conditions.

The John Rylands Library, one of the acknowledged great libraries of the world, is part of 51�� Library, the third largest academic library system in the UK after Oxford and Cambridge and is at the heart of the largest single-site University in Britain.

Find out more

Scientists rule out fourth neutrino in physics mystery

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 16:00:00 +0000

Scientists have taken a major step toward solving a long-standing mystery in particle physics, by finding no sign of the particle many hoped would explain it.

An international collaboration of scientists, including from 51��, working on the experiment at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory announced that they have found no evidence for a fourth type of neutrino, known as a sterile neutrino.

For decades, physics experiments have observed neutrinos - sub-atomic particles that are all around us - behaving in a way that doesn’t fit . One of the most promising explanations was the existence of a sterile neutrino, named because they are predicted not to interact with matter at all, whereas other neutrinos can. This means they could pass through the Universe almost undetected.

Using a highly sensitive detector called MicroBooNE, sitting on two different neutrino beams, the researchers observed how thousands of neutrinos behaved over several years. If the fourth neutrinos existed, it would have left a clear fingerprint. The result, published today in the journal , shows there was no evidence and rules out a single sterile neutrino explanation with 95% certainty.

Professor of Particle Physics at 51�� and co-spokesperson for MicroBooNE, said: “Any time you rule out one place where physics beyond the Standard Model could be, that makes you look in other places. This is a result that is going to really spur a creative push in the neutrino physics community to come up with yet more exciting ways of looking for new physics. Sometimes, science is just as much about what you don’t find as what you do."

51�� played a leading role in the breakthrough. Dr Elena Gramellini was the driving force behind the experiment’s physics programme using the NuMI beam - a crucial part of the analysis behind this result. Professor Roxanne Guenette was one of the originators of MicroBooNE’s short-baseline oscillation programme, helping to shape the strategy used to investigate the sterile-neutrino question. The new paper builds directly on that foundational work.

Neutrinos come in three known types, or flavours: muon, electron and tau. They can change from one type to another as they travel. But this flavour-flipping cannot fully be explained by the current Standard Model.

Some earlier experiments - - also made observations suggesting that muon neutrinos were oscillating into electron neutrinos over shorter distances than should be possible.

“They saw flavour change on a length scale that is just not consistent with there only being three neutrinos,” explained , “And the most popular explanation over the past 30 years to explain the anomaly is that there’s a sterile neutrino.”

The experiment collected data from 2015 to 2021, observing neutrinos from Fermilab’s Booster Neutrino Beam and the NuMI beam. MicroBooNE is the first experiment that has done a sterile neutrino search with one detector and two beams simultaneously. This reduces the uncertainties in MicroBooNE’s result, making it possible to exclude nearly the entire favoured region in which a single sterile neutrino could be hiding.

Although this result rules out one explanation for anomalies seen in neutrino behaviour, the mystery itself remains. Scientists are now analysing the remaining MicroBooNE data and other experiments in the Short-Baseline Neutrino Program are also on the case.

In addition to the search for new physics, the MicroBooNE collaboration is providing insight into how neutrinos interact in liquid argon, an important metric that will benefit other liquid-argon time projection chamber experiments such as the .

Matthew Toups, Fermilab senior scientist and co-spokesperson for MicroBooNE, said: “It’s really exciting to be doing both cutting-edge science that has a major impact on our field as well as developing novel techniques that will support and enable future scientific measurements.”

This research has been published in the journal

Full title: Search for light sterile neutrinos with two neutrino beams at MicroBooNE

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09757-7

URL:

51�� and Industrial Strategy Advisory Council forge landmark partnership to accelerate UK innovation and growth

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 11:55:07 +0000

51�� is launching a partnership with Government’s independent advisory Council on Industrial Strategy to share research, knowledge and expertise.
51�� has been announced as the headquarters of the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council (ISAC) where it will build strong connections with local institutions and partners.
The partnership will be facilitated by , the University’s gateway for innovation. With a mandate to drive inclusive growth, Unit M brings together the University’s expertise, offers a single-entry point for partners, and works to support new collaborations.

51�� and the have established a groundbreaking strategic partnership. The first of its kind, this partnership will give the ISAC access to the University’s research and expertise to drive forward recommendations for the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

The Industrial Strategy Advisory Council, reporting to the Department for Business and Trade and HM Treasury, has been tasked with bringing together views from business, academia and industry to further the Government’s mission to drive economic growth across the country.

Greater 51�� has been leading the way for many years, and the launch of the partnership coincides with the announcement that the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council (ISAC) will be headquartered in 51��, giving the Council direct access to world class universities, innovative businesses and pro-growth institutions.

The University’s gateway for innovation, Unit M will work closely with the ISAC, an independent body responsible for advising Government on the Industrial Strategy, to bring the partnership vision to life and support its commitment to oversee effective implementation of the Industrial Strategy.

The Council’s presence in 51�� will also ensure that their work benefits from real insight into how to drive growth at a local level reflecting the insights of local leaders, businesses and institutions.

The partnership will support the Council’s monitoring of the growth-driving sectors of the Government’s Industrial Strategy to establish evidence and data to support a shared understanding of how they are developing. Though it will have a national focus, it will also leverage an in-depth knowledge of Greater 51�� to give a regional perspective to the Industrial Strategy.

Dame Clare Barclay DBE, Chair of the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council (ISAC), said: “I am delighted to launch our new partnership with the University of 51��. This partnership demonstrates the Council’s commitment to working collaboratively with world class institutions such as the University of 51�� to share knowledge and research in support of our shared objectives.

"This partnership will strengthen the Council’s ability to advise Government by enhancing our collaboration with the local innovative institutions and businesses that are so crucial to driving economic growth in the UK.”

Minister for the Industrial Strategy, Blair McDougall MP said: "Our modern Industrial Strategy is kickstarting an era of economic prosperity, and this landmark partnership will help provide expert advice as we continue to effectively deliver our Strategy over the next decade.

"By bringing academia and industry together, this partnership will unlock the local innovation we need to drive economic growth into Greater 51�� and every part of the country."

Ten 51�� academics named among top one percent of global influential researchers

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 09:41:56 +0000

Ten academics from 51�� have been recognised among the world’s most influential, according to the Highly Cited Researchers rankings released by .

Highly Cited Researchers demonstrate significant and broad influence across their fields of research and have authored multiple ‘Highly Cited’ papers. These papers proudly rank in the top one percent by citations for their field and publication year in the Web of Science over the past eleven years.

Celebrating researchers’ impact, the list includes 11 entries for academics primarily affiliated with 51�� (with a double entry for Professor Zhiguo Ding in the fields of both Computer Science and Engineering).

- Cross-Field (Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, School of Engineering)	- Cross-Field (Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Natural Sciences)
- Cross-Field (Department of Chemical Engineering, The School of Engineering)	- Cross-Field (Division of Informatics, Imaging and Data Sciences, School of Health Sciences)
- Computer Science; Engineering (Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, School of Engineering)	- Cross-Field (51�� Institute of Education, School of Environment, Education and Development)
- Social Sciences (Alliance 51�� Business School)	- Clinical Medicine (Division of Immunology, Immunity to Infection and Respiratory Medicine, School of Biological Sciences)
A. K. Geim- Cross-Field (Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Natural Sciences)	- Clinical Medicine (Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences)

The 2025 list includes Professors Pamela Qualter, Dave Singh and Adisa Azapagic for the first time.

Professor Pierluigi Mancarella and Professor Sir Konstantin S. Novoselov, both secondarily affiliated with 51��, also made this year’s list, earning the University 13 mentions overall in the 2025 rankings.

David Pendlebury, Head of Research Analysis at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate commented: “The Highly Cited Researchers list identifies and celebrates exceptional individual researchers at 51�� who demonstrate significant and broad influence in their fields.

“They exemplify excellence in their research as well as integrity in their publication and citation practices. These researchers continue to shape the future of science, technology and academia globally and deliver innovation that drives societal progress.”

The rankings are built on rigorous citation analysis and refined by expert judgement, quantitative metrics and qualitative analysis.

New study exposes how conspiracy theories go mainstream across Europe

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 09:00:00 +0000

New pan-European research has shown that the spread of conspiracy theories across the continent is driven by a continuous feedback loop between media reporting, political rhetoric, protest movements and social media algorithms - not any single cause.

The involves 14 researchers from across Europe, and it has examined how conspiracy theories take shape differently in the UK, German-speaking countries, the Balkans, the Baltics, Slovakia and Poland. Their findings highlight that conspiracy narratives reflect the political cultures, histories and social tensions of each region, meaning that approaches to tackling them must be tailored rather than imported wholesale from elsewhere.

A key theme across the reports is the feedback loop that enables conspiracy narratives to circulate. Even when politicians or media outlets refer to a conspiracy theory to debunk it, the resulting attention helps it spread further via social media amplification and mainstream exposure. This blurring of online and offline spaces allows fringe ideas to influence political rhetoric, as seen in Europe-wide variations of the “Great Replacement” narrative.

The research also explores how conspiracies evolve in response to local concerns. In the UK, anxieties around Covid-19 restrictions fed into narratives about “15-minute cities”. In German-speaking countries, stigma around conspiracism has pushed much of it to the online sphere. In the Baltics and the Balkans, the legacy of foreign occupation, conflict and surveillance shapes suspicion of elites and fuels a sense of victimhood. Conspiracy theories in Poland and Slovakia frequently target gender and LGBTQ+ rights, often influenced by US culture-war narratives.

The reports identify a lack of evaluation of initiatives designed to counter disinformation. Some fact-checking and NGO efforts themselves become targets of conspiracist suspicion, undermining trust and the stability of their funding. Nevertheless, media literacy campaigns, debunking and fact-checking each have a role to play when adapted to national contexts.

In the UK, the REDACT team argues that the current Online Safety Act does not go far enough. Unlike the EU’s Digital Services Act, it does not explicitly address health misinformation, election-related disinformation or AI-generated content, leaving gaps in the regulation of systemic risks.

Ultimately, the project concludes that tackling conspiracy theories requires more than closing individual online channels. Efforts must address the structural political and social conditions that allow conspiracist narratives to flourish, as well as the business models that incentivise sensational content. The researchers urge a move away from simply asking why the public lacks trust, towards making institutions genuinely worthy of trust.

Rhino: documentary unravels the challenges rangers face, but that’s not the whole story

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 14:52:36 +0000

By , Professor of Evolutionary Ecology & Conservation, The

On the western flanks of Mount Kenya lies the Laikipia plateau, an achingly beautiful landscape that is both a refuge for wildlife and a home to traditional Masai communities. Black rhinos, which were once nearly extinct, are now thriving on some of these conservation properties, thanks to the intense efforts to keep them safe.

The tells the story of the people and the challenges faced to in this volatile landscape. The cinematography and score beautifully captures the landscape, people, animals and pace of life, which is at times languorous and at times frantic.

The story unfolds from the perspective of two rangers. Ramson Kiluko is an experienced ranger who works with his team to watch, protect and understand the rhinos. The film gives us a glimpse into his family life, the camaraderie of the ranger team and the rich knowledge he has about the lives of individual rhinos and their landscape. Rita Kulamu is a young ranger learning about rhinos as her property prepares to welcome them. Their work takes place against a background of danger, posed by both people and animals.

Rhino focuses on the critical role rangers play in the conservation story of black rhinos, which is an inspiring change from the traditional wildlife documentary that suggests a wildness that exists without the need for human intervention or involvement. Once on the brink of extinction, it is precisely the intensive efforts made to protect rhinos by people like Kiluko and Kulamu that has seen .

The film loosely follows a narrative around the planned move of 21 rhinos from the and reserves in central Kenya, where they are too numerous, to – a 58,000 acre wildlife conservation area which has long been without rhinos.

On Lewa and Borana, the rhinos fight for space and territory, on Loisaba they have the opportunity to create a new breeding population. Moving rhinos between reserves is a core part of their conservation. Poaching pressures require rhinos to be fiercely guarded. In Kenya, where my team has carried out research to understand the factors that lead to successfully breeding , rangers are tasked with finding each rhino every day. Fences that keep rhinos in and people out mean that rhinos cannot move to avoid threats, avoid inbreeding, or to reestablish populations where they no longer are found.

Moving rhinos is far from easy. They can be aggressive and need to be handled with care. Rhinos are also not very resilient to being moved between properties. These moves often lead to rhinos dying from fighting, stress and .

The film shows how led to a delay of several years to try to maximise the success . This widespread and prolonged drought caused intense suffering of humans, livestock and wildlife. Conflicts over animals and land boiled over, leading to violence but also . These day-to-day challenges faced by conservationists are rarely touched on. Hopefully this film will help audiences understand that there are legions of passionate conservation professionals behind every success story.

However, there is much that the story doesn’t tell. My experience researching wildlife health and disease in this landscape has highlighted how critical it is to create solutions that benefit both nature and people. Laikipia is a complicated landscape, where land rights, land ownership and power inequalities create tensions, and even violence, .

This is a landscape where settlers, European farmers that immigrated, appropriated the best, most productive beautiful lands from . High-end conservation reserves manage landscapes that teem with wildlife but are often off limits to the people that once moved widely with their animals. Our conversations with local people suggest that they view rhino conservation as a Trojan horse, moved around to justify high fences, armed security and to restrict people’s movement.

Rhino portrays the situation in somewhat simplistic terms: the good rangers and the bad “bandits”. In reality, conservation sits at a much less clear cut interface between the haves and the have nots, between those with international and national support for protecting animals, and pastoralists, a traditional way of life where people move with their herds of animals across the land, who feel their rights and traditional lands have been taken from them and that the wild animals have more rights that they do.

Violence comes not just from evil, avaricious thieves, but sometimes from frustrated, desperate people who have to deal with too many animals on too little land. Rhino tells an interesting and valuable story, but true conservation success must also address inequality, disenfranchisement and the tensions that “parachute” and colonial conservation in local communities.

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

MEC Alum Named North West’s Retail Entrepreneur of 2025

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 11:05:38 +0000

University of 51�� and Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC) alum Sid Sethi has been recognised at the 2025 Great British Entrepreneur Awards, winning Retail Entrepreneur of the Year – North West for his disruptive eyewear business, Specscart.

Sid founded Specscart in 2018 while studying in 51��, after experiencing first-hand the slow and expensive process of replacing broken glasses just three days before his exams. Frustrated by the limitations of traditional UK high-street opticians, he set out to reinvent the eyewear shopping experience.

Launching with a £2,500 investment, Sid built his business from the ground up, painting and wallpapering his first shop himself, and even sleeping in his car as he travelled the UK selling glasses. Today, Specscart has grown into a global retail and e-commerce force, projecting a 2025 turnover of £5m.

Blending high-street presence with digital innovation, Specscart operates three bricks-and-mortar stores across Greater 51�� and manufactures glasses in-house at its Bury headquarters, offering the fastest turnaround for prescription glasses in the UK.

Sid’s mission for Specscart is simple, to make eyewear affordable, exciting, and fast.

Sid shared: “Specscart prides itself on being confidently contrarian when it comes to our retail offer. We make shopping for glasses fun, affordable and a pleasure; buying your summer holiday sunnies, everyday readers or funky fashion specs from Specscart is a little bit of retail therapy. It is that disruptor mentality that has helped us land this prestigious award and is an endorsement of our reinvention of what an optician looks and feels like.”

“2026 is shaping up to be a bumper year for us. Our new website is now up and running, which means we’re match-fit for US expansion in Q1 next year. We’ve got corporate eye tests, personalisation of frames and cases, lab robots, graphene glasses and even prescription swimming goggles in the pipeline. We see opportunities for expansion, cornering niche markets and growing our market share everywhere,” concluded Sid.

The Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards, known as the “Grammys of entrepreneurship”, celebrates the hard work, resilience and inspiring stories behind UK founders. Alumni of the awards include the creators of BrewDog, Tangle Teezer, The LAD Bible, Clearscore and The Cambridge Satchel Company.

Frankie James, founder of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, said: “Our winners embody the very best of British enterprise, ambitious, resilient and relentlessly innovative. The Great British Entrepreneur Awards exists to champion founders who create jobs, scale ideas and strengthen communities.”

Lee Pugalis, Deputy Director of the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, reflects on the privilege it has been to watch Specscart grow from strength to strength with Sid’s determination.

“Sid embodies exactly what MEC exists to champion, curiosity, resilience, and the courage to rethink established industries. Watching Specscart grow from a spark of an idea during his time at 51�� into a multi-million-pound business disrupting the eyewear market has been nothing short of inspiring.

Sid has remained deeply connected to our entrepreneurial community, and his journey shows future founders what is possible when ambition meets grit. We are incredibly proud to celebrate this achievement with him.”

When reflecting on his experience with MEC, Sid shared, “MEC is a big part of the DNA of Specscart. It’s where the Specscart story began. MEC helped me turn the spark of a business idea into a multi-million-pound turnover business. I’ve always felt that MEC, and all of its staff past and present, have been encouraging us on from the sidelines as we overcame hurdles, pulled all-nighters and went from strength to strength. When things get tough, having cheerleaders like MEC makes all the difference.”

Discover more about the Specscart story, and shop the innovative eyewear range at

Explore your online identity with Digital Society

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Develop your digital communications skills and explore the online world with Digital Society, the UCIL course unit run by the Library. Studying entirely online, you’ll explore the relationship between digital technology, society, and you, from the connectedness of our lives and the machines around us, to how we communicate with each other.

The examples below showcase the kind of exciting learning and engagement you can expect from the unit:

The Internet: How have key developments in the history of the internet made us more connected to information, and each other?
Digital Engagement: What is digital engagement, who do we engage with, and how is it recorded?
AI, ethics and us: How does the rise of AI affect us and our lives in the digital society?
The Internet of Things: What is it and what does it mean for you?
Critical analysis in a digital world: Why is critical analysis important in the digital society and how can you develop your critical skills?
Reflecting on your employability for a digital future: How do changing skills/society affect your future employability?

Upcoming courses

Digital Society runs in Semester 2 and is worth 10 credits. The course start date is 2 February 2026, and registration is open until 16 February 2025.

To find out more and sign up, visit the

You can also read more about the course topics and delivery on the .

Aging in the Modern World: widening the range of our digital resources

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 07:00:00 +0000

This collection constitutes a critical component of the , addressing some of the most significant and complex challenges confronting contemporary societies.

Aging in the Modern World completes this series by offering a comprehensive examination of the multifaceted dynamics associated with global population aging.

Exploration of aging

Presented through a multimedia framework, the collection investigates a range of interrelated themes that highlight the social, cultural, economic, and political dimensions of aging. These include cross-cultural perspectives on the experience of aging, governmental policies and institutional responses, technological innovations and evolving societal attitudes toward older adults from 1900–2020.

By integrating scholarly research, policy analysis, and diverse media sources, Aging in the Modern World provides an interdisciplinary platform for understanding how demographic transformations are reshaping societies worldwide.

Access the collection

Access via or our .

Study highlights rise of ‘authoritarian peacemaking’ and its implications for Ukraine

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 09:00:00 +0000

As Donald Trump’s White House places huge pressure on Ukraine to sign a peace deal, a team of experts has published a new study examining what they describe as a worldwide shift towards “authoritarian peacemaking” - a model of conflict resolution shaped not by international institutions or liberal democracies, but by authoritarian and semi-authoritarian states whose interests lie in control, influence and geopolitical advantage rather than long-term solutions.

The study, set to be published in journal Washington Quarterly, traces how traditional peacemaking - rooted in international law, rights and negotiated compromise - has been eroded over the last two decades. According to the authors, the Iraq War, the post-9/11 security paradigm and growing global competition have weakened the norms that once governed international conflict resolution. This has opened space for powerful states to broker deals that prioritise strategic gain over accountability or the wishes of the affected population, as seen in the Ukraine peace plan drawn up by the USA and Russia.

The research draws on the concept of “Revisionist Conflict Management,” a framework relying on transactional bargaining, economic incentives and top-down deals that freeze conflicts rather than resolving their causes. The authors argue that these patterns are increasingly visible in conflicts across the Middle East and Africa - and now in Europe too.

The findings have particular resonance for the current efforts to end the war in Ukraine. The proposals floated by the USA give greater weight to Russian territorial “realities on the ground”, and involve conversations where Ukraine’s role is more limited than expected for a state whose sovereignty is at stake. This reflects concerns highlighted in the research - that peace deals in the current climate risk being shaped by external actors, not those living with the consequences.

The study compares this dynamic to earlier conflicts where authoritarian or centralised governments acted as mediators while pursuing their own agendas. In the authors’ view, this risks creating “victor’s peace” arrangements that halt fighting but entrench dominant states’ interests, leaving questions of justice, accountability and democratic legitimacy unresolved.

The researchers note that public opinion in Ukraine remains strongly opposed to ceding territory, and that Ukrainian society continues to insist on a settlement that restores borders and addresses wartime abuses. The tension between these expectations and geopolitical pressure, they argue, is emblematic of the broader global transition their study describes.

“By examining the Ukraine case through this lens, our research offers a wider warning about the international system - as global power becomes more fragmented and traditional norms weaken, the nature of mediation itself is changing,” said Oliver Richmond, Professor in International Relations, Peace & Conflict Studies at 51��.

EXPERT COMMENT: Isn’t it time we ditched Black Friday for something that actually matters?

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 16:47:46 +0000

It’s everywhere. In our inboxes, through the letterbox, on billboards during the commute, and plastered across every social media feed. Black Friday is coming.

Some of us approach it like a military operation, determined to get all the Christmas shopping done in one go.

But many of us also recognise that uneasy feeling that comes with the frenzy — that sense, as Lily Allen sings in The Fear, of becoming a “weapon of massive consumption.”

For me, stepping back starts with understanding the real cost behind Black Friday. There’s the waste that often comes from “bagging a bargain” we didn’t actually need.

Research suggests around 80% of Black Friday purchases end up unused or thrown away after one use, and more than half of shoppers regret what they bought.

And it’s no wonder. The whole event is built on aggressive marketing and psychological pricing tricks that make it difficult to think clearly in the moment.

Consumer group Which? even found that 98% of Black Friday “deals” were the same price or cheaper at other times of the year.

The environmental side is just as striking: carbon emissions from deliveries rise by almost 94% compared with a typical week, and waste increases by around 25%.

The second part is remembering that most of us want something a bit more meaningful than another parcel arriving on the doorstep.

That feeling of guilt or disappointment after a rushed purchase isn’t just about the item. It often reflects the sense that the whole cycle leaves us a little empty. Especially in a year when it’s become so expensive simply to get by.

That’s where Giving Tuesday comes in. It’s a global movement that encourages people to support good causes rather than accumulate things that won’t matter for long.

Last year, Giving Tuesday raised almost £20 million for charities in the UK. In the United States, where it began, it raised £2.5 billion.

Maybe the difference in scale is fuelled by the same concerns that mean today in the UK fewer people are donating to charity than ever before. People want to feel confident that their support genuinely helps.

That it does, in fact, reach the people and communities we want to benefit from our generosity, rather than getting tied up in the costs of running a large charity.

But here’s why I think we’re right not to be swept along by big charitable gimmicks. The answer isn’t more one-off giving days. The truth is that real change doesn’t happen in 24 hours. It doesn’t follow a marketing calendar.

It happens slowly, steadily, in the hands of people who understand their communities better than any charity board or funder ever could.

And the small grassroots groups doing this work say that what they need most isn’t a sudden spike in donations. It’s steady, predictable support that lets them plan ahead.

That’s why long-term, small-scale giving can be so powerful. A few pounds a month isn’t dramatic, but it creates stability. It gives community organisations the confidence to look beyond the next crisis and invest in what they know will make a lasting difference.

offers an approach built around exactly that idea. People contribute small monthly amounts – as little as £1.25, far less than a take-away coffee - into a shared fund.

That money goes directly to community-led groups in the UK and around the world, supporting local groups directly: the young people leading climate resilience projects, the women shaping their neighbourhoods and campaigning for social housing, the local organisers tackling loneliness, and the local organisations keep young people in school.

No glossy campaigns. No distant decision-making. Just practical, grounded support for people tackling the challenges they live with every day. That’s what generates change, not charity.

So if Black Friday feels overwhelming and Giving Tuesday feels a bit fleeting, there is another option. You can choose to be part of something that lasts longer than a sale or a hashtag. What we give doesn’t have to be big to be meaningful.

Giving a little, regularly, is what it takes to help communities build the change they know is needed. Showing up consistently - no matter how small – is so much more powerful than showing off once a year.

That what helps communities create the kind of change that outlives all of us.

________________

Nicola Banks is Professor at the Global Development Institute at 51�� and Co-Founder of social enterprise,

This piece was originally published by .

HCRI Anthropologist Recognised with Top Feminist Scholarship Award for Groundbreaking Work on Kashmir

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 15:49:38 +0000

, Lecturer in Disasters and Climate Crisis at the , has won the Gloria Anzaldúa Book Prize for his monograph,

Widely regarded as one of the highest honours in the field of feminist studies, the prize is named in tribute to renowned Chicana poet, feminist theorist, and writer Gloria Anzaldúa. It is awarded annually to groundbreaking monographs that significantly advance multicultural feminist research, particularly within Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

The National Women’s Studies Association announced the award at its annual conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in November.

The jury described the book’s contributions as follows:

“Atmospheric Violence: Disaster and Repair in Kashmir offers incredible insights and invitations as we take up [the author’s] question: ‘how we can operate in ways that warp the distance between the academy and community, expert and subject, story and theory, life and poetry’? [The] generous, incisive, beautifully written and visual work informs a lyrical and generative text that is disobedient to the colonial disciplines of extraction normalized in the infrastructure of knowledge production. Atmospheric Violence enriches the depth of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality studies in [its] offering of rich and complex ethnographic scholarship that continually asks readers pause and reframe the role of the researchers, modalities of living and erasure, and the ever-present question of the politics of our location before we can even fathom a response to ‘Who Can Stand with Kashmir?’ [We] thank [the author] for inviting us to pause and delve into these rich scenes of an otherwise.”

This is the fifth international award the monograph has won since its release last year.

Open Research Digest, November 2025

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 13:58:03 +0000

In this month’s issue, Steve Carlton, Open Research Librarian for Open Access, reflects on insights from two European conferences, and . He discusses the challenges of achieving 100% Open Access, and shares his thoughts on the contrasting roles of community-driven innovation versus large commercial publishers.

In addition to sharing Open Research news, events and funding opportunities from 51�� and beyond, we highlight how you can now , and introduce databases newly available through the .

We also share the remaining of 2025, including the next meet-up with Dr Samantha Pearman-Kanza of the CaSDaR Network+.

Finally,

Check out the .
If you’re not already signed up, you can .
If you’d like to contribute a thought piece, share some Open Research news, or invite participation in an Open Research event or initiative, please .

Watch: Interdisciplinary Research Case Studies 2025

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 11:26:01 +0000

As one of the University’s four platforms, Creative 51�� convenes, develops and sustains interdisciplinary research communities across all three faculties and connects them to strategic partners in Greater 51��. Fostering interdisciplinary research lies at the heart of the University’s goals and informs Creative 51��’s focus to support and enable research projects that span from vastly different corners of the University.

The Creative 51��-affiliated projects featured in the videos are:

– with Dr Anke Bernau, Dr Aurora Fredrikson and Dr Ingrid Hanson
– with Dr Riza Batista-Navarro and Dr Tom Flavel
– with Prof Laura Black and Keisha Thompson
– with Dr Ahu Gümrah Parry

These short films provide insights into the world of interdisciplinary research, including project team composition, the participants’ experiences of interdisciplinary work and working with the Creative 51�� platform. They are designed to inspire potential UMRI pump-priming applicants who are looking to find out more about successful interdisciplinary research projects.

Research calls for “sportswashing” rethink amid FIFA Peace Prize rumours

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 09:00:00 +0000

As global attention turns to rumours that FIFA may award a new “Peace Prize” to US President Donald Trump later next month, new research has argued that public debates about politics and sport need far more nuance than the familiar narratives of “sportswashing” allow.

Two new open-access journal articles by Dr Vitaly Kazakov have challenged popular assumptions about how political actors use sport to shape global opinion - and, crucially, how media and audiences participate in that process. Taken together, the studies offer a timely rethink at a moment when sport’s symbolic power is again colliding with international politics.

The first article, published in , revisits the now-ubiquitous term used to describe attempts by authoritarian governments or international organisations to launder their reputations through sport. Dr Kazakov argues that the concept is often taken for granted, treated as a straightforward description of elite and always effective narrative manipulation rather than a complex, contested and historically recurring phenomenon.

The research identifies what Dr Kazakov calls a “normative trap” - a tendency for public commentary, policy analysis and even some academic work to embed moral judgements into the concept of “sportswashing” omitting important aspects of analysis. This, he suggests, can obscure the very dynamics the term is meant to illuminate.

“As debates continue about how meaningful FIFA’s new Peace Prize will be, and who it might be awarded to, it’s more important than ever to understand how narratives about sport take shape and impact political and social life around the globe,” Dr Kazakov said. “If we treat ‘sportswashing’ as a fixed label rather than a process involving media coverage and audience interpretation, we risk misunderstanding why these stories resonate - and who they actually influence.”

His second article, published in the , goes further by examining how information is circulated, authenticated and emotionally charged through sport. Using Qatar’s 2022 FIFA World Cup as a case study, the article applies a five-part “disinformation lifecycle” model developed by 51��’s Professors Vera Tolz and Stephen Hutchings alongside Dr Kazakov and Dr Sofia Tipaldou from Panteion University, Greece.

The model highlights how political messaging around sport evolves over time, crosses borders and adapts to different languages and cultural contexts. It also emphasises the active role played by journalists and global audiences, whose emotional investments in sport can amplify both criticism and celebration.

“These studies show that sport doesn’t just transmit political messages - it transforms them,” Dr Kazakov added. “Media organisations, fans, NGOs and policymakers all contribute to how ideas about politics, morality and identity circulate around major sporting events.”

The research offers a pointed reminder that, in an era where symbolic gestures from global sporting bodies can carry enormous political weight, understanding the mechanics of narrative formation is essential. Debates around sport, reputation and political power are set to continue - and this work provides a crucial framework for interpreting them.

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