BU Research Blog

BU is hosting a Interdisciplinary Research HE Sector Day on 21st June 2016, dedicated to exploring the benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary research.

The Academics’ Perspective will be provided by three speakers – Prof. Adele Ladkin (BU), Dr. David Hutchinson (Portsmouth) and Dr. Justine McConnell (TORCH, University of Oxford).

Prof. Adele Ladkin is currently working on a multidisciplinary research project ‘Family Rituals 2.0’ funded by the EPSRC, exploring the evolving nature of family rituals in the digital age and the use of technology to support the work-life balance of mobile workers.

Dr. David Hutchinson recently began a new role as Innovation and Impact Development Manager for the Faculty of Technology at the University of Portsmouth. Until the end of May, he was manager of the University of Portsmouth Environment Network, having joined the University in 2010 to help establish this network. UPEN now represents the skills and expertise of over 250 academics from across the University that relate to Sustainability and Environment.

Dr. Justin McConnell is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at TORCH, working on contemporary African, Caribbean, and ancient Greek poetics. After degrees at Cambridge, Bristol, and London, she was a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University in Chicago, before coming to Oxford as a Leverhulme Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama (APGRD), where she worked on the ‘Performing Epic’ project.

Other presentations include:

Key Note address – Dr. Louise Mansfield (Deputy Director of the Brunel Centre for Sport, Health and Wellbeing and member of the What Works Centre for Wellbeing research team)

The Funders’ Perspective – Charlotte Lester (HEFCE), Dan Licari (Innovate UK / KTN Creative, Digital & Design) and Ben Sharman (EU NCP – Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies)

Supporting Interdisciplinary Working – Prof. Alan Lester and Debbie Foy-Everett (Sussex), Jordan Graham and Ehsan Masood (Research Professional) and Christopher Ferguson (Piirus)

Facilitated networking session – How can I contribute?

Please see the Speakers’ Biographies for further information on our contributors.

The event will take place in BU’s Executive Business Centre. It will be opened BU’s Prof. Michael Wilmore (Executive Dean – Faculty of Media and Communication and  the closing remarks will be made by BU’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. John Vinney. To find out more about BU’s Research, why not register to receive updates from our award winning Research Blog.

Please see the Provisional Interdisciplinary Research HE Sector Day Schedule for more information. Key to the programme, as well as inspirational speakers, there will be plenty of time to network with colleagues and participate in exploring your own relationship with interdisciplinary research.

This event, is free and open to academics and research support staff throughout the UK.

Places are limited, so book now via Eventbrite.