THE Connect

Green politics and the cost of capitalist growth

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with Queen's University Belfast, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with John Barry, a professor of green political economy and director of the Queen’s Centre for Sustainability, Equality and Climate Action.

They discuss the ideologies that underpin green politics, the way it challenges capitalist growth models and the importance of radically rethinking widely accepted economic paradigms.

Collaborating to accelerate materials innovation

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with the University of Liverpool, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Karl Coleman, dean of physical sciences, Gabriella Pizzuto, a Royal Academy of Engineering research fellow and lecturer in robotics and chemistry automation, and Alessandro Troisi, a professor of chemistry at the University of Liverpool.

They discuss the university's Materials Discovery Frontier, which brings together diverse disciplines and stakeholders to tackle global challenges and problems.

Streamlining collaboration across health and life sciences

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with the University of Liverpool, host Alistair Lawrence speaks with Shampa Das, professor of antimicrobial therapeutics, Reecha Sofat, Breckenridge chair of clinical pharmacology, and Paul O’Neill, professor of chemistry at the University of Liverpool.

They discuss the university's Therapeutics Innovation Frontier, a platform designed to deliver new therapies and improve existing ones for the benefit of patients locally, nationally and globally.

Interdisciplinary approaches to food security and climate change

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with Queen’s University Belfast, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Aedín Cassidy, chair in nutrition and preventive medicine and director of interdisciplinary research at the Institute for Global Food Security, and Mark Emmerson, professor of biodiversity.

Queen’s University Belfast has been awarded £60 million of joint funding to establish two collaborative, cross-institutional co-centres: the Co-Centre for Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems and the Climate+ Co-Centre. Cassidy and Emmerson discuss how the co-centres will tackle the grand challenges of food sustainability and climate change, looking at why an interdisciplinary approach is so valuable.

Transforming healthcare with data-driven decision-making

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with Queen's University Belfast, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Mark Lawler, associate pro vice-chancellor and professor of digital health, and Philip Dunne, reader in molecular pathology at the Patrick G. Johnston Centre for Cancer Research.

They discuss the growing availability of data in the healthcare sector and explore how this proliferation of information can empower clinicians to make data-driven decisions, elevating the patient experience and improving health outcomes. This data can also be used to spur policy change, acting as a force for positive transformation that’s backed by fact.

Delivering environmentally conscious education in the Philippines

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with the University of Santo Tomas, host Gitanjali Goswami speaks with Moises Norman Garcia and Maria Rosario Virginia Cobar, who are both professors and researchers in the university’s Department of Biological Sciences and the Research Center for Social Sciences and Education. Elfritzon Peralta, programme coordinator at the Organismic and Environmental Biology Cluster, also joins the conversation.

They discuss the University of Santo Tomas’ efforts to integrate environmental awareness into its academic programmes, institutional policies and initiatives, exploring the challenges and successes brought by taking an interdisciplinary approach to addressing the climate crisis

Pushing the frontiers of particle physics globally

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with the University of Liverpool, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Joost Vossebeld, head of particle physics, Eva Vilella Figueras, UKRI Future Leader Fellow in the Department of Physics, and Graziano Venanzoni, Leverhulme International Professor of Physics.

They discuss the unique expertise and infrastructure that the University of Liverpool offers its researchers, allowing them to push the frontiers of particle physics to understand the deepest secrets of the universe.

Unearthing the roots of humanity

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with the University of Liverpool, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Larry Barham, professor in the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, Nicola George, research technical professional at the University of Liverpool's Professor Elizabeth Slater Archaeological Research Laboratories, and Perrice Nkombwe, director of the Moto Moto Museum in Zambia.

They discuss the Deep Roots of Humanity, a collaborative project investigating early technological change in south-central Africa. The project brings together researchers from different disciplines, institutions and academic backgrounds to expand our understanding of the way early humans planned and made tools.

Saving lives with antimicrobial optimisation

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with the University of Liverpool, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Alison Holmes, David Price Evans chair in global health and infectious diseases, William Hope, Dame Sally Davies chair of antimicrobial resistance research, and Ishwar Singh, reader in pharmacology and therapeutics.

They discuss the global challenge posed by antimicrobial resistance and the approaches they are taking to mitigate this threat, from developing new antibiotics to changing the behaviours that lead to their misuse. 

Driving multidisciplinary research to create societal impact

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Megha Nataraj, PhD Scholar in the Department of Physiotherapy, Smita Nayak, additional professor in the Department of Humanities and Management, and Dr B. Unnikrishnan, dean and professor of Community Medicine at Kasturba Medical College.

They discuss the proactive approach MAHE has taken to promoting collaboration across diverse fields of study and encouraging researchers to work together on complex societal challenges.

Why human rights are essential to achieving the SDGs

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with the University of Liverpool, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Amanda Cahill-Ripley and Azadeh Chalabi, both senior lecturers at the university's School of Law and Social Justice.

They discuss how the the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals provide a blueprint for a sustainable future for humanity, and why a healthy critique of existing policies is essential to the development of international human rights law.

Why it’s essential for universities to support staff well-being

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with the University of Lincoln, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Kate Strudwick, dean of teaching and learning, Dave Pritchard, assistant director of the Lincoln Academy of Learning and Teaching, Tracey Laing, head of organisational development, and Rosie Damarell, people engagement and wellbeing manager at the university.

They discuss how institutions can support faculty’s personal and professional development, as well as the importance of offering well-being policies that cater to the needs of a diverse body of staff.

How government, industry and academic collaboration supports research with impact

In this episode of the THE Connect podcast, produced in partnership with the University of Liverpool, host Ashton Wenborn speaks with Andy Cooper, a materials chemist and director of the Materials Innovation Factory, and Anna Slater, university research fellow and senior lecturer, about how close collaboration with industry can help universities solve the world’s most pressing problems.