Category / BU research

Anyone can drown. No one should!

Awarded & submitted bids, international, PG research, Publishing, writing

The first editorial of The Lancet Public Health [1] highlights a public health issue close to our work in Bangladesh, namely the risk of drowning, especially in young children.  “Anyone can drown. No one should” are the words of the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) in its first Global status report on drowning prevention, published two weeks ago (Dec. 2024). According to  The Lancet Public Health this landmark report dissects the drowning burden globally, at the country level, and the trends since 2000, presents an overview of the key strategies to prevent drowning, and provides a benchmark for tracking prevention efforts in the future. Importantly, this report sheds light on a tragic, neglected, mostly preventable public health issue.

We are grateful to The Lancet Public Health for raising this important issue in 2025, since Bournemouth University (BU) is currently engaged in  research project in this field called ‘Sonamoni’.  This an interdisciplinary study is a collaboration with CIPRB (the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh), the University of the West of England (in Bristol), the University of Southampton, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), and Design Without Borders (DWB) in Uganda.  Sonamoni aims to design and develop interventions to reduce the number of  young children drowning in Bangladesh.

This public health project is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) through its Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation programme. For more information, visit the NIHR website.

The interdisciplinary team at BU includes three faculties and six member of staff: Dr. Mavis Bengtsson, Dr. Kyungjoo Cha, Dr. Mehdi Chowdhury, Dr. Yong Hun Lim, Mr. John Powell, and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.  We recently published the first paper ‘Drowning Prevention should be a Public Health Issue in Nepal related to this project [2].

 

References:

  1. Anonymous (2025) Anyone can drown. No one should. The Lancet Public Health, 10(1): e1
  2. 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.

Advancing Rehabilitation Research

international, Publishing, Training, writing

Rehabilitation research has long remained in the shadows of other health/medical disciplines, despite its immense potential to reshape patient outcomes and community health. The Rehabilitation Research Symposium Series in Qatar is a significant initiative aligned with global and national frameworks such as the WHO’s (World Health Organization) Rehabilitation 2030 and Qatar’s National Vision 2030.

Advancing Rehabilitation Research: Building Capacity for Evidence-Based Practice:  Level 2 Rehabilitation Research Symposium serves as a powerful response to the growing call for a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to rehabilitation, both locally and globally.  The second day of this symposium, tomorrow (January 4th 2025), includes a session by Bournemouth University’s Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.  He has been invited to help build research capacity in the field of academic writing and publishing.

Bournemouth University collaboration in Qatar centres on academics and clinicians based at Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC).  HMC has been appointed as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Healthy Ageing and Dementia, under auspices of Ministry of Public Health in Qatar.

 

Study of federalisation in Nepal leading to policy brief

conferences, international, Publishing, writing

On Boxing Day and the following day (Dec. 27th) a member of our research team, Amshu Dhakal based at Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHSS), presented findings from our Nepal Federal Health System Project in Kathmandu.  The event, Nepal Health Conclave 2024, was organised by the Ministry of Health and Population and supported by WHO (World Health Organization) Nepal and UNFPA.  The event aimed to help strengthen Nepal’s health services.  This year’s conclave, themed “Bridging the Gap Between Global Expertise and National Needs”, brought together Nepalese diaspora health professionals and national stakeholders to foster collaboration and innovation in health systems.

Amshu presented two posters at the event: (1) The Impact of Decentralisation on Health Systems: A Systematic Review of Reviews which systematically reviewed how decentralisation affects health systems globally, highlighting key opportunities and challenges across WHO’s six building blocks; and (2) Transforming the Health System in Nepal: The Impact of Federalisation, which examined how the transition to a federal system reshaped Nepal’s health system, identifying gaps, opportunities, and actionable recommendations for improvement.

Our research team produced policy briefs in collaboration with government officials/stakeholders from all three levels of government.  The policy briefs can be accessed at the website of our Nepal Federal Health System Project.  This study was funded by the UK Health Systems Research Initiative [Grant ref. MR/T023554/1] to study the consequences for the health system of Nepal’s move from a centralised political system to a more federal government structure in 2015.  This joint project was led by the University of Sheffield in collaboration with Bournemouth University, the University of Huddersfield, Canterbury Christ Church University and two institutions in Nepal, namely MMIHS and PHASE Nepal. 

In late 2022 further funding was awarded by the Medical Research Foundation to Prof. Julie Balen, from Canterbury Christ Church University, to disseminate the findings of our UK Health Systems Research Initiative-funded research in Nepal. In terms of academic dissemination, we have published eight papers from this interdisciplinary project [1-8].

For and from this project, our team produced a comprehensive English-language policy brief as well as a Nepali-language version for politicians and policy-makers and civil servants in Nepal.

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

 

References:

  1. Koirala, B., Rushton, S., Adhikary, P., Balen, J., et al. (2024) COVID-19 as a challenge to Nepal’s newly federalised health system: capacities, responsibilities, and mindsets, Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health (online first) https://doi.org/10.1177/1010539524125012.
  2. Sapkota, S., Rushton, S., van Teijlingen, E., et al. (2024) Participatory policy analysis in health policy and systems research: reflections from a study in Nepal. Health Research & Policy Systems, 22 (No.7) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-023-01092-5 .
  3. Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., et al. (2023) Selection of Study Sites and Participants for Research into Nepal’s Federal Health System, WHO South-East Asia Journal of Public Health 12(2):116-119.
  4. Sapkota, S., Dhakal, A., Rushton S., et al. (2023) The impact of decentralisation on health systems: a systematic review of reviews. BMJ Global Health 8:e013317. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013317.
  5. Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Rushton, S., et al. (2023) Overcoming the Challenges Facing Nepal’s Health System During Federalisation: An Analysis of Health System Building Blocks, Health Research Policy & Systems 21(117) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-023-01033-2
  6. Sapkota, S., Panday, S., Wasti, S.P., et al. (2022) Health System Strengthening: The Role of Public Health in Federal Nepal, Journal of the Nepal Public Health Association 7(1):36-42.
  7. Adhikary, P., Balen, J., Gautam, S., et al. (2020) The COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal: Emerging evidence on the effectiveness of action by, and cooperation between, different levels of government in a federal system, Journal of Karnali Academy of Health Sciences 3 (3): 1-11.
  8. Rushton, S., Pandey, S., van Teijlingen, E., et al. (2021) An Investigation into the Impact of Decentralization on the Health System of Nepal. Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, 7(1): 3–14. https://doi.org/10.3126/jmmihs.v7i1.43146

Dr. Catalin Brylla Leads Diversity and Inclusion Programme for Visible Evidence

conferences, Research Ethics

Dr. Catalin Brylla, Principal Lecturer in Film and TV (FMC) has been appointed Chair of the Visible Evidence Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee. The committee’s programme was launched at the 2025 Visible Evidence Conference at Monash University in Melbourne.

Visible Evidence (VE) is the largest and oldest documentary studies community, having produced a wealth of research by renowned scholars, such as Bill Nichols, Michael Renov, Brian Winston, Patricia Zimmerman and Kate Nash. It has a long history of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research, fostering links between the academy and the media industry, and fusing documentary research, practice and education.

The VE DEI Advisory Committee has been established by the VE Governing Council to diversify its members and expand its outreach. The committee consists of Catalin Brylla as chair, Slava Greenberg, Tory Jeffay, Patrick Kelly and Geoffrey Lokke. Brylla has drawn up a plan to reach early-career researchers, Global South scholars/practitioners and other underrepresented academic and non-academic communities. He draws on his experience as Chair of the Society for Cognitive Studies of the Moving Image DEI Committee, founding member of the Journal of Media Practice’s Diversifying and Decentralizing Research Working Group, and Deputy Director of BU’s Centre for the Study of Conflict, Emotion and Social Justice.

 

The committee’s programme was launched at the 30th Visible Evidence Conference at Monash University, Melbourne, in December 2025. It featured a roundtable with scholars and media practitioners Dr. Shweta Kishore, Dr. Zoe Meng Jiang, Prof. Kate Nash and Prof. Pratāp Rughani, who provided their perspective of diversity and inclusion. The conference also featured the committee’s new mentorship initiative, which pairs up early-career members—including graduate students, junior faculty members and emerging filmmakers—with mid-career and senior scholars or media professionals.

Image above: Prof. Kate Nash presents data on institutional affiliations of first authors submitting to the journal Studies in Documentary Film; there is a distinct lack of submission from Global South scholars.

 

Some of the committee’s action plans include:

  • Organising a DEI-related roundtable and workshop at every VE conference, featuring scholars from the Global South
  • Organise career development ‘clinics’ for early-career researchers
  • Create a VE YouTube channel that features recorded conference presentations for people who cannot attend the conference
  • Liaise with journal editors to commission special issues from Global South scholars
  • Monitoring VE membership and conference participation regarding institutional affiliations and countries

The VE DEI Committee’s programme was launched at Monash University Melbourne, on the unceded lands of the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation. We pay our deepest respect to the traditional owners of this land and acknowledge their ongoing relationship with the lands and waterways. We pay our respect to all Indigenous people, and their elders past and present.

Two new BU midwifery publications

international, open access, writing

This past week, as part of her work with McMaster University in Canada, Bournemouth University’s (BU) Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH) postgraduate PhD student Joanne Rack published a paper in BMJ Open.  This Open Access paper explores the strengths and weaknesses of midwifery research in Canada [1].  Joanne is currently doing a Clinical Doctorate in the  specialising in personalised care for women of advanced maternal age.  This PhD study is matched-funded by University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust and Bournemouth University [BU].  Her PhD is supervised and supported by Professors Vanora Hundley and Edwin van Teijlingen in CMWH, Prof. Ann Luce, deputy dean in BU’s Department of Communication & Journalism as well as Dr. Latha Vinayakarao in Poole Maternity Hospital.

The second midwifery paper ‘Importance of Expanding Midwifery-led Units and Midwifery Care in Reducing Maternal Deaths in Nepal‘, which is also Open Access, has a different international focus, this time on Nepal [2].  The paper is co-authored by Dr. Preeti Mahato and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.  Dr. Preeti Mahato, formerly in BU’s Faculty of Health & Social Sciences, is currently based at Royal Holloway, University of London.

 

 

 

 

References:

  1. Ruby, E., Brunton, G., Rack, J., et al. (2024). Exploring the landscape of Canadian midwifery research: strengths, gaps and priorities – results of a scoping review. BMJ Open 14:e087698. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2024-087698
  2. Mahato, P.,  van Teijlingen, E. (2024). Importance of Expanding Midwifery-led Units and Midwifery Care in Reducing Maternal Deaths in Nepal. Europasian Journal of Medical Sciences 6(1). https://doi.org/10.46405/ejms.v6i1.537

New publications Dr. Pramod Regmi

international, open access, Publishing, Research themes, writing

Dr. Pramod Regmi in the Centre for Wellbeing & Long-Term Health published two new academic papers just before Christmas on health and migration.  The first one was called ‘Health and Wellbeing Among Nepali Migrants: A Scoping Review’ [1], and the second one has the title ‘Returning Home to Nepal after Modern Slavery: Opportunities for Health Promotion’ [2].  Both papers are Open Access and, hence, freely available online!

 

 

 

References:

  1. Mahato, P., Bhusal, S., Regmi, P.,  van Teijlingen, E. (2024). Health and Wellbeing Among Nepali Migrants: A Scoping Review. Journal of Health Promotion, 12(1): 79–90. https://doi.org/10.3126/jhp.v12i1.72699
  2. Paudyal, A.R., Harvey, O., van Teijlingen, E., Regmi, P. R., Sharma, C. (2024). Returning Home to Nepal after Modern Slavery: Opportunities for Health Promotion. Journal of Health Promotion, 12(1): 125–132. https://doi.org/10.3126/jhp.v12i1.72713

Research Connect Seminar Recap: December Highlights

PG research

In this month’s Research Connect seminar, organized by the Department of Marketing, Strategy, and Innovation in the Business School, we had the pleasure of hearing two captivating research presentations. Dr. Dayle Child explored the topic “Too Much of a Good Thing? The Double-Edged Sword of Meaningful Work,” highlighting the benefits and challenges of meaningful work among sales employees. Meanwhile, Shuyu Wan, preparing for her major review, shared her PhD progress on how brand attributes and consumer ethnocentrism/xenocentrism shape Chinese skincare purchase decisions. 

The seminar was well-attended by colleagues and PGR’s and inspired engaging discussions on both topics. This was our final session for 2024. I’m truly grateful for the support and enthusiasm shown by colleagues in presenting, attending, and contributing to this seminar series. Their active participation has been instrumental in enriching our research culture across departments within the Business School. 

Our Research Connect seminars will resume in 2025, with the first session scheduled for January 22nd, 4–5 PM in F306 with an opportunity to continue our research discussion in Dylan’s afterwards. If you have any questions or would like to participate in the 2025 seminar series, feel free to reach out to me at sashraf@bournemouth.ac.uk.  

Wishing you a wonderful festive break and a happy New Year! See you in 2025. 

The Year in Research 2024

2024 has been another great year for research and knowledge exchange at BU. From securing funding to disseminating findings, there’s a lot to celebrate.

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

The Month in Research

Here are just a few highlights from across the past year…

Your achievements

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

  • With BU ECRN Research networking funding, Dr Sarah Hambidge (Faculty of Science and Technology) set up and hosted Unveiling the Digital Trail: A Tabletop Discussion on Cyber Signatures in Human Trafficking. The event was attended by The Home Office, The National Crime Agency, The College of Policing, Chief of Staff to the Anti-Slavery Commissioner, NGOs, a number of UK police forces, and academics. The event was supported by Dr Terri Cole and Dr Kari Davies and co-hosted with the National Police Chiefs’ Council. Read more about the event.
  • PhD student Damla Kuleli (Faculty of Science and Technology; the MINE lab) attended and gave an oral presentation at the 24th ACM International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents in Glasgow, receiving very valuable feedback from the experts and the opportunity to explore and enhance knowledge on embodied and conversational agents. Damla also had their first paper published from their PhD as an extended abstract titled “Exploring Influence of Social Anxiety on Embodied Face Perception during Affective Social Interactions in VR” in the ACM Digital Library, co-authored with supervisors Dr Xun He, Dr Nicola Gregory, Liucheng Guo, Professor Fred Charles, Dr Laura Renshaw-Vuillier, and Chang Hong Liu. The study investigates the early face perception of socially anxious individuals using EEG during social interactions with virtual agents in a VR setting.
  • Professor Amanda Korstjens and Anastasia Vayona (Faculty of Science and Technology) gave a public webinar for the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, on their public engagement project AWE (Augmented Wildlife Experiences), which combines nature and technology to create educational wildlife trails. A recording of the presentation, titled Augmented Wildlife Experiences: AWE trails to support nature connection, can be viewed on the BCS website.

In addition:

  • Research led by Professor Matthew Bennett and Dr Sally Reynolds (Faculty of Science and Technology) at White Sands National Park in New Mexico won the Research Project of the Year: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences award at this year’s Times Higher Education Awards. The project has rewritten understanding of when humans settled in America. Read more here.
  • Professor Vanora Hundley (Faculty of Health and Social Sciences) and Professor Kate Welham (Faculty of Science and Technology) have been appointed to sit on the REF People, Culture and Environment (PCE) pilot panels, exploring the practicalities of the submission and assessment to inform the REF 2029 guidance on PCE. Read more here.
  • Dr Theo Akudjedu (Faculty of Health and Social Sciences) was awarded the European Federation of Radiographer Societies award, in recognition of his research achievements in the field of radiography. Read more here.

Funding 

Congratulations to all those who have had funding for research and knowledge exchange projects and activities awarded in 2024. Across the year, BU received funding for 116 projects, totalling over £7 million.

Highlights include:

  • c.£170,000 in funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to investigate the creative and legal issues around the use of artificial intelligence in media production (Project lead: Dr Szilvia Ruszev, Faculty of Media and Communication) Read more here.
  • c.£1.4m from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to work in partnership with the University of the West of England to deliver the INSIGHT programme for South West Central region, proving research training for health and students and early career professionals. (BU Project lead: Professor Carol Clark, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences). Read more here.
  • c.£77,000 from Cancer Research UK to improve early detection of skin cancer, particularly among under-represented and high-risk groups. (Project lead: Professor Steven Ersser, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences) Read more here.
  • c.£220,000 from Innovate UK for a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Wimborne-based image sharing site ClickASnap to develop a bespoke AI content moderation system for their platform. (Project lead: Dr Simant Prakoonwit, Faculty of Science and Technology) Read more here.
  • c.£2.78m from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to work in partnership with the University of Plymouth to investigate the effectiveness of oral nutritional supplements for malnourished older adults in care home. (BU Project lead: Professor Jane Murphy, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences) Read more here.

Publications

Congratulations to all those who have had work published across the last year.

In total, 1,214 items were added to the BURO online repository in 2024, with over 850,000 downloads throughout the year.

BU was also ranked 13th out of over 1,500 major universities for the proportion of open access research outputs in the CWTS Leiden Ranking 2024. Read more here.

Content for The Year 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, as well as news stories published throughout the year. It is by no means intended to be an exhaustive list. All information is correct as of 19.12.24.

 

First publication FHSS postgraduate student Anjana Paudyal

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

Congratulations to Anjana Paudyal, PhD student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences (FHSS), on the first publication from her PhD work.  Anjana’s PhD research focuses on human trafficking in Nepal.  Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery and it is a common crime aggravated by poverty, political instability, illiteracy, unemployment, as well as climate change. Despite being a global problem, modern slavery is understudied and poorly understood. Victims of modern slavery are exploited and can experience significant physical, psychological, or sexual, and reproductive health problems. Until recently, there has been little research, especially in low-income countries such as Nepal, around the need and opportunities for health promotion and education in this vulnerable group.

Her PhD fits in with Bournemouth University’s collaboration with the Unites States-based La Isla Network, the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Nepal Development Society.   Led by La Isla Network, we are leading the first-ever international effort to research and address trafficking among Nepalese labour migrants. The work is funded by a $4 million cooperative agreement awarded by the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, International Programs.

Reference:

  1. Paudyal, A. R., Harvey, O., Teijlingen, E. van, Regmi, P. R., Sharma, C. (2024). Returning Home to Nepal after Modern Slavery: Opportunities for Health Promotion. Journal of Health Promotion, 12(1), 125–132. https://doi.org/10.3126/jhp.v12i1.72713

Horizon Europe

Funding opportunities

Horizon Europe

12 February 2025

Looking to secure European funding? Then this Horizon Europe event is for you!

This session will cover:

  • Introduction to Horizon Europe
  • Where and how to find EU funding opportunities
  • Panel discussion – What are the most effective ways of building international partnerships and getting involved with peers across Europe?
  • Q&A session

For further information on this event please contact RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk

Book here

Future Leader Fellowship

The next round for the UKRI Future Leader Fellows is coming up. A previous FLF leader, Professor Matt Ryan is visiting Bournemouth University to speak about applying to the FLF scheme and how it has impacted his career.

Professor Matt Ryan, Professor of Governance and Public Policy from Southampton University, will be visiting on 28 January 2025, 2-3pm for an ‘in person’ talk on the Talbot campus. His talk will focus on applying for the Future Leader Fellowship. Matt is the perfect speaker, having been a Future Leaders Fellow since January 2020 through his Rebooting Democracy project. This aims to understand which innovations in public participation restore and sustain democracy. Matt has held visiting positions at the University of Canberra, as JQYA International Fellow at Geothe University- Frankfurt, and as a Turing Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute. He is founding co-director of the Centre for Democratic Futures and Policy Director at the Web Science Institute.  His research crosses several disciplinary boundaries and focuses on democratic innovation, participation in politics and policymaking, as well as improving social research methods.

Book here

BU organised a very successful Theoretical Archaeology Group meeting last weekend

A stand at the TAG meetingLast week we saw over 220 archaeologists from all over the world gather on Talbot Campus for the 45th annual meeting of the Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG), organised by Department of Archaeology and Anthropology staff and students. Over two and a half days, 25 separate sessions with over 230 research papers were presented, mostly in the Fusion Building.

Two keynote lectures were delivered by Prof Ian Hodder on “Archaeological Theory since 1984 and the Politics of Human Displacement” and Gill Hay on “Mrs Thatcher and the privatisation of knowledge: the evolution of archaeological practice in Britain since 1990”.

In addition, key stakeholders such as the Council for British Archaeology and the Chartered Institute for Archaeology, Butser Ancient Farm, BU’s The Sanctuary heritage, craft and wellbeing group, as well as academic publishers and other heritage-related vendors held stalls.

People stood behind a table BU continued the recent TAG tradition of awarding prizes. This year’s TAG Prize for outstanding theoretical contribution was awarded to Dr Rachel Crellin of Leicester University. The Don Henson prize for best student debut paper went to Heather Ford of the University of Glasgow, with three commendable mentions also awarded – one of which went to BU’s postgraduate researcher Ingrid O’Donnell.

Written by Dr Fabio Silva

New research published on Artificial Empathy in the Metaverse

Dimitrios Buhalis new research published on Artificial Empathy in the Metaverse

Assiouras, I., Laserer; C., Buhalis, D., 2025, The Evolution of Artificial Empathy in the Hospitality Metaverse Era, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Volume 126, April 2025, 104063 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2024.104063

Highlights

  • Artificial empathy of intelligent agents can be strengthened in the metaverse.
  • The experimental nature can hinder the development of artificial empathy.
  • The interoperability is critical for the development of artificial empathy.
  • Enhanced empathy of AI agents in metaverse will improve customers’ reactions.
  • Opportunities and challenges arise in the development of human empathy.

Abstract

As hospitality enters the metaverse era, artificial empathy becomes essential for developing artificial intelligence (AI) agents. Using the empathy cycle model, computational empathy frameworks and interdisciplinary research, this conceptual paper proposes a model explaining how artificial empathy will evolve in the hospitality metaverse era. The paper also addresses customer empathy and responses towards AI agents and other human actors within the hospitality context. It explores how metaverse characteristics such as immersiveness, sociability, experiential nature, interoperability, blended virtual and physical environments as well as environmental fidelity will shape computational models and the evolution of artificial empathy. Findings suggest that the metaverse enables AI agents to form a seamless cycle of detection, resonation, and response to consumers’ affective states, facilitating the evolution of artificial empathy. Additionally, the paper outlines conditions under which the artificial empathy cycle may be disrupted and proposes future research questions that can advance our understanding of artificial empathy.

 

 

 

BU Professors appointed to REF People, Culture and Environment (PCE) pilot panels

REF Subjects, Research assessment

Professor Kate Welham and Professor Vanora Hundley have been appointed as members of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) People, Culture and Environment (PCE) pilot panels.

REF 2029 logo

The next REF exercise, due to take place in 2029, will deliver an expanded definition of research excellence – recognising the wide range of research, roles, and people that are essential to the UK’s research system.

A key part of this is the development of the PCE element – assessing the research culture and environment of institutions and how research and researchers are supported.

The PCE pilot panels will explore the practicality of submission and assessment of the various elements of PCE.

In the pilot, a broad sample of 40 HEIs will produce submissions for assessment in a selection of REF Units of Assessment (UoAs). These submissions will be assessed by eight UoA-level pilot panels, with institutional-level submissions examined by a separate panel.

Professor of Midwifery Vanora Hundley, who will sit on the UoA 3 (Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy) panel, said: “People, the research culture and the environment in which researchers work are vital to supporting excellent research.

“I am delighted that REF have made People, Culture and Environment (PCE) a focus for REF2029 and I look forward to working with the panel to develop robust processes to support the PCE element.”

Professor of Archaeological Sciences Kate Welham, who will sit on the pilot panel for UoA11 (Computer Science and Informatics) said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the development of fair and transparent approaches that recognise how quality research is created across the UK. I am really looking forward to working with everyone taking part in the exercise.”

The experience and feedback of the panels will be included in the final pilot report, which will inform the REF 2029 guidance on PCE.

To find out more about the PCE pilot and REF 2029, please visit the REF website

Appreciating Appreciative Inquiry

international, Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing

Prof. Gabriele Bammer, the editor of the i2Insights blogs, highlighted in her ninth annual review that a post created by Bournemouth University academics was one of the website’s  most popular contributions in 2024.  This BU contribution ‘Learning to use Appreciative Inquiry‘ by Dr. Rachel Arnold is in the top eight most viewed this year – in fact it’s the second most viewed blog!

Dr. Rachel Arnold has been lead author on several research papers in the field of Appreciative Inquiry [1-2], in collaboration with current and former Bournemouth Academics, Professor Emerita Sue Way, Dr. Preeto Mahato (now at Royal Holloway, University of London) and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.   Rachel has also been a contributor to a major textbook in the field [3-4].

References:

  1. Arnold, R., Way, S., Mahato, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2024) “I might have cried in the changing room, but I still went to work”. Maternity staff managing roles, responsibilities, and emotions of work and home during COVID-19: an Appreciative Inquiry, Women & Birth 37: 128-136. 
  2. Arnold, R., Gordon, C., Way, S., Mahato, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2022) Why use Appreciative Inquiry? Lessons learned during COVID-19 in a UK maternity service, European Journal of Midwifery 6 (May): 1-7.
  3. Hodgkiss, D., Quinney, S., Slack, T., Barnett, K., Howells, B. (2024a)  Appreciating Health and Care: A practical Appreciative Inquiry resource for the Health and Social Care sector, Forres: Appreciating People; ISBN: 978-1-9160267-6-6
  4. Hodgkiss, D., Quinney, S., Slack, T., Barnett, K., Howells, B. (2024b) Appreciating Health and Care: AI in practice, Forres: Appreciating People.

 

BU academics interviewed for major Greek newspaper on their research on political campaigning and populism

In light of the widespread use of populism by politicians across the world, BU academics Anastasia Veneti and Savvas Voutyras were interviewed by  the Greek newspaper I Epohi on their research on political campaigning and populism.

The front page of a Greek newspaperIn the interview, the researchers explained that there is no single definition of populism. However, there is general consensus that populism comprises a view of politics as a fundamental antagonism between ‘the people’ and ‘the elites’, favouring the interests of the people.

Dr Voutyras argued that, in practice, it is anti-populists who define opponents as populists, regardless of whether they fit any definition. This initially seems to have some strategic advantages, since it categorises opponents as a singular problem and, in this sense, rallies supporters. In the long run, however, this tactic has facilitated the growth of the radical right. Parties that used to be labelled as neo-fascist, racist or authoritarian, have acquired new a label (i.e., ‘populist’) that is easier to manage.

Dr Veneti explained that there is a strand of studies that approach populism as a communication style. In such cases, the main dimensions of populist political actors’ communication are (a) people-centrism, (b) anti-elitism, (c) and reference to outgroups, and we can see these dimensions built in the political message both discursively and visually.

The whole interview can be found here.

Advancing Gender Equality in Higher Education: A Collaborative Initiative

Awarded & submitted bids

Bournemouth University (BU), in partnership with the University of Port Harcourt (UPH) in Nigeria, is leading a transformative project to address gender disparities in higher education institutions (HEIs). Funded through the British Council’s Gender Equality Partnerships Grant, with a project value of £24,869.20, this initiative seeks to foster inclusivity and tackle systemic barriers such as underrepresentation of women in leadership and STEM disciplines, work-life balance challenges, and limited access to opportunities.

The project is led by Dr. Anthony Ezenwa (Bournemouth University) as the Principal Investigator, with Professor Huoma Worlu (UPH) leading the partner institution team and Professor Olufemi M. Adesope (UPH) serving as the Project Manager. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research combines surveys, focus groups, interviews, and institutional analysis to identify gender disparities and co-create actionable policies. Capacity-building training sessions will empower faculty, staff, and students to promote gender sensitivity, inclusive leadership, and advocacy within their academic and professional spaces.

As Dr. Anthony Ezenwa and Team reflect, “This initiative provides an opportunity to close critical gaps in leadership, STEM participation, and institutional inclusivity while driving meaningful, scalable change for HEIs in the Global South.”

The project, expected to run until December 2025, will deliver a robust Gender Equality Policy, pilot implementation frameworks, and practical recommendations to improve gender equity in UPH. The findings aim to inform similar HEIs in developing societies globally, offering a replicable model to advance gender inclusivity in higher education.

Stay tuned for updates on this collaborative effort as we progress towards a more inclusive and equitable academic environment.