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Don’t miss our Researcher Social – 3C Event: Research Culture, Community & Cake Wednesday 12 November 3-4 pm

Don’t miss our researcher social taking place on Wednesday 12 November from 3-4 pm.

The Doctoral College is excited to invite all members of BU’s Research Community for this informal social. If you are looking for a relaxed, easy way to meet new people and chat about your work, this is it.

This is a fantastic opportunity for all researchers to connect, exchange ideas, or even start a new collaboration.

Why you should join us:

This informal forum is the perfect place to:

  • Meet fellow researchers from across the university.
  • Share your own research and hear what exciting projects others are working on.
  • Develop new connections and expand your network.
  • Ask any questions you might have, especially if you are new to the BU research environment.

Event details

  • Wednesday 12 November, 3–4 pm
  •  F202, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus
  • Complimentary Refreshments

Find out more and register here

We look forward to seeing you there.

If you have any questions about the event, please do get in touch with the Research Development & Culture Team: researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

BU PhD student attending HIV conference on scholarship

conferences, PG research, student research

Congratulations to Tom Weeks, PhD student in the Faculty of Health, Environment & Medical Sciences at Bournemouth University, who has been awarded a scholarship from Gilead Sciences to attend the 2025 British HIV Association (BHIVA) Conference. His PhD research focuses on HIV stigma in the UK.  Tom is supervised by Dr. Pramod Regmi (Principal Academic in International Health) and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen. The BHIVA conference features key sessions including:

  • What’s happening in HIV in 2025: New guidelines, new data, and new plans
  • Towards zero HIV transmission by 2030: Where are we now and where do we go next?

 Tom is eager to engage with the latest developments in HIV care and contribute to the ongoing dialogue around stigma reduction and equitable access to treatment.

Well done!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen & Dr. Pramod Regmi

 

CARING AND WORKING: Developing insights into the world of the working carer and disseminating through art

Part 2: Disseminating through art

Background
In the first part of our blog series we described the research we undertook on working carers and how after successfully applying for funding from a collaborative BEAF and BU pilot project, we were matched with artist Adilson Naueji to communicate findings. We now share some reflections from this collaborative project which happened during the summer of 2025.

About the artist

Adilson’s journey as an emerging artist began during the COVID lockdown as a way to relieve the stress of the situation. Drawing and painting allowed him to create powerful works that connected with his community and tell authentic stories.

His artistic practice focuses on human features, and his realist style enables him to explore the relationship between individuals and their surroundings. Through acrylic and oil paintings, he documents daily urban life and shares real histories.

He was attracted to the carer research work due to personal experience and also because it allowed him to focus on a new work that was not only visually appealing but also socially relevant.

The process

We firstly shared our research findings with Adilson – consisting of our original brief for the BEAF project and a cutdown version of an in-progress research article focusing on quotes from working carers. Helping visualise some of the issues that they experienced and perhaps providing some ideas about how they could be represented in an artwork whilst also providing some background on caring and working carers.

During July 2025 I had a very productive meeting with Adilson at the Lighthouse where he was presenting his first solo exhibition – BH5 Boscombe Beyond Your Eyes. He chatted to me about the exhibition and we also sat down over a coffee to discuss the project brief and how he thought he could visualise his initial ideas and thoughts.

After much searching, Adilson was able to locate a carer living in the region who was no longer working due to her caring responsibilities and the family member that they cared for – her husband, who had chronic fatigue and a range of other long-term health conditions – who both agreed to participate in the project.

In August, I had a follow-up meeting with Adilson where we chatted about progress on the project and was lucky enough (with my wife) to be able to view a work in progress at his studio to get a feel for the work itself, the size of the canvas and to chat about the areas of the painting still to be completed. This was very much appreciated, as showing the partially completed artwork to anyone prior to finalising was something that he wouldn’t normally do.

Connecting with the carer and her family and sharing their challenges was difficult emotionally, but Adilson approached this in a very empathetic way which really comes through powerfully in the final piece he produced.

Increasing empathetic understanding through art

Participants in our study (Pulman and Fenge, 2025) felt that it was difficult for some managers and colleagues to fully appreciate working carer experiences unless they had personal experience of a similar situation. This highlights the need for more training for line managers and the wider workforce about the needs and experiences of working carers to promote supportive working environments.

By disseminating findings through art, we wanted to engage with, and communicate to, employers across the region using a visual approach which would help to open a window on the hidden world of the working carer.

To date, we have been able to display the finished artwork at the NIHR ARC Wessex Annual Event in October with Adilson in attendance to discuss his painting with event attendees.

   

This highlighted how impactful, stimulating and thought provoking art can be as opposed to the usual blend of event posters and PowerPoints we, as researchers, quite often utilise to display academic findings – sometimes stopping people in their tracks as I witnessed on the day.

Next Steps

In addition to any forthcoming plans between BU and BEAF to display project outputs, we are also hoping to display the artwork again at an event on Carers Rights Day on 19th November and an exhibition at the Lighthouse in Poole during January 2026.

We are also interested in how we can best help Adilson to move further into the crossover areas of health research and art outputs by looking at potential funding streams (arts council and health funding pathways) which he might be able to access beyond this current project, as this area seems like it has incredible potential in highlighting qualitative data in a visually arresting and reflective way.

Positives of collaborating with local artists

Disseminating research can sometimes be incredibly dry as a subject, where important findings might be hidden digitally behind a journal firewall within reams of text and quotes, or worse, be highlighted in a staid or complex web of slides risking losing key research messages to (sometimes) disinterested attendees.

Art offers a tangible, visually impacting way of connecting an audience to a research message on a deeper level which is likely to stay longer in the memory. Mention of da Vinci’s Mona Lisa or Munch’s The Scream will immediately trigger a direct visual memory in a person in a way that text might not always be able to accomplish.

There might be significant challenges in the process of linking these ideas, but as Adilson notes, these are worth overcoming:

“Dealing with things as the sensitive matters of carers, finding the subject, and short deadlines increases the challenge and probably influenced the final result of the painting. On the other hand, it was the most educational project I ever worked on, and diving into the universe of carers you cannot walk out indifferent. I feel honoured to give face to the research you are doing in this field, and I truly hope the artwork serves the purpose in real life for which it was made; to raise awareness about carers, starting conversations at different levels of our society.”

Looking at more innovative ways of cascading research messages via a long-standing medium like art seems like an incredibly simple and powerful step forward in increasing research impacts and prompting a discussion with an audience in retrospect. So if you are a post-doctoral researcher, seeking a new way of disseminating research evidence, what are you waiting for?

With thanks to:

  • Artist Adilson Naueji.
  • The working carer research project was supported by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) Wessex.
  • The artwork created was supported by BEAF Arts Co and Bournemouth University.

More information on our project:

Professor Lee-Ann Fenge – lfenge@bournemouth.ac.uk

Dr Andy Pulman – apulman@bournemouth.ac.uk

https://nccdsw.co.uk/clusters/research/carer-research

https://www.arc-wx.nihr.ac.uk/social-care

Pulman, A. and Fenge, L.-A., 2025. Caring and working: developing insights into the world of the working carer. Health & Social Care in the Community. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/hsc/5541190

https://www.instagram.com/adilson_naueji/

Making “ugly” attractive: Can the way in which imperfect fruit & vegetables are presented reduce “ugly” food waste?

A Presentation of BA Leverhulme Funded Research

Wednesday 29th October 2025, 3.30-5.00pm, DG06

The Centre for Sustainable & Socially Responsible Consumption (CSSRC) invites you to attend its research event on Wednesday 29th October 2025 to enjoy a presentation of BA Leverhulme funded research. After a welcome refreshment this interesting, interactive and informative event will comprise a topical presentation session, led by members of CSSRC and colleague, as outlined below. Opportunity for discussions and networking over drinks and nibbles after the talk will round off the event.

Making “ugly” attractive: Can the way in which imperfect fruit & vegetables are presented reduce “ugly” food waste?

Food waste is one of today’s most pressing sustainability challenges, with consumer rejection of imperfect or “ugly” fruit and vegetables contributing to the problem. Retailers and policymakers alike are searching for strategies that not only increase acceptance of this type of produce but also reduce waste in stores and households.

Questions to address are: How do shoppers actually view “ugly” fruit and vegetables? What selling approaches can help shift perceptions and purchasing behaviour?

This talk will be presented by Dr Guljira Manimont (BU), Dr Jay Kim (University of Strathclyde), and Professor Juliet Memery (BU). Funded by the British Academy, their project explores consumer responses to imperfect produce and offers insights with practical implications for retail practice and sustainability.

Provisional Timetable:

3.30-3.45pm – Welcome refreshments

3.45-4.30pm – Presentation sessions

4.30-5.00pm – Discussion, networking and refreshments

This is a free event, but you must register to attend via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/making-ugly-attractive-reducing-food-waste-tickets-1720479824469?aff=oddtdtcreator

About CSSRC

The Centre for Sustainable & Socially Responsible Consumption (CSSRC) aims to promote and advance the understanding of sustainable consumption and socially responsible consumption through developing and delivering internationally renowned research. It provides a hub to explore and address topics that are currently globally relevant, through utilising a strong interdisciplinary focus. Webpage: https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/centres-institutes/centre-sustainable-socially-responsible-consumption

ESRC SWDTP – Applications open for PhD Studentships for September 2026

Bournemouth University is delighted to be part of the Southwest Doctoral Training Partnership (SWDTP), one of the UK’s largest centres of postgraduate research training for social scientists, including in the fields of Health, Wellbeing & Society, Psychology, Climate Change & Sustainability.

Bournemouth University was successfully awarded 2 PhD studentships in 2024 and 3 PhD Studentship and 1 Post Doc Research Fellow in 2025.

The call for PhD Studentships starting in September 2026 is now live.

Full details can be found here: ESRC Southwest Doctoral Training Partnership (SWDTP) | Bournemouth University

Applicants may apply for an ESRC studentship at Bournemouth University in one of the following pathways:

Studentships cover tuition fees and provide a maintenance stipend for living costs and other additional forms of support and are normally for 3 years 3 months plus 3 months “Research in Practice” (placement). Part-time studentships will be offered pro rata to their full-time equivalent.

Applicants should contact a potential supervisors (listed in each pathway) and submit an applications via myHUB, together with the relevant supporting information:

  • SWDTP Studentship Application Form 2026 Entry (Annex A) (docx 224kb) which includes the research proposal, the name(s) of the potential supervisors
  • Supervisor Supporting Statement Form for 2026 Entry (Annex B) (docx 183kb) which must be completed by the nominated primary supervisor
  • One reference from someone familiar with the applicant’s academic work
  • Verified transcript of the applicant’s highest qualification to date or an interim transcript if they are still studying
  • If the applicant is not a national of a majority English-speaking country, they will need to submit evidence of their proficiency in English.

To find out more, please join us for an online information session:

Monday 27 October 2025 | 14-00 – 15:00 | Online – Microsoft Teams.

To join the meeting, please email swdtp@bournemouth.ac.uk and you will be sent an invite to join the meeting.

New paper by CMWH PhD student

PG research

Congratulations to Joanne Rack, whose paper ‘Developing a Canadian midwifery research priority framework: a Delphi consensus study‘ [1] was published earlier this month.   Joanne is currently doing her Clinical Doctorate in the Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH) focusing on personalised care for women of advanced maternal age.  Her doctoral study is matched-funded by University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust and Bournemouth University [BU].  Her PhD is supervised and supported by Profs. Vanora Hundley and Edwin van Teijlingen in CMWH with support from Prof. Ann Luce at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) and Dr. Latha Vinayakarao at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust (UHD).  Last year Joanne published the first paper from her PhD work [2].

 

Prof. Vanora Hundely & Edwin van Teijlingen

Reference:

  1. Murray-Davis, B., Ruby, E., Rack, J. et al. Developing a Canadian midwifery research priority framework: a Delphi consensus study. Health Res Policy Sys 23, 126 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-025-01401-0
  2. Rack, J., Hundley, V., van Teijlingen, E., Luce, A., Vinayakarao. L. (2024) Understanding perceptions and communication of risk in advanced maternal age: a scoping review (protocol) on women’s engagement with health care services, MIDIRS Midwifery Digest, 34(3): 201-204.

Launch your Research into a Deeptech Startup: Conception X Applications are open

Are you a PhD student, postdoc, or early-career researcher with ground-breaking research you believe could change the world? Now is your chance to turn that vision into a reality. Applications for Conception X are open, offering you a unique opportunity to join Europe’s largest community for entrepreneurial researchers.

The deadline to apply is Tuesday 16 December 2025.

What is Conception X?

Conception X is a UK-based not-for-profit that runs the largest cross-university deeptech venture programme for researchers across Europe. Its core mission is to turn more scientists and engineers into founders, accelerating breakthroughs and building new career pathways for researchers.

Since launching in 2018, Conception X has recruited eight cohorts from 80+ universities across 11 countries, and accelerated success in the deeptech ecosystem:

Research to Real-World Impact

Conception X is designed to fit around your research timeline, helping you translate cutting-edge work into real-world impact. They recognise that not all research is at the same stage, so they offer a two-track approach. This flexible model ensures you can move at a pace that works best for you and your project.

  • Move Fast: For researchers ready to quickly move toward their first investment raise.
  • Explore: For those who want to explore research commercialisation at a more measured pace.

BU Success Story: Green Hydrogen Pioneer

Earlier this year, Conception X welcomed Cohort 8, which included BU PhD researcher Shadeepa Karunarathne and his startup, OcenGen.

OcenGen is pioneering green hydrogen production by developing next-generation, low-cost electrocatalysts that can generate hydrogen directly from seawater without costly desalination. This ground-breaking BU research aligns closely with the UK’s Net Zero goals, demonstrating how fundamental science can be quickly translated into practical solutions for global energy challenges.

Find out more

What Conception X Offers

From the moment you join, Conception X provides critical support and unparalleled access:

  • Connections: You will be connected directly with industry decision-makers and investors.
  • Funding Opportunities: They help you become eligible for innovation grants, awards, and equity investment.
  • Support: Gain access to tailored coaching and networking opportunities to build your startup foundation.

For the top-performing founders, there is the chance to pitch directly to the Conception X Angel Syndicate and XTX Ventures, with the potential to receive up to £250k in investment.

A Proven Track Record

Since its launch in 2018, Conception X has championed success in the deeptech ecosystem:

  • 600+ researchers have been supported in launching deeptech startups based on their research.
  • 190+ companies have been created.
  • These companies have collectively raised £147+ million in early-stage investments and grants.

Your Next Step: Join a Discovery Session

Want to hear directly from people who have gone through the process?

Register for a Discovery Session. It is the perfect opportunity to:

  • Hear inspiring stories from Conception X alumni.
  • Learn more about the available pathways.
  • Get all your questions answered.

Please visit the Conception X website to learn more about the programme, register for a session, and apply when you are ready.

ECR Funding Open Call: Research Culture & Community Grant – Apply Now

Funding opportunities

Research Culture & Community Grant – Relaunch with dedicated ECR Funding

Following the success of the Doctoral College Research Culture & Community Grant for our PGR community, we are excited to announce a new funding strand specifically for Early Career Researchers.

This is your opportunity to secure dedicated funding to develop your ideas, build essential collaborations, and grow professionally within BU’s research environment.

We have set aside grants to support ECR-led social and/or academic events. Whether it is a social mixer, a focused training workshop, or a creative new initiative, we want to empower you to enhance the BU research culture and community.

Which stream is right for your idea?

We have two dedicated streams to support a diverse range of activities:

Stream 1: Researcher Development 

This stream supports the organisation of skills-focused workshops, events, or initiatives designed to build research capacity. 

  • Grants Available: Up to £500 per activity
  • Examples: Specialised research methods workshops, inviting an external guest speaker, or dedicated academic writing sessions. 

Stream 2: Research Culture & Community 

This stream supports initiatives focused on community building, well-being, or social activities that enhance the overall research culture at BU. 

  • Grants Available: Up to £300 per activity. 
  • Examples: Cultural and social events, or activities specifically designed to enhance researcher well-being. 

Key Terms & Conditions 

Please review the following terms before submitting your application: 

One Activity Limit: No ECR should be the primary organiser of more than one activity. 

Community Reach: Activities should be engaging and made available to the full PGR community. 

Commitment: Organisers must be committed to promoting, delivering, and evaluating their activity. 

Timeline: Activities must take place and be invoiced before 31 July 2026. 

Originality: Activities should not duplicate those already on offer elsewhere within the Doctoral College or wider University. 

Match Funding: Contributions from other sources are welcome to complement the Doctoral College grant. 

Non-Retrospective: Funding will not be offered for activities that have already taken place. 

Ready to apply?

If you would like to discuss your ideas before submitting your application, we encourage you to get in touch. Please contact Enrica Conrotto, Researcher Development Manager at researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

The closing date for all applications is 4pm, Friday 12 December 2025

Apply here 

We look forward to seeing your ideas and supporting you in shaping the future of community and development at BU.

The Researcher Development and Culture Team

Further CMWH contributions to 2026 ICM congress

conferences, international, Women's Academic Network

Congratulations are due to BU’s Midwifery Lecturer Laura Stedman whose abstract ‘The impact of neonatal intensive care admission at term following gestational diabetes mellitus: A neglected area’ has been accepted for presentation at the 2026 ICM (International Confederation of Midwives) in Lisbon, Portugal.  Also congratulations to BU’s Lead Midwife for Education, Dr. Juliet Wood.  She been accepted to present a workshop at the ICM Congress under the heading ‘Supporting student midwife confidence to facilitate physiologic birth: A workshop for clinical and academic faculty‘.  The latter workshop is a proper international collaboration as the team also includes colleagues from Northern Ireland, the USA, Poland and Australia.

The ICM works with midwives and midwives’ associations globally to ensure that women and gender diverse people have access to a midwife’s care before, during and after childbirth. We advocate for midwives to practise the full scope of our profession, providing education, sexual and reproductive health services and newborn care.

Congratulations to both!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

Early labour research accepted for ICM 2026 congress

conferences, international, Women's Academic Network

The ICM, the International Confederation of Midwives, holds its congress every three years, and the next one will be in Portugal in summer 2026.  Dr. Dominique Mylod had her abstract accepted with the title ‘Supporting women in early labour: An interdisciplinary, digital approach’, whilst Prof. Vanora Hundley’s ‘Can we identify women who will need additional support in the early (latent) phase of labour?’ abstract was also accepted.  Both Dr. Mylod and Prof. Hundley are based in the Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH) in the Faculty of Health, Environment & Medical Science.

Congratulations!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

New PhD publication on Nepal’s migrant workers

international, open access, Publishing, student research, writing

Congratulations to BU postgraduate student Yagya Adhikari, who has just been informed by the editor of the Journal of Immigrant & Minority Health that his paper “Parental migration for work and psychosocial problems among left-behind adolescents in Nepal” [1] has been accepted for publication.  Yagya’s PhD is based in the Faculty of Health, Environment & Medical Science.  He is supervised by Dr. Pramod Regmi and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen with support from Mr. Sudip Khanal, Lecturer in Biostatistics, at Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS) in Kathmandu.  This is the second paper from Yagya’s PhD the first one was published at the start of his PhD studies [2].  Both papers are published in Open Access journals and therefor will be freely available to read by anyone in the world with internet access.

 

References:

  1. Adhikari, Y.R., van Teijlingen, E., Regmi, P.R., Khanal, S., Parental migration for work and psychosocial problems among left-behind adolescents in Nepal, Journal of Immigrant & Minority Health (forthcoming)
  2. Adhikari, Y.R., Regmi, P.R., Devkota, B., van Teijlingen, E.R. (2022) Forgotten health and social care needs of left-behind families of Nepali migrant workers. Journal of Health Promotion, 10(1):1–4. https://doi.org/10.3126/jhp.v10i1.50976

BU to contribute to international midwifery workshop in 2026

Awarded & submitted bids, international, Women's Academic Network

This week Dr. Laura Iannuzzi, who is Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health, was informed by the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) that the proposed workshop ‘Rest or arrest? A workshop to advance knowledge and skills to support women, families and teams when dealing with a slowing or pausing of labour’ has been accepted for the ICM conference in 2026.  This workshop in Portugal will be run in collaboration with Laura’s international colleagues Prof. Marina Weckend and Ms. Anna Maria Rossetti.  

Congratulations!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

3C Event: Research Culture, Community & Cake – Wednesday 12 November, 3-4pm

Join Our Researcher Social!

The Doctoral College is excited to invite all members of the BU Research Community to our informal social event.

This is a fantastic opportunity for all researchers to connect and exchange ideas over refreshments.

It is a relaxed forum where you can:

  • Meet fellow researchers from across the university
  • Share your research and hear what others are doing
  • Develop new connections
  • Ask any questions you might have, particularly if you’ve recently started

We’d love to see you there!

Event Details

  • Wednesday 12 November, 3-4pm
  • F202, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus

Find out more and register here

If you have any questions about the event, please do get in touch with the Research Development & Culture Team: researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

CARING AND WORKING: Developing insights into the world of the working carer and disseminating through art

Part 1: Developing insights into the world of the working carer

Background
Earlier this year we completed a study exploring the experiences of working carers in the South of England – part of a larger research project funded by NIHR ARC Wessex exploring carers needs, experiences and ideas about improving carers involvement in research (Pulman and Fenge, 2025).

A carer is anyone who provides unpaid care to a family member, partner, or friend who is unable to manage without support due to an illness, frailty, disability, mental health issue, or addiction.

Caring, unpaid, for older, disabled or chronically ill relatives or friends is something most of us will experience in our lives – all of us has a two in three chance of doing so. (HM Gov, 2023)

Carers who work in addition to their caring responsibilities – known as working carers – often face an ongoing struggle when trying to combine the dual demands of providing care with paid employment. There are nearly 3.7 million working carers in England and Wales; 2.6 million (72%) of these working in full-time paid employment alongside their caring roles, whilst about 1.6 million carers have problems combining work and care (Austin and Heyes, 2020).

The purpose of our research was to understand the experience of being in paid employment whilst providing unpaid care to someone, including adjustments made to employment, support provided by employers and support agencies, the impact on the carers perceived wellbeing and ideas for improving their involvement in carers research.

Realities of combining working with caring

Initial exploratory PPI work was carried out between September and December 2024 – including n=6 unpaid carers attending a one and a half hour facilitated workshop where they contributed to the design and development of the initial draft of the online questionnaire. Data was collected between December 2024 and May 2025, with n=51 working carers completing our online survey.

We found:

Several themes emerged concerning the carers experience at work, the support mechanisms in place which were helpful to them, issues and challenges experienced and ranked suggestions for future research to develop further understanding of the world of the working carer.

Our research highlighted the importance of developing more humanised ways of employers understanding a working carer’s needs and to meaningfully assist them in meeting their full potential within the workforce.

Employers need to think and plan differently for people with unpaid caring responsibilities and realise that working carers need more:

  • ENGAGEMENT from employers about how they can stay in work and be supported.
  • EMPATHY from employers regarding their caring responsibilities and demands.
  • EQUALITY from employers, showing respect and giving carers opportunities to thrive.

Increasing empathetic understanding

Participants in our study (Pulman and Fenge, 2025) felt that it was difficult for some managers and colleagues to fully appreciate working carer experiences unless they had personal experience of a similar situation. This highlights the need for more training for line managers and the wider workforce about the needs and experiences of working carers to promote supportive working environments.

Enhanced training about working carer lived experience, including examples from film and television, innovative higher education eLearning techniques, mixed media, or listening to carer experiences face-to-face could be very beneficial in helping managers and the wider workforce to become more aware of and immersed in the lifeworld of a carer (Todres and Galvin, 2006; Pulman, Todres and Galvin, 2010).

With these approaches in mind, we wanted to reach corporate hearts and change ‘head in the sand’ mindsets by evoking a sense of common connection. To engage with, and communicate to, employers across the Wessex region using innovative visual approaches which would help to open a window on the hidden world of the working carer.

An opportunity to collaborate with local artists

In June, Professor Mel Hughes and Dr Gladys Yinusa invited expressions of interest from university researchers to work with local artists to produce a creative output which would help maximise the reach and impact of current research projects. The pilot project being a collaboration with BEAF Arts Co, an open-access, multi-art form festival and year-round arts programme based in Boscombe.

BEAF (2025) are an innovative and independent organisation of freelancers and volunteers, who feel passionately that culture changes communities for the better and there is a strong evidence base for creative outputs being an inclusive tool for reaching and involving communities in research and for extending the reach of research findings, including to community, academic, policy and practice audiences.

The pilot was developed to build connections with a local artist network who would be involved in selecting their preferred research project – matching the research team with a local artist and then providing funding to cover artist fees and materials. After successfully applying for funding for our research project, we were matched with artist Adilson Naueji to communicate findings.

We look forward to sharing reflections from this collaborative project in the second part of this blog post series soon.

With thanks to:

  • Artist Adilson Naueji.
  • The working carer research project is supported by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) Wessex.
  • The artwork being created is supported by BEAF Arts Co and Bournemouth University.

More information on our project:

Professor Lee-Ann Fenge – lfenge@bournemouth.ac.uk

Dr Andy Pulman – apulman@bournemouth.ac.uk

https://nccdsw.co.uk/clusters/research/carer-research

https://www.arc-wx.nihr.ac.uk/social-care

References:

Austin, A. and Heyes, J., 2020. Supporting working carers: How employers and employees can benefit. CIPD/University of Sheffield.

BEAF Arts Co (2025). BEAF Arts Co Homepage, available online at: https://gotbeaf.co.uk/ (accessed September 30, 2025).

HM Gov (2023). Carers Week 2023: crunching the numbers… HM Gov Social Care Blog, available online at: https://socialcare.blog.gov.uk/2023/06/09/carers-week-crunching-the-numbers/ (accessed September 30, 2025).

Pulman, A. and Fenge, L.-A., 2025. Caring and working: developing insights into the world of the working carer. Health & Social Care in the Community.

Pulman, A., Todres, L., & Galvin, K. (2010). The carer’s world: An interactive reusable learning object. Dementia, 9(4), 535-547.

Todres, L., & Galvin, K. (2006). Caring for a partner with Alzheimer’s disease: Intimacy, loss and the life that is possible. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 1, 50–61.

Researcher Development Opportunities for ECRs

Training

We are excited to introduce the new Researcher Development and Culture Team within the Doctoral College at BU

Our team – Enrica Conrotto, Beverley Allen, and Zoe Leonard support BU researchers at all career stages. We will work together to shape and deliver initiatives that strengthen researcher development and promote a positive research culture across BU.

As we are currently developing a more structured programme of support, specifically for Early Career Researchers, we are pleased to offer you immediate access to 10 core online workshops from the Researcher Development Programme

You can register for the following online workshops via Eventbrite, where you will also find an overview of each session.

Research data management: An introduction – Friday 10 October, 12-1pm

Ethics: Values, standards, and BU process Q&A – Monday 3 November, 12-1pm

Ethics: Clinical research governance – Monday 3 November, 2-3pm

Presentation skills for researchers – Friday 7 November, 10am-1pm

NVivo: Day 1 – Setting up your qualitative database – Thursday 13 November, 9am-5pm

NVivo: Day 2 – Analysing your data – Friday 14 November, 9am-5pm

Publishing your research: Mastering journal paper writing (SSH) – Wednesday 19 November, 2-4pm

Publishing your research: Mastering journal paper writing (STEM) – Thursday 27 November, 10am-12pm

Academic writing: Reduce anxiety – Friday 5 December, 10am-1pm

Integrating GenAI in our Research: A practical guide – Monday 17 November, 10am-12pm

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional opportunities are available via the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network

The British Academy Early Career Researcher Network is an inclusive, researcher-led membership body accessible to all UK-based early career researchers working in the humanities and social sciences.

Finding your Voice – Stream 2 Advancement – Wednesday 8 October, 10:30am-4:30pm

Early Career Researcher Network Welcome Session and Development Fund Drop In – Thursday 9 October, 11am-12:30pm

Mastering CV and Cover Letters for International Scholars in the UK – Friday 10 October, 10am-12pm

Being Strategic & Prioritising Your Time – Stream 2 Advancement – Wednesday 15 October, 9:30am-12:30pm

Empirical Research – Coding and Analysing interview data with Dr James Lovelock – Wednesday 15 October, 3-4:30pm

Curating Conversations: Setbacks, support and success – Thursday 16 October, 10am-4pm

Compass 1: Reframing Research Identity – Thursday 16 October, register to access

Finding your Voice – Stream 2 Advancement – Thursday 16 October, 10am-4pm

Compass 2: Pathways Beyond Academia -Thursday 6 November, register to access

Conference: Company Law and Sustainability – Friday 7 November, register to access

Compass 3: Strategic Action Planning – Thursday 27 November, register to access

Other useful resources for ECRs are available on the Elsevier Research Academy. The Elsevier Researcher Academy is a free e-learning platform designed to unlock the potential of early and mid-career researchers.

Finally, we are pleased to invite you to our 3C event, taking place on Talbot Campus, Wednesday 12 November 3-4pm

These regular social events provide an informal forum to connect with fellow researchers, exchange ideas, and develop new collaborations over refreshments. All members of the BU research community are invited to attend and contribute.

Find out more and register here

Please keep a look out for further announcements regarding the Early Career Researcher Network.

Should you have any questions, suggestions, or would like to discuss your development needs, please contact the team: researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

CWLTH Research Seminar Series

writing

The Centre for Wellbeing and Long-Term Health (CWLTH) will be hosting a series of virtual research seminars in October and November (see below).  All are welcome … please join us if you are able.  Contact CWLTH@Bournemouth.ac.uk to receive the meeting link.

The Centre is also collaborating with the Centre for Midwifery and Women’s Health (CMWH) to host ‘Writing in Health and Social Sciences’ on Monday 20th October.  During this three-hour workshop, experienced authors and editors will focus on multiple aspects of writing and publishing journal papers.  For more information contact CWLTH@Bournemouth.ac.uk.