Category / Awarded & submitted bids

We still need ‘YOU’ – Call for research participants – be part of our food waste revolution

Awarded & submitted bids

Remember the British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant that we recently secured in September 2023? It is turning into a super cool project, and we want YOU in on the fun!

Calling all UK residents aged 18 and above to jump into the action
by participating in our consumer product evaluation research study

Visit a link and book a slot today

What’s the scoop for you? A £5 voucher, just for spending a quick 10 minutes on a fun online survey in our lab. And here’s the best part – you can cash in that voucher at BU’s food spots on both the Talbot and Lansdowne campuses.

Hold up, there’s more! After the 10-minute experiment session, you get to snag some free fruits and veggies to take home. It’s like a mini grocery haul, just for being a research rockstar!

Participation is a simple three-step process: 

  • Attend ONE experiment session at a Bournemouth University lab. Our lab is situated in the Fusion Building on the Talbot Campus. On Wednesdays, the lab is located at FG07, while on Thursdays, it relocates to F204. The lab opens from 1 pm to 3 pm, with the last session starting at 2:45 pm.
  • Explore fresh produce items up close, observing their presentation. 
  • Complete a quick 10-minute online questionnaire in the lab. 

Your contribution is a game-changer for us, and we can’t wait to see the impact we make together. This isn’t just research; it’s your chance to be a superhero in the battle against food waste. Your opportunity to contribute is now, and we can’t wait to have you on board! 

Interested in being a research participant? 

Simply scan the QR code to register or visit a link and book a slot or drop our research team to express your interest: Dr Guljira Manimont gmanimont@bournemouth.ac.uk or Professor Juliet Memery jmemery@bournemouth.ac.uk. 

Call for research participants – be part of our food waste revolution

Awarded & submitted bids

Remember the British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant that we recently secured in September 2023? It is turning into a super cool project, and we want YOU in on the fun!

Calling all UK residents aged 18 and above to jump into the action
by participating in our consumer product evaluation research study

Visit a link and book a slot today

What’s the scoop for you? A £5 voucher, just for spending a quick 10 minutes on a fun online survey in our lab. And here’s the best part – you can cash in that voucher at BU’s food spots on both the Talbot and Lansdowne campuses.

Hold up, there’s more! After the 10-minute experiment session, you get to snag some free fruits and veggies to take home. It’s like a mini grocery haul, just for being a research rockstar!

Participation is a simple three-step process: 

  • Attend ONE experiment session at a Bournemouth University lab (our labs are located in Fusion Building, Talbot Campus)
  • Explore fresh produce items up close, observing their packaging and presentation. 
  • Complete a quick 10-minute online questionnaire in the lab. 

Your contribution is a game-changer for us, and we can’t wait to see the impact we make together. This isn’t just research; it’s your chance to be a superhero in the battle against food waste. Your opportunity to contribute is now, and we can’t wait to have you on board! 

Interested in being a research participant? 

Simply scan the QR code to register or visit a link and book a slot or drop our research team to express your interest: Dr Guljira Manimont gmanimont@bournemouth.ac.uk or Professor Juliet Memery jmemery@bournemouth.ac.uk. 

OpenBright grant awardees from Bournemouth University

Awarded & submitted bids

OpenBright grants have been available since 2020 to support women in the development of research projects at the university level, focusing on subjects related to computing and technology. OpenBright offers small grants for students studying for degrees or postgraduate qualifications in areas such as software engineering, data science, digital media, artificial intelligence, and robotics.

We are thrilled to introduce the awardees:

Assemgul Kozhabek (Final year Ph.D. candidate): Assemgul is the second-time OpenBright grant awardee. Her plan is to upgrade her computer system to conduct a thorough analysis of road networks. This upgrade will greatly support her project, titled “Examining the Topology of Urban Road Networks in densely populated countries: China and India”. Assemgul and her supervisor Dr. Wei Koong Chai abstracted road networks as complex systems and employ tools from network science to study their properties.  This study introduces multi-level urban road network robustness metrics, which incorporates macro, meso and micro perspectives. Assemgul thanks her supervisor  Dr. Wei Koong Chai and Dr. Melanie Coles for their guidance and support!

Fatima Ahmad Muazu (1st year Ph.D. student): Fatima got funding for her project “The Use of Mobile Learning and Assistive Technologies for Enhancing Digital Inclusion in Special Education for Learners with Learning Disabilities in underserved regions of Northern and Southern Nigeria”. The funding will be used to conduct a preliminary needs analysis involving stakeholders and students in special education settings of 4 Nigerian secondary schools.

Maggie Foulds (Final year BSc Software Engineering student): Her project is the development of a mobile application to aid all-star cheerleading coaches in the creation of competition routines, and to help ensure athlete safety throughout the season. Maggie has been awarded funding from the OpenBright foundation to travel to a software development conference in Miami, to boost her coding skills to take her project to the next level. OpenBright is also supporting me to attend the Cheerleading World Championships in Orlando, where I will be able to test a prototype of my application with stakeholders.

Ayo Agbeja (MSc Data Science and Artificial Intelligence): Ayo’s research title is “Plastic Wastes and Sustainability Targets in Germany: A Policy Simulation Experiment using Machine Learning”. Her project has a primary focus on Germany and aims to investigate the relationship between policies related to plastic waste management and sustainability objectives, particularly in the context of reducing carbon emissions. This simulated model will take into account the key factors: economic growth, oil and coal production, the generation of renewable energy, and energy consumption, while making projections based on an optimal weighting of these factors.

Congratulations!

The Month in Research: December 2023

Awarded & submitted bids

A cartoon image of black and white hands clapping on a yellow background

The Month in Research

The Month in Research is our new monthly round-up sharing research and knowledge exchange successes from across the previous month, showcasing the amazing work taking place across BU.

Your achievements

Thank you to everyone who has used the online form to put forward their achievements, or those of colleagues, this month.

Funding

Congratulations to all those who have had funding for research and knowledge exchange projects and activities awarded in December. Highlights include:

  • Dr Samantha Iwowo (Faculty of Media and Communication) has been awarded c.£53,000 by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) for their project Colonial Reels: Histories and Afterlives of Colonial Film Collections (in collaboration with University of Bristol and Birkbeck College)
  • Dr Milena Bobeva (Business School) has been awarded c.£30,000 by the British Council for their project Developing innovative and sustainable mobility initiatives for UK and Malaysian students (working title)
  • Professor Richard Stillman (Faculty of Science and Technology) has been awarded c.£30,000 by Natural England for their project Morecombe Bay Oystercatchers and knot food

Publications

Congratulations to all those who have had work published across the last month. Below is a selection of publications from throughout December:

Content for The Month in Research has been collected using the research and knowledge exchange database (RED), the Bournemouth University Research Online (BURO) repository and submissions via The Month in Research online form. It is by no means intended to be an exhaustive list. All information is correct as of 4.1.24.

Please use The Month in Research online form to share your highlights and achievements, or those of colleagues, for the next monthly round-up.

MaGPIE has taken flight!

Awarded & submitted bids, international, REF Subjects

“There is not one region in the world, not one historical period, that has not seen mass graves”.

(UN Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial summary or arbitrary executions, 2020)

 

Wednesday 13th December marked the launch of MaGPIE, the pioneering £1.6 million ERC selected UKRI funded research project, run out of the Humanities & Law department in the Faculty of Media and Communication.

 

MaGPIE stands for Mass Grave Protection, Investigation and Engagement and asks: how can a comprehensive and universally applicable human rights framework for mass graves can be developed and achieved?

 

To answer such a magnitudinous question, MaGPIE has strategically organised its research into three interconnected pillars:

Pillar 1 asserts that comprehending the scale of global mass graves is paramount to understanding the nature of the problem. Consequently, pillar 1 will result in an open-source map of mass grave sites and ancillary outputs that have the potential to strengthen protection, forensic investigation, justice efforts, commemoration and remembrance for the benefits of survivors.

 

Pillar 2 identifies and seeks to remedy human rights blindspots that persist within present practices surrounding mass graves. These blindspots will be addressed through researching: cultural and Indigenous rights; issues of access, consent and data protection; participatory rights and vulnerabilities due to climate change.

 

Bournemouth Protocol on Mass Grave Protection and Investigation land and sea migratory routes and to what extent they might contain mass graves and hence warrant protection through a concerted human rights framework and policy.

 

The launch of MaGPIE was a momentous occasion for Professor Melanie Klinkner and her growing team. Professor Scott Wright, Deputy Dean for Research and Professional Practice, kindly introduced the MaGPIE team members: Dr David Biggins, project management and data specialist in BUBS; Emily Fisher the Research Assistant and HSS prize winning graduate; Dr Ellie Smith and Dr Ian Hanson Senior Research Fellows, and newly appointed data researchers Diego Nunez and Ellen Donovan. Internal stakeholders were invited to raise a toast—of non-alcoholic mulled wine—not only to celebrate the project’s launch but also to acknowledge the collaborative efforts that brought MaGPIE to the starting line.

If you are interested in following the work of MaGPIE stay updated by following our LinkedIn and Twitter profiles for the latest developments over the coming years.

2023-24 Missing Persons Indicator Cohort begins work

Awarded & submitted bids, Student Engagement, student research

A team of 10 LLB Law students from across all levels is collating data on a pro bono basis on international, knowledge exchange project.

 

The Missing Persons Indicator Project is a collaboration between the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) and Bournemouth University, with students at the heart of the project. Through students’ voluntary extra-curricular engagement, they are gathering data for sustained, high quality indicators and analysis. At the same time, participation equips students with a plethora of transferable skills and valuable research experience while contributing to a real-life societal problem with the overarching aim of alleviating missing persons cases.

So here’s a massive thank you to our student researcher cohort of 2023-24:

  • Angel Beaumont
  • Arman Ali
  • Maisie Lee
  • Lola Jones
  • Suzie Moore
  • Jazz White
  • Poppy Holland
  • Jasmin Sidhu-Bansal
  • Lydia Gee
  • Siobhan McClatchey

The data collated will help better understand the way states engage with, and seek to solve, missing persons cases, thereby assisting those involved in missing persons efforts. The collation and analysis of data will have a dual purpose: (1) to highlight missing persons protection and investigation mechanisms for improved implementation but also to (2) assist in prevention efforts. The development of indicators offers a way to capture the necessary data whilst facilitating analysis and comparison.

Findings to date will form part of the forthcoming ICMP Global Report and we will present the project rationale, methodology, data analysis and visualisation at the online Social Data School in December as part of the University of Cambridge Digital Humanities initiatives. Over the past two academic years and through the help of dedicated students on staff (Dr David Biggins from BUBS; Melissa Bowden from the Library and Dr Jonathan Whittle in H&L), on structural indicator 1 alone, some 12,288 data entry points have been populated.

The missing persons indicator project team has developed a robust platform and methodology for continued data collation. We are really pleased and grateful to continue on this path to complete the data set for structural and context indicators.

BU Marketing Researcher Awarded COMFOCUS Research Fellowship: Embarking on Food Neuroscience Marketing Research Journey in Slovakia

Awarded & submitted bids

Greetings, Wonderful Readers!

I am absolutely thrilled to share some fantastic news about my upcoming career journey. I have been awarded the opportunity to become a COMFOCUS fellow, a part of the Communities on Food Consumer Science program funded by Horizon EU 2020. This is a huge milestone for me as an ECR and an exciting step into the world of food consumer science.

The exciting research visit:
Between January and June 2024, I will be jetting off to the Laboratory of Consumer Studies (LCS) at the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Slovakia, for a three-week research adventure. I will be collaborating with brilliant minds in Slovakia, diving into cutting-edge academic pursuits, and researching the fascinating world of consumer behaviour and unconventional food products. It is going to be a transformative experience, and I can hardly wait!

What’s the new project about?
I am bubbling with excitement about my project! While I cannot reveal all the details just yet, I can tell you It is a delightful blend of my background in design and marketing communication, focusing on food visuals. What makes this journey even more thrilling is the integration of cutting-edge technologies, particularly Electroencephalogram (EEG) technology, into my research. This innovative approach opens doors to understanding the emotional and cognitive aspects of consumer decisions, offering invaluable insights into the world of unconventional food products.

About COMFOCUS:
Let me introduce you to COMFOCUS! It is all about building a community of future food consumer scientists. One empty box that I always wanted to tick off was the opportunity to work with international collaborators, but the chance never seemed to come my way. I kept my radar searching for such an opportunity. It finally happened when I attended the International Food Marketing Conference in Prague earlier in June, as mentioned in my previous blog post. During the conference, I learned that COMFOCUS was about to launch a visiting research fellowship call. Inspired, I developed my research proposal right there, outlining the emerging technologies and  psychophysiological measures I wanted to use. And now, I got it 🙂

So, with COMFOCUS, there are 60 of us (ECRs) from 28 countries (with 2 from the UK) gearing up for a thrilling journey across 9 different institutes in Europe. We are utilising emerging technologies to decode the mysteries of consumer behaviour and understand the stories behind our food choices. I am incredibly honoured to represent Bournemouth University in this solo venture, and I cannot wait to share my discoveries with you!

 

The adventure is just beginning, and I am grateful for your support that got me here and excited to have you join my discovery journey 🙂 

 

Congratulations to Xin Zhao, Catherine Talbot and Tabitha Baker for winning BA seed funding!

Awarded & submitted bids

Huge congratulations to Catherine Talbot, Xin Zhao and Tabitha Baker who were all successful in winning BA seed funding.  There were 40 applications reviewed across the British Academy South West hub and only nine awards, three of which went to BU!

Catherine Talbot in SciTech secured £1414 to support their project titled “Dementia Grant Development and Knowledge Exchange: Building Cross-University Partnerships” which includes partnership development by conducting a research visit to the Institute of Population Health Dementia Research at the University of Liverpool with the aim of developing grant proposal.

Catherine says, ‘I am delighted to have been awarded seed funding from the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network, which will allow me to conduct a research visit at the University of Liverpool with Dr Clarissa Giebel, a leading expert in dementia research. This funding will open doors to conducting meaningful and impactful research in dementia care, and represents the perfect next step towards my long-term career aspirations.’

 

Xin Zhao in FMC secured £1025 to support their project titled “Building stakeholder relationships with UK-based East and Southeast Asian community organisations” which includes Network development to build stakeholder relationships with UK-based East and Southeast Asian community organisations.

Xin says, ‘Building stakeholder relationships with UK-based East and Southeast Asian community organisations is the foundation for my dedication to exploring strategies to fight against anti-Asian racism from a media and communication perspective. BA Seed Funding provides me with the perfect support for the relationship building. This will pave the way for my following design of a community-oriented research project.

 

Tabitha Baker, also in FMC, secured £1700 to support their research titled “Local Democracy in a Time of Crisis” which includes development of stakeholder relationships with local public sphere and civil society organisations in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area through the creation and screening of a short film.

Tabitha says, ‘This project aims to address low engagement and trust in local democracy in BCP, by exploring local government in challenging national contexts. Dr. Ian Gwinn (Co-I) and I seek to reshape understandings of local politics and regional identity, engage the public in conversations about local democracy, and assess its potential to promote social justice and active citizenship, building on my previous research.’

 

What a fantastic outcome so well done to all involved in this wonderful achievement!

 

 

Investigating Packaging Solutions: BA/Leverhulme Small Grant awarded for minimising ugly food waste

Awarded & submitted bids

Remember the blog about our Prague trip back in June 2023, where we showcased our research, thanks to BU’s ACORN and QR research funding? We left you hanging with a secret project, and guess what? The secret is out!

Ugly Food Project Flyer 1

We are super excited to share that we have secured funding from the British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant 2023. That means we are diving into mixed-grade produce packaging to see how it can help tackle ugly food waste. And guess what? We are taking our experiments to the field right here in Bournemouth University. This time, we have joined forces with our colleague Dr Hyoje Kim from the University of Strathclyde, and together, we are on a mission to create packaging that fights food waste, both at the retailers and in consumers’ homes.

Leading this project is Dr Guljira Manimont, our ECR from MSI, BUBS. She not only heads this project but also shared her bid writing techniques during the British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant Workshop in September 2023 at Bournemouth University. Remarkably, this marks her first submission to the British Academy, making this endeavour all the more special.

So, what’s next? We invite you to be a part of this extraordinary journey. We promise to keep you in the loop with every exciting discovery and every lesson learned. This is not just about science; it is a commitment to creating a world where waste has no place and sustainability thrives.

Ugly Food Project Flyer 2

We are not just stopping at our mixed-grade produce packaging project!

Ugly Food Project Flyer 3

Dr Guljira has secured research funding from the Thai government via King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL).  This project is also in collaboration with Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI). Together, they are exploring insect-based food consumption and innovative packaging solutions, pioneering the path to sustainable eating habits.

Meanwhile, Professor Juliet and colleagues from BU are driving change with their new EU funded project, FoodMAPP. Through a user-friendly MAP-based application, they are promoting local food supply chains, ensuring food security, fostering business development, and reducing food waste.

 

Stay tuned for more
exciting updates and
further collaborations.

 

BU’s ECR- Dr Rejoice Chipuriro awarded NIHR Clinical Research Network Wessex grant to work with underserved communities in health and social care

Awarded & submitted bids, NHS

Dr Rejoice Chipuriro a Post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Social Science and Social Work has been awarded a grant from the NIHR Clinical Research Network Wessex. The grant is aimed at generating new insights into asylums seekers’ lived experiences with community based mental health care support services. This study involves partnership between Bournemouth University and Vita Nova- a community arts organisation that supports people in recovery from addiction. Vita Nova works in a holistic way to support members with their ongoing recovery programs which helps to avoid relapse back into treatment centres, mental health institutions or prison.

In recent years Vita Nova has worked with other underserved communities including asylum seekers, for example the Refugee Nativity last Christmas with local asylum seekers which brought communities together and raised awareness of the current refugee crisis. Vita Nova uses creativity to process trauma as a form of art therapy. Asylum seekers will be supported by Vita Nova to co-produce drama and photography for public exhibition to connect with mental health service in community, as well as the public, to dispel stigma around mental health and marginalisation of asylum seekers. The photo exhibition will also be co-designed with asylum seekers as a way for participants to share about their lived experiences, and break taboos about mental health.

 

Talking about this new research Dr Rejoice Chipuriro shared the following, ‘Mental health is a priority area for the NHS. Asylum seekers are listed by the NIHR as an underserved group in health research which is why this research seeks to generate new knowledge about mental health which is co-produced with asylum seekers.’

Michael Armstrong the Creative Producer at Vita Nova had this to share , ‘ As we step into a new chapter, we’re reflecting on the journey that brought us here. Rooted in the centre of Boscombe, our charity has dedicated itself to empowering community members and artists alike for almost 25 years. Through a rich tapestry of events and projects, we’ve woven connections, shared stories, and nurtured creativity. The partnership with Bournemouth University advances our approach to evaluation and how we can capture the voices of some of the most vulnerable people in our wonderful community.’

Sharon Coyne, Artistic Director at Vita Nova says ‘our partnership with Bournemouth University really helps us think differently about how we communicate the experience of our wonderful members and engage new partners and (hopefully) new funders’.

Congratulations Rejoice!

BU FoodMAPP reseachers host partner secondment from Institut Lyfe, Lyon

Awarded & submitted bids

As part of the ongoing EU-funded research project FoodMAPP, in July 2023, BU researchers hosted its second partner exchange, welcoming Dr Maxime Michaud from Institut Lyfe, Lyon, France.

At the beginning of his secondment, Dr Michaud delivered a presentation to members of the FoodMAPP research team, Centre for Sustainable & Socially Responsible Consumption members, and the Consumer Insights Research Theme in BUBS, outlining his current research projects in the field of food sustainability at the Institut Lyfe.

         

Dr Michaud has a background in social anthropology, and his current research interests focus on the socio-cultural dimensions of food transitions, including the acceptability of dietary changes (individual behaviours and collective cultures) and food social links (commensality, shared kitchen, and collective action). He is currently coordinating several French-based and EU-based research projects on promoting plant-based diets by understanding socio-cultural barriers and levers.

The Institut Lyfe (previously Institut Paul Bocuse) is a management school for the culinary arts, hotels and restaurants, created in 1990 in Ecully (Lyon, France). Its key research themes encompass social sciences, cognitive sciences, and nutrition sciences approaches to studying food, focusing on ‘culture and food transitions’, ‘food perception and cognition, and ‘food nutrition and health’.

This collaboration is part of FoodMAPP, an MSCA Staff Exchange project based on international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary collaboration between academic and non-academic partners. FoodMAPP is developing a searchable map-based platform to enable consumers to find and buy local food supplies, reduce food waste and support sustainable food choices.

FoodMAPP in the UK is led by Associate Professor Jeff Bray and supported by an interdisciplinary research team from across the university including Professor Katherine Appleton, Professor Juliet Memery, Dr Roberta Discetti, Dr Suellen Carls and Dr Vegard Engen.

 

BU PhD candidate is the Winner of the British Computer Society (BCS) GreenIT 2023 Competition

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

BU Ph.D. candidate Assemgul Kozhabek from the SciTech Computing and Informatics department has won the HE Class  GreenIT 2023 competition run by the British Computer Society (BCS) – the chartered institute for IT.

The competition, open to students across the world, asked for suggestions for ‘How Computing can address the Energy Crisis.’ Assemgul’s winning entry was a poster that featured comics and anecdotes on urban traffic congestion as one of the main contributors to the energy crisis. It should be highlighted that she also focuses on congestion mitigation in her Ph.D. thesis.

Assemgul expressed her gratitude to Dr. Martyn Polkinghorne and Ph.D. supervisor Dr. Wei Koong Chai for their guidance and support.

BU Hosts First Secondee for EU funded Project FoodMAPP

Awarded & submitted bids

For the past month BU researchers from the EU funded research project FoodMAPP have been hosting their first secondee Andreas Purin from Ronge & Partner, Austria. FoodMAPP – an MSCA Staff Exchange project – involves organisations from the academic and non-academic sectors working together through international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary mobility (secondments) on the implementation of a specific project. FoodMAPP is developing a searchable map-based platform to enable consumers to find and buy local food supplies, so reducing food waste and supporting sustainable purchases.

Andreas Purin started his secondment with a presentation to members of the research team, Centre for Sustainable & Socially Responsible Consumption members, and the Consumer Insights Research Theme in BUBS that introduced both himself and Ronge & Partner where he is currently a Senior Consultant. Highlights of this included discussion of his bachelor’s thesis which focused on the product development and production of fresh convenience meals, within the context of sustainability, from both the consumer’s perspective, and the perspective of experts. The relevance of this was shown through Andreas’ career as he went on to establish a food production line for convenience meals in a large food retail company and served as its managing director for almost twenty years. Additionally, Andreas talked through his career path that included being a trained chef and working in top gastronomy roles.

During his secondment Andreas not only worked on FoodMAPP developing project communications and providing the industry perspective, but networked and shared knowledge with many members of BUBS. In his downtime he enjoyed exploring the Dorset coastline and the New Forest, taking part in activities such as paddle-boarding, tennis and pedal car racing, as well as sampling the local food and drink.

BU will host its second secondee from the FoodMAPP project – Dr Maxime Michaud, Institut Paul Bocuse, France – in early July 2023.

FoodMAPP in the UK is led by Associate Professor Jeff Bray and supported by an interdisciplinary research team from across the university including Professor Katherine Appleton, Professor Juliet Memery, Dr Roberta Discetti, Dr Suellen Carls and Dr Vegard Engen.

ACORN funded research project presented at the International Food Marketing Research Symposium in Prague

Awarded & submitted bids

Embarking on a research project is an exciting journey that often requires support and funding. Today, I’m thrilled to share my experience of presenting my research project titled “Regional Food Destination Attractiveness: An Exploration of Food Day-Tripper Preferences” at the International Food Marketing Research Symposium (IFMRS) 2023 in Prague, Czech Republic. And guess what? This incredible opportunity was made possible thanks to the funding I received from Bournemouth University’s ACORN scheme. In this blog post, I’ll take you behind the scenes of the conference and explain why securing internal research funds is so crucial for early career researchers (ECRs) like me.


Let’s dive into the ACORN funding scheme. Shortly after joining the university in September 2021, I submitted my research proposal to the ACORN Fund Round 4. To me, ACORN is like a superhero for ECRs, providing the financial support we need to delve deep into our projects. With ACORN backing my research, I conducted an in-depth study on what makes regional food destinations attractive to food day-trippers. The findings have practical implications for local food establishments and offer theoretical insights for further research in spatial food destination design. Findings highlight that there is a need to understand how destination attributes align with the preferences of food day-trippers. Personal values play a significant role in destination branding, as they encompass a wide range of attributes.

The IFMRS 2023 delegates at Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Now, let’s fast forward to the IFMRS 2023 in the picturesque city, Prague. This conference is like the Olympics of food marketing research, where top scholars and industry experts gather to exchange ideas and push the boundaries of knowledge. As an ECR, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in a workshop on “Enabling Future-Proof Food Consumer Science: The Role of BIG(ger) Data in Interlinking Our Efforts” organised by the Community on Food Consumer Science’s (COMFOCUS) the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. This workshop was held before the opening reception of the IFMRS, allowing ECRs to engage in interactive discussions and gain a deeper understanding of the harmonisation of measures and data sharing in the field.

Dr Guljira presenting her research at the IFMRS 2023

Moving on to the actual conference, guess who got the golden ticket to present the research findings? Yes, it was me!

Stepping onto the stage at IFMRS, I felt a rush of excitement and nerves. But you know what? The audience was on fire! They genuinely showed interest in my research and asked thought-provoking questions that pushed me to delve even deeper. It was like being part of a big brainstorming session with the brightest minds in the field. A link to view the presentation snapshots can be found here. After the conference, we had the chance to explore the beautiful town of Prague, taking advantage of the late summer sunset. The city’s incredible foodscape was so inspiring and sparked new research ideas for us!

Let’s not forget the real heroes behind my journey – Bournemouth University’s ACORN funding scheme and Professor Juliet Memery, my ACORN mentor. With her guidance and support, Juliet has played a pivotal role in shaping my research journey.  Her expertise and insights in the field of food marketing have been invaluable, enhancing the quality of my work and boosting my confidence as an ECR – thank you Juliet!

Securing internal research funding like ACORN is a game-changer. It provides financial freedom and opens doors for us to transform our ideas into international conferences like IFMRS. It’s not just about the money, but the opportunities it creates for connecting with experts, exchanging knowledge, and sparking collaborations that shape the future of our field.

Oh, and did I mention that another paper of ours, based on the ACORN funding, has been accepted for presentation at the 7th Annual Conference of the International Place Branding Association (IPBA) in Sweden? The conference will be held from 18th to 20th October 2023 at Lund University Campus in Helsingborg. Sounds like another post is coming in October!

Snippets of Prague


About us:
Hello, my name is Dr Guljira Manimont, an ECR based in the Department of Marketing, Strategy, and Innovation (MSI) at BUBS. I joined the university in September 2021 after completing my PhD in Marketing from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia. With a background in graphic design, marketing communications, and food photography, my passion lies in visually captivating research in food (tourism) marketing and visual attention. Currently, I am working on exciting projects focused on designing interventions to promote aesthetically imperfect produce, developing optimal assortment layouts for imperfect produce, and exploring food-related lifestyles. Recently, I have submitted one of these projects to the British Academy Small Research Grants scheme, with the support of my mentor, Professor Juliet Memery. Please wish us luck!

Hi there! I’m Juliet, a Professor in Marketing (MSI), and I’m passionate about understanding how people shop for food. It’s like solving a puzzle, unravelling what influences our decisions and how ethics play a role. My research revolves around sustainable food practices, combating food waste, and addressing issues of food access and ‘food security.’

Stay tuned for more updates on our research journey, and feel free to reach out for collaborations on exciting research that addresses societal challenges!