The study was carried out in collaboration with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and was made possible through the assistance of Emudu Trekkers and members of the Idu Mishmi community, the traditional custodians of the Dibang Valley. The research was funded by a Walters Kundert Fellowship from the Royal Geographical Society (UK).

This study provides the first dated glacial chronology for the Dri Valley in the remote eastern Himalayas, filling a major gap in understanding glacier evolution in one of the least-studied sectors of the Himalayas and providing an important benchmark for future studies of regional climate change.

Key findings

• The Dri Valley glacier reached almost 100 km in length, making it one of the largest glaciers yet documented in High Mountain Asia.
• It extended from altitudes of around 5,300 metres to as low as 1,300鈥�1,500 metres above sea level, giving it one of the lowest known glacier termini in High Mountain Asia.
• The glacier was 80 km in length around 19,600 years ago.
• By around 12,000 years ago, the glacier had retreated to altitudes above 3,250 m and was less than 20 km long.
• Today, its largest surviving remnant is less than 5 km long.

Reconstructing the past Himalayan landscape

Researchers examined the landscape of the Dri Valley for geomorphic evidence left behind by the ancient glacier, including U-shaped valleys, moraines and distinctive bedrock features created by the movement of ice.

The research combines detailed field observations with satellite mapping and digital elevation models to build a picture of the former ice extent and identify locations where exposed rock could provide evidence of past glacier movements.

These features provide a record of how the glacier shaped the landscape as it advanced and retreated, but establishing when those changes occurred required highly sensitive dating techniques.

鈥淭he Dri Valley preserves an exceptional record of past glaciation, but until now we had no reliable way of placing these landforms into a timeline,鈥� said Dr Shashank Nitundil of 51福利社, who led the research.

Using rocks as natural clocks

The researchers collected 63 samples from boulders and exposed bedrock surfaces across the Dri Valley. This is the first application of cosmogenic nuclide dating on the southern slopes of the Himalayas east of Mount Everest.

The samples were analysed for cosmogenic radionuclides 鈥� rare isotopes produced in rocks exposed at the Earth's surface by cosmic rays.

The team focused on beryllium-10 (¹⁰Be), which accumulates in quartz-bearing rocks while they are exposed to cosmic radiation. When a glacier covers a rock surface, production of the isotope is effectively halted and eventually reset due to glacial erosion. When the ice retreats and the rock is exposed again, ¹⁰Be begins to accumulate. Measuring its concentration allows researchers to determine when the ice disappeared.

The measurements were carried out using accelerator mass spectrometry at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), allowing the team to detect the extremely small quantities of ¹⁰Be needed to establish the timing of past glacier change.

鈥淭he huge size of the former glacier in the Dri Valley hints at similar extensive ice cover in neighbouring valleys and the presence of one of the largest contiguous ice masses in the Himalayas. Until now little has been known about the extent, timing and palaeoclimatic significance of the former glaciers in this region and the exciting results of this research have been made possible because of a major international collaboration between the University of 51福利社, ANSTO and local support from members of the Idu Mishmi community鈥� said Professor Philip Hughes of 51福利社, who co-supervised the research and has had long-term collaborations with Dr David Fink at ANSTO.

Understanding monsoon-driven glacier change

The Dri Valley sits within a region dominated by the Indian Summer Monsoon, which delivers some of the highest precipitation across the Himalayas, making it an important natural laboratory for understanding how monsoon-fed glaciers respond to climate change.

The study shows that abundant monsoon precipitation alone was not enough to sustain this giant glacier. Instead, its growth and retreat were shaped by the interplay between temperature, precipitation and topography.

The findings suggest that once temperatures rise above a critical threshold, increasing precipitation falls as rain rather than snow. This reduces glacier accumulation and, at the same time, can accelerate ice loss through melting meaning heavy precipitation does not necessarily protect these glaciers from warming.

The study adds to growing evidence that the response of Himalayan glaciers to climate change is not uniform. Glaciers in different parts of the mountain range are influenced by contrasting combinations of snowfall, temperature, elevation and seasonal climate patterns.

As well as being climatically significant, the Dri Valley and surrounding region form part of a recognised Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, adding further importance to understanding how its glaciers and the water resources they feed are likely to change.

Understanding how Himalayan glaciers responded to past climate change provides an important long-term benchmark for improving projections of how these glaciers may respond to continued global warming in the future.

Publication details

The paper was published in journal Quaternary Science Reviews. The international research team included Dr Shashank Nitundil, Dr Christopher Darvill, Prof Abi Stone, Dr David Fink, Prof Philip Hughes, Dr Matt Tomkins and Dr Krista Simon.

DOI:

The findings of the study, funded听 by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) suggest the wraps may not be the best first-line option for patients receiving strong compression therapy.听

Venous leg ulcers affect thousands of people and can take months to heal, causing pain, reduced mobility and a significant burden on healthcare services.听

Strong compression is an important treatment for people with venous leg ulcers, to improve blood flow in the lower leg and support healing.听

It can be provided in different ways, including bandages systems that can have two or four layers, compression stockings that have two layers and adjustable compression wraps that fasten around the leg with Velcro-style straps.听

All these compression approaches aim to deliver the same level of compression but differ in how they are applied, how easy they are to use and how comfortable people find them.听

Wraps have become increasingly popular because they can be adjusted and, in some cases, self-applied by people with leg ulcers or those around them.听 However, there has been limited high-quality evidence comparing compression wraps with other commonly used strong compression treatments.听

The researchers carried out a large randomised controlled trial involving 637 adults receiving care at 33 mainly community sites across the UK.听

Participants were assigned to be offered either compression wraps, two-layer compression bandages, or established evidence-based compression treatments (four-layer bandages or two-layer compression stockings)听

The researchers found that ulcers healed more slowly in patients offered compression wraps than in those offered established evidence-based compression treatments.听

Patients receiving compression wraps also appeared to heal more slowly than those treated with two-layer compression bandages, although this difference was not statistically significant.听

The study found that two-layer compression bandages performed similarly to established evidence-based compression treatments.听

The findings provide some of the strongest evidence to date comparing commonly used compression therapies for venous leg ulcers.听

A separate companion process evaluation found patients liked compression wraps because they were comfortable, easy to adjust, and could be removed for showering,听

However, these same features may also mean that people are more likely to loosen or remove the wraps, potentially reducing the amount of therapeutic compression delivered and helping explain the slower healing observed in the trial.听

Together, the studies suggest compression wraps should not routinely be the first choice for most people with venous leg ulcers.听

However, they may still be appropriate for some patients where comfort, independence or self-management are particularly important, provided patients receive clear advice on maintaining effective compression.听

Jo Dumville, Professor of Applied Health Research from the University of 51福利社 said: 鈥淰enous leg ulcers can have a major impact people鈥檚 quality of life and place a significant burden on healthcare services, so it is important that health professionals have robust evidence to guide treatment decisions鈥�.听

鈥淥ur study compared three commonly used strong compression approaches in a real-world NHS setting and suggested that听 that compression wraps do not improve healing times when compared with established evidence-based treatments.鈥澨�

Catherine Arundel, Senior Research Fellow at the University of York said: 鈥淲hile some uncertainty remains, these findings suggest that compression wraps are unlikely to offer a healing advantage as a first-line treatment鈥�.听

鈥淭he results will help clinicians, patients and healthcare providers make informed decisions about the most appropriate therapies for managing venous leg ulcers."听

• The paper Compression therapies for venous leg ulcers: The VENous Ulcer Study 6 (VenUS 6), an open, multicentre, randomised clinical trial is published in PLOS Medicine
• The companion process evaluation Compression therapies for the treatment of venous leg ulcers: a mixed method process evaluation in a randomised controlled trial, VenUS6听 is published in Trials

Professor Mahima Swamy鈥檚 lab studies intestinal immunology, diet, infection, and immune-mediated bowel diseases (Coeliac and Crohn鈥檚). The group particularly focuses on intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL), a poorly characterised class of T cells residing within the intestinal epithelium, and their communication with epithelial cells.

Mahima joins the Becker from The University of Dundee, where she is a Programme Leader in the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit (MRC PPU). In 2016, Mahima established her own research group in the MRC PPU, supported from 2017 by a Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale Fellowship, and became an EMBO Young Investigator in 2022.

Originally from Bangalore, India, Mahima studied Biological Sciences and Biotechnology at BITS Pilani before completing her PhD at the Max-Planck Institute of Immunobiology in Freiburg, Germany, studying T-cell receptor biochemistry with Wolfgang Schamel. She then held postdoctoral positions with Adrian Hayday at CRUK's London Research Institute, researching intestinal immune surveillance, and with Doreen Cantrell at Dundee, uncovering roles for O-GlcNAc modification in T cell lymphomagenesis and development.

Mahima said: 鈥淚 am very excited to be joining 51福利社 and the Lydia Becker Institute. I have always appreciated the amazing immunology research that happens at the Becker and loved the collegiate and friendly atmosphere whenever I have visited. With the recent award of the MRC Centre of Research Excellence in Exposome Immunology to the University, I think this is a great time to be joining and to be able to contribute to the great mucosal barrier research going on here.鈥�

Commenting on the appointment, Professor Tracy Hussell, Director of the Lydia Becker Institute said: 鈥淚 am thrilled that Mahima will be joining the Lydia Becker Institute at 51福利社. Her fantastic research on intestinal immunity is a natural fit with our focus on barrier tissues and their interaction with environmental stressors.鈥�

Sixty years after the 1966 World Cup final, the most famous football in England's history has been examined as never before. NXCT at 51福利社 and the National Football Museum have produced the first 3D X-ray scans of the Slazenger Challenge 4 Star used at Wembley on July 30, 1966 鈥� rendering, in extraordinary detail, both its 25-panel hand-stitched leather exterior, and the degraded latex bladder sealed inside it since the day England won the World Cup.

It is a portrait of a vanished craft. Each Challenge 4 Star took two-and-a-half hours to stitch by hand at the Slazenger works in Horbury, near Wakefield, and had to meet strict specifications. 14 to 16 ounces in weight, 27 to 28 inches in circumference. The ball earned its place in the final by winning a blind test of more than 100 footballs at The FA's headquarters. The now iconic orange was not a stylistic flourish, but a practical stand-out effect for the monochrome television sets of 1966.

Set against the ball used in this month's 2026 World Cup final, the scans make sixty years of progress impossible to miss. The Trionda is built from four thermally bonded panels of polyurethan, polyester, viscose and synthetic rubber, and carries an inertial measurement unit sensor that tracks every contact and position change. In 1966, the technology was a needle and thread.

The ball's journey to its casing at the National Football Museum is just as fascinating as the final it was used in. After England's 4-2 win in front of some 97,000 spectators, Helmut Haller 鈥� who had scored the opening goal 鈥� carried it back to Germany, claiming tradition entitled the first scorer to keep it. It stayed there for 30 years, until a consortium of the Mirror Group, Virgin, and Eurostar bought it for 拢80,000 and repatriated it ahead of Euro '96. The initials on its surface belong to Uri Geller, who signed it for luck as a pre-tournament publicity stunt.

Today, the ball sits on permanent display in the 'England on the World Stage' section of the National Football Museum, alongside Hurst's hat-trick shirt and other objects from the final. The museum marks the anniversary on Thursday 30 July with a programme of talks from its Visitor Experience team on the 1966 tournament and the final itself.

Dr Matthew Lawson, who performed the scans in the NXCT, said: "X-rays are a fantastic tool to non-destructively see inside objects, this technique has been used a lot in cultural heritage previously but never to look inside such a nationally significant football!

"Although a football is mostly air on the inside, we were able to see the makeup of the leather panels, the stitching and the perished air bladder in amazing detail thanks to X-ray computed tomography. Everyone at the NXCT in the University of 51福利社 would like to thank the National Football Museum for this exciting opportunity to scan such an artefact and to hold it in our own hands!"

Tim Desmond, CEO of the National Football Museum, said: "This is the most famous football in the country and, until now, nobody had ever properly looked inside it. What the scans give us is a window into how the game was made in 1966, the materials, the methods, the craft of a ball stitched by hand in a Yorkshire factory. It's also a measure of just how far the technology has travelled to reach the Trionda of 2026.

"We're a museum committed to educating ourselves and others, and to translating objects behind glass into stories people can get inside. As such, my thanks go to the University of 51福利社 for their expertise and curiosity that have created such a brilliant insight for our visitors and beyond. If you haven't seen it already, come and witness a slice of history for yourself."

The studies, published in Science Translational Medicine on 29 July, were performed using mouse models of this largely incurable disease by a team from the Centre for Nanotechnology in Medicine and the Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre at 51福利社.

Glioblastoma is the most common and most aggressive brain cancer in adults and currently has no cure. Neurosurgeons will typically first remove the tumour, before treating the patient with chemoradiotherapy 4 to 6 weeks later. Because glioblastoma cells infiltrate deep into healthy brain tissue, some will always remain after surgery, fuelling the near鈥慽nevitable return of disease, most times regrowing at the rim of the surgical resection.

The research, spearheaded by postdoctoral associate at 51福利社 Dr Lorena Fernandes, showed experimentally that the blood鈥慴rain barrier is disrupted after surgery, opening two short鈥憀ived therapeutic windows at the resection margin 鈥� immediately after the operation and again 48鈥�72 hours later. Using different mouse models and performing precise neurosurgery to remove the growing glioblastoma tumours from their brains, the team tracked fluorescently labelled, liposomal nanoparticles injected into the blood stream during the time-windows identified. The particles homed in on the resection margin with remarkable precision while other brain regions with an intact barrier showed almost no uptake.

Lipid nanoparticle medicines are based on tiny lipid-based nanoscale carriers that can ferry different cancer drugs (such as chemotherapies, radiotherapies, mRNA therapies) directly to tumours so the medicine targets the cancer cells alone. They are used to treat different types of cancer, but until now they have not been shown to be effective against this difficult to treat disease.

Chemotherapies have also largely failed in this disease due to poor crossing of the blood-brain barrier, and minimal amounts can reach the few cancer cells left over from surgery. By loading these liposome nanoparticles with the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin, the team was able to exploit these newly identified post-operative windows to achieve precise delivery in the brain, exactly where needed. Across different mouse models, a single injection of this liposomal drug was able to suppress recurrence and control the disease with little toxicity.the first half of your story here.

Principal Investigator , CRUK Career Development Fellow at 51福利社 said: 鈥淔or the first time, we鈥檝e shown that glioblastoma surgery briefly exposes a vulnerability we can exploit. If treatment is timed during specific windows we identified, it is able to halt the disease significantly before it regrows.

鈥淲e suggest that the hours and days immediately after surgery may hold the key to stopping glioblastoma from returning.

鈥淚t also raises the possibility that other established medicines could be redeployed in smarter, more strategic ways.鈥�

Co-Principal Investigator of the studies, from 51福利社 and the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Barcelona said: 鈥淭he study has the potential to open a new frontier in postoperative cancer care.

鈥淲e propose the re-framing of post-operative treatment that uses the latest nanoparticle-based medicines, including lipid nanoparticle drugs, immunotherapies, or genetic therapies, to target the rim of the surgical resection, which is the area of the brain where the tumour generally recurs, compromising survival.

鈥淲e hope and actively fund-raise for the next stage in the development of this technology to move on from preclinical mouse models and trial this potentially redefining therapeutic approach in patients.鈥�

• The study was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Rosetrees Trust both in the UK, and the Severo Ochoa Centres of Excellence programme in Spain.
• The paper Targeting therapeutic nanoparticles to the glioblastoma resection margin by 6 harnessing post-operative blood-brain barrier disruption is published on Science Translational Medicine on 29 July. DOI听

The research, published today in , describes a new family of antifungal agents, which - when tested in mice - are more potent and less toxic than existing treatments.

A growing threat

Fungal diseases are an escalating global health threat, becoming harder to treat as resistance to existing drugs grows and the development of new antifungal medicines lags behind. The urgency for new treatments was emphasised by a recent by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

While existing antifungal medicines can be highly effective, many can cause serious side effects because fungal cells share similarities with human cells, making it difficult to target infections without harming healthy tissue.

Discovering new antifungal compounds

In the new study, researchers from the Micklefield Lab focused on polyenes 鈥� a class of powerful antifungal agents. Using an approach called genome mining, they identified bacterial species capable of producing new, undiscovered antifungals.

Dr Saadia Nasr Mirza who worked on the project said: 鈥淭he most effective antifungal agent currently available is a polyene molecule called amphotericin produced by soil bacteria. Although amphotericin is very potent, it is highly toxic, so we set out to discover if bacteria can produce different types of polyenes that are safer than amphotericin. We developed a bioinformatics pipeline, which surprisingly showed that many bacterial species have the capability to produce novel polyenes.鈥�

More potent, less toxic treatments

Using a technique called nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), the team determined the structures of the newly discovered polyenes, showing that each one had a unique structure that differed from any existing antifungal compounds. The researchers also characterised the enzymes responsible for producing them and generated a library of polyene derivatives for testing.

Several of the new compounds showed increased antifungal activity, reduced toxicity and improved solubility compared with the parent drugs. The findings demonstrate that enzymes can be used to redesign these important medicines in a cleaner, more efficient way, producing new compounds that retain strong antifungal activity while reducing toxicity and harmful side effects.

One compound, known as Nys34, showed particularly promising results. In a mouse model of invasive aspergillosis, a serious fungal infection caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, the compound reduced fungal burden without substantive signs of toxicity.

Professor Jason Micklefield who led the project said 鈥淲e were pleased to find that several of the new polyene derivatives were more potent and less toxic than amphotericin and nystatin, which is another important polyene that is also used in the clinic.

鈥淪urprisingly, we found that one of the most effective new polyene derivatives, Nys34, has a different mode-of-action to the widely used amphotericin. Because Nys34 kills fungal cells in a different way, it could prove very useful to combat emerging pathogens that have evolved resistance to amphotericin.鈥�

A cleaner way to develop new medicines

Polyene antifungal drugs are highly complex molecules. Previous efforts to improve them have typically relied on lengthy chemical synthesis processes that are expensive, inefficient and can require environmentally harmful reagents.

The Micklefield lab, based at Imperial鈥檚 Molecular Sciences Research Hub, developed an enzyme-based approach that can produce improved polyenes by cleaner and more efficient biological processes, generating promising new drug candidates without the need for complex multi-step chemical manufacturing.

Because the process is potentially scalable and cost-effective, it could help make improved antifungal treatments more widely available, particularly in lower-income regions where fungal diseases are highest place a substantial burden on public health.

The researchers hope that further development of Nys34 could ultimately lead to clinical testing in people. Beyond Nys34, their enzyme platform provides a powerful new way of generating and refining polyene antifungal compounds that could be used to create additional treatments for a range of fungal diseases, helping to expand the limited pipeline of new antifungal medicines.

This year's graduating scholars reflect that diversity, with two students from Ukraine joined by scholars from Myanmar and Sudan.

One of these graduates, Yefym, is graduating with a 2:1 in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Yefym joined us in 51福利社 from Kharkiv, a town 30km from the frontline of the war with Russia, where his family鈥檚 home was recently destroyed during a Russian drone attack. Yefym has secured a University studentship to continue his studies to PhD level, and will be staying with us come September.

Yefym commented, 鈥淐oming to 51福利社 changed my life completely.

When I left Ukraine, I had no idea what would happen next or whether I would be able to return home. There was a great deal of uncertainty, and I suddenly had to begin building a new life in a different country.

51福利社 gradually became my true second home. It gave me stability, opportunities, and a sense of direction at a time when I needed them most. I have met wonderful people here, developed both personally and academically, and discovered the area in which I would like to build my future.鈥�

For听Serhii, the youngest of our Humanitarian scholars, graduation marks the achievement of an ambition that might once have seemed out of reach after war forced him and his family to flee Mariupol, a city devastated by Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine. Having grown up with a passion for mathematics, physics and computer science, Serhii came to 51福利社 to study听Computer Science with an Integrated Foundation Year:

鈥淲hen the war began, my family and I had to leave Mariupol and start again elsewhere. Coming to 51福利社 with the support of the scholarship opened up opportunities that might never have been possible otherwise. I鈥檝e gained new knowledge, skills, friendships and experiences, and it has genuinely been a life-changing experience.鈥�

Another graduate, Mugtaba, fled Sudan following the outbreak of war, which has since become the world's largest humanitarian and displacement crisis. He recalls that 鈥淪chools and businesses closed, families were torn apart, and millions of people were displaced. We had to flee the capital to our hometown, leaving behind our home, belongings, friends, and the life we had built. Conditions became increasingly difficult, with frequent shortages of electricity, water, and essential goods. As my father was no longer able to work, my brother and I took on jobs to help support our family."

Mugtaba says of the scholarship, 鈥淩eceiving this scholarship has been truly life changing. It eased a significant financial burden at a time when my family had lost almost everything because of the war. It allowed me to focus on my studies instead of worrying about how I would fund my education, and it gave me opportunities that otherwise might not have been possible.

Beyond the financial support, the scholarship gave me confidence. It reminded me that people believed in my potential despite everything that had happened. As I begin my career in electrical engineering, I hope to contribute to projects that improve infrastructure and enhance people鈥檚 lives, while giving back to the communities that have supported me. I also hope my journey shows that, even in the face of conflict and displacement, education can create opportunities and transform lives.鈥�

Alongside these three, a fourth Humanitarian scholar from Myanmar is graduating with a听BSc Cognitive Neuroscience & Psychology, joining a diverse cohort whose journeys to 51福利社 span three countries and multiple conflicts.

Published in , the research, led by demonstrates that this electronic 鈥渞eheating鈥� alone can cause metals to switch between different crystal structures in a fraction of a picosecond.

A different way to drive phase changes

In most phase transitions 鈥� such as melting or structural rearrangement 鈥� heat flows through the lattice of atoms. But in this work, the team shows that another mechanism can dominate: electronic entropy, a measure of how electron populations spread across energy states at high temperatures.

By modelling 17 different elemental metals, the researchers found that almost all undergo one or more solid-to-solid phase transitions driven purely by this electronic effect.

This means materials can change structure before the atomic framework has time to respond, creating a short-lived but physically meaningful state governed entirely by electronic properties.

Predicting how metals respond under extreme conditions

The team used advanced simulations to calculate how the free energy of different crystal structures changes as electronic temperature rises. These calculations revealed consistent patterns across groups of metals, including transitions between common structures such as hexagonal (hcp), face-centred cubic (fcc), and body-centred cubic (bcc).

A key finding is that increasing electronic temperature tends to favour structures with lower density, driven by an effect known as electronic thermal pressure.

However, the behaviour is not universal. In some elements, subtle differences in electronic structure (especially the distribution of electrons near the Fermi level) lead to more complex or unexpected phase changes.

Understanding materials on ultrafast timescales

These results help explain how metals behave under extreme, nonequilibrium conditions, such as those created in laser experiments or high-energy environments.

Because the transitions occur on femtosecond to picosecond timescales, they could be observed using ultrafast experimental techniques, including time-resolved X-ray or electron diffraction.

The findings suggest that researchers may be able to use ultrafast laser pulses to temporarily switch materials into new structural states, opening possibilities for controlling material properties in ways not accessible under equilibrium conditions.

Toward new approaches in materials design

By showing that electronic entropy alone can drive structural changes, the study provides a new framework for understanding and designing materials under extreme conditions.

The research could inform future developments in areas such as ultrafast electronics, high-energy physics, and advanced manufacturing technologies, where materials are routinely pushed far from equilibrium.

They had been working on the 51福利社 Mark I, an experimental computer which proved, for the first time, that a machine could store and run a program. But testing in a university laboratory and making in the real world were different things at the time.

Robinson soon redesigned the machine's multiplier (the component that handles calculations), so that instead of working through each step one at a time, like traffic queuing in a single lane, his version could tackle several steps, or switch between several lanes, at once. This updated machine ran at five times its original speed, and the result, delivered to the University in 1951, was the world's first commercially available general-purpose computer.

By uniting the two worlds of industry and academia, the researchers had helped to produce something neither party could have achieved alone. Seventy-five years on, universities and industry are now working in a far more direct and collaborative way, to produce equally valuable technologies.

From the lab to the field

One of the most striking examples at 51福利社 is , the Centre for Robotic Autonomy in Demanding and Long-lasting Environments. Funded jointly by engineering and technology company Amentum and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's Prosperity Partnerships programme, the purpose of CRADLE is to design advanced robotics and autonomous systems for environments that can push them to their limits.

CRADLE鈥檚 robots have operated more than 1km underground at the Boulby Laboratory in Yorkshire, in conditions designed to mimic the surface of Mars, and competed in the European Space Agency鈥檚 challenge to develop excavation systems for the Moon. They鈥檝e also been deployed by National Highways to inspect motorway infrastructure in otherwise dangerous situations for human engineers.

Another successful project was (Robotics and Artificial Intelligence in Nuclear), a five-year programme funded by UK Research and Innovation, which saw 51福利社's Centre for Robotics and AI lead other research institutions in working directly with nuclear sector organisations, including Sellafield Ltd, EDF Energy and the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

They developed autonomous systems that could inspect, handle and maintain equipment remotely when in environments too hazardous for people, something that makes a huge difference to the safety, cost and speed of clean-up in industry phases like nuclear decommissioning.

A different kind of partnership

Not all collaboration looks the same, often these are long-term partnerships built on trust and a shared purpose, rather than short projects with a single deliverable.

51福利社's work with BAE Systems, for example, spans several decades and multiple projects, like the FLAVIIR programme which led to the world's first flapless flight. This new aircraft design could be steered by carefully controlling the flow of air across a wing, rather than using moveable flaps and surfaces that conventional planes depend on.

MAGMA further developed this into a method for flying an unmanned aircraft with no moving control surfaces at all, by using air blown at supersonic speed and a technique called fluidic thrust vectoring (redirecting the force of a plane engine鈥檚 thrust by shaping airflow rather than by physically angling its exhaust).

Tootill and Robinson crossed the boundary between academia and industry in 1949 because their work demanded it. Today鈥檚 researchers pushing those boundaries again, working in underground laboratories, nuclear facilities, flight test centres and road networks to navigate difficult problems, building partnerships that produce real-world impacts.

Key findings

• Many older residents want to "age in place" in the communities where they have built their lives, but many feel excluded from discussions about the future of their neighbourhoods.
• Residents expressed concerns that regeneration could lead to gentrification, exclusion and division, and questioned whether new homes and amenities would benefit existing communities.
• Community spaces, local shops and faith settings provide vital social infrastructure, helping older people maintain social connections and access informal support.
• Everyday encounters between people from different ethnic, cultural and generational backgrounds help create belonging, familiarity and continuity as neighbourhoods change.
• The researchers warn that regeneration should protect and strengthen existing communities, with investment directed towards community organisations as well as new buildings and infrastructure.

North 51福利社 is undergoing one of the largest programmes of urban regeneration in the country. The 拢6 billion North 51福利社 Strategy includes the redevelopment of North 51福利社 General Hospital, a new mental health facility and the Victoria North housing development, while other major schemes are planned across the area.

Victoria North alone is expected to deliver up to 15,000 new homes over 15 to 20 years, and has been selected as one of the Government's New Towns Initiative sites.

What the researchers say

The researchers say the scale of investment presents a major opportunity to improve health and wellbeing, but warn that the benefits must be shared with the communities already living in the area.

"Regeneration could potentially bring enormous benefits to communities, but it is vital that we don't lose sight of the people who already live in these places,鈥� said Dr Camilla Lewis from 51福利社's 51福利社 Urban Ageing Research Group. "Older people have deep connections to their neighbourhoods and have built up knowledge, relationships and networks over many years. These are valuable assets for regeneration, not obstacles to it.鈥�

The research found that community organisations and volunteers play a significant role in supporting older people, particularly from ethnically minoritised backgrounds, helping to reduce the effects of social isolation, poor health, financial pressures or language barriers

Community spaces also provide opportunities for interaction between people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, helping to maintain a sense of connection as neighbourhoods change.

The researchers warn that these forms of 鈥榮ocial infrastructure鈥� can be overlooked when regeneration focuses primarily on physical development.

They are calling for investment to be directed towards existing community organisations alongside new housing and infrastructure, and for regeneration to be designed collaboratively with older people.

"Regeneration needs to start by understanding what is already valuable about a place - its people, its relationships, its cultural diversity and the spaces where communities come together,鈥� said Dr Niamh Kavanagh from 51福利社. "Our research shows that these everyday connections matter enormously to older people. They can provide a sense of belonging and continuity at a time when neighbourhoods are undergoing profound change.鈥�

"The challenge is to make sure that regeneration strengthens these connections rather than unintentionally disrupting them.鈥�

The report recommends that future regeneration should be equitable, embedded within existing communities, designed collaboratively with older people, culturally sensitive and supported by sustained investment in social infrastructure.

The researchers say the lessons from North 51福利社 are relevant to the wider UK as cities and towns respond simultaneously to an ageing population, housing pressures and major programmes of urban development.

The study was carried out over 12 months and involved 41 interviews with older residents, community organisations and regeneration stakeholders, two focus groups and four creative co-production projects involving more than 50 older people. The research focused primarily on Cheetham Hill and Crumpsall, while also considering the wider North 51福利社 area.

Publication details

Read the full Ageing, inequality and urban regeneration: Collaborative research with older people living in North 51福利社 report .

Tackling the public鈥檚 energy concerns

Amidst growing climate change concerns and exposure to fossil fuel price shocks, local energy schemes are beneficial for engaging the public directly in an energy transition, encouraging community cohesion, bringing direct financial benefits to participants, and providing energy for more remote locations.

However, PPERC鈥檚 response, Putting Power in its Place, states that the government鈥檚 plan also provides a major opportunity to address issues of energy poverty.

鈥淲hat we argue for is genuinely community owned, democratic energy projects which provide both direct returns to those facing energy poverty and debt but also opportunities to develop skills and greater community cohesion,鈥� said Dr Gareth Fearn, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow and editor of the paper.

Key recommendations听

Their听paper听outlines five practical recommendations听to听ensure听the听LPP听delivers on its full potential.听

• Bring听power to the people听by proactively听identifying听communities most in need, building mechanisms for democratic ownership, creating bespoke regulation, and ringfencing funding for engagement and participatory听energy听planning.
• Address energy poverty by embedding it as a key funding criterion,听targeting local schemes in areas with high energy debt, creating听a single UK听registry of community听energy organisations, and engaging with existing community groups.
• Develop skills through community power听and support job creation听by听creating a more inclusive,听better-targeted skills strategy听and integrating small and听medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises.
• 51福利社 the LPP to other plans,听such as听aligning the Warm Homes Agency with Great British Energy (GBE)听Local, and听guiding听local authority planners on how to include community energy in local policy.
• Invest in the 鈥榦ne stop shop鈥� by ensuring energy and retrofit advice services have secure, long-term funding for delivery partners, creating a nationally听visible advice helpline, and听developing a comprehensive听business- and community-focused energy advice service.听

Creating local job opportunities听

PPERC鈥檚 research听suggests听that proactively working with communities leads to better energy planning.听Whilst community projects听can give more people a stake in the future of energy,听their听paper听suggests that the听full听benefits will only be听realised听if the LPP听ensures听clear, inclusive pathways into jobs听and听skills听for locals.听This includes addressing听any听structural barriers to pursuing training faced by marginalised groups.听

鈥淲e see the LPP, and the expanding role of Great British Energy at a local level, as a means of bringing a range of different people into the energy transition in both materially and socially beneficial ways,鈥� said听Dr听Fearn.听

Looking to the future

Since the Local Power Plan was announced in February, the political context and global energy pressures have continued to shift, further emphasising the need to strengthen energy security and ensure the plan delivers lasting benefits for the communities most affected.

By establishing protected mechanisms for public and democratic ownership over the projects, PPERC argues, the LPP will be able to maximise the potential of community energy to deliver much-needed impact.

Publication details

The full response and recommendations, Putting Power in its Place: A PPERC response to the Local Power Plan, can be read .

That's the question addressed in the latest position paper from 51福利社's Dalton Nuclear Policy Group, which sets out practical opportunities for duty holders, regulators and government to build on the recommendations of the 2025 Nuclear Regulatory Task Force.

The paper, A radical reset: actionable opportunities from the UK nuclear regulatory review 2025, responds to a fundamental review of how the UK's nuclear sector is regulated. The review was launched by the UK government in 2025 as part of its plans to both expand nuclear energy generation and retain an effective nuclear deterrent, leading to the establishment of the Nuclear Regulatory Task Force.

The Task Force went on to publish a series of recommendations, aimed primarily at government but with some also directed towards industry. All of these were accepted in full by the government in early 2026 - however, little detail has been proposed to date on exactly how they might be implemented in practice.

The Dalton paper aims to fill that gap, putting forward a suite of practical opportunities which, if taken up, could deliver the more efficient and effective regulatory environment needed to underpin the UK's nuclear sector, without compromising on safety or security.

In developing the paper, the authors drew on input from within the Dalton Nuclear Institute's academic team - which includes individuals with extensive practical experience of policy, operations and regulation across the nuclear sector - as well as from a range of nuclear duty holders across both the civil and defence communities.

鈥楢 once in a lifetime opportunity.鈥�

Co-author Professor Francis Livens said the Task Force's review represented a rare chance to reshape the sector:
"The Regulatory Task Force has indeed provided a once in a lifetime opportunity to rethink the way the UK 'does' nuclear. We have identified opportunities to speed operations up, improve safety and reduce costs, and would be very happy to support organisations across the sector in taking these."

The authors hope the paper will be a useful input for those across the sector seeking to drive positive change.
The paper is authored by:

• Dr William Bodel
• Professor Adrian Bull MBE, Hon FNucI
• Professor Gregg Butler
• Professor Francis Livens
• Dame Fiona Rayment DBE FREng FRSE.

Read the full paper:

This well-deserved promotion recognises Clara's outstanding contributions to research, education and academic leadership, particularly her work advancing digital approaches to improve occupational safety, health and wellbeing. Through her research, she has brought together expertise from engineering, data science, organisational psychology, regulators and industry to address some of the most pressing challenges facing high-risk sectors.听

Commenting on her promotion, Clara said:听
鈥淚 am deeply grateful for this recognition and for the many colleagues, collaborators, students and mentors who have shaped my journey. The Thomas Ashton Institute has played an important role in enabling interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers, regulators and industry. I look forward to continuing this work and advancing human-centred digital innovation that delivers meaningful improvements in workplace safety, health and wellbeing.鈥�

As Digital Safety and Health Lead at the Thomas Ashton Institute, Clara has helped strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration across the University and beyond, supporting research that explores how digital technologies can improve workplace safety, health and wellbeing while ensuring innovation remains centred on people.

Reflecting on her promotion, Clara has often said that "no one becomes a professor alone," recognising the collective support of colleagues, collaborators, mentors, students, friends and family throughout her career.听

Professor Cheung's promotion marks an important milestone for both the University and the Thomas Ashton Institute. We are proud to celebrate this achievement and look forward to continuing to work with Clara as she develops new partnerships, advances interdisciplinary research and helps shape the future of digital safety and health.听

Congratulations, Professor Cheung, on this outstanding achievement.听

• 
  听

Key findings

Bullet point list of the study's key findings

What the researchers say

Put some of the researcher's quotes here, but highlight one or two key sentences in the separate module (accessed on the left of this page)

Relevant subheading

Detail about what the findings mean - changes to previous knowledge, challenge to orthodoxy etc. Make this part human interest if possible - try to ground the study in real world implications so ordinary readers will be interested. Insert another quote in this section if needed/provided - particularly if the academic provides a call to action.

Publication details

The study was published in xxx journal.

DOI: http://xxx.

Representatives from the Institute, and exhibited throughout the day, engaging with delegates from academia, policy and practice. The event provided a valuable opportunity to showcase the Institute's work in risk and regulatory research, occupational health and safety, and interdisciplinary approaches to addressing complex societal challenges.

As well as sharing information about the Institute's activities, the team met with researchers and practitioners from a wide range of organisations, exploring opportunities for future collaboration and knowledge exchange.

The Festival's 2026 programme focused on a number of important themes, including Global Public Health, Commercial Determinants of Health, Research Inclusion, AI and Public Health, and Women's Health.

We would like to thank the organisers and everyone who visited our stand during the event. We look forward to building on the connections made and continuing to support evidence-informed approaches to improving health, safety and wellbeing.

It was fantastic to host scientists from all over the country, from the Universities of 51福利社, Oxford, Birmingham, Keele, Leeds, Loughborough, 51福利社 Metropolitan, Southampton, Sussex, UCL and Imperial, from Belgium, France and Sweden, as well as many of our Harwell colleagues and collaborators from Diamond Light Source, STFC, UKHSA and the Rosalind Franklin Institute.

Speakers

Huge thanks to our excellent speakers who presented a variety of complementary imaging techniques.

• , The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility
• and , Detector Development Group, Science & Technology Facilities Council
• , University of Birmingham
• , University of Ghent
• , MAX IV Laboratory, Lund University
• , 51福利社 Metropolitan University
• , Laboratois Mat茅IS
• , University of Southampton.

Workshop topics of conversation

Imaging techniques discussed were ultra-fast synchrotron radiography and tomography imaging, micro-CT combined with SWAXS, 3D X-ray Histology, ultra-high resolution tomography, diceCT, tomography imaging of porous media and molten flows, advances in X-ray imaging detectors that were applied in various applications (battery safety studies, laser welding of metals, fuel injectors, shockwave imaging, crystal growth in molten flows, pore-scale imaging of multiphase fluid flow, bone hierarchical structure, tumour margin determination, foetal post-mortem autopsy, laser-based additive manufacturing, muscle whiskers in pinniped species, elemental chemistry in alloys and uranium quantification).

The workshop maintained high engagement all day with fascinating 3D visualisation such as the complex bone canalicular network and impressive 4D animations such as battery failure and hydrogen-brine dynamics. The bottlenecks of analysing such large datasets with different modalities and the importance of taking this into consideration when designing an experiment, was also addressed.

The ability to measure intricate fluid dynamics in porous media using 4D velocimetry was a key advancement. These empirical datasets can significantly improve the accuracy of CFD models and can be extended to study mechanical processes in other domains, such as bone mechanobiology and tissue engineering (bioreactors, scaffolds).

The use of AI and deep-learning techniques to boost data interpretation and identify novel biomarkers in clinical applications look very promising, and it was important to highlight some of the limits such as model hallucination. Because imaging techniques and data analytics are advancing so rapidly, dedicated training programs are increasingly essential to prepare the next generation of scientists.

Posters and poster prizes

• First prize awarded to , University of Oxford, 鈥楾owards Hydrogen Imaging and Mapping in Embrittlement-Susceptible Steels via XAS and Machine Learning鈥�.
• Second prize awarded to , University of Oxford, 鈥業nvestigating interdendritic flow during aluminium alloys solidification using Artificial Intelligence and synchrotron X-ray imaging鈥�.
• Third prize awarded to , University of Birmingham, 鈥楢dditive Manufacturing and Advance Materials Testing of 316L & Tungstan LPBF Lattices for Fusion Application.

Thank you to everyone who presented a poster and congratulations to our three winners!

Thank you鈥�

We would like to say a huge thank you to all our speakers, chairs, sponsors and delegates who helped make the conference a success.

Published in , the study led by researchers from 51福利社, the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis and the University of M眉nster describe a family of tellurium-based catalysts that use chalcogen bonding to control reaction outcomes through non-covalent interactions.

Chalcogen bonding, which arises from electron-deficient regions known as 蟽-holes, has attracted growing attention as a tool for catalysis. However, translating these comparatively weak interactions into effective asymmetric catalysis has proved difficult, particularly when using neutral catalyst systems. Most successful examples reported to date have relied on charged catalysts to strengthen substrate binding.

To address this limitation, the researchers used computational modelling to design a series of chiral tellurium-triazole catalysts capable of forming a confined binding environment around reacting molecules. They identified a catalyst incorporating a 1,3-diaminocyclohexane backbone that could adopt a bidentate binding arrangement, allowing two tellurium centres to interact cooperatively with a substrate.

When tested experimentally, the catalyst was able to induce asymmetry in benchmark Reissert-type reactions of quinolines and isoquinolines. The best-performing examples reached enantiomeric ratios of up to 89:11, providing evidence that neutral chalcogen-bond donors can transfer chiral information during catalysis.

Dr Olga Garc铆a Manche帽o, corresponding author and Professor of Catalysis in Organic Chemistry at the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis, who led the experimental catalysis work, adds: "Chalcogen bonding has enormous potential as a tool for catalysis, but translating these relatively weak interactions into reliable asymmetric control has proved challenging. This was only possible by bringing together computational design, synthesis and experimental catalysis. The study shows that carefully designed neutral chalcogen-bond donors can overcome an important limitation in the field and opens the door to more selective systems in the future."

The team combined computational design, synthesis and mechanistic studies to understand why some catalyst architectures performed better than others. Spectroscopic and computational analyses showed that the most effective catalyst forms two cooperative chalcogen-bond interactions with a bound chloride ion, supported by additional hydrogen-bonding contacts that help stabilise the catalytic complex.

Alternative catalyst designs either failed to bind effectively or produced little or no enantioselectivity, highlighting the importance of catalyst geometry in controlling stereochemical outcomes.

"The computational analysis allowed us to understand why certain catalyst structures were successful while others were not", says James O'Brien, who carried out the computational studies at 51福利社. "It revealed how subtle changes in catalyst geometry influence binding and selectivity, helping us identify the features needed for effective chalcogen-bonding catalysis."

Lary Massold, who conducted the experimental studies says: 鈥淔rom the two most promising synthesised chalcogen donors, the catalyst with a weaker binding but more directive bidentate interactions with the substrate showed higher selectivity and stereocontrol. With this study we proved that fine-tuning of weak interactions plays a crucial role in this area of supramolecular catalysis.鈥�

Although the levels of stereocontrol remain below those routinely achieved with more established classes of asymmetric catalyst, the work provides a proof of principle for neutral chalcogen-bonding catalysis and offers a framework for designing more selective systems.

The authors say the design principles identified in the study could help guide future efforts to harness weak non-covalent interactions for increasingly complex catalytic transformations.

The Ferranti Mark I, the world's first commercially available general-purpose computer, came with 4,000 valves, 100,000 soldered joints and six miles of wires. The 27 kilowatts of power it needed to operate is the equivalent of running roughly 600 mid-range laptops today, yet at the time, it must have felt miraculous.

Seventy-five years on, and 51福利社 is still working at the frontier of computing. The machinery might be different 鈥� something far smaller than 2.5-metre-tall towers 鈥� but the research teams are asking the same question: can you turn a theory into a device that changes the world?

The answer in 2026, involves silicon, single atoms and the strange laws of quantum physics.

What is a quantum computer?

All previous computers, from the Ferranti Mark I to the laptop on your desk, have processed information as bits 鈥� ones and zeros. But now, quantum computing is changing the game, they use qubits instead. Qubits, can exist as both a 1 and a 0 at the same time; multiplied across many qubits working together, quantum machines can explore numerous solutions at once, rather than working through them one by one.

The implications of this are potentially huge. Problems that would take today鈥檚 most powerful supercomputers centuries to solve 鈥� from modelling new medicines to testing the security of future communication systems 鈥� could one day be tackled in hours, or even minutes.

What鈥檚 getting in the way?

The main barrier to progress is that qubits are incredibly fragile. Even tiny changes in their environment, like a shift in temperature or a disturbance in their surroundings, can introduce errors. Building a quantum computer that works reliably at scale means solving this problem.

Silicon, the material which underpins every modern computer chip, offers a potential route forward, because scientists already know how to produce very precise silicon devices. However, natural silicon contains an isotope, silicon-29, which causes a 鈥榥uclear flip flopping鈥� effect that makes qubits lose their data.

For a long time, no practical solution to this has existed.

51福利社's answer

In 2024, researchers from 51福利社 announced they had found one. By developing a way of engineering silicon to remove silicon-29, they produced the world's purest form of the material. This purified silicon can provide a stable platform for high-performance qubit devices and creates the opportunity for making quantum computers at scale. Scientists think it opens a path towards devices containing one million qubits, potentially fabricated to the size of a pinhead.

With this material achieved, the team turned to scaling up the purification process and using samples to develop prototype quantum devices.

Then, in March 2026, 51福利社 and IBM researchers used a quantum computer to verify the properties of a molecule that had never previously existed. It was a concrete demonstration of the technology鈥檚 potential.

What this means for the future

The UK鈥檚 recent National Quantum Strategy earmarked an investment of 拢2.5 billion for creating a thriving quantum sector, with many projecting that quantum technologies will create a global market worth tens of billions within the next decade.

51福利社's sits at the heart of that ambition, training a new generation of scientists and engineers while building the industry partnerships needed to move discoveries out of the lab and into the real world.

The ability to process complex challenges at a scale no classical computer can match, could soon transform sectors as diverse as energy, manufacturing, data security, drug discovery and vaccine design.

Seventy-five years ago, the Ferranti Mark I proved that extraordinary ideas could be made real. Today鈥檚 researchers might be working at a different scale 鈥� swapping whole rooms for single atoms 鈥� but their achievements could be just as revolutionary.

However, the advantage depends on the emotional context, and a key ingredient for effective support 鈥� offering specific, actionable guidance 鈥� can boost the quality of support from both humans and AI alike.

鈥� published in the journal 鈥� compared messages of emotional support generated by large language models (LLMs) and humans in everyday, non-clinical contexts.

The research comprised five studies involving a total of 1,233 participants. Across the studies, the team compared emotional support messages generated by three leading LLMs 鈥� ChatGPT 4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and Gemini 1.5 Pro 鈥� with messages written by human participants responding to everyday emotionally charged scenarios, such as being passed over for a promotion or coming home to find their shared house untidy.

Participants were not told if the messages they received came from a human or an AI. Although many were able to correctly identify the source, those in studies where LLM messages were rated as more supportive did not show reduced benefit 鈥� suggesting that awareness of an AI source does not necessarily undermine its effectiveness.

Key findings:

• LLM-generated responses largely mirrored strategies used by humans to manage others鈥� emotions, particularly for ChatGPT, which showed the highest similarity with human patterns.

• In situations involving anger and fear, LLM responses were seen as more emotionally supportive than those written by people. In addition, LLM messages helped people feel more positive (such as feeling calm or happy). For sadness situations, LLM and human responses worked equally well.

• Simply acknowledging someone鈥檚 feelings (e.g., 鈥淚 totally understand why you feel sad鈥�) did not fully explain why LLM responses were sometimes more effective. Adding or removing this emotional validation did not make a difference to how helpful the messages were.

• What mattered most was 鈥淎ctionable support鈥� 鈥� clear practical suggestions that people could use (such as breathing techniques, step-by-step reframing, or practical next steps). These specific suggestions improved emotional outcomes regardless of whether the message came from a human or an AI.

Co-author , Lecturer in Psychology at 51福利社, said: 鈥淥ur findings suggest that what makes emotional support effective is less about who provides it, and more about how it is delivered. Providing people with specific, actionable steps, rather than general reassurance, is a key ingredient for effective support, whether that comes from a person or a chatbot.

She added: 鈥淲hile a human might typically suggest going for a walk or making a cup of tea, an AI chatbot tends to go further, for example acknowledging the person鈥檚 feelings and offering step-by-step strategies such as breathing techniques or specific ways to reframe a thought. Training human supporters 鈥� whether professionals or members of the public 鈥� to provide this kind of structured, actionable guidance could meaningfully improve the quality of everyday emotional support.鈥�

Co-author , a PhD researcher at 51福利社, said: 鈥淲e found that AI can emulate the supportive strategies that humans use, and at times even outperform human supporters in improving a person鈥檚 emotional state 鈥� though this is not universal. The effect depends on the type of emotion and what outcome you are looking at.鈥�

She added: 鈥淲e are not saying that humans should or can be replaced by AI. But our findings do show that when people choose to use AI for emotional support, it can be genuinely helpful, and understanding why it works can help us improve how both humans and AI provide that support.鈥�

The research comes amid growing public interest in AI as an emotional resource. Recent surveys suggest that 66% of 25- to 34-year-olds in the UK have turned to AI chatbots instead of loved ones to discuss emotional problems, and in the US, 20% of young adults aged 18鈥�21 have used ChatGPT to manage their emotions, with 92.7% of those users finding the advice helpful.

Dr Sarah Walker, co-author of the study from Durham University's School of Education, said: "What's key here is that we're not suggesting AI should replace human support. But when people do turn to it, it can help, and understanding why tells us something useful. Concrete, actionable steps work better than general reassurance, and that is something all of us can get better at offering. However, we also need to think about the human cost of actionable support as well.

鈥淲hen AI suggests a walk or a breathing exercise, the suggestion is where its involvement ends. When a person offers the same thing, it usually comes with their presence as well. We don't just suggest the walk, we go on it. That kind of support takes real time and effort, and the people closest to us are often stretched thin. So to me, this work is less about AI replacing us and more of a reminder that what we want from each other in hard moments is often more than the people we love can give."

• 鈥� DOI 10.1037/emo0001712

Alcohol-related harm continues to place a significant burden on health services. The study highlights that these harms are most common late at night, particularly at weekends, when higher levels of intoxication can contribute to injuries, violence and emergency healthcare demand. The researchers note that Scotland recorded more than 31,000 alcohol-specific hospital admissions between 2022 and 2023.

The team says the findings provide important evidence for policymakers considering future licensing decisions. They argue that both the scale of licensing extensions and the types of venues receiving them should be carefully considered when assessing potential impacts on public health and community safety.

The authors also note that previous international research has linked reductions in late-night trading hours with decreases in alcohol-related harm. As the first UK study to examine the relationship between extended opening hours and alcohol-related ambulance call-outs, they believe the results can contribute to future national and local licensing policy discussions.

Professor Niamh Fitzgerald of the University of Stirling, and Principal Investigator of the wider study, said: 鈥淥ur study shows that local authorities need greater powers to control the number and type of venues that are allowed to open later at night because large-scale extensions will result in increased health harms and crimes. Whilst this part of the research didn鈥檛 find measurable impacts in Glasgow, local stakeholders reported in interviews that the 4am extension in just 10 nightclubs had put frontline services under severe strain.鈥�

The study was a collaboration between 51福利社, the University of Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian University, the University of Sheffield, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and the Scottish Ambulance Service, and forms part of a wider project led by the University of Stirling.

role on this work and the wider NIHR funded ELEPHANT project focused on advising the statistical design and methodologies proposed for the analyses, including analyses of changes in the geographical distributions of harms.

• Fathers who undertook solo caregiving became more confident and capable parents.

• Early childcare experiences helped fathers better understand the emotional, practical and mental load of caring for children.

• Mothers were often able to return to work earlier or pursue career progression because they had confidence in their partner's caregiving abilities.

• Couples were more likely to view childcare as a shared responsibility rather than primarily the mother's role.

• Many fathers continued to organise work around family responsibilities years after their leave ended.

• Some fathers became more open about caregiving responsibilities at work and more willing to prioritise family life over career progression.

Rethinking careers and parenting

"Our research shows that fathers' solo caregiving can have long-lasting effects on how couples organise work and family life years later,鈥� said Professor Emma Banister from the Work and Equalities Institute at Alliance 51福利社 Business School. "The fathers we spoke to developed confidence and skills through caring for their child alone, and those experiences continued to shape their decisions about work and parenting long after their leave had ended."

Challenge to traditional gender roles regarding paid and unpaid work

The study also found evidence that fathers who had taken sole responsibility for childcare were more likely to challenge traditional expectations about parenting and work.

Several participants reported openly discussing childcare commitments with colleagues and managers, rejecting the idea that caregiving should be hidden or secondary to paid work.

The researchers argue that organisations and policymakers should do more to support fathers who want to take an active role in childcare.

Implications for parental leave policy

The researchers say the findings strengthen the case for expanding dedicated leave for fathers.

While Shared Parental Leave was introduced in the UK in 2015 to encourage more equal parenting, uptake remains relatively low because of affordability, eligibility restrictions and the way the system is structured.

The study suggests that creating more opportunities for fathers to undertake solo caregiving could help promote greater gender equality both at home and in the workplace.

"The benefits we observed weren't simply about fathers spending more time with their children - it was the experience of taking responsibility for childcare independently that appeared to make the difference,鈥� said Professor Ben Kerrane of 51福利社 Metropolitan University. 鈥淭hat experience helped reshape how couples thought about parenting, careers and family responsibilities, with effects that were still visible five years later.鈥�

Publication details

The study was published in journal Human Relations.

DOI:

Graeme studied Biomedical Sciences with 51福利社, and it was while here that he took up rowing. That turned out to be a turning point in his life, and a few years later, his intense training and selection pathway for the 2012 London Olympics meant that he missed out on celebrating the completion of his degree.

Fourteen years and a spectacular sporting career later, which saw Graeme selected for Rio 2016, and competing in Tokyo and Paris, The University thought it only right that he had the opportunity to finish his degree properly 鈥� he is, after all, a recent inductee into our Sporting Hall of Fame.

Watched on by his parents, his son, and his soon-to-be Wife, Lucy, Graeme commented,

Following his ceremony, Graeme was invited to a reception with a few of the members of the current 51福利社 Rowing Club.

This new Long Baseline Multistatic Radar (LBMR) capability for real-time space object characterization transforms existing radio-frequency infrastructure, including radio telescopes and satellite communications antennas, into a powerful dual-use system for Space Domain Awareness.

As the number of satellites being launched every year grows towards the tens of thousands, space is becoming increasingly congested. At the same time our reliance on services provided from space is becoming increasingly clear. For these reasons it is essential to boost our capabilities of monitoring, tracking and characterising objects in orbit.

Radar is a powerful tool for monitoring objects in orbit, but observing distant regions such as geostationary orbit (36,000 km) requires high power transmitters and the most sensitive receivers. Radio telescopes like the Lovell Telescope and e-MERLIN are designed to detect the faint natural radio emissions from stars and galaxies, while large deep-space communications antennas routinely receive extremely weak signals from distant spacecraft. By using these assets as geographically distributed radar receivers, the sensitivity of existing radar systems can be increased by more than tenfold ,enabling the detection of smaller objects at much greater distances.

To make this capability useful for space operations, the radar echoes received at the radio telescopes need to be collected, processed and analysed in real time. This has now been demonstrated in a new project funded by the UK Space Agency at a live event recently held at the European Space Agency at Harwell, in the UK.

Key stakeholders from the government, defence and industry in the UK and Australia were able to see the radar detections and measurements live on screen. This is a world first for this type of radar technique and a major milestone in moving LBMR from research towards operational capability, reflecting the shared leadership and complementary expertise of partners across the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia.

51福利社 is a key member of this project, and the use of the 76-m Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank is central to obtaining the sensitivity improvement which this approach offers. Using additional e-MERLIN antennas (supported by STFC) adds flexibility, resilience and the future potential for real-time orbit determination.

This project was funded by the UK Space Agency through its International Bilateral Fund and led by the University of Birmingham. Originating from within two NATO- Research Task Groups (STO SET-293 and SET-340), which have involved the University of 51福利社 from the outset in 2020, the project has brought together partners from the three nations to overcome key challenges in synchronisation, distributed sensing and real-time processing. Beyond proving a new capability for monitoring space objects, LBMR provides a platform for continued innovation, international collaboration and the development of the specialist skills needed to help protect critical space infrastructure and ensure the safe, secure and sustainable use of space.

Dr Chris Blount at the UK Space Agency said: 鈥淭he Long Baseline Multistatic Radar (LMBR) project has been a fantastic example of innovation and collaboration by incredible UK and international talent, and an exemplar case of the capability multiplication through collaboration the International Bilateral Fund (IBF) seeks to achieve. The LBMR team have taken the thorny challenge of real time on-demand monitoring of space objects on geostationary orbit, and through proactive partnering and an innovative application of existing world class UK assets, have been able to demonstrate a state of the art, dual use by design, capability. This has been achieved without the extensive investment, time, and effort a dedicated facility would have otherwise needed, and even surpasses the capability such a facility would yield. This is exactly the innovation and engineering excellence UKSA and the IBF seeks to promote, and is a key step towards a capability to make the UK and our international partners safer and better able to respond to the challenges of a congested and contested space.鈥�

Professor Simon Garrington, a radio astronomer at the Jodrell Bank Observatory, University of 51福利社, UK, said: 鈥淭he 76-m Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank makes a superb radar receiver for this type of work. We are very keen to realise its full potential in contributing to monitoring objects in orbit, protecting UK assets in space, and making space safer. Our e-MERLIN array is also being used in this work and is a unique UK capability for high precision measurements of objects in orbit鈥�.

Professor Gaven Smith, CB FREng 鈥� University of 51福利社 and former CTO, GCHQ, UK said: 鈥淭his is a compelling example of how research facilities and skills can be applied to the challenge of protecting important UK assets in space against a range of natural (eg space debris) and potentially hostile threats. The need for these capabilities is becoming increasing urgent, and this application of radio telescopes shows how powerful capabilities can be developed rapidly and cost-effectively within the UK, by leveraging our research base.鈥�

Prof Marco Martorella, LBMR project leader, Chair in RF and Space Sensing at the University of Birmingham, UK, said: "The successful demonstration of the Long Baseline Multistatic Radar marks an important step towards an operational Space Domain Awareness capability. Beyond its immediate operational potential, LBMR provides a unique platform to advance radar technologies, validate new sensing concepts, and train the next generation of RF and radar engineers. Building and retaining this expertise is essential to developing the capabilities needed to detect, track and identify space objects, helping to protect critical space infrastructure and ensure the safe and sustainable use of space for the future.鈥�

Chris Saunders, a senior mission concepts engineer at UK-headquartered space company, Goonhilly, said: 鈥淭his project has been a fantastic demonstration of multi-national collaboration across academia and industry, demonstrating the value of leveraging existing satellite communications infrastructure to protect our critical assets in space. Goonhilly looks forward to building upon the successful LBMR concept, as it continues to develop day/night, all-weather, RF-based Space Domain Awareness capabilities.鈥�

Mr. Gregory Hogan, Chair of NATO SET 鈥楲BMR for Space Domain Awareness鈥� Research Group, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, US, said: 鈥淭his multi-nation live demonstration highlights the advanced capability that can be achieved through Allied partnership. By augmenting US radars with partner nation radiotelescopes significant increases were achieved in sensitivity for detecting and characterizing satellites at Geosynchronous distances, greatly enhancing the SDA mission.

Ken Smart, Space Domain Awareness Lead at CSIRO, Australia, said: 鈥淭he success of the Long Baseline Multistatic Radar demonstration relied on bringing together complementary capabilities from across the United Kingdom, United States and Australia. CSIRO's contribution of the Mopra radio telescope and expertise in radio astronomy and signal processing extended the geographic reach of the network and provided an independent receiving capability from the Southern Hemisphere. Together, the partners demonstrated how existing scientific and communications infrastructure can be combined to deliver a powerful new approach to Space Domain Awareness, while strengthening international collaboration on the technologies needed to help ensure the safe, secure and sustainable use of space.鈥�

Phoebe Ryder, PhD Student at University of 51福利社, UK: 鈥淔or me as a young scientist, it has been really valuable to join an international team which brings together experts in space radar, satellite communications and radio astronomy. This project has been a great opportunity to combine curiosity-driven research with real world needs to produce a demonstration of a useful and novel capability. Working with the UK Space Agency, and other stakeholders, has given me invaluable insight into the applications of this research, and hopefully some opportunities for a future career in this really interesting and important area.鈥�

Dr. Jason Guicheteau, Chair of NATO Sensing Technology (SET) Scientific Technical Committee, US, said: 鈥淭he successful live demonstration of the LBMR is a testament to the power of allied collaboration, showcasing the transition of foundational science into a tangible, operational capability originating out of NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO) research task groups."

• Multiple agencies share responsibility for tackling economic crime, in some cases creating uncertainty over leadership and accountability

• Competing priorities and budget pressures can limit organisations' ability to devote resources to economic crime investigations

• The broad and evolving nature of "economic crime" makes it difficult to define priorities and measure success

• Outdated technology and poor data-sharing arrangements continue to hamper investigations and intelligence gathering

• The UK's response relies heavily on cooperation between organisations with different responsibilities, cultures and objectives

Economic crime has become one of the UK's biggest crime threats

The researchers say economic crime encompasses a vast range of offences, from online fraud and investment scams to money laundering, bribery and sanctions evasion.

However, a key issue identified by the study was ambiguity surrounding the term 鈥榚conomic crime鈥� - which lacks clear boundaries and scope - and how different threats should be prioritised.

The research found that political priorities and major world events can rapidly reshape which forms of economic crime receive attention and resources. As a result, agencies can find themselves responding to an ever-expanding range of threats, stretching already limited resources.

The authors argue that while the broad label of economic crime helps attract political attention and funding, it can also obscure important differences between offences that require very different responses.

Outdated systems slowing investigations

Participants in the study also highlighted concerns about the technological tools available to investigators. Some reported that basic collaboration and data-analysis capabilities lag behind those available in the private sector, with information-gathering processes that should take days sometimes taking months.

The researchers found that these limitations can make it more difficult to identify emerging threats, share intelligence and coordinate action across agencies.

What is needed

The researchers say the enabling conditions needed to tackle the problem are:

• A shared definition of economic crime, clear enough to guide prioritisation yet flexible enough to serve both political and operational purposes

• Data-sharing arrangements and intelligence infrastructure that allow partners to act and build understanding simultaneously

• Clear incentives and dedicated resourcing that allow partners to commit meaningfully beyond their core organisational mandates

• Clear delineation of roles and responsibilities across agencies, with recognised leadership

• Formalised but flexible accountability arrangements that create soft mechanisms for ensuring participation without undermining partner autonomy

Why this matters

Fraud is now one of the most common crimes affecting people in the UK, while money laundering enables a wide range of serious criminal activity, from organised crime to corruption.

The findings also have wider relevance for governments around the world that are increasingly relying on multi-agency partnerships to tackle complex forms of crime that cross organisational and national boundaries.

What the researchers say

"The National Economic Crime Centre was created to bring together the many organisations involved in tackling economic crime, recognising the need for a collective response鈥� said Professor Nicholas Lord. 鈥淗owever, coordinating agencies with different responsibilities, priorities and resources is not straightforward, and certainly needs more than goodwill.鈥�

"What emerges from this study is a picture of a system that depends heavily on cooperation between organisations,鈥� added Professor Elisa Bellotti. 鈥淭he challenge is not simply understanding economic crime itself, but creating the conditions that allow different institutions to work together effectively in responding to it.鈥�

Publication details

The study was published in the Journal of Economic Criminology.

DOI:

The scroll was formally presented to the University during a visit by two of Rutherford鈥檚 great grand-daughters. The historic Rutherford gift has also inspired new named physics chair at 51福利社

The gift strengthens the University's connection with one of the most influential scientists in history and the continuing leadership in the fields he helped create.

To mark the gift, the University has established the Ernest Rutherford Chair in Physics, a new named professorship within the Department of Physics and Astronomy. The chair will recognise leading researchers working in fields closely associated with Rutherford's scientific achievements, including nuclear, particle and accelerator physics. The new chair joins a distinguished group of named professorships in Physics at 51福利社, including the Langworthy Chair, one of the oldest physics chairs in the world, the Regius chair in Physics established by royal patronage, and the Lovell Chair in Astrophysics.

Rutherford is widely regarded as the 鈥渇ather of nuclear physics鈥�. During his time at 51福利社 between 1907 and 1919, he transformed the University's Physics Laboratory into one of the world's leading centres of scientific discovery.

Among the breakthroughs achieved in 51福利社 were the discovery of the atomic nucleus, the identification of the proton and the first artificial nuclear reaction, which is often referred to as 鈥渟plitting the atom鈥�. These achievements laid the foundations of our modern world, gave rise to the fields of nuclear and particle physics and led to innumerable technological, industrial and societal impacts

Professor Chris Parkes, Head of 51福利社 Physics and Astronomy Department, said: "Rutherford's years in 51福利社 changed our understanding of the physical world forever, shaping our understanding of atoms. The discoveries made here have shaped our world today and continue to influence scientific research more than a century later.

"We are delighted that Lord Rutherford's descendants have chosen 51福利社 as the home for this important historical document. It is a powerful recognition of the University's role in preserving and celebrating Rutherford's remarkable legacy and our continuing world leadership in research in the fields of nuclear and particle physics"

Jenny Joy and Caroline Roberts descendants of Rutherford, added: 鈥淲e wanted this scroll to be seen and used as part of his legacy as it has hardly ever seen the light of day, and it is a valuable stunning historical document in its own right鈥�

During their visit, members of Rutherford's family took a tour of the Physics department, including seeing his original desk and visiting modern facilities that continue the 51福利社 tradition of cutting-edge research in his areas of interest.

It was in the University's former Physics Laboratory 鈥� now known as the Rutherford Building 鈥� that Rutherford led a team of pioneering scientists whose work revolutionised our understanding of the atom.

His influence extended far beyond his own discoveries. Rutherford鈥檚 work established 51福利社 as an international centre of scientific excellence, allowing the University to attract many renowned scientists to continue his legacy. He is also well known for mentoring many of the leading physicists of the twentieth century. The historic scroll will be preserved within the University's collections, ensuring that future generations can continue to learn about the scientist whose discoveries in 51福利社 changed the world.

She added: "While I welcome the child-focused courts that the government has introduced, the family justice system has an opportunity to move from seeing children as passive recipients of adult decisions to recognising them as active participants. If children's voices are consistently heard, respected and acted upon, family courts will be better protect their safety, wellbeing and long-term health."

Recommendations

The researchers are calling for major reforms to private family law proceedings, including:

• Ensuring children's voices are routinely and meaningfully heard throughout family court proceedings.

• Embedding the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child more fully into domestic law.

• Reforming family court practice so children's views genuinely influence decisions affecting them.

• Providing specialist training for judges, legal professionals and safeguarding practitioners on children's rights, trauma, coercive control and child sexual abuse.

• Introducing stronger safeguards against technology-facilitated abuse, including the misuse of children's medical information.

• Expanding access to child-centred, trauma-informed interventions such as play therapy and specialist counselling.

The authors conclude that meaningful reform will require not only legislative change but also a cultural shift across the family justice system towards recognising children as equal rights holders whose lived experiences should guide judicial decision-making.

Publication details

The paper was published in the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law.

This study was supported by a grant from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Participatory Research Fund to Dr Elizabeth Dalgarno, Principal Investigator. The findings remain the responsibility of the research team.

DOI:

Today, instead of thinking about how we communicate with machines, scientists are trying to improve how machines communicate with us. How they might read our intentions, notice when there鈥檚 a change in our demeanour and earn our trust.

This isn鈥檛 just a question about technology, it鈥檚 also about psychology, ethics and what we need from the intelligent systems that increasingly share our workplaces, hospitals and homes.

The problem of trust

People build trust instinctively, often without noticing; it could be the way someone listens, remembers what matters to us, responds at the right moment, or handles a mistake. Now, researchers at 51福利社's are studying how these same dynamics might play out with machines.

They鈥檝e found that our trust in robots often depends on two things: whether a robot can do what it claims, and whether it responds to situations 鈥� especially failures 鈥� in ways that feel recognisably human. A robot that completes a job but ignores typical social cues may be accurate, but it鈥檚 often not trusted as much as a robot that fails a task but acknowledges its mistakes in a human-like way.

also found that the voice a robot uses is important. During this exercise, people showed greater confidence in working with a machine when it spoke in an AI-generated voice designed to sound more human, even though when asked afterwards they claimed to have preferred a standard robotic version instead. It suggests that what people believe they want from robots and how they actually behave around them, are not always the same.

When the robot is watching you

However, trust doesn鈥檛 only run one way, and that鈥檚 why 51福利社 researchers have been developing 鈥楥omputational Trust鈥� 鈥� mathematical models which help robots assess the trustworthiness of the humans they work with.

, knowing how much a human partner鈥檚 contributions can be relied upon helps a robot to anticipate what its human partner is likely to do next, or where they might go wrong.²

This ties in with the 鈥楾heory of Mind鈥� concept, which describes a human ability to understand that other people have their own knowledge, intentions and goals that may differ from your own. Developing an artificial version of this 鈥� a robot that can genuinely read the room 鈥� is one of the most ambitious targets in the field.

Understanding another mind

To address this, 51福利社 researchers are now exploring what happens when machines begin to develop a basic version of 鈥楾heory of Mind鈥�. In , a research team gave pairs of autonomous robots different personalities and priorities. Some were designed to be more socially focused, while others were more playful. Each robot had its own needs and goals, but those needs were invisible to its partner. The challenge was learning to work together anyway.

To do this, the robots used their own experiences as a starting point for understanding each other. If a robot observed behaviour that looked familiar, it could begin to infer what its partner might be trying to achieve. Over time, those estimates were refined through interaction. The result was a machine capable of making decisions not solely for itself, but with another agent in mind.

The researchers found that cooperation emerged most successfully when at least one robot was willing to prioritise the needs of another. Simply giving the robot the ability to reason about another's mental state was not enough, what mattered was how it used that knowledge when deciding what to do next.

In human terms, it is the difference between understanding that somebody needs help and choosing to offer it.

Feeling heard

Progress in this field relies on developing a machine that can respond empathetically, not just correctly.

When , they chose to train it on facial expressions as well as text, giving it the ability to recognise emotional states and respond in ways that were more empathetic. When tested against responses from a leading commercial language model, Emma's replies were judged to be more humanlike and appropriate.

As AI becomes increasingly conversational and robots a more familiar presence in our lives, how well these kinds of interactions work for us matters in two ways: for the quality of the experience itself and for whether we can rely on these systems. Trust will be built through transparency, honesty and by machines that understand us well enough to know what we need.

In 1951, the human had to adapt to the machine but in 2026, we are building machines that might, at last, begin to adapt to us.

Words: Ben Harwood and Enna Bartlett

Meet the researcher

Let铆cia Berto is a Research Associate in the Cognitive Robotics Lab at 51福利社. Her work is inspired by how children learn and develop, and focuses on building robots that can think, learn, and adapt on their own. She aims to design autonomous intelligent systems that are curious, capable of making decisions, understanding others, and acting in trustworthy and ethical ways 鈥� ultimately enabling meaningful and effective collaboration between humans and robots in the real world.

If you would like to find out more about the research referenced in this article, you can find the full papers at the links below:

1. The Effect of Voice and Repair Strategy on Trust Formation and Repair in Human-Robot Interaction - DOI:

2. Computational Trust in Robotics: Preliminary Investigations and Evidence -

3. A Theory of Mind Motivational Framework for Social Interaction with Autonomous Cognitive Robots - DOI:

4. Multimodal Dialogue for Empathetic Human-Robot Interaction - DOI:

听Justice, Arts, Memory, Migration听(JAMM): Creating Solidarities across Borders听will bring together听academics,听artists听and听cultural practitioners听to share experience and best practice across universities, cultural听institutions听and听community organisations.听

Dr Warren is a member of JAMM's management committee and is working group co-leader of the 'Urban Space, Creative Sectors & Social Cohesion working group. She is involved alongside听other 51福利社 participants:听postgraduate听researchers听Clare Courtney听and听Haoyue Gul听(University of 51福利社)听and听Mahboobeh Rajabi,听Founder听and听CEO听of 听an innovative, artist-led platform and cultural caf茅.听

Dr Warren commented:

JAMM brings together 70 researchers from 27 countries and has been awarded 鈧�170,000 in the first year with an estimated 鈧�680,000 over four years (depending on the number of participating COST member countries). It was one of only 80 projects out of 1,090 applications selected for funding by COST.

Applications to join JAMM Working Groups are now open and academics, students and cultural practitioners are being encouraged to take part:

Claims in the study that people affected by parental alienating behaviours showed greater signs of stress, PTSD and depression are also challenged by the team from 51福利社 and the University of New Brunswick.

Lead author doctoral researcher Nic Robson, along with Dr Elizabeth Dalgarno, both from 51福利社, and Professor Linda Neilson from The University of New Brunswick, have published a in the Journal of Family Trauma, Child Custody and Child Development of February's study led by Professor Ben Hine.

The researchers found a lack of evidence in the Hine study that the behaviours were identified by a dependable sample of the UK public, and a lack of evidence that the identified parenting behaviours were actually connected to parental alienation.

The authors of the rebuttal contend that methodological standards typically associated with academic or scientific research were not met. Other limitations identified by the researchers included:

• Reliance on online responses submitted to a marketing agency.
• Use of discredited or outdated measures, or selection of items from established psychological scales without validation.
• Limited reporting on methodology, sampling and data collection procedures.
• Absence of research methods that would enable analysis of cause and effect.
• Methodologies that failed to establish that behaviours attributed to parental alienation were not actually connected to family conflict or abuse.the first half of your story here.

The Hine study, covered by calls for policy and legal reforms, including the development of school programmes to teach children how to identify so-called 鈥減arental alienating behaviours.鈥�

The study has also been cited within official raising questions about the robustness of the evidence appraisal and guideline development process of the guidance, particularly given the methodological concerns with the Hine study that have since been identified.

"The Hine study states that parental alienating behaviours cause children to become allied strongly with one parent, rejecting the other without justification during a high-conflict separation or divorce," said lead author Nic Robson, a PhD researcher from the University of 51福利社. 鈥淗owever, the assertion is based on a controversial concept of parental alienation which has been criticised by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls, the Family Justice Council in the UK, and other bodies.鈥�

Previous by Dr Dalgarno showed many parents accused of parental alienation are often female victims of domestic abuse who often report being subjected to biased family court proceedings.

The women in Dr Dalgarno's study said parental alienation claims were raised against them when they attempted to safeguard their children.

"The authors of the Hine study also acknowledged a correlation between the alleged parental alienating behaviours and domestic abuse among parents, yet no investigation appears to have occurred to determine if there was a causal relationship between the two," Robson said.

This points, Robson, Neilson and Dalgarno say, to a flawed report that identifies negative behaviours of parents reported by a group of online respondents that may or may not have been associated with behaviours the Hine study researchers were attempting to measure.

Robson added: 鈥淯nfortunately, while the authors presented some selected data, they did not provide adequate information about the scales they used, the survey questions, the complete dataset, or an in-depth analysis of their results.

鈥淐onsequently, it is difficult to work out if the omissions were intentional, indicative of selective reporting, or a reflection of the limitations of the survey.鈥�

Dr Neilson said: 鈥淲e strongly urge professionals and policymakers to base decisions on scientifically validated methods and rigorously tested evidence.

鈥淎nyone reading the report of the Hine study should exercise caution, however especially in connection with policies and practices that shape clinical or legal work.鈥�

Dr Dalgarno added: "The concept of parental alienation remains highly contentious due to its lack of scientific validation and empirical evidence supporting its reliability as both a psychological construct and a measurable phenomenon.

Allegations of parental alienation are frequently employed by fathers with histories of abuse as a legal strategy to dismiss or deflect serious claims of child sexual abuse, domestic violence, and coercive control."

• Dalgarno and Robson are both core voluntary members of the , a global research collective exploring the health, social, human rights and economic impacts of domestic abuse and violence on women and children. Linda Neilson is Professor Emerita and a research associate of the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research at the University of New Brunswick, Canada.
• The paper Methodologies and Moon Landings: A critical review of parental alienating behaviour research, is published in the , DOI:

In December 1990 Makagbeh Princess Sesay crossed into neighbouring Guinea (Guinea-Conakry ) in a truck with her family after fighting forced them to flee their home during the Liberian civil war.

Her father died in Liberia, not long after the civil war began. After that, she also lost her mother in a small Guinean border town called Koyama, located near the Liberia鈥揋uinea border.

Left to navigate life as a refugee, she grew up in communities hosting thousands of displaced Liberians in the towns of Macenta, Gu茅ck茅dou and Kissidougou.

She witnessed first-hand the hardships faced by refugee families, including poverty, food shortages, poor sanitation, limited access to healthcare and disrupted education.

In Gu茅ck茅dou, she witnessed vicious attacks by Liberian rebel forces in 2000 and many people died across the whole town in appalling circumstances.

Yet those experiences would ultimately inspire her future career.

While living in Columba refugee Camp in Guinea Princess (Makagbeh) volunteered with humanitarian organisations helping some of the world鈥檚 most vulnerable people.

She worked with Action Against Hunger on health education, hygiene campaigns, nutrition programmes and community surveys.

She also received training through the International Rescue Committee, which supported refugee education and health projects.

Meanwhile, she worked with CARE International, helping coordinate food distributions that provided vital support to thousands of displaced families.

Seeing the difference these organisations made sparked a lifelong interest in improving health and wellbeing.

After over 10 years in Guinea, Princess was resettled to Norway in 2003 through a United Nations refugee programme.

The move offered a fresh start and the chance to continue her education.

Determined to give back, she chose to study public health after seeing how access to clean water, nutrition, healthcare and health education could transform lives.

That journey eventually brought her to 51福利社 College in 2015, where she got a distinction in level three health and social care.

After a few years working as a carer, she started in 2023 at 51福利社, where she has now graduated with a BSc in Public Health.

Her studies allowed her to connect her personal experiences with academic research into global health inequalities.

She said: 鈥淢y journey has taken me from fleeing a civil war in Liberia to living in a refugee camp in Guinea and now graduating from 51福利社.

鈥淟osing both of my parents at a young age was incredibly difficult, but the support I received from humanitarian organisations and the communities around me gave me hope and determination.

鈥淕rowing up as a refugee showed me how important healthcare, education, sanitation and nutrition are to people's lives. Studying Public Health has helped me understand these challenges in greater depth and strengthened my desire to support vulnerable communities and work towards reducing health inequalities around the world.鈥�

Now a University of 51福利社 graduate, Princess hopes to use her education and experiences to improve public health and support disadvantaged communities both in the UK and internationally.

That might include going back to refugee camps in Africa or elsewhere.

Her lecturer and academic advisor Sam Aston from 51福利社, said: 鈥淧rincess鈥檚 remarkable journey is a testament to her resilience and determination to fulfil her dream at 51福利社. The passion and compassion that she has shown for public health have driven her to turn her experiences into a purposeful education.

鈥淲e are immensely proud of her achievement and excited to see the difference she will make in improving health for vulnerable communities.鈥�

• Princess serving meals to children alongside a French representative from the humanitarian organization Action Contre La Faim (Action Against Hunger).
• Princess standing beside cooking oil boxes wearing blue cap during a refugee food distribution exercise.
• Princess besides a CARE truck

The College was formally launched on 18 June 2026 at the Royal Society in London and brings together experts from universities, industry and research organisations across the UK. Professor Dixon is one of 71 members selected through a highly competitive process that attracted nearly 1,200 applications. College members volunteer their time to support government decision-making through expert advice, workshops and peer review.

The appointment comes at a time when engineering biology is increasingly recognised as a strategic technology for the UK鈥檚 future prosperity. The sector is expected to play a pivotal role in developing new routes to manufacture chemicals, materials and consumer products from renewable resources, strengthening supply-chain resilience while helping industries reduce their reliance on fossil-derived feedstocks.

鈥淭he launch of the College of Experts at the Royal Society brought together an extraordinary group of independent specialists from across the UK, spanning AI, quantum, life sciences, cyber security, and far beyond. The experts volunteer their time to support us, reflecting a real commitment from the UK鈥檚 research and innovation community to contribute to government policymaking. Seeing DSIT colleagues and world-leading academics and practitioners in the same room was a powerful reminder of what this department can achieve when it draws on the best available expertise.鈥�

鈥� Professor Chris Johnson, DSIT Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the College of Experts

Engineering biology鈥檚 role in UK growth and net zero

Professor Dixon joins the College in recognition of more than two decades of leadership in engineering biology, sustainable biotechnology and industrial biomanufacturing. His research focuses on developing advanced biological systems that enable renewable and waste-derived carbon feedstocks to be transformed into valuable chemicals, materials and products, supporting the transition towards a more sustainable manufacturing economy.

His work aligns closely with the UK鈥檚 science and industrial priorities: engineering biology has been identified as a critical technology for future growth, while sustainable manufacturing, resource efficiency and net zero are central to the UK鈥檚 long-term economic resilience.

From 51福利社 for the UK

51福利社 has long been at the forefront of engineering biology and sustainable biotechnology, bringing together the scientific expertise, facilities and industry partnerships needed to turn discovery into practical solutions. As the UK looks to strengthen its industrial base, build resilience and meet its net zero commitments, engineering biology will have a significant role to play 鈥� from cleaner routes to chemicals, fuels and materials, to new ways of reducing waste and using resources more sustainably. We are pleased to be part of this national conversation and to contribute evidence, insight and innovation that can help shape a more sustainable and competitive future for UK industry.

The awards were presented during this summer鈥檚 graduation celebrations in Whitworth Hall, bringing together students, staff, alumni and civic leaders to celebrate achievement, leadership and service.

Honorary degrees are the University's highest awards, recognising individuals whose work reflects our values and creates meaningful impact locally, nationally and globally. This year's honorary graduands have made significant contributions across fields including journalism, music, higher education, business leadership, social justice and international development.

As a global-civic university, 51福利社 is committed to advancing social responsibility, inclusive growth, equality and innovation. This year's honorary graduates exemplify those ambitions through their leadership, creativity and dedication to improving lives and communities.

Honorary graduates 2026
听

Tim Booth

Tim Booth is an acclaimed singer-songwriter, performer and author best known as the frontman of the band James. Over a career spanning more than four decades, James has sold more than 25 million records worldwide and earned recognition as one of Britain's most successful and enduring bands, receiving the Ivor Novello Legendary Award for songwriting. A former drama student in 51福利社, Booth has also worked as an actor and novelist. His creative work across music, literature and performance has inspired audiences around the world.

Nick Robinson

Nick Robinson is one of Britain's best-known political journalists and broadcasters. A presenter of BBC Radio 4's Today programme since 2015, he previously served as Political Editor for BBC News and ITV News. Over a distinguished career spanning several decades, he has become renowned for his political analysis and incisive interviewing. Beyond journalism, Robinson has made a significant contribution to charitable causes in the North West through his support for East Cheshire Hospice, helping to raise millions of pounds for services supporting patients, families and carers.

Michelle Cox MBE

Michelle Cox MBE is a nationally recognised healthcare leader, race equality consultant and former community nurse who has spent more than 30 years improving patient outcomes and tackling health inequalities across the NHS. Awarded an MBE in 2026 for services to nursing, she is a Queen's Nurse and Fellow of both the Queen's Institute of Community Nursing and the Royal College of Nursing. Through her consultancy work, she supports organisations to embed inclusive leadership, address systemic inequalities and strengthen workplace culture. Her influence extends internationally through nursing development initiatives in Africa and she continues to be a powerful advocate for equity in healthcare.

Dr John Cater CBE

Dr John Cater CBE is one of the most influential figures in UK higher education. As Vice-Chancellor of Edge Hill University for more than 30 years, he led its transformation into one of the country's most successful modern universities, overseeing significant academic growth and investment. A respected national voice on higher education and teacher training, he has played a leading role in shaping sector policy and governance. He was appointed CBE in 2015 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to higher education and public service.

Sarfraz Manzoor

Sarfraz Manzoor is an award-winning journalist, author, broadcaster and screenwriter whose work has explored identity, belonging and contemporary Britain for more than three decades. A graduate of 51福利社, he has written for leading national media organisations including the BBC, The Guardian and The Times. His memoir Greetings from Bury Park inspired the internationally acclaimed film Blinded by the Light, which he co-wrote. Through his writing and broadcasting, he has helped foster understanding across cultures and communities and is widely recognised as one of Britain's leading contemporary commentators.

H.E. Bineta Diop

H.E. Bineta Diop is a globally respected advocate for women's rights, peace and security whose work has influenced policy and practice across Africa and beyond. Founder and President of Femmes Africa Solidarit茅, she has spent more than four decades championing women's participation in peacebuilding, conflict prevention and leadership. A former Special Envoy of the African Union Commission on Women, Peace and Security, she has helped shape landmark agreements and frameworks promoting gender equality. Her achievements have earned international recognition, including being named among TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People.

Sue Sanders

Sue Sanders is a pioneering educator and equality campaigner whose work has transformed LGBT+ inclusion and education in the UK. As CEO of Schools OUT UK, she has spent decades promoting inclusive curricula and challenging prejudice. In 2004, she co-founded LGBT History Month, which is now recognised nationally and internationally. She has also developed educational resources, advised government and policing bodies on hate crime and co-founded the international OUTing the Past festival. Her contribution to equality, diversity and education has been recognised through numerous national awards.

A shared commitment to impact

Together, this year's honorary graduates demonstrate the power of leadership, creativity, scholarship and service to create positive change. Their achievements reflect many of the values that underpin 51福利社 2035, including social responsibility, inclusive growth, global engagement and the pursuit of knowledge for public benefit.

The 鈥楢geing, inequality and urban regeneration: Collaborative research with older people living in North 51福利社鈥� report is being launched at a community celebration in Cheetham Hill next week. Findings from the research highlight the importance of major regeneration projects, like those in North 51福利社, being designed in collaboration with the area鈥檚 older population.

Dr Camilla Lewis, Senior Lecturer in Architectural Studies, who co-led the research explains:

As well as sharing first-person perspectives from over 40 older residents and a variety of community organisations, Ageing, inequality and urban regeneration has six overarching aims for policy makers to ensure the urban regeneration is inclusive for all ages and communities. The report will be shared widely with local and national decision-makers.

Read the full Ageing, inequality and urban regeneration: Collaborative research with older people living in North 51福利社 report and the executive summary .

In a new , researchers found unusually high levels of urea 鈥� a waste chemical normally flushed out in urine 鈥� in the brains of people with frontotemporal dementia听 (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The study, published in this month鈥檚 edition of the journal Molecular Omics and mainly funded by the Lee Trust in New Zealand, raises fresh questions about how the brain clears harmful substances.

Previous work by the same group had already shown this 鈥榯oxic waste鈥� build-up in five other dementias, including Alzheimer鈥檚 and Parkinson鈥檚-related dementia, but this is the first time it has been confirmed in FTD and ALS.

Frontotemporal dementia typically affects people under 65 at a rate of around 15.1 cases per 100,000 each year, while ALS is rarer at about 2.1 new cases per 100,000, yet both conditions are incurable and often fatal.

FTD is the second most common form of early-onset dementia and affects areas of the brain linked to behaviour and personality, while ALS attacks the nerve cells that control movement, leading to progressive muscle weakness.

Despite their differences, the two diseases are closely linked, with studies suggesting up to 15 per cent of ALS patients also develop FTD and around half show some level of cognitive problems.

Scientists also know the diseases share key biological features, but exactly what drives them remains unclear and there are still no effective treatments. the first half of your story here.

Using highly sensitive lab techniques, the team measured urea levels in different parts of the brain and compared people with the diseases to those without in people who had donated their bodies to scientific research after death.

They discovered that in people with FTD, this 鈥榯oxic waste鈥� was not just in the most damaged areas but spread in both damaged areas and relatively sparred areas, while in ALS it was mainly concentrated in regions controlling movement.

The scientists say the findings suggest the brain may struggle to get rid of waste properly, potentially poisoning nerve cells over time and worsening disease.

The results add to growing evidence that the same problem has already been seen in several other conditions, hinting at a shared weakness in how the brain handles waste.

鈥淭his is exciting because it suggests we might be looking at a common problem underlying several different brain diseases, rather than separate conditions with completely different causes,鈥� said the study鈥檚 lead author from 51福利社.

He added: 鈥淚f we can work out why this waste is building up and how to clear it, we may be able to slow or even stop these diseases, opening the door to new treatments for conditions that currently have very few options.鈥�

• The paper Elevated urea levels in human frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis post-mortem brain tissue: evidence of a multi-dementia pathogenic mechanism is published in ,

The TEMPEST trial led by University of 51福利社 researchers tested the drug 鈥� called trientine - in 154 adults with the condition in a year鈥憀ong, placebo鈥慶ontrolled .

The trial was funded by a partnership between the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR 51福利社 Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) supported the trial.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - which affects around 1 in 500 people worldwide- causes thickening and scarring of the heart muscle.

The condition is sometimes asymptomatic, but other patients suffer from breathlessness, fatigue, chest pain and blackouts.

A small minority of people have an increased risk of developing a dangerous heart rhythm, which can lead to sudden death.

In the trial, treatment with trientine led to a reduction in heart muscle thickening. The effect was greater in patients with greater heart muscle thickening at the beginning of the trial.

It is a potentially new way of treating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and potentially heart muscle thickening caused by other conditions.

However, the researchers say, larger studies are required to confirm how well it works and whether it improves how people feel and function.

from 51福利社 said: 鈥淭his trial suggests trientine may be a promising option for people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

鈥淧eople with more advanced disease seemed to benefit the most, but larger studies are needed to confirm this.

鈥淭here were few side effects, and the drug was generally well tolerated.鈥�

Copper is an essential mineral involved in key processes in the heart muscle, including energy production, protection cells from damage, and controlling scarring.

When copper levels are low in cells, the heart struggles to make energy and the heart muscle can thicken. At the same time, loose copper outside cells can cause harmful stress on the cells and trigger scar tissue to form.

Trientine has been used for more than 50 years to treat a rare inherited condition that affects how the body handles copper. It improves the availability of copper within cells and binds and removes copper outside cells.

This study follows earlier research in animals showing that trientine improves the heart鈥檚 energy production, reduces harmful stress on cells and reduces heart muscle thickening and scarring.

In a previous small study in people with diabetes related heart problems, trientine led to a reduction in heart muscle thickening.

First author and PhD student, from 51福利社 added: 鈥淭hese findings provide the first evidence that targeting copper could open a new chapter in treating all patients with this condition.鈥�

The trial is part of the NIHR 51福利社 Biomedical Research Centre鈥檚 (BRC) , which aims to develop new ways to diagnose and treat heart disease.

Professor Danny McAuley, Scientific Director of NIHR Programmes, said:
"These promising results offer hope to patients, demonstrating how Trientine - a drug targeting copper metabolism - can treat this potentially fatal inherited heart condition.

鈥淥nce again this shows how MRC and NIHR's key partnership can drive life-changing research. Together we are addressing complex clinical challenges and translating cutting-edge ideas into evidence-based treatments as part of the government鈥檚 mission for fewer lives to be lost to the biggest killers."

• The paper Trientine for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: a phase 2 trial, published in European Heart Journal is published in the .

James is Professor of Human Geography in the School of Environment, Education and Development. His research explores how cities can become smarter and more sustainable through urban experimentation, helping governments and communities learn, innovate and respond to complex societal challenges.

In addition to being Associate Dean for Research, he has held a number of leadership roles across the University, including Head of the Department of Geography, Director of the 51福利社 Urban Institute and Academic Lead for Sustainability.

Professor Fiona Devine, Vice-President and Dean, said:

James said:

James will take up the Vice-Dean for Research role from Professor Maggie Gale, who will become the new Head of the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures in the Faculty of Humanities on 1 August.

The week-long Festival will celebrate and听showcase听the people, partnerships and ideas that are helping to shape the future through research,听enterprise听and collaboration. 听

Through hands-on workshops, live demonstrations, awards, talks and networking opportunities, attendees will have the chance to explore 51福利社鈥檚 vibrant and globally connected innovation ecosystem and discover how ideas are translated into real-world impact. 听

Professor Aline Miller, Associate Vice-President for Enterprise at 51福利社 said: 鈥淚nnovation happens when brilliant people, ideas and partnerships come together. 51福利社 Innovation Festival is an opportunity to听showcase听the extraordinary innovation taking place across our听University听and to connect our researchers, students, entrepreneurs,听partners听and investors with new opportunities to collaborate. 听

鈥淎ligned with our 51福利社 2035 strategy - From 51福利社, for the World - the听Festival听reflects our ambition to turn world-leading ideas into real-world impact that delivers benefits for people, places and communities locally and globally." 听

Whether developing a new idea, looking for collaborators, exploring investment opportunities or simply curious about innovation, attendees will be able to connect with experts, innovators, students, funders听and partners from across the University and beyond. 听

Registration details,听speakers听and the full programme will be announced in the coming months. 听

Register your interest and sign up for updates at /collaborate/innovation-festival/听

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded study found people who received a prompt visit or contact from community health services after discharge were far less likely to end up back in hospital within a month.

The findings offer fresh evidence that early support at home can ease pressure on overstretched hospitals while helping patients recover safely.

Community health teams can help patients manage medication, monitor symptoms, identify complications early and provide reassurance during the vulnerable period immediately after discharge.

Around one in seven NHS patients are readmitted to hospital within 30 days of discharge, are thought to be preventable.

However, the researchers say faster follow-up care at home could help tackle the problem.

Despite community health services providing millions of patient contacts each year, evidence on their impact remains limited 鈥� until now.

The study analysed records from 63,019 patients referred to 11 NHS Community Trusts in England after leaving hospital between April and December 2019.

Patients were aged 72 on average, had multiple health conditions, and represented a group at high risk of needing further hospital care.

More than half received support from community health services within one day of discharge.

A further one in five were contacted within two to seven days.

However, more than a quarter had no contact at all within the first month after leaving hospital.

The researchers compared the outcomes of the groups to see whether speed of follow-up made a difference.

Patients contacted within 24 hours had 33 per cent lower odds of attending A&E within 30 days than those who received no support.

They also had 38 per cent lower odds of being readmitted to hospital as an emergency.

Even when contact occurred between two and seven days after discharge, patients had 20 per cent lower odds of attending A&E and 22 per cent lower odds of emergency readmission compared with patients who received no follow-up care.

The research suggests the sooner support is provided, the greater the impact.

Lead author , a research fellow from 51福利社 said: 鈥淥ur findings show that the period immediately after patients leave hospital is a critical window for preventing avoidable emergency care.

鈥淲e found that people who received contact from community health services within one day of discharge were significantly less likely to attend A&E or be readmitted to hospital in the following month.

鈥淲hile support delivered within a week was still associated with meaningful benefits, the greatest reductions were consistently seen when care was provided within 24 hours.

鈥淭hese results highlight the important role community health teams play in supporting recovery, improving patient outcomes and reducing pressure on busy hospitals.鈥�

She added: 鈥淐ommunity health services are central to NHS plans to move more care out of hospitals and into people's homes.

鈥淔aster follow-up after discharge could cut avoidable A&E visits and readmissions for thousands of patients. But delivering these benefits may require extra funding and staff to tackle longstanding workforce shortages in community care services.鈥�

• The paper The impact of timely community health services contact following hospital discharge on subsequent hospital use in England: retrospective observational study is available here https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-026-05015-3