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BU collaborates with University of Exeter on modelling innovation adoption

innovation, open access, Publishing

Bournemouth University (BU) has collaborated with the University of Exeter on modelling innovation adoption diffusion. The work, led by Dr. Wei Koong Chai in BU, draw on the epidemic theory and model the diffusion dynamics considering (1) the role of network structures in dictating the spread of adoption and (2) how individual’s characteristic/capability influences the path of diffusion (e.g. an individual may have different attitude or ability towards adopting a new innovation). A positive adoption decision is related to the number of neighbors adopting the innovation. The neighbors decisions are, in turn, dependent on their own neighbors and so, it forms a complex cascading inter-dependent relationship between the different individuals in the network. As such, each node in the network is unique and its relevant adoption rate must be considered separately conditioned with the activities occurring in the network over time.

The model offers insights into how the network spectrum affects the innovation exposure rate and spreading of innovation individually and across communities with different adoption behaviours. It also illustrates the effects of the embedded social structure and the characteristics of individuals in the network on the path of innovation diffusion via two use cases: (i) innovation adoption of EU countries in a Single Market Programme and (ii) innovation adoption of specific class of technology (specifically financial technologies (FinTech)).

 

Reference:

Duanmu, JL., Chai, W.K. Modelling innovation adoption spreading in complex networks. Appl Netw Sci 10, 10 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41109-025-00698-8

 

 

Higher Education and the screen industries in the UK: the need for authentic collaboration for student progression and the talent pipeline

Richard Wallis and Christa van Raalte have just published a position paper exploring the persistent barriers to effective partnership between the UK’s screen industries and its HEIs. In it they identify six myths that undermine progress in this area. These are that: ‘universities exist primarily to serve the needs of employers’; ‘the screen industries do not require a graduate workforce’; ‘media work specifically requires media graduates’; ‘the value of a media degree is determined by how well it prepares students for entry-level media jobs’; ‘practice-based and “practical” courses exist to produce “set-ready” graduates for specific industry roles’; and ‘universities are a barrier to industry diversity’. The authors deconstruct each of these in turn arguing that they represent fundamental misunderstandings about the nature of these sectors. The article concludes by posing questions about how to develop a sustainable, national vision for effective collaboration, acknowledging the need for local initiatives and recognising systemic issues within the industry’s current employment model.

The paper is now available open access from Media Practice and Education

 

BU Researchers Pioneering Green Hydrogen Production through OcenGen Startup

A team of innovative researchers from Bournemouth University (BU) is making waves in the sustainable energy sector through their pioneering startup project, OcenGen. Focused on green hydrogen production, OcenGen aims to develop next-generation low-cost, high-performance electrocatalysts that could drastically reduce the dependence on expensive and scarce platinum-group metals currently used in conventional water electrolysers.

This ground-breaking project has recently been selected to join Cohort 8 at Conception X, which runs the leading cross-university programme dedicated to launching and accelerating deeptech ventures created by PhD researchers.

At the core of OcenGen’s innovation is the development of advanced electrocatalytic materials using earth-abundant transition metals, designed to work efficiently under mildly alkaline and seawater conditions. This makes the technology an ideal fit for Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) electrolysers, offering a cost-effective and scalable alternative to the Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) systems, which heavily rely on iridium and other rare metals.

Shadeepa Karunarathne, PhD researcher at BU and founder of OcenGen, shared his excitement:“We are thrilled to be part of the Conception X journey. This marks a significant milestone in translating our laboratory research into commercial reality. Our catalyst technology has the potential to revolutionise the green hydrogen sector by reducing material costs and enabling large-scale, sustainable hydrogen generation.”

Shadeepa further added, “Our work aligns closely with the UK’s Net Zero goals by 2030 and contributes toward the transition to clean energy. By enabling hydrogen production directly from seawater without costly desalination, we also offer a more sustainable path forward for offshore and coastal applications.”

The technology developed at OcenGen leverages cutting-edge material engineering techniques, including facet engineering and orbital occupancy tuning to optimise oxygen evolution kinetics. The team is also integrating machine learning algorithms to accelerate catalyst discovery and process optimisation with fewer physical experiments.

Supporting this effort, Associate Professor Amor Abdelkader, a renowned materials scientist and Shadeepa’s PhD supervisor, who serves as a senior advisor to the project, stated:
“This is a timely and impactful innovation. The OcenGen technology demonstrates how research excellence can be translated into practical solutions to address pressing global energy challenges. I’m proud to support a project that bridges fundamental science and commercial potential so effectively.”

The core OcenGen team includes Dr. Chirag Ratwani, Co-founder and expert in 2D materials and business strategy, and Eshani Fernando, AI Scientist responsible for integrating data-driven approaches for catalyst optimisation.

The team also extended their thanks to Michael Board, Research Manager and Facilitator, for his continued encouragement and support for innovation and entrepreneurship among BU’s PhD researchers.“Michael’s leadership in fostering a startup mindset within academia is truly commendable and has been instrumental in motivating us to pursue this venture,” said Shadeepa.

OcenGen now welcomes funding opportunities and collaborative partnerships to accelerate development and commercial deployment.

Get in touch to join our mission in driving the future of green hydrogen.

🔗 Staff Profile 🔗 LinkedIn

Author: Shadeepa Karunarathne

4th European Team-based Learning Symposium at BU in collaboration with FLIE Learning & Teaching Conference 2025!

conferences, innovation

AI Assessment and Feedback Department of Nursing Science Digital EdTech Education Events Faculty Information Generative AI Innovation National Teaching Fellow Nursing Sciences

European Team-based Learning Community Symposium 7th – 8th July 2025 at BU in collaboration with FLIE Learning & Teaching Conference 2025! Registration is open! (And free for BU staff!)Join us for the 4th European Team-based Learning (TBL) Community Symposium 2025, at BU! Keynotes, interactive workshops, lightening talks, posters, student panel – whether you are a seasoned TBL practitioner or new to TBL there is something for everyone!

Opening keynote in collaboration with FLIE Learning & Teaching Conference, 7th July 2025

Opening Keynote: Using Generative AI Effectively in Higher Education

Peter Hartley is an independent HE Consultant, National Teaching Fellow and Visiting Professor at Edge Hill University.

Sue Beckingham is an Associate Professor and the Learning, Teaching and Assessment Lead in the School of Computing and Digital Technologies, Sheffield Hallam University. Peter and Sue are two of the editors of the book, Using Generative AI Effectively in Higher Education and they have a book chapter coming out soon on the responsible use of GenAI and the Generative AI CHECKLIST. We are delighted to welcome our distinguished guests to share their expertise on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of GenAI to HE.

What else to expect – meet the ETBLC Symposium, 7-8th July 2025 keynote speakers!

Hear from our keynote speakers who are internationally recognised experts in the implementation and practice of TBL.

Simon Tweddell is a Professor of Pharmacy Education, National Teaching Fellow and multiple award-winning educator who will talk about the impact of TBL on students and staff at the University of Bradford, and his own career.

Kate Ippolito is Principal Lecturer and Deputy Director of the Education Development Unit of the Centre for HE Research and Scholarship (CHERS), and Director of Postgraduate Studies at Imperial College, London. Kate will present an argument for the need to support social and emotional learning and self-efficacy building through TBL and practical ways you can do this.

Graeme Jones is Senior Lecturer in Organic Chemistry, Keele University, recent co-recipient of the AdvanceHE Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence and Chair of the Board of the European TBL Community. Graeme will lead a discussion on contemporary issues in TBL such as the threats and opportunities presented by the ongoing rapid advancements in technology notably, artificial intelligence.

 And there’s more! Find out more and register here! 

Crimmigration, Societies, Borders: Transformation of Boundaries and Narratives

Fri 16 May 2025 – in person – Talbot Campus

This is a one-day networking event focusing on crimmigration and migrant experiences, inviting all ECRs nationally from across the social sciences to discuss policies, practices, and responses to migration. The scope of this event is to identify and highlight how crimmigration (i) produces a moral panic and impacts social cohesion and (ii) challenges the inclusivity and diversity of contemporary societies.

This networking event is an initial step to establish a network and future research collaborations to explore the central question of how migrants and migrant communities are considered threats, how they are criminalised through the criminal justice system, government policy and political figures in the media, and how migration policies are used to legitimise the states’ power.

ECRs will have networking and collaboration opportunities, as well as the opportunity to expand their approach to public engagement via media training and connecting with non-academic local stakeholders from the CJS and NGOs.

Format and Key Highlight

  • Research Overview by each ECR: These presentations can result in forming the basis of a book proposal for an edited collection on crimmigration and migrant experience
  • Round-table discussions on current migration policy with ECRs and non-academic stakeholders working in the CJS and NGOs: The round-table discussion will offer a range of opportunities to build an inclusive approach among public, policy and academic relations for reforming policies and new initiatives, for ECRs to establish lasting networks and for non-academic stakeholders to collaborate on joint research on migration policy.
  • Media training for the ECRs by Prof Sam Goodman (Department of Humanities & Law Bournemouth University): 90-minute media training session to help ECRs learn how to use media effectively to provide academic content to a wider public audience.
  • Keynote talk by Prof Ana Aliverti (School of Law, University of Warwick): This session will bring both ECRs and established scholars together for a vibrant discussion on migration, state control and criminalisation of migrants.

The event invites participants who

  • Are a member of the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network,
  • Interested in conducting research on issues surrounding migration, border criminology, criminalisation of migrants, state power,
  • Enthusiastic about building lasting, meaningful networks with ECRs and non-academic stakeholders.

Please submit a brief outline of research interests and ideas for future research related issues around migration and criminalisation of migrants (no more than 300 words) to dusta@bournemouth.ac.uk and awimbledon@bournemouth.a.cuk

Topics include but are not limited to

  • Crimmigration
  • Links between migration and crime
  • Racial discrimination in policing
  • Detention & Deportation Regimes
  • Far right extremism
  • Media representation of migrants
  • Securitisation of migrant communities
  • Border policies

Deadline for submission: 25th April 2025

Preliminary Programme

Session 1: Networking & Knowledge Exchange

10:00- 10:30: Arrival and Registration

10:30 – 10:40: Opening Introduction from Dr Dilvin Dilara Usta and Dr Anna Wimbledon

10:40- 12:00: Networking and Research Overview with coffee by ECRs

Session 2: Building Connections & Dialogue

12:00- 13:00: Round-table discussions with ECRs and stakeholders from NGOs and CJS

13:00-14:00: Networking Lunch

Session 2: Media Training

14:00-15:20: Participatory media training by Prof Sam Goodman, Department of Humanities & Law, Bournemouth University

15:20- 15:30: Coffee

Session 4: Keynote talk

15:30-16:30: Keynote talk by Prof Ana Aliverti (School of Law, University of Warwick)

16:30-: 16:45: QA session and Closing remarks

17:00: Networking dinner (Optional)

Event Aims and Objectives

  1. Generate and widen the research network among UK-based Early Career Researchers to provide opportunities for future collaborative activities and engage in joint manuscript writing. The paper presentations from the networking event will provide the basis for an edited collection.
  2. Widen methodological discussions on how academics can use the media to counter anti-migrant narratives and facilitate humanising representations of migrant communities to inform policy reform and changes.
  3. Reinforce the importance of collaboration between academic and non-academic stakeholders to gain an understanding of the aims of specific migration legislation and the Criminal Justice System’s perceived effectiveness in achieving these aims

Session Facilitators – Dr Dilvin Dilara Usta and Dr Anna Wimbledon

Call for volunteer members of the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network – Southwest & South Wales ECR Advisory Group

The British Academy ECR Network Southwest & South Wales cluster has begun its new phase under the leadership of the Universities of Exeter and Bath Spa as Delivery Partners. At the SWSW Consortium meeting in February, the Consortium agreed a new Governance Structure for the SWSW Network and the following set of Values. The structure includes an Advisory Group comprising ECRs representing institutions across the region, as well as a variety of SHAPE* disciplines. This Group will help inform the Consortium and Delivery Partners about ECR needs and help steer the delivery of the Network in the Southwest and South Wales.

Members of the ECR Advisory Group are expected to attend quarterly meetings (approx. 1hr online) and be a spokesperson for the Network at their institutions. The BA ECRN is “for ECRs, by ECRS” and we expect that members of the Advisory Group are a sounding board for Network activities and hold the Network accountable.  The cluster currently runs a monthly online Connect community meeting. The Advisory Board may choose to play a leadership role in this event.

For more information, contact Linda Lanyon, BA-ECRN SWSW Project Officer, University of Exeter: l.lanyon@exeter.ac.uk

To nominate yourself please contact Linda or your institutional contact, as instructed.

*SHAPE: social sciences, humanities and arts for people and the economy

Values Statement

In alignment with the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, the values of the British Academy’s Early Career Researchers Network – Southwest and South Wales Cluster are:

  • Community Integrity
  • Respect
  • Support
  • Compassion
  • Collaboration
  • Well-being
  • Inclusivity
  • Diversity
  • Transparency

 

I have hardly any friends………… (on Bluesky)

Three months ago I decided that it was no longer morally responsible to use Twitter and deleted my account.  Missing the ‘conversations’ on social media and not having a platform to inform the wider world about the latest Bournemouth University Research Blog, I joined Bluesky a week or two later.  The first thing to note is that Bluesky is: (1) much quieter; (2) much more civilised; and (3) much more North American based.  Moreover, at a personal level, I have not really managed to accumulate that many followers, yesterday the total stood at just ten!

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Successful 2025 Bid-generating Sandpit designed and facilitated by BU academics Catalin Brylla and Lyle Skains

Awarded & submitted bids, Industry collaboration, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer

For our fourth run, 30 early career academics from ten universities came together 26-27 March in Bournemouth for a two-day sandpit funded by The British Academy Early Career Researcher Network and organised by Dr. Catalin Brylla (Centre for the Study of Conflict, Emotion, and Social Justice) and Dr. Lyle Skains (Centre for Science, Health, and Data Communication Research).

The participants specialise in a variety of disciplines such as psychology, music, business management, environmental sciences, computing, law and social work. They brought their interests in a sustainable world and society (as represented by the UN Sustainable Development Goals) to the sandpit for networking, team-building, and funding and project development workshops, many of which were based on the successful and innovative NESTA-developed ‘Crucible’ programme (no longer online, but see the Welsh Crucible).

The success of the sandpit’s activities is highlighted by the culmination of six projects proposed to a panel of subject experts from Bournemouth University: Prof. Huseyin Dogan (computing), Dr. Emily Arden-Close (Psychology), Dr. Lyle Skains (arts practice and interdisciplinarity), Dr. Catalin Brylla (media practice) and Eva Papadopoulou (research development). These experts provided mentorship and feedback on the projects as they develop toward funding proposals. Two sandpit follow-up sessions will also aid the participants in developing their funding proposals.

To receive news of further sandpits and development opportunities, join the BA ECRN.

 

 

Paper on Nepal reaching 5,000 readers

international, open access, Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing

Today ResearchGate informed us that our 2010 paper ‘Women’s autonomy in household decision-making: A demographic study in Nepal‘ [1] has been read 5,000 times.  This academic paper published in the international journal Reproductive Health is Open Access, hence available to anybody globally with internet access. The study explored the links between women’s household position in Nepal and their autonomy in decision making.  Using existing data (n = 8,257)  from the Nepal Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) 2006 we (Dr. Pramod Regmi and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen with colleagues from other UK universities) focused on four types of household decision making: (1) women’s own health care; (2) making major household purchases; (3) making purchase for daily household needs; and (4) visits to her family or relatives.

We found that women’s autonomy in decision making is positively associated with their age, employment and number of living children. Women from rural area and Terai region (the southern part of Nepal bordering India) have less autonomy in decision making in all four types of outcome measure. There is a mixed variation in women’s autonomy in the development region across all outcome measures. Western women are more likely to make decision in own health care (1.2-1.6), while they are less likely to purchase daily household needs (0.6-0.9). Women’s increased education is positively associated with autonomy in own health care decision making (p < 0.01), however their more schooling (school-leaving certificate and above) shows non-significance with other outcome measures. Interestingly, rich women are less likely to have autonomy to make decision in own healthcare.

 

Reference:

  1. Acharya, D.R., Bell, J.S., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E., Regmi, P. (2010) Women’s autonomy in household decision-making: a demographic study in Nepal. Reproductive Health 7, 15   https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-4755-7-15

An Audience with… Bob Wilson

Last Monday, the BU Business School and the Sport & Physical Activity Research Centre (SPARC) were delighted to welcome Mr Bob Wilson, OBE, for a special session. 

Launching the annual ‘SPARC Audience with ….’ Series, this inaugural event explored the multiple careers of Bob Wilson: a former Arsenal and Scotland goalkeeper, a presenter and broadcaster, the first ever specialist goalkeeper coach, and founder of the national charity, The Willow Foundation.

Professor Mike Silk in conversation with Bob Wilson OBE

Professor Mike Silk in conversation with Bob Wilson OBE

During An Audience with Bob Wilson, Bob touched on a multitude of topics that are germane to the BU community, covering topics that included the sport media, the life of a professional athlete, (national) identity politics in sport, the development of the women’s game, football as ‘work’, injury, the commercial spectacle of the modern game, and some of the broadcast personalities with whom he has worked.

Bob regaled the audience with stories from his early playing days explaining how his Father refused to let him join Manchester United, insisting instead he completed teacher training at Loughborough College so he could hold down a ‘proper job’. We celebrated some of Bob’s accomplishments, including being an ever present in the 1970/71 double winning season, with Bob sharing his winning medals from both the League and FA Cup final and his international caps. He spoke about the ways in which he was treated by the Scottish press when—as an Englishman—he was picked to represent the Scottish national team. He spoke of losing his older brothers in the second World War and how his family reacted to Bob idolising the playing style of ex-German soldier and Manchester City Goalkeeper, Bert Trautman.

In addition to appreciating his football career, we spoke about how he transitioned to a career in the media—going on to present programmes such as Grandstand, Match of the Day, BBC Breakfast and Sportsnight on the BBC as well as League Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League and World Cup coverage on ITV. Bob gave fascinating insights into the creation of his own programme, Football Focus, as well as his unique ‘running’ reporting style from coverage of the London Marathon. We heard insights into the tensions and dynamics of live television when Bob told us how he and the production team dealt with being live on air on the Saturday afternoon of the 15th April, 1989 as he fronted Grandstand and bought the country to a standstill with coverage of the unfolding Hillsbrorough disaster.

Bob provided a unique lens into the development of the game of football. He was the first ever goalkeeper coach, staying on at Arsenal after his playing days—juggling coaching with his media career—providing coaching for the likes of Pat Jennings, John Lukic and David Seaman. This was a role he did for free until the arrival of Arsene Wenger as Arsenal Manager who insisted he be paid for his duties. Bob was, in many ways, the pioneer for the plethora of specialist coaches that exist today in the modern game.

Finally, we spoke of the incredible achievements of the Willow foundation, the charity he and his wife, Megs, set up in 1999 in memory of his daughter Anna who died from cancer at 31 years of age. The Willow Foundation—so named after his own football nickname, Willow—provides psychological and emotional support for seriously ill 16-40 year olds through the provision of special day experiences. Bob explained how, to date, the Willow Foundation has in 25 years supported over 22,000 families.

With some great questions from the audience, hilarious stories and insightful discussion, An Audience with Bob Wilson saw staff and students from across the institution engage with a sporting and broadcasting legend.

Unique PhD processes – why they are important.………..

Centre for Excellence in Learning, PG research, Publishing, REF Subjects, student research, Training, writing

Most people only really think about the processes involved doing a PhD study when they are doing their own unique research project at one specific university. It is often only when talking to other PhD students at a conference or listening to their supervisors reminiscing about doing theirs at a different university and in a different time, that they realise there are important differences in processes between universities, and even across disciplines within universities. This is true both nationally and globally.  These differences can exist at many different stages of the PhD and Bournemouth University academics have written about several of these differences within a national context (1-6).

PhD aspects can differ from the start, e.g. the expected format of a PhD proposal (5) to the very end, e.g. possible outcomes of a viva (4), or whether the PhD includes clinical or practice components to help bridge the gap between academia and practice (2).  Variations across universities also occur in the expected layout and format of the theses (1), or the way supervisors are expected to supervise by different universities (3), or the format or timing of transfer or progress viva(6).

You might ask why this uniqueness of the postgraduate research journey matters? We argue that academics need to celebrate the diversity of the PhD process and of our postgraduate research students and recognise that excellent research can be achieved in different ways. A personalised process can ensure that postgraduate students are successful in achieving their goals.

 

Dr. Orlanda Harvey, Prof. Vanora Hundley, Dr. Vincent Marmion, Dr. Pramod Regmi, Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

 

 

 

References:

  1. van Teijlingen E (2007) PhD theses: the pros and cons (letter), Times Higher Education Suppl. Issue 1808 (August 24th): 15.
  2. Way S, Hundley V, van Teijlingen E, Walton G, and Westwood G. (2016) Dr Know. RCM Midwives Spring 64-65.
  3. Regmi, P., Poobalan, A., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2021) PhD supervision in Public Health, Health Prospect: Journal of Public Health 20(1):1-4. https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/HPROSPECT/article/view/32735/28111
  4. van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, B., Regmi, P., Simkhada, P., Hundley, V., Poudel, K.C. (2022) Reflections on variations in PhD viva regulations: “And the options are….”, Journal of Education and Research 12(2),61-74. https://doi.org/10.51474/jer.v12i2.624
  5. Wasti, S.P. Regmi, P.R., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V. (2022) Writing a PhD Proposal, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 176-183.
  6. van Teijlingen, A., Marmion, V., Harvey, O., Regmi, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2024) PhD Progress and Transfer Vivas at Universities in the United Kingdom, Journal of Education and Research, 14(1): 104-116, https://doi.org/10.51474/jer/16196