Category / Impact
AI and Visual Anthropology & Sociology
Scholars worldwide are in dialogue about using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in various fields of research. Of course, AI can make certain kinds of work more efficient, this is also the case in social science research. Although ethical use of AI is still fuzzy, the use of AI in visual anthropological and sociological research that entails the Interpretive Approach raises several questions. The editorial team of Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, including BU’s Professor Edwin van Teijlingen, just published a research note raising three key questions: First, are researchers satisfied with the interpretation (the meaning created) by AI, i.e., the authenticity of the interpretation?; (b) Secondly, can AI reach the depth of the details of the visual object being interpreted? And thirdly, what ethical issues would AI-based research encounter if AI were highly supportive?
They agree that answering these questions is not easy. Since a detailed analysis of these components needs rigorous research work, we consider issues that will be the basis for further research in this editorial note. Hence, the purpose of this editorial note is to bring the research agenda to the forefront of researchers for further investigation rather than answering specific research questions mentioned above.
Reference:
- Khattri, M. B., Pandey, R., Roy, R. K., Subedi, M., van Teijlingen, E., Parker, S., & Bhandari, P. (2025). Ethical Dilemmas in Visual Anthropology and Sociology in the Era of Artificial Intelligence. Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, 19(1), i-v. https://doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v19i1.80819
World Drowning Prevention Day at BU
Next month on July 25th Bournemouth University will join in with the world-wide celebrations of World Drowning Prevention Day 2025. The first achievement to highlight is Dr. Jill Nash interesting piece recently published in The Conversation, in which she highlights Five ways to keep teenagers safe by the water [1]. It is also worthwhile to read last year’s contribution to World Drowning Prevention Day by Jill on the dangers of being near water and the role emotions play in making safer decisions [2].
The second major piece of research related to drowning prevention at Bournemouth University is the Sonamoni Project. The Sonamoni Project is working with communities in rural Bangladesh utilizing human-centered design (HCD) techniques. The research project is identifying solutions to reduce the number of drowning deaths in newly mobile children (6-24 months), developing prototype, and assessing the acceptability and usability of potential interventions.
Sonamoni is coordinated by Bournemouth University in collaboration with the University of the West of England (Bristol), the University of Southampton, and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), Design Without Border (DWB) in Uganda and Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh (CIPRB). The interdisciplinary team at Bournemouth University covers three faculties and six academics: Dr. Mavis Bengtsson, Dr. Kyungjoo Cha, Dr. Mehdi Chowdhury, Dr. Yong Hun Lim, Mr. John Powell, and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.
This international project funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) through its Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation programme, also includes a BU-based PhD student, Mr. Md. Shafkat Hossein. He recently published the first article related to drowning prevention in Nepal [3].

References:
- Nash, J. (2025) Five ways to keep teenagers safe by the water, The Conversation June 20th.
- Nash, J. (2024) Why so many people drown at the water’s edge The Conversation July 25th.
- Hossain, M. S., Pant, P. R., van Teijlingen, E., Sedain, B., & Rahman, A. (2024). Drowning Prevention should be a Public Health Issue in Nepal. International Journal of Social Sciences and Management, 11(4): 83–87.
Contribute to the HE-BCI survey by sharing your involvement in BU’s social, community & cultural events
Have you taken part in a local festival, run a community workshop, volunteered at a cultural event, or used your BU expertise to support a community group? BU is required to report on a range of knowledge exchange activities for the HE-BCI survey, collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Research England uses this data to inform the annual allocation of the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF).
For 2024–25, BU received £549,064.
We are collecting details of all social, community and cultural engagement activities delivered between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025. Entries must be submitted by Friday 17 October 2025.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far. If you haven’t recorded your involvement yet, it only takes a few minutes. Every entry helps us show BU’s wider impact.
We have now moved to a single central table for collecting entries. If you have already submitted your activity to your faculty’s table, we will transfer this over for you.
This year, we can’t include information uploaded to the public engagement section of BRIAN, as it doesn’t capture all the data HESA requires. If you have added entries to BRIAN for this period, please upload the full details to the central table as well, or your activity won’t be included in the survey.
For guidance on what to include, see the FAQ section.
Please complete the central table
If you have any questions, contact us at publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Dr. Catalin Brylla Leads Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives for the Society for Cognitive Studies of the Moving Image
Dr. Catalin Brylla, Principal Lecturer in Film and TV has chaired the DEI Committee for the Society for Cognitive Studies of the Moving Image since 2022, launching several initiatives. At this year’s conference at the University of Alberta in Canada he organised three related events:
DEI Roundtable and Workshop: Intersectionality, Bias and Positionality
This roundtable featured international scholars, including Charles Kebaya (Machakos University, Kenya), to explore how intersectionality, bias, and positionality shape our work in film and media research. The session was followed by two facilitated workshop groups: one focusing on teaching (including decolonising curricula and participatory learning methods), the other on research (including de-centralising publishing, engaging with Global South scholarship, and community-led research methods).



The workshops offered a space for critical reflection and practical strategies for fostering equity and inclusion in teaching and research, addressing the following questions.
- How do we approach research and teaching when we acknowledge the researcher’s and teacher’s partial perspective shaped by their intersected social identities?
- When the positionality of the researcher differs from that of the research participant, research collaborator, screen character or film viewer, how does this frame our analytic lens and the choice of research methods?
- What happens when we study marginalised groups without their collaborative participation? Do we risk replicating epistemic hierarchies or social practices that have contributed to this marginalisation? (relates to slogan “Nothing about us, without us.” – disability rights movement)
- In cross-cultural and cross-ability research and teaching, how do we account for not only difference, but for blind spots in acknowledging and respecting different positionalities?
- How can we design curricula that properly balance between dominant and underrepresented academic and non-academic knowledge structures?
Mentorship Lunch: Learning from Academic Trial and Errors
This event provided an informal and supportive space where senior scholars shared candid reflections on the mistakes, challenges, and lessons that have shaped their academic journeys. We rarely speak openly about trial-and-error experiences in teaching, research, or media practice. Even more rarely do we celebrate these moments or fully recognise the valuable contributions they make to eventual positive outcomes. As a result, when we engage with the work of other scholars—whether through conversation, presentations, or publications—their research is often presented as a neatly packaged narrative of clear and successful results, with little acknowledgement of the mistakes, missteps, and failures that inevitably occurred along the way.
The session covered topics from research and publishing to teaching, grant-writing, and career development, this session invites open discussion with early career researchers about navigating the ups and downs of academic life.


Paper Presentation on Social Cognition, Bias and Audience Perception of Films
Together with Dr. Tico Romao (University of Alberta), Brylla proposed a framework for audience segmentation that focuses on the mapping of intersecting social identities across viewers and screen characters. This type of spectator segmentation offers a more granular alternative to explain divergent viewer responses and biases. This can reveal the often-overlooked gap between authorial intent and spectatorial reception. This framework is especially useful in comparing responses to structured and formalist narratives, as well as more open or ambiguous narrative forms.



BU seeking input from ethnic minority and migrant communities
Bournemouth University has received funding from the NIHR to support an internship for a Social Work student to seek views and perception of women from ethnic minority and migrant communities. Therefor, we are seeking volunteers to take part in a small group on-line workshop to hear from women from ethnic minority and migrant communities. They are invited to share their thoughts, insights and experiences of engaging in health research so that we can better understand what would work when conducting research with this population. This work sits within a larger NIHR-funded project that aims to reduce health inequalities for marginalised mothers and babies. BU Profs Huseyin Dogan and Professor Vanora Hundley are leading workstreams within this prestigious NIHR Maternity Disparities project over the next five years (more information about the bigger project can be found here!).
We would like to hear from women from ethnic minority and migrant communities, also referred as women from the global majority. You do not need to be pregnant or have had a baby to participate in the workshop. If you are a woman from an ethnic minority and migrant community in the UK and you would like to take part please apply here! The event will be online on Tuesday 8th July from 11.00-12.30. No specific experience of involvement in research is required.
Dr. Orlanda Harvey and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Faculty of Health & Social Sciences

Presenting SERVED at the KCL Veterans’ Mental Health Conference
SERVED – Supporting Evidence-based Research for Veterans Experiencing Dementia
Share your public engagement event with a wider audience
If you’re running an event or activity that is open to non-academic audiences and showcases BU research, the Public Engagement with Research team in RDS can help spread the word.
We can help you promote public engagement with research events through our monthly newsletter and social media channels.
To be included, your event must:
- Be aimed at and open to the general public (not academic audiences)
- Feature BU research – either as the main focus or part of a larger programme
- Be submitted by the middle of the month before the event (e.g. submit by 14 May for a June event)
Please note: we may edit event descriptions to align with our other communications.
Ready to share your event?
If you have any questions, get in touch with the team at publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
RKEDF June Digest – development opportunities
Book now for RKEDF training in June 2025
Click on the titles to find further details and book your place
RKEDF: Principal Investigation – Post Award for RKE
Wednesday 4th June 13:00-14:30 – in person, Talbot Campus
This session is aimed at any researcher who is, who plans to be, a Principal Investigator for an externally funded research or knowledge exchange project. By the end of the session, attendees will have a strong foundation of what to expect when being responsible for their awarded projects. Topics covered include:
- What is post award? • Roles and responsibilities • Systems
- Key policies • Starting your awarded project • Making changes to your project and reporting • Hints and tips
Developing Policy Engagement for Impact
Wednesday 11th June 09:00-13:30 – online
Are you preparing an impact case study for REF 2029? Do you need expert advice on navigating the policy landscape to ensure your research reaches decision makers? If so, this online workshop is perfect for you. Carys Davis, a public affairs and policy consultant from The Other Place Public Affairs Ltd., will lead this workshop. RDS’s Impact Team will be present to offer support and guidance. Gain valuable insights and practical tips to effectively engage with policy makers and highlight your research.
This workshop is primarily aimed at researchers working on impact case studies for REF 2029, who will be given priority for registration. If you’re unsure whether this is suitable for you, please consult your UOA impact champion. This workshop will be held online via Zoom. The link will be sent out closer to the date.
BRIAN drop in surgery
Tuesday 17th June 13:00-15:00 – in person, BG-315, Lansdowne Campus
This is an in person, 2 hour drop in surgery for questions or issues relating to BRIAN. No question is a stupid question so pop in and ask. No booking required.
RSA: Getting Started, Securing Funding, and Advancing Your Career
Thursday 19th June – 10:00 – 14:30 – in person, Talbot Campus
This in-person event will take place over lunch and is dedicated to providing support, inspiration, and encouraging meaningful connections among research staff across all faculties. There will be expert advice on getting started and securing funding, along with practical tips from peers who will share case study examples of successful grants and lessons learned. By the end of the session, you’ll have valuable tools to navigate funding opportunities and plan your next steps—whether in academia or beyond. It is also a great opportunity to connect with colleagues and be part of a supportive research community. Open to all BU research staff, no matter where you are in your research journey.
Getting your REF impact case study off the ground
Thursday 26th June – 09:30 – 12:30, in person, Tabot Campus
This practical workshop gives you the opportunity to plan your impact case study. Starting this process early can help to gain much-needed clarity, both about your impact project(s) and about expectations for the final product for REF2029. In this workshop, Bella Reichard will guide you through creating (1) a narrative arc for your impact case study, and (2) an action plan to progress and evidence your impacts.
This workshop is for anyone who is considering preparing an impact case study for submission to REF2029. You may have submitted drafts to internal REF mock exercises in 2023 or 2024. You may be new to the process, in which case please let your relevant BU Impact Champion know that you’re interested in preparing a case study. This workshop is not limited to a single person per potential case study. If several academics are collaborating on a project it can be very useful to attend together.
Epigeum Research Skills Toolkit
Do you want to refresh your researcher skills? Have a look at the Epigeum Research Skills Toolkit (on demand online modules). Further information on how to access Epigeum courses can be found here.
Links for further RKE information and support are below:
RKE SharePoint page: RKE – Home
RKEDF SharePoint for development opportunities: Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework RKEDF – Home
RKEDF Brightspace: Homepage – Research & Knowledge Exchange Development Framework
Please help us in avoiding any waste of resources; make sure you can attend or cancel your booking prior to the session. For any further information, please contact RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk
Research Café: How are researchers working to prevent child drowning in Bangladesh? – Tuesday 1 July 6:30-8pm
Get inspired at BU’s Research Café
Join a community of curious minds to ask questions, share ideas, and explore research at Bournemouth University. Enjoy thought-provoking talks followed by lively discussions, where you can engage directly with guest speakers and fellow attendees.
Our next event will explore the Sonamoni Project, an international collaboration focused on preventing drowning among children in rural Bangladesh.
Join us on Tuesday 1 July, from 6:30 to 8pm, for a short talk and open discussion with researchers from Bournemouth University. They will share insights from the Sonamoni Project, which is funded by the National Institute for Health Research.
In many Bangladeshi communities, child safety has a direct impact on whether women are able to work. This talk will also look at how community-led safety initiatives not only protect children but also support women’s livelihoods.
The research team brings together experts from three UK universities, the RNLI, the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research in Bangladesh, and Design without Borders in Uganda. The evening will also include an interactive virtual reality experience that brings the research to life.
Taking place at the BGB Café, the event will begin at 6:30pm. The café opens at 6pm, so arrive early to buy a drink and a bite to eat before the event begins.
If you have any questions about this event, please email the Public Engagement with Research Team: publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Help highlight BU’s Impact – Share your involvement in Community and Cultural Events
Contribute to the HE-BCI survey: Share your involvement in BU’s social, community, and cultural events

BU is required to report a wide range of knowledge exchange activities as part of the HE-BCI survey, collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). It’s important that we provide a full and accurate picture, as Research England uses this data to inform the annual allocation of the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF).
For 2024–25, BU received £549,064.
Data collection period
We’re collecting details of all BU-led social, community, and cultural engagement events taking place between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025. Please make sure all relevant events are uploaded to the SharePoint site by Friday 17 October 2025.
Find your faculty table
Complete the table for your faculty, ensuring all columns are filled in, particularly Number of Attendees and Academic Staff Time for Delivery.
Important note
This year, we won’t be able to include data uploaded only to BRIAN’s public engagement records, as these do not provide all the details required by HESA.
If you’ve already added events to BRIAN for this period, please also upload full details to the SharePoint site, otherwise your event can’t be included in the survey.
Further support
For guidance on what to include, check the FAQ section.
If you have questions about the process or data requirements, please get in touch at publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Policy engagement for impact sessions – last chance to book!
We have a few places available for our policy engagement training sessions, which are now open to any researchers interested in learning how to get their research in front of decision makers.
DATES & TIMES
Friday 30th May, 9.30am-1pm, F306, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus
Developing Policy Engagement for Impact BOOK HERE
Wednesday 11th June, 9.30am-1pm, online via Zoom
Developing Policy Engagement for Impact (same content) BOOK HERE
KEY DETAILS
Developing Policy Engagement for Impact
Facilitated by BU’s policy consultant Carys Davis, this provides expert advice on navigating the policy landscape to ensure your research reaches and informs decision makers. Topics covered:
- The purpose of influencing, the role of evidence and what it means for you
- Writing elevator pitches and key messages
- Principles of communicating with policy and decision makers
- Effective policy writing
- Understanding the policymaking landscape.
Reminder – Submit Your Application for the 2025 ESRC Festival: Deadline Friday 23 May
Up to £1,000 per event available to engage the public with your research in a national prestigious festival
About the Festival of Social Science
The 23rd annual ESRC Festival of Social Science (FoSS) takes place Saturday 18 October – Saturday 8 November 2025, with the theme of ‘Our Working Lives’.
The festival is an annual UK-wide celebration of research and knowledge about people and society, organised and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It provides a platform for researchers from UK universities to engage the public in a wide range of topics, from health and wellbeing to crime, equality, education, and identity, through engaging events such as exhibitions, lectures, panel debates, performances, and workshops.
The festival is free to attend, with most events open to everyone, though some may target specific groups. It offers researchers a unique opportunity to take their work beyond the university, connect with diverse audiences, and present their research in creative and accessible ways. Funding of up to £1,000 per event is available.
What are the festival aims?
- Encourage, support & create opportunities for social science researchers to engage with the public and young people
- Promote & increase awareness of the social sciences and ESRC-funded research, & the contribution social science makes to the UK
- Enable the public to engage with social science research
- Engage with teachers and young people and raise their awareness of the social sciences
Training to run a great event
The national FoSS team is coordinating public engagement training with Engagement Trainer and Consultant Jamie Gallagher in June (repeated in September). Attendance at these sessions is mandatory for all event leads to attend and further details will be shared upon successful application.
Applications will be assessed on 5 key areas
- Motivation for taking part – Show you have thought carefully about why you are applying e.g. to pilot an idea, reach a new audience, or develop public engagement skills, and what you hope to gain.
- Target audience identified – Events must be aimed at a non-academic audience. Clearly define who your audience is (e.g. a specific public group, community, or professional sector). If you are proposing an event for professionals, businesses, policymakers, or third sector organisations, please note that ESRC rules only permit up to 20% of our events to be targeted at these groups. As we often receive many proposals in this category, selecting one of these audiences may reduce your chances of taking part.
- Audience motivation – Show why your chosen audience would be interested in your activity, and how and when they might engage.
- Content & format – Demonstrate initial ideas for what the activity will involve, why the format suits the goal (e.g. in-person, online), and considerations for timing and location.
- Appropriate costing – Budget should be realistic, clear, and fit the scale and type of activity.
How to apply
We are particularly keen to receive applications from PGRs and early to mid-career researchers and encourage groups/teams to apply. If you have a supervisor, they will need to endorse your application by emailing publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.
If you are considering applying, we strongly encourage you to get in touch with us directly as early as possible.
Apply to take part by completing the online application form.
Deadline for applications: 5pm FRIDAY 23 MAY 2025
You can view the slides from the Information Session here. If you weren’t able to attend, or if you would like to revisit what was covered, you can also watch the session here.
Please read before applying
Before submitting your application, please make sure you meet both the ESRC eligibility criteria and our key requirements. This is essential for your proposal to be considered. Applications that reference academic or undergraduate audiences, or propose campus-based venues, will not be eligible. This opportunity is focused on public engagement beyond academic settings.
Festival Event Leader Pack this practical guide supports researchers in planning and delivering events for the festival. It covers the festival’s aims, event criteria, useful planning tips, audience engagement, and evaluation. It also details the funding, training, and promotional support available from the ESRC, making it a key resource for aligning events with the festival’s goals.
Contact us
Please contact the Public Engagement Team to discuss your application publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Alzheimer’s Awareness Week – join us in BGB tomorrow
Join us in learning more about Alzheimer’s and Dementia!
May’s Research Café – Showcasing tomorrow’s researchers
Postgraduate researchers took the spotlight at BU’s latest Research Café

We had a packed house at the BGB Café for a fascinating evening engaging conversation.
Three passionate postgraduate researchers from Bournemouth University took the stage to share their work. Each speaker gave a short talk on their research, sparking plenty of interest and questions from the audience. We covered everything from what drives our travel choices, to how nostalgia shapes our experience of video games, to the links between alcohol and eating habits in women.
Anna Preece Thesis: Disordered eating behaviours as a barrier to recovery in women with alcohol dependence | Rehabilitation and Sports Sciences (HSS)
Anna presented research on the behavioural links between food and alcohol, exploring how drinking habits and eating behaviours are connected in women. The talk highlighted the implications of these connections for mental health and well-being and discussed ways to improve support for individuals facing these challenges.

Jordan King presenting at Research Café
Jordan King Thesis: Exploring Nostalgic Experiences in Video Games | Psychology (FST)
Jordan explored the emotional power of video games, examining how they evoke memories from the past and create a sense of nostalgia. The talk focused on how digital play connects us to both personal and cultural memories, highlighting the deep emotional impact of gaming.

Wookjun Lee talking at Research Café
Wookjun Lee Thesis: Tourists’ use of public transportation in urban destinations: An experiential perspective | Marketing, Strategy and Innovation (BUBS)
Wookjun examined the factors influencing tourists’ travel choices, focusing on the role of public transport and how to encourage more eco-friendly travel habits. The talk highlighted strategies for promoting greener, more sustainable options for tourists.
It was a great chance to explore topics that affect our everyday lives and get a glimpse into the real-world impact of research happening at BU.
Attendees shared “It was a lovely event. A great time to learn and bond with other researchers” “It was inspiring to see the next generation of researchers sharing their work”
“I found it really interesting to hear directly from postgraduate researchers about the work happening at BU. The range of topics and the enthusiasm behind them made it a really engaging event”

Anna Preece speaking at Research Café
As one of the evening’s speakers, Anna Preece reflected on the experience
“I wanted the opportunity to share my research and hear people’s thoughts and questions about the project. It’s so important in research to hear different perspectives, especially those outside of academia, as they can challenge our thinking, or bring in new ideas… When you’re deep in the research, it’s easy to get lost in the data, so being reminded of the real-world context was invaluable… I hope attendees found the evening thought provoking and enjoyable and it helped them start to recognise the overlap between food and alcohol behaviours and consider what that might look like for themselves or someone they care about.”
Enrica Conrotto, Doctoral College Programme Manager at Bournemouth University, attended the evening and said
“a fantastic event showcasing the work of our Doctoral College PGRs. Congratulations to Anna Preece, Jordan King and Wookjun Lee for their engaging presentations, and a big thank you to the Public Engagement Team for organising the evening. An inspiring evening filled with engaging discussion”
Next up in our Research Café series
Tuesday 1 July, 6:30-8pm at BGB Café
More details coming soon
Contact
If you have any questions about this event or the Research Café series, please contact the Public Engagement with Research Team at publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Bridging the Digital Divide: How Older Adults Navigate a Digital Society
On 7th May 2025, we hosted an event focused on the theme “Ageing in a Digital World”. Attendees were local older adults, stakeholders including staff from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, and academic researchers from the ADRC. During the event attendees explored the research project photo exhibition before taking part in round table discussions on the topic.

ADRC launches new DEALTS2 train-the-trainer video series
Researchers at Bournemouth University have launched a new video-based dementia training series designed to support anyone wishing to use the Dementia Education And Learning Through Simulation 2 (DEALTS2) training materials in their own dementia training.
Targeted workshops for REF 2029 impact case study teams
Limited places available – sign up now for May and June!

Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash
DATES & TIMES
Friday 30th May, 9.30am-1pm, F306, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus
Developing Policy Engagement for Impact BOOK HERE
Wednesday 11th June, 9.30am-1pm, online via Zoom
Developing Policy Engagement for Impact (same content) BOOK HERE
Thursday 26th June, 9.30am-12.30pm, FG04, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus
Getting your REF Impact Case Study off the Ground BOOK HERE
KEY DETAILS
Developing Policy Engagement for Impact
Facilitated by BU’s policy consultant Carys Davis, this provides expert advice on navigating the policy landscape to ensure your research reaches and informs decision makers. Topics covered:
- The purpose of influencing, the role of evidence and what it means for you
- Writing elevator pitches and key messages
- Principles of communicating with policy and decision makers
- Effective policy writing
- Understanding the policymaking landscape.
Getting your REF Impact Case Study off the Ground
Research impact consultant Bella Reichard delivers this workshop, which she describes as “part training, part retreat” to help provide clarity in developing a polished impact case study for REF 2029. This includes:
- Creating a narrative arc
- Guidance writing your own summary of impact
- Devising an action plan
- Focus on evaluation and evidence of impact.
Who are these workshops for?
- All sessions are aimed primarily at researchers considering, or in the process of, preparing an impact case study for submission to REF 2029.
- They are not limited to a single person per potential case study – it can be useful for teams and/or relevant impact champions to attend together.
- If you are not sure if they are suitable for you, please contact your UOA impact champion.