Constructing Vulnerability Symposium

The CRCC, alongside the Discourse and Rhetoric Group (DARG), hosted the symposium: ‘Constructing Vulnerability’ on Thursday 21st May at Loughborough University.

The event brought scholars from Loughborough University together with distinguished invited speakers from Heriot-Watt University, University of Michigan Medical School and the University of the West of England, to interrogate the communicative construction of vulnerability and its implications. Presentations drew on diverse empirical backgrounds—including digital environments, healthcare delivery, justice systems, and educational institutions––and explored how vulnerability is produced, negotiated, and managed through specific communicative practices.

Defining vulnerability as an interactional concern

Vulnerability denotes exposure to potential harm—a condition that, while applicable across a range of domains, assumes particular ethical and political significance in relation to human subjects. Contemporary discourse frequently designates certain populations as “vulnerable” through political, medical, or regulatory frameworks. Yet vulnerability should not be understood as an inherent or essentialist attribute. Rather, it emerges as a contingent phenomenon, constituted and mediated through social structures, institutional arrangements, political economies, and discursive regimes. Vulnerability, in short, is communicatively constructed across multiple scales and contexts.

Defining persons as vulnerable

The first panel focused on how people are defined, or self-define, as vulnerable. Marc Alexander (Heriot-Watt University), discussed how callers and call-takers establish vulnerability as the basis for support through self description and diagnostic categories during calls to a UK housing helpline. Next, Itoitz Rodrigo-Jusue (Loughborough University) introduced the ways in which individuals are constructed as vulnerable to radicalisation within UK media and political counter-radicalisation discourse. Finally, Kirsty Horsey (Loughborough University) shared how, in the context of surrogacy, legal definitions of vulnerability are primarily framed as a concern for surrogates, and potential surrogates, whilst neglecting the vulnerability of potential parents.  

Vulnerability in institutional settings

After a short break, the focus shifted to how vulnerability is constructed in institutional settings. First, Emma Richardson (Loughborough University) and Laura Jenkins (Loughborough University) discussed how vulnerability is interactionally produced in police investigative interviews to construct and negotiate the reliability of witness and victim’s statements. Next, Kathryn Jordin (Loughborough University) introduced how a child’s emotional vulnerability is constructed and negotiated in adult caregiver responses to their upset in UK preschool settings. Finally, Francesca Williamson (University of Michigan Medical School) shared how vulnerability becomes a specific concern for Black families during discussions about risk and pain management in paediatric surgical consultations.

Reflections on vulnerability and practice

The final panel brought together three presentations that explored vulnerability as a reflexive practice. First, Jo Sims (Loughborough University), Marco Pino (Loughborough University) and Jessica Robles (Loughborough University) discussed how, for patients with life-limiting illnesses, vulnerability is constructed in conversations about their condition and care with palliative care professionals. Next, Paula Saukko (Loughborough University) introduced how those living with eating disorders negotiate vulnerability in online spaces to find support and share their experiences. Finally Penny Litchfield (University of the West of England) and Cristian Tileagǎ (Loughborough University) shared their experiences of navigating their own vulnerability as a researcher during a focused ethnographic project, highlighting that when investigating difficult and traumatic events and experiences, our own vulnerability as researchers is also a valid concern.

Symposium closing

The symposium closed with the organiser, Jessica Robles, thanking presenters for bringing such important discussions about vulnerability for wider consideration, and outlined the hope that through such valuable interdisciplinary dialogue, we can advance theoretical understanding and critical reflection on how communication shapes the politics and experience of vulnerability in contemporary society.

London Summer Break Guide 2026 

Summer is a fantastic time to be in London! The city comes alive with outdoor events, festivals, markets, parks, and cultural experiences that everyone can enjoy. For many of our international students, the summer break is the perfect opportunity to explore the city, discover new places, and make the most of your time in the UK.

To help you plan your summer, we’ve put together a week-by-week guide packed with exciting activities! Whether you’re looking to relax in the sunshine, spend time with friends, or discover something new, there’s plenty to help you make the most of your summer break.

Things To Do in June    

• Here East – Summer by the Canal – From 11^th June – 19^th July watch this summer’s biggest sporting events on the big screen.  

• Taste of London Food Festival | The Regent’s Park, London – Food festival in Regents Park 17^th – 21^st June. Tickets from £24.  

• Summer Screens – Canary Wharf / Summer Screens: Film Club – Canary Wharf: Live sport and film screenings outdoor on the big screen throughout summer. Screenings include, Wimbledon, F1, cricket, gold and a programme of popular films – all free to attend! 

• Alfresco Arts: Theatre – Canary Wharf: A free outdoor arts programme featuring live theatre performances.  

• Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Open from June – September.  Tickets from £1, showing 4 different theatre productions from now (June) until September.  

• World Cup in Vauxhall – Vauxhall: Tickets from £16.88. Watch England’s work cup matches across three large outdoor screens alongside fellow England fans. Street food and drinks available to purchase.  

• Buy tickets – Vauxhall One – Free outdoor screenings of crowed favourite feel good films. Free + small admin fee. 

• Between The Bridges | Open Air Beer Garden | Street Food | Cocktails | Southbank, Central London – Free entry, drinks, food stalls and DJs. Showing Sports throughout the entirety of the summer, including the World Cup. 

• Zoo Nights | London Zoo Every Friday from 5^th June – 24^th July the zoo will be open from 6PM-10PM exclusively to adults. Street food options, live talks, and love music. Tickets  £23.50  

• West End LIVE 2026 | London City Hall – West End Live Saturday 20^th – Sunday 21^st June. Free (first come- first served basis) performances from top West End musicals.  

• Wellness at Canary Wharf goes beyond fitness, blending movement, mindfulness and community to support living well, working well and feeling connected. Wharf Wellness 2026 includes a month programme of free and ticketed wellness events  

• Make and Meet June 2026 – Festival at V&A South Kensington · V&A –Friday 12^th June, specifically for ages 16-26. Hosted at V&A South Kensington and includes a day of free workshops, networking, creative activities, food and museum exhibition access. 

• Marylebone Music Festival  An Orchestral festival 15^th -21^st June. Tickets from £22.50  

• Shōtengai pan-Asian Street Market- King’s Cross Local street markets featuring pan-Asian homeware and street food Thursday 18^th June – Sunday 21^st June.  

Things To Do in July 

• Everyman On The Canal 2026 — Everyman Cinema – free to attend runs until the 16^th August. Programme of films and will also be screening Wimbledon. 

• Sketch and Sip Social at Roof East – The Big Draw Free social at Roof East rooftop bar Stratford. Sunday 26^th July 1:00PM – 3:00PM  

Things To Do in August

• Summer Sounds Music Festival Coal Drops Yard – King’s Cross Free music and performance festival, with a mix of folk, jazz, soul classical and indie rock music. Runs every evening from 13^th– 23^rd August. 

• Greenwich+Docklands International Festival 2026 | 

Wondering about comments on a data management plan? Here's an example

Part of my day job is to comment on data management plans (DMPs) that researchers send to me. Most of them are needed for grant applications, a few for ethics applications and the odd one just because it’s good practice (it is very good practice!). Perhaps you’re wondering what kind of comments you’ll get, so I prompted Copilot to “write a basic 200-word data management for a UKRI grant”. Here’s what it gave me, together with my comments.

By and large, you’ll see that my comments are around specificity. Adding the unique details relevant to your project, institutional setting, and policy environment shows that you’ve put in the time and effort to think through exactly what you might need to manage your data properly.

If you’re new to crafting DMPs or just want to take some of the thinking out of it, I suggest starting with DMPOnline. It’s a great tool that has most of the funders’ requirements preloaded, so you don’t have to look them up. There are helpful tips, sample phrases, and you can share the plan directly with me for comment.

I regularly do online calls with researchers to talk through anything from the basics to the fine details. Or maybe you’d just prefer email – I can be reached at <RDM at lboro.ac.uk>. Always happy to help ☺️

My Experience Renting in London (As a January Starter)

By Puranjay Dixit (Student of MSc Sport Marketing)

As someone who had never left his city, let alone his country, for more than a holiday, accommodation was one of the biggest concerns I had when moving to London. I arrived in January 2026, having booked my flat at the last possible moment. Looking back, it all worked out, but there were definitely things I learned along the way. Let me share my experience of finding accommodation and living in London so far, including what worked for me, what did not, and what I wish I had known before arriving.

I currently live in a student accommodation with four flatmates, sharing a kitchen. On paper, it is one flat, but in reality, it is practically five individual ensuite rooms connected to a shared kitchen. The rooms are not particularly huge, but they are more than sufficient for living as a student for one year. You get a single bed, a pretty large desk, a wardrobe, and an adequately sized bathroom. Considering that bills are included in the amount, amenities like study room, 24×7 security, quick repairs, and the fact that it is in central London, I think it is good value for money.

The building is in a prime location. It is within walking distance of tourist hotspots like King’s Cross and Oxford Street, bustling areas like Islington and Old Street, and landmarks like the British Library and the Emirates stadium.

Unless you have close family or friends living in London, your best tool to find places to stay is on the internet. There are many student housing providers, plus real estate websites if you wish to rent privately.

Having looked at both options, I would personally recommend student accommodation for most students. The paperwork is much simpler and day-to-day living is much more convenient. As a student who has a lot on their plate like coursework and submissions, I find it reassuring to not have to worry about bills and maintenance. The trade-off is usually smaller rooms and shared kitchens, something I do not mind compromising with for a year.

Most student accommodation providers have their own websites where you can browse properties, book viewings, and even finalise and make payments after choosing a room as per your choice. I found the property I live in after searching through various websites and listings, then dropping an email to the accommodation team to discuss availability.

Here are some tips that helped me during my accommodation search:

• Have multiple options. Look everywhere, do not rush to finalise the first or second option you see, even if you are short on time. There are plenty of student housing providers and private landlords in London, there will likely be a better deal out there.

• Do your own research.  Once people know you are looking for accommodation, you will inevitably receive a lot of advice and recommendations. Agencies and housing providers will contact you, friends and family will often have suggestions of their own, and so on. While it is worth listening to different perspectives, I would recommend doing your own research and making your own judgement. Rent prices, amenities, locations, and reviews are all readily available online. Go through it and build your own understanding to find houses, rather than completely relying on what others said.

• Do not shy away from direct approaches. If looking at privately owned houses on property websites, do not be afraid to directly message/email the listed owner. This is also useful if you are starting in January, like I was, because student accommodations usually offer only year-long contracts from September to September. In such cases, the only way you as a January starter can get in is if you take over an existing tenant’s contract.

That is exactly what happened in my case. I emailed the student accommodation I now live in and asked whether they had any vacancies or tenants planning to leave early. They replied within two days, and another two days later I had signed my contract and secured my room.

• Always get a viewing. Do not agree to any contract without having a viewing first. The ideal scenario is to have a friend or relative living in London to go over and view in person, with you on video call. However, if that is not possible, get a virtual viewing. Either way, never book a property based only off photos and videos. .

• Use all available resources. The university offers a service of reviewing your rental agreements before you sign them. Given how common scams are, having someone check the contract is a valuable safeguard and can give you extra peace of mind.

• Do not restrict your options based on area. London has an incredible transport network. Tubes and buses, and even hire bikes, are abundant. You do not have to restrict your options only to the immediate areas around where your university is.

For example, Loughborough London is in Stratford (East London), but I live in Central. I am well connected by bus (40 minutes to reach) and tube (20 minutes to reach). So, it is not the end of the world if you do not find a place near the University, or if you find that one perfect place that happens to be in south London.

I was fortunate to have my girlfriend living in London for five months before I came here. We had already gone through a similar search process for her housing, and her being there greatly helped me before I moved in as well. I also know many students who reached out to friends, relatives, or other contacts in London to attend viewings or communicate directly with landlords on their behalf. If you have someone who can help in that way, make use of it.

In addition to the rent and the authenticity of the place, transport links are just as important as well. As I mentioned before, I do not recommend restricting your search only to areas in immediate proximity of your campus. However, that also does not mean I recommend finding a place that leaves you with a two-hour commute to the campus. Try to find a balance between affordability, location, and convenience.

Another thing to keep in mind, especially if you choose a shared accommodation, is that you can never be certain what flatmates/roommates you may get when you move in. You will have to keep an open mind and have patience. Don’t worry! Its not always bad (I managed to end up with pretty good flatmates).

One advantage of student accommodation is how quickly everything moves. These providers deal with room turnovers regularly, so their processes are usually streamlined. In my case, there were only four days between my first email and signing the final agreement, and I completed everything just two days before flying to London.

That said, I would strongly recommend starting your search as early as possible. Leaving everything until the last minute is stressful and can lead to rushed decisions or higher costs. It is never too early to start. Browsing through options and reaching out to landlords is something you should start as soon as you can. It gives you more time to compare options and negotiate better deals. In fact, you actually have more options if you start early because the London rental market moves fast. Rooms and houses are often rented out quickly, so the later you start, the more options you lose out on.

If there is one thing I wish I had known before moving to London, it is just how fast the housing market moves. Because I live in a student accommodation, I will need to move out when my lease ends. You cannot continue in a student housing after your programme is complete. What I did not realise when I first arrived was that finding your next place often needs to start months in advance, filtering by rent, location, and other agreeable terms. Time flies fast and before you know it, you are in a position where you need to find a new place, and you need to do it quick.

Overall, staying and studying in London is sure to be an exciting and memorable time. Having a good place to go back to at the end of the day is vital, because it dictates how you look back upon your time in the city. Finding accommodation can feel overwhelming at first, but if you start early, do your research, and stay sensible throughout the process, you will put yourself in a great position to enjoy your time in the city.

If you require additional support, our Student Services team can provide guidance on tenancy agreements, renters’ rights, and budgeting for accommodation costs. Visit our accommodation support page to learn more about the support available.

A Student Guide to Private Accommodation in London

By Alexandra Claudia Loreza (Student of MSc Digital Innovation Management)

Moving to London to pursue a postgraduate degree is an incredibly exciting milestone, but if there is one thing that routinely causes anxiety for incoming international students, it is finding a place to live. The London housing market moves at a breakneck pace and operates quite differently from many other global cities. As a student at Loughborough University London, I went through this exact journey. In this blog, I want to share my personal experience, the strategies that worked for me, the challenges I overcame, and my top tips to help you secure a comfortable, stress-free home in the capital.

My London Home: Life in East London

Currently, I live in private rented accommodation in East London. It is a fully furnished, charming 2-bedroom house where I rent a private bedroom and share the common spaces, like the kitchen, bathroom, garden, and reception room—with a housemate. My private bedroom serves as my personal sanctuary and is equipped with everything a student needs: a comfortable double bed, a nightstand, a spacious wardrobe, and a dedicated study desk where I spend hours working on my assignments.

One of the biggest advantages of my location is its not too far from Loughborough University London campus, which is situated in Here East (Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park). From my house, it takes me roughly 25 minutes to get to campus using the Bus 241, or 2 train stops to Stratford. Alternatively, if I want to get some steps in, it is a pleasant 35-minute walk to Stratford Bus Stop X, than continue with free HereEast Shuttle Bus from that bus stop.

The Secret Weapon: Tapping into Cultural and Student Communities

When I first started looking for accommodation, standard commercial platforms felt overwhelming and highly competitive. As an Indonesian student, I managed to find my current house through the Indonesian community WhatsApp Group.

Many nationalities and student groups maintain active networks specifically to support one another. Organizations like the Indonesian Student Association (PPI), Southeast Asian Student Community, Vietnamese Student Community, Indian Student Community, and Singaporean

Student Community have dedicated Instagram accounts, WhatsApp groups, or Telegram channels. In these groups, current students or departing alumni frequently post sublets, rooms for rent, or entire flats before they even hit the open market. This community-focused approach bypasses a lot of the traditional rental market stress and if you prefer to share a house with someone that came from the same place like you.

Top Tips for a Successful Accommodation Search

Based on my successful search and what I saw other students go through, here are my absolute golden rules for finding accommodation in London:

• Be Aggressively Early: The moment you have paid your tuition deposit or received your CAS/visa confirmation, start looking. Do not wait until August or September, as that is peak student migration season and prices skyrocket while availability plummets.

• Check Platforms Daily (and Act Fast): Good rooms in London can disappear within hours of being posted. Make it a habit to check student communities and rental platforms multiple times a day. If you see something you like, message the provider immediately. Speed is everything.

• Leverage Your Network: Don’t be shy! Ask your friends, seniors, family or anyone you know who already lives in London if they know of an available room or a tenant who is moving out soon. Word of mouth is incredibly powerful.

• Prioritize Personal Comfort: Remember that as a master’s student, you will spend a massive portion of your time in your room studying, writing essays, and resting. Ensure the environment is one where you feel safe, comfortable, and productive.

Overcoming Challenges: Navigating Remote Viewings and Avoiding Scams

I personally did not face any major contractual disasters during my search, but the biggest challenge I encountered—which almost every international student faces—was managing the search remotely. When you are overseas, you cannot attend property viewings in person, leaving you to rely strictly on pictures or pre-recorded videos.

To overcome this hurdle and ensure I wasn’t falling into a trap, I used a couple of key strategies. First, if you have a friend, relative, or acquaintance already living in London, ask them nicely if they can do an in-person viewing on your behalf. If that is not possible, explicitly ask the landlord or agent to send a live, updated video walk-through of the room and flat, or request a live video call via Zoom or WhatsApp. Additionally, always conduct in-depth research on the property owner or letting agency. Look up their reviews online, check if they are registered with a professional body (like ARLA Propertymark), and never transfer money unless you have a legally binding contract and verified credentials.

What I Wish I Knew Before I Started Looking

If I could go back in time and give myself one critical piece of advice, it would be this: Understand London’s transport infrastructure deeply, and do not rely on just one line!

London transport is fantastic, but Tube and rail strikes happen fairly regularly, and lines occasionally undergo maintenance. If you live in an area that relies solely on a single Underground line, a strike can leave you completely stranded or facing exorbitant Uber fares. I highly recommend finding a location with excellent multi-modal transport options—somewhere that gives you quick access to a reliable Tube line, multiple bus routes, the DLR, or the Elizabeth line.

Stratford is a perfect example of a multi-modal hub, which is why staying near campus or around East London is highly advantageous. Living near campus not only saves you significant amounts of money on daily transport fares (which add up quickly!), but it also insulates you from travel disruptions.

Good luck with your accommodation hunt! London is an incredible city, and finding the right place to live is the first step toward an unforgettable student experience at Loughborough University London.

IAS Residential Fellowship applications smash previous record in 2026!

Applications for the Institute of Advanced Studies flagship Residential Fellowship programme more than quadrupled for the 2026/2027 academic year.

For the third year running, application numbers have increased for the Residential Fellowship programme. The IAS Residential Fellowship programme offers outstanding international researchers the opportunity to undertake a month-long research residency at Loughborough University. Open to scholars from all disciplines and career stages, the programme is designed to bring leading international researchers into the University’s vibrant research community to develop new collaborations, exchange ideas and explore innovative research directions through interdisciplinary research.

Since Professor Songchun Moon arrived as the Institute’s first Residential Fellow from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in October 2022, the Institute of Advanced Studies has hosted 47 Residential Fellows from 22 different countries from every continent except Antarctica. This has resulted in fellows spending a combined total of 1,733 days in residence at Loughborough University. To date, the IAS has hosted Residential Fellows from world leading academic institutions like UC Berkley and Monash University as well as from corporations such as Google and British Embassy Kathmandu.

This year, the IAS received over 300 applications for the 2026/2027residency coming from 67 countries, up from 69 applications in the previous year. Each year, the IAS appoints 10 to 15 Residential Fellows, who, during their residency, collaborate with Loughborough academics and expand their Loughborough networks on both campuses, helping to foster meaningful partnerships that extend beyond the Fellowship period. This leads to lasting legacy through joint publications, collaborative funding applications and future research projects, creating an enduring impact of international scholarly exchange.

Reflecting on the continued success of the Residential Fellowship Programme, the Director of the IAS Professor Ksenia Chmutina states:

“It’s really exciting to see our IAS being recognised as a destination for Residential Fellowships – it is attracting academics from all disciplines and from all around the world! This is only possible thanks to the wonderful and meaningful research that our colleagues do and the support that the IAS receives from the University. It’s wonderful to see our international community grow – and we look forward to welcoming the new cohort of 15 Residential Fellows to Loughborough.”

The sharp rise in applications reflects the growing international reputation of both Loughborough University and the Institute of Advanced Studies and its Residential Fellowship programme.

A map showing the global outreach of the Loughborough Institute of Advanced Studies Residential Fellowship Programme.

Dr Maali D. Alshamarri reflected on her Residential Fellowship in July 2025 by stating: “My time as a Residential Fellow… was a rewarding opportunity to step beyond institutional boundaries and engage with a vibrant, interdisciplinary academic community.”

As a result of the competitive application process, the Institute looks forward to welcoming 15 Residential Fellows in the 2026/2027 academic year. For more information on the Residential Fellowship programme, including how to apply for the 2027/2028 academic year, as well as other opportunities, please visit the IAS website using the button below.

Will Norriss – IAS Doctoral Leader

Erik Solheim on Diplomacy, Development and Global Challenges

By Venthan Kathiramalai (student of MSc Security, Peace-building and Diplomacy)

On Monday 11 May, students, staff, and guests gathered at Loughborough University London for an evening discussion with Mr Erik Solheim on diplomacy, international development, conflict resolution, and global challenges. The event, titled Diplomacy, Development and Global Challenges: In Conversation with Mr Erik Solheim, brought together individuals from a wide range of academic and personal backgrounds for what became a thoughtful discussion on some of the most difficult political questions facing the world today.

Mr Solheim has had a distinguished career in diplomacy and international development. Over the years, he has held senior positions including Norway’s Minister of International Development and Minister of the Environment, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and Chair of the OECD Development Assistance Committee. He has also played central roles in several international peace processes, including in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Sudan, and Myanmar.

The evening provided students with the opportunity to hear directly from someone who has spent decades working at the intersection of diplomacy, negotiation, development, environmental governance, and conflict resolution. While many discussions surrounding international politics often remain abstract or theoretical within classrooms, Mr Solheim’s reflections grounded these issues in lived diplomatic experience.

A major focus of the discussion centred around the realities of conflict and peacebuilding. Mr Solheim spoke candidly about the complexity of negotiations and the immense challenges involved in bringing opposing sides together after prolonged periods of violence, distrust, and political division. One point that particularly resonated with attendees was his view that compromise should not automatically be seen as weakness. Instead, he described compromise as one of the most difficult yet necessary aspects of diplomacy and conflict resolution.

Drawing from his experiences in Sri Lanka, Mr Solheim reflected on the peace process during the early 2000s and the pressures faced by all sides involved. He explained that negotiations are rarely as simple as “two sides sitting at a table.” Behind every formal peace process are multiple layers of political tension, internal division, competing interests, public pressure, and historical trauma.

He discussed how, on the Sri Lankan state side, political parties often deeply distrusted one another and frequently focused on identifying weaknesses or failures within the negotiation process itself. Simultaneously, on the Tamil side, there were tensions surrounding representation, legitimacy, and inclusion, with questions emerging from other militant and political groups regarding why they were not directly included within the talks.

Mr Solheim also reflected on the nature of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during this period. He explained that while the LTTE were an extremely strong military force, they were not politicians in the traditional sense, which created major challenges within negotiations and political settlement-building. This distinction between military capability and political governance became an important point of discussion throughout the evening.

One particularly thought-provoking aspect of the event was the discussion around the motivations behind peace negotiations themselves. Mr Solheim reflected on the misconception that armed groups only pursue negotiations from positions of weakness. Referring to Sri Lanka specifically, he noted that the LTTE entered peace talks during a period in which they were arguably at the height of their military strength. This included the aftermath of major developments such as the capture of Elephant Pass and the attack on Bandaranaike International Airport, both of which significantly impacted the Sri Lankan state.

His reflections encouraged students to think more critically about how peace processes emerge and how political actors perceive negotiation, compromise, leverage, and legitimacy during periods of conflict.

The conversation also expanded beyond Sri Lanka and into broader global trends surrounding war, diplomacy, and international instability. Mr Solheim reflected on conflicts across different regions of the world, including Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza, Myanmar, and Nepal, discussing recurring patterns that emerge within prolonged conflicts.

One particularly striking part of the discussion was Mr Solheim’s reflections on lessons drawn from peace processes and wars across different parts of the world, including Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Sudan, Iran, Ukraine, and Gaza.

He noted that one of the most important lessons from modern conflicts is that wars almost always become far more prolonged and destructive than those initiating them expect. Referring to examples ranging from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to historical conflicts such as Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union during the Second World War, he reflected on how political leaders repeatedly underestimate the complexity, resistance, and long-term human consequences of war.

This broader reflection led into discussion around the importance of diplomacy, communication, and sustained peacebuilding efforts internationally. Rather than seeing conflict as something resolved quickly through force alone, the evening emphasised the importance of developing stronger global conversations and movements centred around peace, negotiation, and long-term political understanding.

Students also engaged with Mr Solheim on questions surrounding international development and environmental governance. Given his experience leading UNEP and working across sustainability initiatives globally, he reflected on how climate change, development inequality, conflict, migration, and governance are increasingly interconnected.

Rather than treating environmental issues as separate from diplomacy or development, Mr Solheim emphasised that modern policymakers and diplomats must increasingly understand these issues as deeply linked. Environmental instability can fuel political instability, displacement, and economic hardship, while poor governance and conflict can simultaneously undermine environmental protections and long-term sustainability.

A recurring theme throughout the evening was communication, particularly the importance of communicating complex political and diplomatic ideas to wider audiences. Students studying diplomacy, development, and sustainability were particularly interested in hearing how international actors communicate with governments, civil society, businesses, media institutions, and the public.

Mr Solheim reflected on how effective diplomacy often requires not only negotiation behind closed doors, but also the ability to communicate difficult realities across deeply divided societies. This aspect of the discussion was especially valuable for students hoping to enter careers in international relations, development, policymaking, or global governance.

Outside of the formal lecture itself, many students also valued the opportunity to speak with Mr Solheim more informally during the networking session afterwards. Conversations continued around reconciliation, identity, diaspora communities, and the responsibilities of younger generations engaging with questions of conflict and political history.

Another important reflection emerging from the evening concerned the importance of historical understanding across communities affected by conflict. Discussions throughout the event highlighted how easily societies can become trapped within singular narratives, often without fully engaging with the experiences and fears of others involved.

This led to broader reflections on the need for stronger cultures of dialogue and peacebuilding within societies themselves. While governments and international actors remain important, lasting peace also depends on ordinary people creating space for understanding, education, and serious conversation rather than constant division.

A point that resonated strongly with many students was the reminder that political conflicts are ultimately lived and suffered by ordinary people. Decisions made through anger, fear, ideology, or reaction carry real human consequences for families, communities, and future generations.

In many ways, the evening demonstrated the importance of universities as spaces for serious dialogue. Discussions around conflict, peacebuilding, reconciliation, and diplomacy are often emotionally charged and politically sensitive. However, events such as this show the value of creating environments where difficult conversations can still take place thoughtfully, respectfully, and critically.

The event also highlighted the appetite students have for engaging directly with practitioners and individuals who have worked at senior levels within international affairs. For many students, hearing first-hand reflections from someone deeply involved in peace processes and international governance provided perspectives that extend beyond textbooks and classroom theory.

Importantly, the discussion was not framed around simplistic conclusions or easy answers. Instead, students were encouraged to grapple with complexity, to recognise that conflict resolution is rarely straightforward, that diplomacy often involves compromise between imperfect options, and that historical events are shaped by multiple actors, pressures, fears, and competing visions.

The atmosphere throughout the evening reflected this seriousness. Students remained engaged throughout the discussion and continued conversations long after the formal event had concluded. Many attendees expressed appreciation for the honesty, depth, and nuance that Mr Solheim brought to the discussion.

Loughborough University London would like to thank Mr Erik Solheim once again for taking the time to visit, speak with students, and share his experiences and reflections so openly.

60 years of Loughborough University

Did you make it to this year’s Alumni Reunion Weekend? It was a special celebration to mark 60 years of the University and 50 years of the Students’ Union!

The archives created some eye-catching posters for the event that showcased the incredible archive material we hold from across the decades. It was a fantastic opportunity to highlight the stories and memories that make our institution so incredible.

We also welcomed Students’ Union colleagues into the archives, giving them the chance to explore and share their own celebratory content.

So, where did it all begin 60 years ago? While we’re celebrating our University ‘diamond jubilee’, our story actually stretches back even further, to 1909, with the founding of Loughborough Technical Institute (you can explore this more on our website.)

But 60 years ago, in 1966, we were granted University status, becoming Loughborough University of Technology — proudly recognised as the UK’s first technological university.

The 1970s brought exciting changes. In 1975, the Union of Loughborough Colleges joined forces with the Loughborough University of Technology Students’ Union, creating the Loughborough Students’ Union (LSU).

Just a couple of years later, in 1977, the University amalgamated with Loughborough College of Education, marking the return of Sports Sciences and Physical Education. Paving the way for the sporting excellence we see today. The department is also marking its 50th anniversary, so keep an eye out for more celebrations.

The 1980s saw the opening of the iconic Pilkington Library, along with a memorable royal visit from Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1996, a bold new chapter began when the University dropped “of Technology” from its name, becoming simply Loughborough University. This evolution continued in 1998 with the amalgamation with the College of Art and Design, further enriching the University’s creative offering.

The 2000s brought a period of transformative expansion, with major campus developments and land acquisitions helping to cement Loughborough’s reputation as a global leader in sport, supported by world-class facilities.

That reputation shone through in 2012, when the campus was chosen as the official preparation camp for Team GB ahead of the Olympics and welcoming the Olympic Torch Relay as it passed through. Then in 2015, the opening of Loughborough University London at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park marked another exciting step in the University’s history.

And this is just the beginning… who knows what the next 60 years will bring?

Five Minutes With: Bee King

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I’m a Technical Tutor in Textiles and a Hall Warden. I’ve been working at Loughborough since April 2009.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

First thing in the morning (whilst drinking a large coffee), I check our incident logs/emails so I’m up to date with anything that needs doing urgently in our hall. Following that, there’s not really a ‘typical’ day in the Stitch and Digital Embroidery workshop. Depending on the time of year, I’ll have practical workshop or lab-based teaching for all levels of students from a number of different programs. If I’m not teaching, then I’ll have ‘scheduled workshop access’, meaning that any student who has had an induction can come and work in the space or ask for assistance with their project.

Recently, I’ve been asked how to seal seams on an inflatable blimp, to help optimise digital embroidery files for output, to demonstrate how to make ‘applied fabric yoyos’, to make a pattern for a custom kimono-style pyjama top, and to help design a waist support to hold a medical device, to name a few. In the evenings, I might have meetings with my team of PhD student subwardens, my hall committee, hall events, meetings with students or hall admin, but this isn’t every day.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

I’ve loved working with Tim Head, a conceptual artist who came to me via Prof. Phillip Lindley with a problem to solve using digital embroidery. He’d been told by a commercial partner that his desired output was not possible due to the size and detail specifications. I thought, “Perfect, challenge accepted!” The work has since appeared in exhibitions and periodicals and is due to appear at an exhibition of collaborative work here at Loughborough in the not-too-distant future.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

Honestly, watching students overcome all manner of issues from their work outputs to life in general, knowing that I’ve contributed in any way, makes me happy. I enjoy watching them grow further after Loughborough. In 2024, my team were awarded ‘Warden Team of the Year’ for our efforts in supporting students in the hall. For that recognition to come from our students makes me proud.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

It may sound clichéd, working in the School of Design and Creative Arts, but I would have to say ‘Creative’ because it works two-fold. We do work imaginatively and innovatively in our School. We also find solutions, and we are smart in the way that we apply our resources and capitalise on our strengths. This is not only in our work but also in life, and how we encourage our students to overcome day-to-day issues.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

I’m mum to a 13-year-old human, 20 chickens, two cats and an axolotl! One of my hobbies is paddleboarding, which I used to coach but is now just a chilled-out way for me and my daughter to get away from everything and spend time together.

What is your favourite quote?

“It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.” – Alice, in Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’.

If you would like to feature in ‘Five Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Martha Causier at m.causier@lboro.ac.uk.

Top 10 Views for May 2026

I’m not surprised that Joanna’s thesis is at the top of the charts. Such an interesting study! Conferences, theses, and journal articles are the most viewed this month, with only one report [7] as an unusual item type.

BioBlitz 2026: Capturing a snapshot of campus biodiversity

On Wednesday 22nd April, colleagues came together for an afternoon of nature discovery as part of Loughborough University’s involvement in the Nature Friendly Grounds programme.

Our BioBlitz event offered a chance to step away from desks and screens, get outdoors and explore the biodiversity thriving right here on campus. The results show just how rich that biodiversity is!

What is a BioBlitz?

A BioBlitz is a collaborative effort to record as many species as possible within a set period. It’s a simple but powerful way to build awareness of local wildlife while contributing to global citizen science.

The session began with a 30-minute training delivered by SOS-UK, who provided practical guidance on wildlife identification, survey techniques and how to upload observations using the iNaturalist app. We then headed out across campus to put their new skills into action.

What we Found

In just three hours, we recorded 144 observations across 92 different species. The snapshot highlights the diversity of life across our university grounds and reinforces the importance of managing these spaces in a nature-friendly way. All observations were uploaded to iNaturalist, which contributes to a dataset used by researchers and conservationists across the globe.

Reflections

We were joined by many enthusiastic staff members from across the university, whose curiosity and energy made the afternoon a real success. We had strong engagement from staff at the BioBlitz. We’re now looking ahead to expanding participation and encouraging more students to get involved in upcoming events.

We’d also love to keep up the momentum, as we believe a BioBlitz should be just a one off activity. Everyone can continue recording and identifying species in their own time, helping to build an even richer picture of biodiversity on campus throughout the year.

Get involved: Next BioBlitz

We’ll be running another BioBlitz on Wednesday 8th July 2026. Sign up using the link here.

Whether you’re completely new to biodiversity or already have an interest, everyone is welcome and no prior experience is needed. It’s a great opportunity to get outdoors, learn new skills and contribute to meaningful environmental data collection.

New training offer: Biodiversity Literacy Training

Alongside events like the BioBlitz, we are now offering Biodiversity Literacy Training (BLT) which is a fantastic opportunity to deepen your understanding of the nature crisis and learn how to take action.

What is Biodiversity Literacy Training?

This professional development course developed by the University of Edinburgh helps individuals and organisations:

• Understand the biodiversity and nature crisis
• Build skills to contribute to the nature-positive movement
• Identify practical actions within their own roles and influence

What will you gain?

Participants will benefit from:

• A strong foundation in biodiversity knowledge
• Practical ways to take nature-positive action
• Skills to communicate the value of biodiversity to others
• Insight into global efforts to restore nature
• Certified professional development to enhance your CV

Upcoming online sessions

• Thursday 2 July 2026 – https://forms.office.com/e/mD2iwfvRTi
• Thursday 24 September 2026 – https://forms.office.com/e/yWiPrc6RKU
• Wednesday 18 November 2026 – https://forms.office.com/e/WVgDCJMeC7

Looking ahead

The BioBlitz demonstrated just how much nature surrounds us on campus and how easy it is for us all to play a part in recording and protecting it. As we continue to develop our Nature Friendly Grounds approach, both hands-on events and training opportunities like BLT will be crucial in building knowledge, engagement and action across the university community.

We hope to see even more of you at the next BioBlitz in July. In the meantime, why not get outside, start spotting and keep the observations coming!

This blog was written by Kedijah Eaves-O’Connor, Sustainability Projects Officer at Loughborough University.

Private student accommodation options

Copyright and Sustainability: Why Upcycling Challenges Traditional IP Boundaries

If you read this blog, you might have noticed that I advocate a lot for sustainability. We only have one planet and the news about its survival is not great. So far there have been five mass extinction events, the fifth one saw the dinosaurs disappear. We are now rapidly going towards the sixth mass extinction event.

Unlike earlier mass extinctions driven by natural forces, the current sixth mass extinction is largely the result of human activity. Its main drivers include the unsustainable exploitation of land, water, and energy resources, as well as climate change. Today, around 40% of the Earth’s land surface has been transformed for food production. Agriculture alone is responsible for approximately 90% of global deforestation and consumes about 70% of the world’s freshwater, profoundly disrupting ecosystems and destroying habitats for countless species.

I really know how to bring things down, do I not? But it is important to understand that we all live together on this planet. For example, no pollinators, no food. When I was a child, growing up in somewhat rural Romania, during Summer there was always a hum in the air: bees, wasps, so many butterflies, Old World Swallowtail for example, and so many moths the moment the sun went down. Especially the hummingbird hawk-moth which is very cute. But in the UK, I have noticed a drop in pollinators. Yes, invasive species like the evil Asian hornet are not helping. Or the upcoming super or not so super El Nino, however strong or not it will be, it will still most likely have devastating effects on the climate and biodiversity.

There are some positive news out there but more should be done. Now I am sure by now you are wondering why I am talking about climate when this blog is about copyright. Well, because copyright and other IPs can have an unwanted effect on sustainability. Specifically fashion and upcycling *cue dramatic music*.

The Rise of Upcycling in the Circular Economy

Upcycling is not a new term. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, upcycling was a common practice to repair goods. Upcycling is basically using by-products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products, and transforming them into new materials which are perceived to have greater quality, due to artistic or environmental value.

Upcycling is a key strategy within the circular economy, aimed at reducing resource consumption by increasing the value of existing products and keeping materials in use for longer. By promoting repair and repurposing, upcycling extends product lifespans and helps minimise waste. As global population growth continues to drive higher levels of consumption and disposal, sustainable practices such as upcycling play an important role in addressing these challenges. By combining recycling methods with creative innovation, upcycling transforms materials without degrading their quality.

Traditional IP Frameworks: Built for a Linear Economy

As mentioned throughout the multiple blog posts, which you can browse and have a read, anything and everything we use in our daily life, has multiple IPs associated with it.  A good example would be the latest blog post around board games, Pass Go, Collect Copyright: The Legal Side of Board Games.

Copyright, trademark, and design rights are all structured around clear notions of authorship, ownership, and controlled distribution. These frameworks are designed to protect original works and maintain the integrity of brands within a predictable commercial lifecycle. However, they were not developed with reuse, modification, or extended product lifespans in mind. As a result, when products are repurposed or reintroduced into the market through upcycling, these legal structures can struggle to accommodate practices that challenge their foundational assumptions. As well as their bottom line.

The global fashion and textile industry continues to rely heavily on linear business models centred on the constant production of new garments and accessories. In many cases, these items are effectively designed with disposability in mind, as rapidly shifting, artificially constructed trends encourage consumers to refresh their wardrobes season after season. Such “trash-by-design” models are fundamentally at odds with sustainability objectives, including those outlined in initiatives like the EU Green Deal, and are widely regarded as environmentally unsustainable.

As a result, the fashion and textile sector has become one of the largest contributors to global pollution, accounting for an estimated 10 per cent of worldwide carbon emissions, more than international aviation and maritime shipping combined. Driven by the expansion of the global middle class, clothing consumption has risen sharply throughout the twenty-first century. This pattern of conspicuous consumption is especially pronounced in wealthier regions of the Global North. For instance, the average individual in Scandinavia purchases between twenty-six and forty-eight garments each year and discards approximately eleven kilograms of textiles. Similarly, reports suggest that the average consumer in the United States purchased as many as sixty-eight new garments in 2018 alone. Meanwhile, vast quantities of discarded clothing are exported from the Global North to countries in the Global South. It is estimated that around half a million tonnes of textile waste from developed nations end up in landfills in developing countries, much of which may never be recycled.

In Ghana, these clothes are called “dead white man’s clothes”. This is what our addiction, fashion influencers and fast fashion brands do. They tell us we cannot live without it, when we can.

When Ownership Ends and IP Rights Persist

Under the principle of exhaustion, intellectual property law generally permits the resale of genuine products within a particular country or region. Once a product has been placed on the market by the rights holder, or with their consent, such as through licensed manufacturers or authorised distributors, the relevant IP rights are typically considered exhausted. As a result, the rights holder is no longer able to prevent third parties from reselling those goods. This principle, in varying forms, applies across trademark, copyright, and design law.

However, this freedom does not necessarily extend to products that have been altered. For instance, under EU trademark law, although the authorised first sale of branded goods within the European Economic Area (EEA) may exhaust trademark rights, the trademark owner can still oppose further commercialisation where there are “legitimate reasons” to do so. Such reasons arise where the condition of the goods has been changed or impaired after they were placed on the market, precisely the situation in many cases of upcycling.

Simply put, I can sell unloved items on eBay or Vinted or whatever marketplace there is for preloved items, but I cannot change it and resell it as something else.

Upcycling as Transformation or Infringement?

Upcycling often involves modifying existing products in ways that raise difficult legal questions about transformation and originality. At what point does an altered item become a new creation, rather than an unauthorised adaptation? In some cases, upcycling may be seen as a creative, value-adding process that produces something distinct from the original work. In others, it may be viewed as infringing on the rights of the original creator, particularly where identifiable elements, such as logos or distinctive designs, are retained. The lack of clear thresholds for what constitutes sufficient transformation means that many upcycling activities exist in a legal grey area.

Although discussions of upcycling often focus on copyright, trademark law is frequently at the centre of legal disputes. Trademarks function to indicate the origin of goods and to protect brand identity, making them especially sensitive in cases where branded products are altered and resold. If an upcycled item retains visible branding, there is a risk that consumers may assume it has been endorsed or authorised by the original brand. This potential for confusion can give rise to claims of infringement or passing off. As a result, even where upcycling involves substantial creative input, the continued presence of trademarks can significantly increase legal risk.

A Paris court has recently ruled in favour of Chanel in a dispute with Kamad Reworked, finding that the French upcycling company infringed Chanel’s trademarks by selling jewellery incorporating branded buttons, hardware, and other elements bearing the iconic interlocking “CC” logo and CHANEL word marks. The court rejected Kamad Reworked’s argument that its products constituted independent upcycled creations derived from authentic Chanel goods and were therefore exempt from trademark liability. Instead, it held that the use of genuine Chanel components does not permit their incorporation into new designs for commercial sale without Chanel’s authorisation.

Competing Interests: Sustainability vs Brand Control

Let me be clear, as someone who works in IP and advocates for IP rights, this blog is not meant to be a bashing of brands, but a realisation that we cannot continue as we have, and we are the ones that can create change.

Although intellectual property rights are not absolute monopolies, they confer a broad and expanding scope of protection on creators, innovators, and businesses. Their purpose is to incentivise creativity and innovation by ensuring that those who produce culturally, economically, or socially valuable outputs, across fields such as art, literature, science, and industry, can reap the rewards of their efforts.

Upcyclers:

• Promote waste reduction
• Encourage creativity and reuse

Brands:

• Protect reputation and quality
• Control commercial use of their identity

The legal challenges surrounding upcycling reflect a broader tension between sustainability goals and the protection of intellectual property rights. On one hand, upcyclers contribute to environmental objectives by reducing waste and promoting resource efficiency. Their work often embodies principles of creativity, repair, and reuse that are central to the circular economy. On the other hand, brands have legitimate interests in safeguarding their reputation, ensuring quality control, and maintaining the exclusivity of their products. These competing priorities can bring sustainability advocates and rights holders into conflict, highlighting the difficulty of balancing environmental innovation with established legal protections.

Redrawing IP Boundaries in a Sustainable Future

So how do we redraw the lines of IP protection and a sustainable future?! An answer to this might be the human right to a healthy environment.

Over the past fifty years, the efforts put in toward sustainable development, the intellectual property system has often been misaligned with these objectives. As this position is increasingly seen as unsustainable, there is a growing need to integrate sustainability considerations and principles into the intellectual property rights framework.

Until the laws fit the world we wish to live in, we need to create a sustainable future. For example, using apps like Good on you, which highlight brands that do go the extra mile in sustainability but also human and animal rights. You could try:

• Eat less (and better) meat and dairy
  Shift towards more plant-based foods to reduce your environmental impact and lower emissions from livestock farming.
• Avoid products containing palm oil
  Palm oil production is a major driver of deforestation and biodiversity loss, particularly in Southeast Asia.
• Reduce food waste
  Plan meals, use leftovers, and avoid overbuying to cut down on the significant amount of food wasted globally.
• Buy less and prioritise quality
  Reduce overall consumption by purchasing fewer, longer-lasting items and repairing instead of replacing.
• Choose sustainable wood and paper products
  Opt for reclaimed, recycled, or responsibly sourced materials to help protect forests and ecosystems.  
• Be mindful of overconsumption
  Recognise how constant purchasing drives environmental harm and focus on consuming only what you need.
• Support ethical and sustainable production practices
  Use your purchasing power to back companies that prioritise environmental protection and fair supply chains.

For example, I am pescatarian (mainly cause it’s hard to find vegetarian meals when going out, especially in small rural areas in Eastern Europe). The backlash I got when I decided to go initially vegetarian in Romania…I was constantly bombarded with I am unhealthy and ill, and what do I eat….I also tend to use natural products as much as possible, beauty products I tend to buy from South Korea because they are generally (not always) cleaner than Western products. We have only one car in our household, it is electric, and we are moving away from gas heating by installing an air source heat pump and looking at getting solar panels. Many people nowadays will look at buying homes that are green and eco-friendly. I refuse to look at any homes that do not have air source heat pumps or solar panels.

We have only one planet Earth, let’s make sure we protect it!

Further reading

Copyright Moral Rights Protection and Environmental Sustainability

Upcycling under EU copyright law: from infringement risks to protectability requirements

Upcycling and refurbishment: A guide for trade mark owners

Is Upcycling the New IP Infringement?

The Cambridge Handbook of Intellectual Property and Upcycling

Greenifying Copyright

Upcycling, Sustainable Creativity and Sustainable Lifespan -A Model for Assessing Copyright Infringements

The Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion, Explained

Fast fashion: EU laws for sustainable textile consumption

This Earth Day 🌍I wanted to take pause and consider fast fashion and waste [Instagram post]

A Critical Lens on Shein’s Extended Producer Responsibility Fund: Fast Fashion Greenwashing?

20+ absurd facts & stats about fast-fashion’s impact

Fashion Waste – 2025 Facts & Statistics

Toolkit: How To Sustainably Shop For Your Clothes

Everyday choices impact our planet

The information contained in this blog post should be taken as recommended advice or guidance but should not be taken as legal advice. If in any doubt, please seek proper legal advice. Images licensed from Adobe Stock. 

World Environment Day - how Universities can champion climate action

The 5^th June marks World Environment Day, an annual date that brings together governments, communities and institutions to reflect on the health of our planet and take meaningful action. For universities, the day is more than a moment of awareness – it is a call to lead. As hubs of research, innovation and future leadership, universities are uniquely positioned to champion climate action in ways that ripple far beyond campus boundaries.

In a period of climate emergency, universities must not only educate about environmental challenges but actively model solutions.

Leading by example:

Universities like Loughborough, operate like small towns, often with significant energy use, transport systems, catering services and infrastructure. This makes campuses ideal living laboratories for sustainability.

By investing in renewable energy sources, improving building efficiency, and reducing waste through circular economy practices, universities can dramatically cut their carbon footprints.

When students and staff see sustainability embedded into everyday campus operations, be that recycling or low carbon transport, it reinforces the message that climate action is not abstract but practical and achievable.

Loughborough University is taking strides in this area, decarbonising our most energy intensive building – the swimming pool, by installing air-source heat pumps. More recently, through our partnership with our bus provider, the on-campus shuttle bus fleet was moved to electric.

Driving research and innovation

At the heart of every university lies research – and this is where institutions can have a profound global impact. Universities are critical drivers of innovation in areas such as clean energy and green technologies.

Interdisciplinary research is particularly powerful. Climate change intersects with economics, politics, health, sport, you name it, and universities are among the few places where these perspectives can converge. By investing in collaborative research centres and supporting partnerships with industry and the government, universities can accelerate real world climate solutions.

Here at Loughborough, we are pioneering research through our Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST) as well as the Centre for Sustainable Transitions: Energy, Environment and Resilience (STEER).

Educating Climate-Conscious Graduates

Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders, and universities have a responsibility to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to address climate change. Embedding sustainability across all disciplines – whether business, engineering, arts or law – ensures that every graduate understands their role in building a more sustainable future.

We are seeing more and more courses integrate elements of sustainability into their courses, notably Textiles, Design and Sports.

Empowering Student, Staff and Community Action

Universities are vibrant communities driven by student energy and creativity. Empowering students and staff to engage with climate initiatives, be that campaigns or sustainability events, can amplify impact.

Beyond campus, universities can serve as anchor institutions within their local communities. Partnerships with local councils, schools and organisations can support regional sustainability efforts. By opening their doors, universities can share knowledge and inspire action across society.

This is the focus of the Civic University Partnership with Loughborough University, Leicester University and De Montfort University.

A Call to Action this World Environment Day

World Environment Day acts as a reminder that collective action is essential. For universities, this means harnessing their full potential – as educators, innovators, employers and community leaders – to tackle the climate crisis head on.

Our impact is far beyond the academic walls, we can shape generations, equipped to build a more sustainable and resilient world.

In the current climate challenges, universities are not just participants, they are catalysts for change.

Puppy Therapy: Finding Calm During Stress Awareness Month

Written by Sophia Warkentin (Student of MSc International Sustainable Development)

April marks Stress Awareness Month, and with topics due for our dissertation and only two modules left in their course for many students, stress levels were picking up around campus. There was no better time for Loughborough University London to step in and offer a Puppy Therapy session for students to decrease stress and enjoy our time on campus between classes.

I participated in Puppy Therapy after an intense class covering research methods, and while my head was buzzing with potential case studies and surveys, when I slipped off my shoes, stepped into the room, and saw the adorable 8 week Labrador puppies, my thoughts quieted.

After a quick demonstration on how to safely interact with the puppies, we spent our therapy session cuddling, feeding, and playing with the puppies. The atmosphere was extremely calm and happy, with the staff members bringing puppies around to us and making sure we all got pictures interacting with our puppy friends to remember the day.

High levels of stress can interfere with work, school, and friendships, so it is important to take time to slow down and interact with animals to relieve stress. Although at first I did not think puppy therapy was a genuine form of therapy, the Animal Health Institute actually claims that “just fifteen minutes of playing or petting a friendly dog can measurably reduce stress and lower heart rate and cortisol levels”, something which University students need to offset the stress created by our busy lives.

For many of us, doubly navigating a new culture while completing studies, stress is an every day phenomenon. Loughborough University London seeks to offer coping strategies as well as stress-relieving activities to support us through our studies. I know I’ll be hoping for more animal-related activities from Student Services in the future!

Seeing Early Maths Differently: A 360° View of Preschool Learning 

Written by Dr. Natalie Flint, Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Centre for Early Mathematics Learning at Loughborough University. Her research explores how mathematics learning interactions unfold in early childhood settings. This blogpost draws together ideas discussed at a Festival of Creative and Digital Methods workshop delivered by members of Loughborough University’s award-winning Discourse and Rhetoric Group (DARG) and recordings of children in pre-school settings collected in Challenge 3 of the Centre for Early Mathematics Learning (CEML). 

Understanding what actually happens when young children explore mathematical ideas is central to early childhood mathematics education research. Yet the fine-grained details of how 3–4-year-olds use talk, gesture, materials, and space during learning activities can be difficult to capture with traditional video. Early years interactions are dynamic, with hands moving quickly, objects shifting constantly, and children’s attention changing moment by moment. 

At this year’s Festival of Creative and Digital Methods (Loughborough University), DARG colleagues and I introduced delegates to an emerging methodological approach: interactional analysis of recordings captured by 360° cameras, supported by DOTE, a software tool designed for the fine-grained study of social interaction. While Conversation Analysis (CA) has long helped researchers understand real world communication, combining CA with 360° footage opens powerful new possibilities for studying early childhood learning. 

A New Lens on Early Mathematics Interactions 

In ongoing research within Centre for Early Mathematics Learning (CEML), compact 360° cameras are placed directly on tables in the preschool. This setup allows us to record from the centre of children’s engagement, capturing: 

• every child seated around the table 
• their hands, gestures, gaze, and use of materials 
• the spatial arrangement and movement of mathematical objects 
• peer collaboration, turn taking, and shared problem solving 

Unlike traditional cameras, which often miss crucial details, 360° footage allows researchers to follow how children’s attention shifts, how they manipulate objects, and how mathematical reasoning emerges through embodied action.

How We Capture the Interactions: Cameras and Recording Setup 

To document these rich learning interactions, we use a GoPro Max camera positioned at the centre of the activity table. The GoPro Max records in full 360° format and is compact enough to sit unobtrusively among the materials children are using. This placement ensures that every child seated around the table is visible, along with their hands, gaze, gestures, and moment to moment engagement with the mathematical resources. 

The wide field of view and stabilisation provided by the GoPro Max make it ideal for early childhood environments where interactions are rapid and materials are constantly being manipulated. Because it captures movements from all directions, the camera allows us to see delicate adjustments to objects, fleeting gestures, and subtle spatial reorganisations that often signal emerging mathematical thinking.

What 360° Video Helps Us See in Early Maths 

360° video offers a uniquely rich view of early mathematical thinking. It enables researchers to: 

• trace spatial arrangements as children line up counters, cluster shapes, or compare lengths 
• observe gesture and fine motor action involved in counting, grouping, measuring, or patterning 
• identify coordination within small groups, including negotiating turns and sharing materials 
• capture micro moments of reasoning, for example when a child lightly adjusts objects to check equivalence 
• support educators’ reflections by revealing aspects of practice not visible in real time 

These insights allow researchers to examine early learning as it unfolds, revealing the multimodal foundations of young children’s mathematical thinking. 

More about DARG 

DARG, Loughborough University’s world leading Discourse and Rhetoric Group, has a long-standing tradition of excellence in Conversation Analysis and Discursive Psychology, supported by weekly data sessions, workshops, and collaborative events that bring together researchers who study language and social interaction across many real-world settings. This vibrant interdisciplinary community provides an ideal environment for advancing methodological innovation, including 360° video analysis for educational research. 

If you are interested in analysing 360° footage (or other types of video footage), exploring how multimodal analysis could enhance your educational research, or connecting with collaborators for future projects, we would love to hear from you. Together, we can open new ways of understanding learning, teaching, and the everyday interactions that shape them. 

Learn more at: https://darg.lboro.ac.uk 

I want to thank the nurseries/schools, practitioners, and children for participating in this research. We are grateful to the educational practitioners with whom we co-designed the game, and those who helped with the piloting phase. This work was partially supported by UKRI Economic and Social Research Council [grant number ES/W002914/1]). I would like to thank DARG colleagues, Dr Saul Albert, Dr Magnus Hamann, Dr Laura Jenkins, and Dr Emma Richardson, for running the session that informed this blog and for offering thoughtful feedback that strengthened the development of the blog. 

A Genealogy of Governance with Professor Mark Bevir

Written by Dr Tim Oliver, Director of the Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs

Empire of Influence: Rupert Murdoch and the Crisis of Deliberative Democracy

The CRCC are delighted to invite you to join this talk by Professor Graham Murdock – part of a series of events celebrating the 35^th anniversary of the Centre for Research in Communication and Culture.

Empire of Influence: Rupert Murdoch and the Crisis of Deliberative Democracy
Professor Graham Murdock (Emeritus Professor, Loughborough University)

4th June, 2.00-3.30pm | B111 Brockington and online
Chaired by Professor Dominic Wring

Appearing in an episode of The Simpsons, made by Fox , a subsidiary of News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, the company’s major shareholder and until recently chief executive, announces himself as ‘the billionaire tyrant’. Grounded in critical political economy and drawing on Graham Murdock’s recent book News Corp: Empire of Influence, co -authored with Bene Brevini and Michael Ward, this lecture unpacks this description of the leading media mogul of modern times.

Economically it interrogates Murdoch’s reputation as the quintessential deal maker ,examining the company’s pivotal role in print and television in the major English- speaking markets-Australia, the UK and US; detailing his push to globalise with satellite ventures in the key emerging markets of Japan, India and China; analysing his responses to the rise of digital media, and charting the successive crises that have prompted sell-offs, withdrawals, and retrenchment.
Politically the lecture explores Rupert Murdoch’s close relations with successive British and Australian prime ministers and American presidents, examines the mobilisation of his news outlets to make and break political reputations, and details the consistent promotion of right-wing populist ideology on a range of key issues across the company’s tabloid outlet on three continents.

Bio: Graham Murdock, Emeritus Professor of Culture and Economy at Loughborough University played a central role in establishing Loughborough’s  undergraduate and post graduate teaching programs in communications . His work in the sociology and political economy of culture and communications is internationally known. He has held visiting professorships at the Universities of Auckland, California at San Diego, Mexico City, Curtin, Bergen, the Free University of Brussels, and Stockholm and is currently Honorary Professor in the Journalism Department at Fudan University in Shanghai. His writings have been translated into 21 languages. His books include; as co-author News Corp: Empire of Influence (2024) and as co-editor, Money Talks: Media, Markets, Crisis (2015) and Carbon Capitalism and Communication: Confronting Climate Change (2017)

To book please email: crcc@mailbox.lboro.ac.uk

May Copyright Reads 2026

I am unsure how we have already arrived at the end of May, and almost halfway through the year. May is called florar in the Romanian calendar, meaning flowers. It started off rather chilly and it seemed to have ended in a record breaking heatwave, or as the Romanians have called it Dome of Fire, although in the UK it is called “heat dome” less dramatic. Whatever we use to describe it, its effects are the same: causing deaths (7 died in France), wildfires and disruption to travel.

If you have to travel during a heatwave, make sure you have water with you, a sun hat, loose and light coloured clothing (linen and cotton), sunscreen and a fan. Before going from an extremely frosty office to the outside, make sure to acclimatize. You see, I am somewhat used to this heat and in my time in the UK I noticed people coming in the pharmacy with blisters on their skin because they did not put any sunscreen on. Before I left Romania 16 years ago, temperatures during Summer reached 32 degrees C at 8:30 am. I do not like extreme heat, as such I will probably be looking to move further North as the temperatures continue to rise.

Anyway, let’s get our teeth stuck into this month’s copyright reads. We continue with AI stuff as usual, but we also look at orphan works, fashion and sustainability, and a very Peanuts court case. Enjoy!

CBS reverses copyright crusade over Colbert’s guerilla public access appearance

Why AI slop is taking over the world

Barriers to licensing out-of-commerce works: new publication

From Signals to Infrastructure: Strengthening the Commons for the AI Era

Orphan Works, Mass-Digitisation of Cultural Heritage, and Licensing Barriers: Lessons from the United Kingdom’s Experience

Plant variety rights and copyright: time to embrace the comparison? [Not OA, requires subscription]

Surprise: Elsevier is Suing Meta For You? 

Moral Rights, Sustainability and the Use of Generative AI in the Field of Research and Education: Unfolding a Complex Relationship

Rights Clearance: A guide for independent filmmakers

Rights, Camera, Action! Intellectual property rights and the filmmaking process

International Intellectual Property Law in the Age of AI

Copyright protection of fashion designs after Mio/konektra

Yoko Ono trademark challenge leaves sour taste for John Lemon beer maker

Malta Digitises Ġgantija For Europe’s Digital Heritage Space

The Cambridge Handbook of Intellectual Property and Upcycling [Book]

Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice: Round-up of fashion-related IP decisions 2025

Preserving E-Theses Resource Pack

A Blind Spot at the Heart of EU Copyright and AI Policymaking?

AI filmmaking and streaming giants

Open source and commons ideals are more important than ever

National Workshop on Public Lending Right: Strengthening Moldova’s Path Toward EU Integration

EU Green Week 2026‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ maker sues US government, others over music use

May also tends to be the time that people start planning their holidays. I decided to end this month’s copyright reads with a selection of sustainable travel and eco friendly stays. I do not endorse any of these links nor do I get any money for sharing them.

Discover slow travel [Train travel company, select your slow holiday]

The Man in Seat Sixty-One [Train travel blog]

One journey, one ticket: EU unveils plan to simplify rail travel across borders

Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery [Exhibition, British Library]

Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep [Exhibition, Natural History Museum]

The Bayeux Tapestry [Exhibition, British Museum]

History never looked so good [English Heritage sites]

Special exhibitions [National Trust]

Home of Springwatch 2026 [National Trust]

How to build a wildlife-friendly garden [National Trust tips and tricks]

RHS Gardens and Partner Gardens [RHS]

Eco-Friendly Stays [Eco-friendly vacation stays]

Find your Sustainable Accommodation [Eco-friendly vacation stays]

Eco-Friendly & Sustainable Holiday Accommodation in the UK [Eco-friendly vacation stays]

Images used are licensed from Adobe Stock.

From the Vice-Chancellor - May 2026

In my May newsletter: the Government’s Greater Together mission, our new student accommodation, a prestigious visit to our London campus, the new Wolfson X-Lab Extreme, the 2026 Vice-Chancellor’s Awards, and the build up to the Commonwealth Games.

Government mission to boost Britain’s transatlantic economic ties

Last week, the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Sport, Professor Jo Maher, and I were among a UK trade delegation that went to the US to help boost Britain’s transatlantic economic ties. The event was part of the UK Government’s Greater Together LA mission, its largest ever, led by Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy, to highlight the strengths of UK higher education and R&D (research and development). 

During the visit to Los Angeles, I was joined by Professor Robin Mason from the University of Birmingham to host a roundtable event with senior British and American leaders from sporting bodies, universities, government and industry, through which we explored ways to unlock and accelerate the development of UK-US innovation and investment partnerships grounded in sport.  

All those at the event recognised how sport influences more than just the field of play; it shapes economies, builds global reputation, drives innovation and creates connections that few other sectors can.  

During the US visit, we also went to a number of universities to open up conversations about international student recruitment.

Over the next few years, the US will host a number of global sporting events – the men’s FIFA World Cup this summer, the 2027 Invictus Games, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028. These will be the perfect stepping stones for UK-US collaboration, and we at Loughborough have a distinctive role to play. Our strengths in high‑performance sport, Para and disability sport, athlete development and health innovation, combined with US leadership in commercial scale, media, professional leagues and infrastructure, provide opportunities to make a real shift change in the way we approach sport. 

Work formally begins on new student accommodation

Work has now officially begun on the University’s newest hall of residence on campus, when I joined colleagues from the University, LSU President Mia Jackson and representatives from GRAHAM, the firm building the new hall, to formally ‘break ground’. 

The new hall will provide 552 en-suite bedspaces across five blocks, offering self-catered, en-suite facilities with shared study and social space, set within landscaped surroundings and with easy access to key University facilities, such as the Edward Herbert Building, the soon-to-be completed DigiLabs Central, the Library, Powerbase and the Students’ Union.

This week we launched a call for staff and students to propose a name and logo for the new accommodation, with the winners being revealed next month. We’d welcome suggestions for names that have a strong connection to the history or unique character of the University, with female names and names from a range of personal, cultural and ethnic backgrounds particularly encouraged. 

The new hall of residence is the first to be built on campus for nearly eight years. It’s a significant investment in the Loughborough Student Experience and will help to cement Loughborough’s status as one of the UK’s very best universities. 

Chinese table tennis team visit London campus 

This month the Loughborough University London campus hosted a visit from China’s national table tennis team, who were in the UK for the World Team Championships. I was delighted to be able to meet them, as well as senior representatives from the Chinese Table Tennis Association, Table Tennis England, and high-level diplomats including the Chinese Ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang.  

It was an honour for Loughborough to host the Chinese team’s visit, which was their only UK non-competition appearance following their remarkable victory at the World Championships; both the men’s and women’s teams were once again crowned champions.  

The team’s visit to our campus included a panel discussion on sport and diplomacy, led by Dr Tim Oliver from Loughborough University London, which explored the lasting impact of ‘Ping Pong Diplomacy’ – the historic 1971 exchange between China and the West that helped reshape international relations. 

We were also treated to a table tennis exhibition from Team China, offering a rare glimpse of the immense skill and precision that has made them one of the most dominant teams in global sport. The team are true superstars in China. 

High profile visits such as these reinforce our reputation as a global University, strengthen our longstanding relationships with partners in China and provide the momentum to create even deeper connections for the years ahead.

New lab to test materials at extremes of temperatures and pressures

The Wolfson X-Lab Extreme – a new facility that will be pivotal in the advancement of Loughborough’s clean energy research – was formally opened this month in the School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering. The lab will enable industry partners and researchers to use equipment only available in a handful of places across the world to research, test and develop a new generation of materials that can withstand, and function safely in, extreme environments. 

The lab was formally launched by Paul Ramsbottom OBE, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation, which provided a grant of £1.1 million to set up the facility. I was delighted to welcome Paul back to campus to celebrate the impact of our long-term partnership with the Wolfson Foundation. 

The Wolfson X-Lab Extreme houses the Gleeble 3800, a specialist piece of equipment and the first of its kind in the UK and Europe. The Gleeble will enable us to undertake materials testing for designing, manufacturing and maintaining new and existing hydrogen storage, distribution and end-use application infrastructure, all essential to achieving the UK’s ambitious net zero targets. 

The new lab will be open to external collaborators, enabling students, researchers and scientists from both academia and industry to access it. It will foster collaboration, inspire the next generation of engineers, and put Loughborough at the frontier of materials science, enhancing our reputation as a hub for world-leading research.  

Nominate your colleagues for the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards

Every September, we host our annual Vice-Chancellor’s Awards ceremony to celebrate the amazing work taking place across our campuses. Any member of staff can nominate an individual or team that they believe deserves broader recognition for the brilliant work they do. Nominations for the 2026 awards will be open soon, so I would encourage you all to get involved and nominate your colleagues who deserve broader recognition and celebration.  

It’s important that we celebrate the outstanding work of our staff. The University could not achieve what it does without the hard work, dedication and creativity of individuals and teams from across both of our campuses and over the last couple of years, we have had nominations from every Academic School and Professional Services section. I look forward to reading the nominations and celebrating the achievements of our finalists at the awards ceremony in September!

Commonwealth Games build up begins

Yesterday Professor Jo Maher and I were delighted to welcome the King’s Baton Relay to campus as part of the build up to the 2026 Commonwealth Games, being held in Glasgow this summer. 

This relay is slightly different from those in previous years. This time, each Commonwealth nation and territory has been given its own baton to customise and decorate, allowing it to reflect and celebrate its unique culture. All 74 batons will be reunited at the Games Opening Ceremony. 

This year’s Games are particularly special for Loughborough, as we are the official University Partner of Team England. This value-in-kind partnership is an opportunity for us to further our long-standing relationship with Team England and raise Loughborough’s profile on the world stage.  

Our University logo will appear on the podium kit, including at the medal ceremonies. Team England staff and athletes will be welcomed to campus for ‘Kitting Out’, where they will be provided with their kit – including ceremonial wear, village, training and competition wear.   

We’ll also host many of Team England’s sports for their immersion camps ahead of the Games, facilitating team cohesion to prepare them physically and psychologically for international competition. Many athletes, coaches and practitioners are already familiar with our elite performance environment, so it seems fitting that we will be able to host them all on campus together.  

I’m looking forward to seeing how all our athletes fare at the Games and hopefully seeing the Loughborough University logo on the Team England kit many, many times as the athletes take to the medal podium!

New sculpture in Shenzhen 

John Atkin from the School of Design and Creative Arts has unveiled his newly commissioned artwork as part of the Bay View Art Centre’s opening at One Shenzhen Bay in China. The bronze sculpture, titled ‘Confluence’, explores the relationship between the city, the natural landscape and the human experience.

Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society 

Dr Joan Fitzpatrick from the School of Social Sciences and Humanities has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in recognition of her eminent contribution to historical scholarship. Dr Fitzpatrick’s research specialises in early modern literature, including Shakespeare, and the intersection of literary and culinary cultures.

Milestone for Student Success Academy

Established through the generous donation of Loughborough alum Chris Gill, the Student Success Academy, which helps to support students from underrepresented backgrounds, has celebrated its fifth anniversary. Since its launch, the Academy has clocked up almost 29,000 interactions with students throughout their University journey and into graduate life.

Webinars and whatnots – May 2026

Upcoming:

• UK Reproducibility Network Course: Data Management for Reproducibility, 11 June & 2 July (sign up by 3 June), £250.
• Edinburgh Open Research Conference 2026 – Full Programme now available, 18 June.
• CaSDaR Hybrid Data Stewardship Conference 2026 – 17-18 November.

Catch up:

• Exploring the TRUST Principles and the importance of trustworthiness for data repositories
• How to make your open access books more accessible (and why it matters)
• ORCID Ask Me Anything: How We’re Building a Website That Works for Everyone

Of interest:

• REAMEBuilder is a Shiny application that walks researchers through building a high-quality README file for research datasets and code. It automatically describes tabular data columns (ranges, levels, NAs), detects R package dependencies from scripts, supports script run-order documentation, and exports a formatted README.md.
• New book! Doing Open Social Science: A Guide for Researchers
• Practice Research Framework: A Framework for Supporting, Integrating and Nurturing Practice Research sets out a shared approach to recognising, enabling and strengthening practice research within higher education.

Previous months’ Webinars and whatnots:

• April 2026
• March 2026 – none
• February 2026
• January 2026
• December 2025
• November 2025
• October 2025
• September 2025- none
• August 2025
• July 2025
• June 2025
• May 2025 – Midlands Innovation Open Research Week 2025
• April 2025
• March 2025
• February 2025
• January 2025
• December 2024
• November 2024

De-Polarisation in Practice

Written by Naomi Osuoza (IDIA Alum, Class of 2024, MA Diplomacy and International Governance; Independence and Inclusion Coach, Trainee Lecturer)

On the 5^th of May 2026, I spent a day at St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace with fellow alumni and current students of The Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs (IDIA), Loughborough University London for an intensive workshop on de-polarisation led by Rebecca Brierley. What unfolded was less a lecture and more a reminder of the relevance of individual introspection using established frameworks from conflict theory to understand what’s happening in our fractured moment. 

The workshop was organised by Dr Tatevik Mnatsakanyan, Senior Lecturer IDIA, especially for students taking the Peace and Conflict Transformation module, with the event being extended to other students, as well as IDIA alumni. The event was part of IDIA’s Inside the Profession Series aiming to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

The workshop was held in the grounding and inspirational space of the Centre’s iconic Bedouin tent. The tent, built in response to 9/11, is a space without hierarchy, cultivating presence, care and imagination across divides towards community based, grassroots-driven repair and transformation. Drawing on St Ethelburga’s 30 years of peace-making experience, the workshop offered practical tools and reflective frameworks for holding conversations that cross divides.

Holding Space for Complexity: De-polarisation as Lived Experience

The workshop began with discussing the effects of conflict and its ability to rupture relationships. At the core of individuals, there are four core relationships: the relationships with The Divine, with Self, with the Earth, and with others.

We then moved into the Polarity Infinity—the principle that polarities aren’t binaries to be resolved, but tensions to be held in dynamic motion: life and death, self and other, inhale and exhale. They exist in continuous flow. When we collapse that flow into “us vs them,” we flatten the world into something too simple to be true. The workshop beckoned us to ask: what are we losing when we insist on sides?

From there, we explored how complexity theory reframes conflict entirely. The goal isn’t to eliminate disagreement but to hold it with more sophistication. Rebecca introduced the idea of a “good disagreement”—one where we actively resist the pull to take sides, assume, generalise, personalise, devalue, and demonise.  Instead, we choose curiosity, listening, connection, and the willingness to develop understanding. It is a different quality of engagement altogether.

What struck me most was the structure offered for moving toward resolution. Five steps; and crucially, three happen before you ever engage with another person. 

The message was clear: the work starts inward. You cannot meet complexity across a table if you haven’t met it within yourself.

We then turned to the PIN model—Position, Interest, Needs. Most of us argue at the position level. But beneath every position are interests, and beneath those are fundamental human needs. Here is where it gets textured: Rebecca layered in Tomkins’ Affect Theory, the insight that affects like fear, anger, shame, and disgust arrive before cognition. They shape what we perceive, what we defend, and how quickly our attention narrows. In polarised moments, we’re often not responding to the other person: we are responding to our own affect. Fear drives threat perception and zero-sum thinking. Shame masks vulnerability behind moral certainty. Disgust dehumanises and closes the door entirely.

The workshop handout—based on Max-Neef’s framework—tied everything together: subsistence, protection, affection, understanding, participation, leisure, creation, identity, and freedom. Every conflict, at its root, is a collision of these needs. The question shifts from “what are you arguing about?” to “what are you advocating for, and what feels at stake?” When you reframe conflict that way, the entire conversation changes.

My Continuing Journey with IDIA and Inspirations for the Future

I am a recent IDIA alum: I completed my MA in Diplomacy and International Governance in 2024, building on my earlier study in International Law and Diplomacy. Modules like Diplomacy in the Digital Age, Global South and International Development, International Negotiations, and International Security formed the backbone of my studies at IDIA. Throughout these courses, the themes of complexity, relationality, and systemic thinking were woven through every topic; however it was particularly the work on conflict transformation, power dynamics, and the politics of diplomatic relations that felt most alive to me.

The De-polarisation workshop at St Ethelburga’s felt like a natural extension of that learning. It moved the frameworks from intellectual constructs to lived practice; and that’s the gap I’m most interested in closing: the distance between what we know and how we show up in the world.

My current work as an Independence and Inclusion Coach at Chelmsford College sits at the heart of this. In this role, I support students in developing autonomy, agency, and belonging; which fundamentally infuses de-polarisation in practice. I am also training to lecture in Future Education and obtaining a Postgraduate Certificate in Further Education: this has deepened my understanding of how theory translates into education. When working with students, the question isn’t solely “what rule applies?” but “what does this person need, and what’s actually at stake for them?” It provides context and meaning. This meaning in turn shapes understanding and individual perspectives.

It is the same principle we explored at St Ethelburga’s: listening beneath the position to the needs underneath, holding space for complexity, and resisting the urge to collapse messy human situations into neat categories.

My goal is to pursue a PhD in the coming years, positioning myself toward a career in education as a lecturer in diplomacy, peace-building, and international relations.

I’m increasingly convinced that the best lecturers aren’t those who simply transmit theory but the ones who live the questions, who remain practitioners as much as scholars, who model what it means to hold complexity with both intellectual rigour and humanity. Days like this one at St Ethelburga’s are how we do that.

Continuous experiences such as these are indispensable in being well-rounded educators. They are the connective tissue between what we teach and who we become.

This is why I am grateful to Loughborough University’s Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs and especially to Dr Tatevik Mnatsakanyan for organising this and opening opportunities such as these to alumni;  and indeed to St Ethelburga’s Centre for holding this space; and to Rebecca Brierley for facilitating this workshop while offering the frameworks that made this reflection possible.

How to Write Research Methods

Written by Bess Chan

The research methods chapter is where you discuss how you collected the data for your research. Sometimes, this chapter may be referred to as “methods” or “methodology”, but in fact, they are different. While “methods” refer to the tools and procedures used, such as interviews, surveys, and experiments, “methodology” refers to the reasoning behind those methods. At the postgraduate level, dissertations are generally expected to explain both the methods used and the methodological reasoning behind them.

Here are a few strategies to help you produce a convincing research methods chapter in your dissertation:

Ensure the data collection is replicable

Your research methods chapter should be written as clearly as possible so that your readers can understand, evaluate, and potentially reproduce aspects of the research process. This level of transparency is important for verifying findings, identifying errors, and building trust, so that readers know the findings or conclusions are based on reliable evidence rather than coincidence.

Therefore, you should describe in detail:

• Research type (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods)
• Design strategy (experimental, observational, case study, survey, etc.)
• Sources (primary or secondary data)
• Tools, software, or platforms used
• Data collection procedures
• Sampling strategy (if applicable)
• Data analysis techniques (e.g. SPSS, NVivo)

Relate your research methods to research questions or hypotheses

One of the main purposes of a dissertation is to show how the findings or results help to answer the research questions or support the hypotheses. Therefore, the way data is collected is closely related to what the findings or results will be.

When writing the research methods chapter, you need to show the connections between the methodology and the research aims, research questions, and possibly the hypotheses. One suggestion is that, for every major method or data collection tool you describe, you should include a sentence explaining exactly which research sub-question it is designed to answer. If a method or procedure does not clearly support your research aims, questions, or hypotheses, you should reconsider whether it is necessary.

Justify your research choices

This chapter is not purely descriptive; at the postgraduate level, your research methods chapter should also demonstrate critical reasoning by explaining why particular methodological choices were made. Therefore, instead of simply saying, “A survey was conducted to collect data,” you need to strengthen this by explaining why surveys were appropriate for the study, why alternative approaches were less suitable, and how the methods align with the research aims and questions.

Include ethical considerations

When you conduct your research, you need to the make sure the whole process is safe, legal, and ethical. For example, when designing a survey or conducting interviews, you should obtain participants’ informed consent and ensure that their data is handled confidentially and responsibly. Be sure to address these ethical considerations clearly to demonstrate that your research was conducted professionally and responsibly.

If you have any questions about ethics, please consult your dissertation supervisor for further guidance.

Acknowledge limitations honestly

We need to understand that every research study has its own constraints, so after describing the data collection process, be honest when discussing the limitations. These may include sample limitations, time constraints, access restrictions, potential biases, and methodological trade-offs. In addition to identifying these limitations, you should also show how you tried to minimise their impact on your results. This process will help to build, rather than weaken, academic credibility.

Write this chapter early

You’ll probably agree that it’s difficult to remember every detail of something that happened a long time ago. Over time, people naturally forget small procedural decisions or unintentionally reconstruct events from incomplete memories. Of course, you’ll want to avoid this, as your research methods chapter needs to be as accurate as possible. Therefore, it’s strongly recommended that you write this chapter early, while the details of your research process are still fresh.

However, you also need to bear in mind that if you write it early and make changes to your methods while conducting the research, you should keep a record of these changes or add a note to the section so that you don’t forget. Remember: your supervisor will be able to tell whether your research methods chapter has been “cleaned up”.

If you’d like to learn more about the writing the research methods chapter, please access this interactive presentation on methodologies. Also, if you have any questions about this chapter, I encourage you to book 1-2-1 meetings with me, Bess Chan, your London-based EAP Tutor, via email or the booking form.

Pass Go, Collect Copyright: The Legal Side of Board Games

The game is afoot

Who does not remember family board game nights?! The gloat of the winners and the dejection of the losers. Welcome to Part 2 of the games and copyright series. Part 1 looked at video gaming.

Unlike video games, I absolutely love board games, which is why I have so many of them. The classics: Monopoly (York version), Cluedo, Labyrinth, Carcassonne, as well as many Disney inspired board games like Villainous and Hocus Pocus. I am also a fan of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie, so I own 221B Baker Street, Scotland Yard and Mr Jack and Agatha Christie: Death on the Cards. And many, many more…. really, a whole lot more. I also tend to want to buy more as well.

Now, you might wonder why I am so obsessed with board games. Growing up in communist / post-communist Romania, you did not have much to do. During communist era, you had state chosen propaganda on telly and Dallas (I know right?! The idea was Romanians would see how “evil” capitalism was and would never want it…. That did not turn out as they hoped). Also, there would be no electricity after 6 pm. There are only so many books you can read (and even those would be state censored). So, we played board games, again no capitalist board games, but capitalist rip-off board games (IP protection anyone?). We had a game called Bunul gospodar, the communist version of Monopoly. We played chess, Rummikub and Mikado (or what English people call pick-up-sticks. No comment on the name….).

However, did you know that like with everything else I tend to quash its beauty and make it more legal, board games are protected by a host of Intellectual Property rights?! You did not? Well, what are we waiting for.

What’s in the Box? Breaking Down a Board Game

You got yourself that new board game you have been eyeing for a long time. It is finally game night, and you open the box which is filled with:

• A set of rules or mechanics (how the game is played)
• Artwork and visual design (board layout, cards, box art)
• Written materials (rulebook, flavour text, story elements)
• Physical components (tokens, dice, cards)
• Branding (the game’s name and logo)

Each of these can be treated differently under intellectual property law, which is why things are not always as straightforward as “this game is protected.”

The Rules of the Game: Ideas vs Expression

As I have mentioned previously, copyright does not protect ideas, but it protects the expression of that idea in tangible form.

When we look at board games there are some similarities with other games: you need to roll dice to do something, you trade resources, you build structures, etc. However, the way these ideas are expressed through the written rules, the artwork accompanying them, the design, the components, the brands, all these can be protected.

If I say the word Monopoly, you already have a picture in your mind about how the board looks, the cards, the dice and the components and what these components are: the Scottie dog, the top hat, race car, thimble, etc.  Same with other popular games, like Catan or Ticket to Ride.

This is why you have similar mechanics in games, the ideas, but the execution of that will be protected by different rights.

Playing the IP game: Longterm strategy

Copyright

Copyright law protects the original expression of ideas as they appear in creative works. When it comes to board games, this covers elements such as characters, narratives, artwork, names, and settings. For example, the board game Catan is protected by copyright in its visual aspects, including the design of its board and playing cards.

Design rights

Design rights protect the visual appearance of physical components like the board, cards, and game pieces. Registered design rights can offer longer and stronger protection, whereas unregistered rights arise automatically but are more limited. Think about the Harry Potter chess game, it is distinctive enough to warrant design protection.

Trademark

Trademark protection enables owners to register names, logos, and slogans in order to safeguard the identity and authenticity of their products. However, this does not grant ownership over the words or elements themselves; rather, it prevents others from misrepresenting their products as originating from the same source. For example, although Hasbro cannot stop people from using the word “Monopoly” in a general sense, it can take legal action against anyone who uses the “Monopoly” trademark in a way that suggests an official connection without permission.

Patents

Patents, in contrast, are primarily designed to protect inventions such as machines and technical processes. To be patentable, something must have a practical function or perform a specific task. While the idea behind a board game itself cannot be patented, any novel devices or technical elements used within the game may qualify for patent protection independently of the game as a whole.

Free to Play: What Copyright Doesn’t Protect

On the other hand, several key aspects of board games are not protected by copyright:

• Game mechanics (e.g. “draw a card,” “roll and move,” “trade resources”);
• General concepts (such as cooperation, hidden roles, or trivia formats);
• Basic gameplay structures.

The reasons why are simple; they are game mechanics. Most games follow same rules, you move across a board, you roll some dice, you trade resources. As an example:

• There are dozens of trivia games
• Multiple games use deck-building mechanics after Dominion
• Many games involve resource gathering and trading like Catan

These ideas are part of the shared “toolkit” of game design. Consider Trivial Pursuit. There are a number of games similar to that: Outsmarted, Pub Trivia, and way too many to list. While they are all different, they share a same functionality, answering questions around facts. Facts cannot be copyrighted, they just are. It is a fact that Paris is the capital of France. How you decide to present this fact in a quiz game, that is another matter.

A well-known case involving board games is the Trivial Pursuit litigation (Horn Abbot Ltd v. Hewson, 1987). In this case, the creators of Trivial Pursuit were sued by Hughie Hewson, who claimed the game copied his earlier trivia game idea. The court ultimately rejected the claim, emphasising that copyright does not protect general ideas or concepts—such as a quiz-based board game—but only the specific way those ideas are expressed. Whilst both games involved answering trivia questions, there was no substantial copying of Hewson’s original expression (such as specific questions, wording, or design). The case reinforces the principle that game mechanics and general formats remain free for others to use, even if they are commercially successful.

Game Over (or Is It?): Key Takeaways

You have gotten to the end of the game. The winner takes it all, and the loser is standing small…sorry, I had to do it. Board games are fun, engaging and a treasure trove of IP protection.

Board games are a great example of how copyright draws that line: the mechanics are free for anyone to use, but the creative choices: the artwork, the wording, the overall look and feel, are where protection sits.

So next time you’re rolling the dice or dealing out cards, it’s worth remembering that there’s more going on than just gameplay. Behind every board (and every heated rule dispute) is a quiet framework of intellectual property doing its job.

Win or lose, at least you’ll know you’re playing by the legal rules as well as the game’s. So, book that game night and have a blast!

The information contained in this blog post should be taken as recommended advice or guidance but should not be taken as legal advice. If in any doubt, please seek proper legal advice. Images licensed from Adobe Stock. Some image use is editorial only.

DRN2026 Drawing as Storytelling: Braiding the Terrain Online Event 11.00 (BST) 24 June 2026

Tickets available here: https://buytickets.at/drawingresearchgroup/2235052

Braiding the Terrain is the third in a series of online events in collaboration with the Storytelling Academy at Loughborough University, which explore the relationship between Drawing and Storytelling. Drawing begins where words cannot reach, and storytelling begins when images ask to be read. This final panel brings together artists and researchers exploring the theme of braiding the terrain.

Joanna Leah’s presentation Drawing Out: Notation as Storytelling of Site-Movement Ecologies asks: how can invented notation function as storytelling, producing specific movement stories of a site rather than merely recording them? Leah develops “drawing out” as a practice-based method for constructing diagrammatic notations that map movement relations between sites, human bodies, and sometimes non-human species. Drawing is treated as the residue of movement and the memory of embodied thinking, while story is approached as a choreography of images that fold into one another.

The research proceeds through repeated site visits and iterative notation-making responsive to terrain, built form, weather, and co-present species. Instead of a pre-existing symbol system, Leah invents marks from observed and enacted dynamics: crossings, loops, pauses, detours, proximities, avoidances, and thresholds. Within Leah’s ongoing project blubilds, these diagrams operate as event-scores, translating temporal sequences into spatial configurations. The scores do not remain static; they lift off the page through close encounters with movement ecologies, becoming prompts for performance and action-based drawing.

Relational patterns can then be read as narrative structures: habitual gaits braided with terrain; material forces such as wind and tides shaping attention; and encounters between species marking thresholds. Leah situates the work within diagram dynamics and performative inscription (Drucker, 2013), relational figuration (Zdebik, 2012), drawing as analogy and generative abstraction (Drawing Analogies, 2025), and choreographic systems accounts of liveness and emergence (Rubidge, 2009). In doing so, notation acts as both research instrument and narrative device, inviting audiences to re-sense what persists together.

Elif Adiguzel will present Diffracting Details, Texts, and Drawings: When Gaps Tell Stories.

 Adiguzel suggests in “The Tell-the-Tale Detail,” Marco Frascari argues that detail in architecture is not merely a technical joint but a narrative device that tells the story of the building (Frascari, 1984). Throughout my encounter with this gecekondu*-time-being, this insight echoes as the gecekondu’s undesigned details create gaps that invite the possibility of living and dying together in a more-than-human world. These encounters remind me that an architectural drawing begins to tell its story when its completeness and rationality are broken and gaps open space for other ways of thinking, as in Jane Rendell’s reading of Jennifer Bloomer’s “dirty drawings” as feminist interventions that expose the insufficiency of rational, “clean” architectural representation and open space for other voices and bodies (Bloomer, 1993; Rendell, 2018). 

Telling such stories is neither easy nor an individual practice; it requires gaps as well as threads that invite the reader’s imagination (Haraway, 1988). In this research, Adiguzel weaves the lines of drawing with the cadence of words, allowing each to generate its own gaps through their encounters and thus to resist a singular narrative. Through Karen Barad’s diffractive method, reading for “patterns of dif erence that make a dif erence” by iteratively entangling texts and materials (Barad, 2007), paragraphs from two novels by Latife Tekin intra-act with anecdotes from the gecekondu’s owners, while the incompleteness of the drawing tells the tale of the details. This research asks how gaps in drawing, in text, and in the building’s details might become sites of diffraction that generate a story otherwise, through a diffractive reading practice (Barad, 2007; van der Tuin, 2011). 

*an informal built house, literally means built overnight in Turkish 

References:

Barad, K. (2007). Meeting the universe halfway: Quantum physics and the entanglement of matter and meaning. Duke University Press. 

Bloomer, J. (1993). Architecture and the text: The (s)crypts of Joyce and Piranesi. Yale University Press. Frascari, M. (1984). The tell-the-tale detail. VIA, 7, 23–37. 

Haraway, D. J. (1988). Situated knowledges: The science question in feminism and the privilege of partial perspective. Feminist Studies, 14(3), 575–599. 

Rendell, J. (2018). Only resist: A feminist approach to critical spatial practice. In A. Sagiv, I. Awan, & D. Petrescu (Eds.), Feminist futures of spatial practice: Materialisms, activisms, dialogues, pedagogies, projections (pp. 25–44). AADR. 

van der Tuin, I. (2011). A different starting point, a different metaphysics: Reading Bergson and Barad diffractively. Hypatia, 26(1), 22–42. 

Nikola Dicke’s presentation, When Maps Start Talking: Animated Drawing as Narrative Knowledge will consider Dicke’s analogue, site-specific projection mapping, soot-on-glass miniatures drawn by hand expand into large-format, often spatially layered light drawings that visitors can watch being created live and in situ on the façade. Many of these light drawings narrate stories and historical events connected to the projection site.

In Dicke‘s project Mapping Stories – maps, territories, stories, in which Dicke explores territorial reform as a lived and contested history, Dicke combines drawings on soot-blackened glass plates with digital drawings whose making remains visible as a recorded gesture. Mapping Stories draws on administrative maps, interwoven with interviews that yield fragmentary memories of shifting municipal and district boundaries, institutions, and everyday infrastructures. Instead of synthesising these accounts into a coherent linear narrative, I treat mapping as a palimpsestic dramaturgy.

Building on this performative live-drawing practice and on animated, cartographic storytelling, Dicke’s presentation asks: How does the generative incompletion of my light drawings open a storytelling space of its own? Does the associative animation of these drawings in Mapping Stories add further dimensions and dynamics to that space? How do public open-air screenings enable collective sense-making and negotiation of individual stories?

These questions build on narratological perspectives that understand narration as a mode of producing and sharing knowledge grounded in subjective experience (Fahrenwald, 2011), collective sense-making (Dicke, 2021), and as a medium through which social identity is relationally constituted (Somers, 1994).

References:

Dicke, N. (2021). Thank you for watching! Ästhetische Reflexivität im Wechselspiel von künstlerischer Produktion und Rezeption. kopaed.

Fahrenwald, C. (2011). Erzählen im Kontext neuer Lernkulturen: Eine bildungstheoretische Analyse im Spannungsfeld von Wissen, Lernen und Subjekt. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften (Springer VS). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-531-94157-8

Somers, M. R. (1994). The Narrative Constitution of Identity: A Relational and Network Approach. Theory and Society, 23(5), 605–649.

The session will be chaired by Yige Bao.

Biographies

Joanna Leah is an artist-researcher whose practice investigates drawing as embodied thinking. Through site-based fieldwork she invents notational diagrams that score movement relations among people, places, and more-than-human ecologies. Her work bridges drawing research, diagram theory, and choreographic methods, and is shared through publications, workshops, and performances in exhibitions.

Elif Adiguzel is a UK-based researcher and designer whose work engages intra-disciplinary, feminist and new-materialist approaches in architecture. She investigates architecture’s ethical response-abilities in geographies made vulnerable by extractive practices and is currently pursuing her PhD at Loughborough University, following four years as a research and teaching assistant at Istanbul Technical University.

Nicole Dicke is an artist-researcher, draughtswoman, and lecturer at the University of Bremen. Her practice combines analogue, site-specific projection mapping, soot-on-glass drawing, and animation to explore drawing as performative storytelling and knowledge production. Her PhD dissertation, published as Thank you for watching! (2021), examines aesthetic reflexivity between artistic production and reception.

Five Minutes With: Elliott Woolley

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I am a Reader in Sustainable Production and Consumption within the Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering. I joined Loughborough in 2010 as a post-doctoral research associate and have never left. That must be a good sign.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

Many people say it, and it’s absolutely true – there’s no such thing as a typical day. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy my job so much. My day usually starts with a one-hour cycle into the University (almost always into a headwind). The first task, therefore, is to change out of my Lycra and freshen up for the day ahead. I’ll spend the first 30 minutes, tea in hand, clearing up any leftover emails from the day before and updating my plan of action.

This morning began with a departmental carbon action planning meeting, followed by updating and publishing some slides for my Industrial Sustainability module. In the afternoon, I did many smaller (but still important) things. I completed a module specification for a new module launching next year, met with two final year project students to discuss their progress, met with another student in the lab to make sure they could use a piece of apparatus for their work, organised interviews for a PhD scholarship I recently advertised, and provided a sample of coursework for an external examiner. Oh, and wrote this blog.

Other days are less bitty. I might spend the morning drafting or reviewing a paper, and the afternoon speaking with several companies about a potential research opportunity.

Then I cycle home again, once more (and almost inexplicably) into a headwind.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

A few years ago, I worked with some colleagues from different schools across the campus where we were investigating the barriers (and of course the solutions) to the uptake of reusable food packaging. It was a three and a half year project and the team worked really well together, we did some very interesting research and generated some lasting engagement with industry. It was just good to have people from different departments, and their varied perspectives, tackling a core problem that has a significant potential benefit for the environment. The project has led to ongoing research activities, a patent application and participation in some high-profile events. It’s a great example of how collaborative, interdisciplinary work can generate impact well beyond the original scope.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

There are many things that make me proud at Loughborough, but the moments that stand out the most are when my PhD students submit their theses and pass their vivas. It’s incredibly rewarding to see these intelligent, dedicated researchers develop their expertise, strengthen their research skills, and demonstrate them to such a high standard.

What makes it even more special is watching where they go next: becoming academics in their own right, industry leaders, and in one case, even working within their national government. Knowing that there are now six doctors out there who I’ve supported through that process, and who have grown into world class, independent thinkers, is just a really nice feeling.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

I think the spectrum of values we hold at Loughborough really reflects what the institution strives to achieve. But the one that resonates most strongly with me is collaboration.

Perhaps this is because I’m an engineer, and engineering is fundamentally about identifying real‑world problems and then applying our skills, knowledge, and understanding to create workable solutions. Very rarely can this be done in isolation. Being able to collaborate with academics and researchers from different fields, with different backgrounds and perspectives, as well as with industry partners, end‑users, and policymakers, is essential.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

I’m quite house‑proud and, without blowing my own trumpet too much, pretty decent at DIY. This past summer, I converted our loft space into a Lego room for the children. It meant picking up a few new skills along the way: I have admit that cutting into the ceiling joists was an interesting and slightly worrying moment. But the room is finished, the kids love playing in it, and it hasn’t collapsed, so I’m classing that as a success.

What is your favourite quote?

“Every day’s a good day.”

If you would like to feature in ‘Five Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Martha Causier at m.causier@lboro.ac.uk.

A Homecoming to Interdisciplinary Possibility

Returning to the Institute of Advanced Studies at Loughborough University as a Residential Fellow from April 1–30 felt less like arriving at a new destination and more like coming home. Eighteen years earlier, I had studied at the Loughborough University Business School for an MSc. in International Management and walking once again through the familiar pathways of campus brought with it a flood of memories, reflections, and gratitude.

Because my fellowship coincided with the Easter break, the campus carried a quiet rhythm that allowed space for introspection. I found myself retracing old routes and revisiting spaces that had once shaped my intellectual journey. One particularly emotional moment was realizing that the IAS International House stood along the same path leading to Pilkington Library, a place where I had spent countless hours during my student days in 2007–2008. Despite the years that had passed, locating it felt instinctive, as though memory itself had preserved the route.

What distinguished this fellowship experience most profoundly was the exceptional care and intentionality embedded in every aspect of the IAS experience. From travel arrangements to arrival logistics, everything was handled with remarkable professionalism and warmth. I often joked that I was treated like royalty, but truly, it was the thoughtful attention to detail that stayed with me. The welcome card, the chocolates thoughtfully prepared for my daughters, the warmth of the accommodation arranged for my family and I. Every gesture communicated hospitality, care, and belonging.

The accommodation itself was excellent: comfortable, peaceful, and thoughtfully equipped to support both family life and scholarly work. Its close proximity to the IAS International House created an environment where creative thought could flow freely, unhindered by distraction. It quickly became clear why the IAS has earned such a strong reputation for fostering interdisciplinary exchange and academic collaboration.

The fellowship also provided invaluable opportunities for research engagement. Presenting my work during a postgraduate researcher workshop and later at a seminar created meaningful platforms for dialogue, critique, and collaboration. What impressed me deeply was the IAS commitment to ensuring that collaborators and mentors were present and actively involved in these engagements. Within just one month, I met several times with colleagues and mentors across the School of Design and Creative Arts and the Department of Computer Science, distinguished colleagues like Dr. Robert Harland, Dr. Sara Saravi and Dr. Firat Batmaz. These interactions have since evolved into ongoing online meetings around our collaborative research project, demonstrating the lasting impact of the networks cultivated during the fellowship.

Beyond formal academic engagements, the fellowship offered moments of rediscovery and renewal. I appreciated the formal tour of the library, which reintroduced me to resources and spaces that continue to support scholarly excellence. Attending the joint inaugural lecture of Professors Oli Buckeley and Jennifer Fry was equally inspiring, highlighting the richness of intellectual life at Loughborough. I was also grateful for the campus tour by Will that allowed me to reconnect with the university while discovering new developments and spaces that had emerged since my last visit nearly two decades ago. On one of my walks around campus, I ran into printmaker and painter Pamela Clarkson Kwami, the wife of the legendary Ghanaian artist Atta Kwami whose Gateway to the Sea sculptural installation was on display outside Martin Hall. She was restoring Atta’s works with a dear friend and colleague Andy Philpott who incidentally graduated from Loughborough University. I interviewed both of them and learnt more intimately about Atta Kwami’s life. This was the privilege that the IAS residential fellowship afforded me.

Above all, what made the experience extraordinary was the people. Everyone I encountered, the staff, faculty, researchers, and collaborators all demonstrated genuine commitment to ensuring my comfort, wellbeing, and productivity throughout the fellowship. There was an unmistakable culture of care, generosity, and intellectual openness.

The IAS at Loughborough University is more than a research institute; it is a dynamic hub for interdisciplinary thinking, international collaboration, and intellectual transformation. It is a space that encourages scholars not only to learn, but also to unlearn and relearn. There is always something to gain from the IAS experience whether new ideas, new collaborations, or new ways of seeing the world.

For me, this fellowship was not simply an academic residency. It was a meaningful return to a place that once shaped my journey and continues to inspire new possibilities for research, creativity, and global collaboration.

Dr Ashley Ajumoke Stewart

Britain's butterflies facing serious decline

This blog has been adapted from a post shared by Barbour EHS.

A recent volunteer-led survey has revealed that British butterflies are in danger, with over half a century of data revealing that more than half of the UK’s butterfly species are in decline.

Despite the influx of warmer weather, which typically benefits the species, butterflies who rely on certain plants and habitats to survive have struggled.

From 1976, there have been more than 44 million butterfly sightings scientifically collected in Britain, ranging in a diverse 58 native species.

However, out of these 33 species have taken a recognisable decline, whilst the remaining 25 species have flourished.

Essentially this is due to global heating only benefitting a selection of butterfly species, such as:

• The purple emperor
• Red admiral
• Comma

Rarer species are left vulnerable, as they are dubbed ‘habitat specialist’ butteflies, meaning they rely on specific plants or habitats such as:

• Wetlands
• Woodlands
• Flower-rich grasslands

These environments are under constant pressure, and the lack of availability has left butterflies with unsuitable habitats to colonise in.

This has led to dramatic declines in species such as:

• The high brown fritillary
• Pearl-bordered fritillary
• White-letter hairstreak

The data has been collected by the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, a citizen science project that has collected more than 44 million records over 50 years.

What can you do to support butterfly biodiversity?

1) Plant butterfly-friendly flowers

• Butterflies need nectar from flowers. Try and choose:
  • Native plants
  • Nectar-rich flowers like lavender, marigolds and daisies
  • A mix that blooms from spring to autumn so food is always available

2) Support caterpillars

• Butterflies lay eggs on specific plants that caterpillars eat
  • Avoid removing all ‘messy’ plants – some are essential for their life cycle
  • For example, nettles support species like the Peacock butterfly

3) Create safe habitats

• Let part of your garden grow wild with long grass
• Leave logs, leaf piles or hedges where butterflies can shelter
• Provide sunny spots – they need warmth to fly

4) Get involved

• Join citizen science projects such as the butterfly count or upskill yourself with our Biodiversity Literacy Training

Reframing research ethics: from hurdle to enabler

As Chair of the University’s Ethics Committee, I have been reflecting on how we talk about research ethics and how we process ethical approvals at Loughborough – and perhaps most importantly how it is sometimes felt by colleagues and students across the institution.

Too often I see ethics is framed as a hurdle by colleagues. A form to get through. A procedural requirement and thus a risk that something might be delayed, challenged, or blocked. In some cases, I worry that this creates what might be described as an “ethics phobia”: a sense that ethics exists to trip people up, rather than to help them do better, stronger, more thoughtful research. 

At its best, research ethics is an enabler of excellent research. It helps us ask better questions. It supports more robust methodologies. It strengthens relationships with participants, communities, partners, funders and the public. It protects researchers as well as participants and it gives confidence that the work we do is not only rigorous, but responsible, respectful and trustworthy. It also helps us navigate the balance between risk and opportunity. Research, by its nature, often involves uncertainty. It pushes into new spaces, asks difficult questions, works with real-world complexity, and sometimes engages with people, organisations or communities in sensitive contexts. The role of ethics is not to eliminate all risk, nor to make research so cautious that important work becomes impossible. Rather, it is to help us understand risk clearly, manage it proportionately, and make thoughtful decisions that enable valuable research to proceed in the right way.

This is especially important to me and to the sort of research culture I think we want at Loughborough. We are an ambitious research-intensive university with a distinctive commitment to impact, partnership and real-world change. Our research increasingly takes place beyond traditional disciplinary or institutional boundaries: with communities, industry, policymakers, public bodies, schools, health partners, athletes, charities and international collaborators. In those settings, ethics cannot be a bolt-on. It need to be embedded at the start of the journey and in how we build trust, shape methods, and demonstrate the quality of the research we do.

To me ethics and ethical research is a research culture issue. The way we do research matters. Research culture is not only about funding success, outputs, collaborations or impact case studies. It is also about the everyday practices, behaviours and judgements that shape how research is imagined, designed, delivered and shared. Ethics sits right at the heart of that culture. It asks us to think about power, care, consent, inclusion, vulnerability, risk, benefit and accountability. It reminds us that the people, communities, organisations and environments we work with are not simply sources of data, but partners, stakeholders and knowledge-holders in their own right.

This also connects directly to our EDI agenda and our values. Ethical research and inclusive research are not separate agendas. If we are serious about equity, diversity and inclusion, then we must also be serious about who gets to shape research questions, whose voices are heard, whose experiences are recognised, who bears the burden of participation, and who benefits from the knowledge we produce. Ethics gives us a practical framework for asking those questions with care and rigour. It helps us move beyond seeing EDI as an additional requirement, and instead recognise inclusion as fundamental to research quality, relevance and impact.

That does not mean every project is high risk. Nor does it mean ethics should become overly bureaucratic or disproportionate. Quite the opposite. A good ethics system should be proportionate, enabling and supportive. It should help low-risk research move efficiently, while giving appropriate attention to work involving greater complexity, sensitivity or uncertainty. But for that to happen well, we need to shift the culture around ethics.

We need colleagues and doctoral researchers to feel able to ask questions early, rather than worrying that asking will slow things down. We need DR advisors and research leaders to treat ethics as part of research design and development, not as an afterthought once the “real” work has already been planned. We need committees and reviewers to be constructive, clear and consistent in their advice. And we need the institution to keep listening to researchers about where the system is working well, and where it unintentionally creates friction. There is also an important leadership point here. If researchers experience ethics primarily as bureaucracy, we should not simply tell them they are wrong. We should ask what in our processes, language or behaviours has created that perception. Good governance is not only about having the right structures. It is also about how those structures are experienced.

That is why I am keen for us to continue improving how ethics operates at Loughborough. Not by weakening standards, but by strengthening understanding. Not by making ethics optional or informal, but by making it clearer, more proportionate and more visibly connected to research quality, researcher confidence and institutional ambition. Ethics should give people confidence to do ambitious work and our policies and processes should help researchers navigate difficult questions rather than avoid them. It should support innovation, not chill it. 

There will always be moments when ethical review asks us to pause, reconsider or redesign. That is not failure and should not be seen as such. That is the system doing something valuable. Some of the best research is improved because someone asked: have we thought carefully enough about who is affected, who benefits, who carries the risk, and how this work will be understood beyond the research team? So my ask is simple. Let us stop seeing ethics as the final task before research can begin. Let us see it as part of good research design from the outset. At Loughborough, doing research well means doing research responsibly. Ethics is not there to trip us up. It is there to help us take the right risks, pursue the right opportunities, and stand on firmer ground.

Five Minutes With: Kerri Akiwowo

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I am a Senior Lecturer in Textiles and I have been at Loughborough since 2010, initially for doctoral study, progressing to academic staff in 2015.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

Varied. No two days in a ‘typical’ week are comparable. I might be lecturing, contributing to a committee, meeting a collaborator, attending an event or a meeting, writing a research article or application, reviewing papers, conducting PhD supervision, undertaking practice, travelling, a combination of these, or something entirely different from one day to the next.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

I am privileged to have enjoyed leading and collaborating on several projects with respected colleagues and other institutions and organisations, but my favourite has to be ‘AFRO HAIR: IS a BIG conversation’ (2024-2026), not the biggest or flashiest, but one of the most important.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

Convincing a former undergraduate on the fringes to attend their graduation and capturing the moment with a signed and dated Polaroid of the two of us. It is proudly displayed on my office wall. Equally, the day of my own doctoral graduation in the winter of 2015. I was six months pregnant with my eldest daughter. The graduation gown was a perfect outfit.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

Authentic. This is everything. Things are pointless, meaningless, soulless and performative without authenticity. This applies to the workplace, in leadership, in teams and in relationships. I like to think I am authentically me in whatever I do and wherever I find myself.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

I am the Head of Department for the children’s arm of a local church and charitable organisation in Loughborough town, overseeing Sunday School provision for approximately 55 children aged 4-12 and supervising a team of volunteer teachers and assistants.

What is your favourite quote?

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase”. (1 Corinthians 3:6)

Professor Helen Wood plenary talk: Care in UK reality TV

Thursday, May 14  |  2:30 PM – 3:30 PM | Hybrid event (in-person & online)

The Centre for Research in Communication and Culture (Loughborough University) is delighted to sponsor this plenary talk: ‘Duty’ as power: bureaucracy, ethics and the relations of care in UK reality television

This is the keynote session of the Communication and Media – Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy (CM-CSSP) Doctoral Researcher Conference at Loughborough University, but is open to non-attendees.

‘Duty’ as power: bureaucracy, ethics and the relations of care in UK reality television

This talk will introduce you to the work of ‘ReCARETV: Reality Television, Working Practices and Duties of Care’ (AHRC) research project investigating care practices in UK reality television. Following a parliamentary inquiry and a consultation, Ofcom added new rules and guidelines around duty of care into the Broadcasting Code in 2021. This research involves interviews with senior executives, commissioners and legal compliance teams at the broadcasters and independent production companies; production staff and freelance crew (from runners, casters to editors); as well as participants of reality television across different types of show, in order to obtain a holistic picture of experiences of care across the industry. This talk will share some of the findings from across the project so far, which point out distinctions between the bureaucratic work of compliance in a regulatory framework, and ethical tensions in working practices and decision-making in production. The research reveals some fault-lines between a corporate response to care as risk management, and an ethical approach to care as a condition of mutual interdependency.

Brockington Building (B111), Loughborough Campus
Online via Teams
Tickets available here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1988317222336?aff=oddtdtcreator

DRN2026 Drawing as Storytelling: Narrated Memories Recording

The recording for the first event in the series looking at Drawing as Storytelling is now available to view here: https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/event/DRN2026_Drawing_as_Storytelling_Narrated_Memories/32129518?file=64140061

DRN2026 Drawing as Storytelling: Polyphonic Lines Online Event

11.00(BST) 27th May 2026

Tickets available here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/drawingresearchgroup/2210426

Polyphonic Lines is the second in a series of online events in collaboration with the Storytelling Academy at Loughborough University, which explore the relationship between Drawing and Storytelling. Drawing begins where words cannot reach, and storytelling begins when images ask to be read. This first panel brings together artists and researchers exploring the theme of narrated memories.

Isabel Herrera-González’s presentation Between Lines: Drawing and Visual Storytelling investigates the porous boundary between Drawing and Storytelling, asking how meaning is generated when image and narrative are no longer treated as separate systems but as interdependent acts of thought. The research question guiding this inquiry is: What can be made possible in the space where drawing and storytelling intersect? To address this, the project examines drawing as residue —of bodily movement, decision-making, and participation— and storytelling as an unfolding choreography of images that resists fixed interpretation. Meaning is understood as emergent and relational, produced through acts of reading, viewing, and participation rather than embedded in the work itself. The proposed presentation combines visual documentation, performative narration, and reflective analysis to introduce the participatory project Líneas de Vida (Life Lines). Through this work, storytelling is enacted through absence, incision, and flow, while drawing becomes a temporal event shaped by chance, voice, and encounter. The presentation will argue that drawing and storytelling share a mutual structure of unfolding and refolding, each carrying what the other cannot articulate. In doing so, the research reframes both practices as co-creative, living processes that activate the space between sign and meaning as a site of possibility.

Simon Grennan’s presentation Unexpected storytelling in algorithmic drawing researchasks the question, how can rule-based procedures generate new storytelling spaces in contemporary drawing? When Grennan began focusing on rule-based procedures (algorithms) within his drawing practice, he had two main goals in mind. One was to generate new kinds of drawing. Grennan’s ambition was to ‘return’ algorithms, now synonymous with digital computing, to an embodied material practice that, unlike much rule-based art, engaged with representation, perception, and the world at large. The second goal, made more urgent as the covid epidemic hit, was to blur the usual distinctions between artist and public, creating and exhibiting, private studio and public display – to facilitate creative collaborations and public participation. 

While conversation was an expected byproduct of this evolving project, Grennan had not considered storytelling as a significant or intentional outcome. Storytelling nevertheless become an important emergent feature. As the capacity of algorithmic thinking to structure and facilitate co-creation led to audience engagement, this engagement lead in turn to drawing designs that folded in both demographic and site specific data. That in turn led to new drawing events that functioned as a kind of hand-made data visualisation in which participants were given agency over how their data was collected, shared, and presented. Narratives in these participatory experiments then, were not derived from pre-authored content but emerged as participants engaged fluidly with the artist, with each other, and with the drawings-in-progress.  Storytelling behaviours unfolding firstly in the form of verbal interactions between artists and participants at work and secondly through the aggregate accumulation of these marks which told broader collective stories captured in the drawing-artifacts. 

Thomas-Bernard Kenniff’s and Carole Lévesque’s presentation Unfolding Stories: Drawing as Multivocal Narratives suggests that drawing makes sense of the world by fostering the cocreation of stories. Drawing rests on the accumulation of traces, the transcription of codes and their decoding and recoding by others, and as such is tied to other actions of making sense together. Tracing or following a line is akin to telling, recounting, remembering or listening to a story. As such, the sense that drawing makes is not given but constructed. It is a process that shares much with the way narratives are built, in its crafting, its communication and its architectonics (Bakhtin). The spatial and temporal assemblies of drawing are, in fact, narrativeassemblies and relationships (De Certeau) that connect us to a deeper sense of being and belonging (De Toledo). More so than any other dimensions of drawing, these narrative assemblies have the capacity to organize, connect and relate. 

Using examples from their upcoming book on drawing and the imaginary of place (Bloomsbury), this presentation explores how a narrative understanding of drawing invites polyphony and thus implies the presence of difference and plurality. Drawings, in this sense, are cocreated stories. Kenniff and Lévesque focus on their respective drawing practices that each fosters a different understanding of place, their construction and evolution, their spatial and temporal dimensions, and the ways in which their depiction in drawing can create the semantic surplus (Pérez-Gómez) necessary to any world-making story. In looking between process, artefact and the world thus depicted they ask: can a drawing be read as an unfolding, multivocal story?  

The session will be chaired by Rachel Gadsden-Hayton.

Biographies

Born in 1996 in Spain, Isabel Herrera studied Fine Arts at the University of Seville, Spain, where she is currently pursuing a PhD in performance drawing. Since 2002, she has been a member of the Research Group HUM-1025: Creation, Graphic art, Aesthetic and Gender.

Simon Grennan is an artist, practice-led researcher, and educator. He has exhibited nationally and internationally and has work in numerous public and private collections throughout Australia. A Lecturer in Visual Arts at Deakin University Victoria, Grennan works across a range of disciplines, specialisating in painting, drawing, and printmaking. His research and practice also extends however into interdisciplinary collaboration, algorithmic processes, data visualisation, and participatory art.

Thomas-Bernard Kenniff and Carole Lévesque are professors in environmental design at the UQAM School of Design, Montreal and cofounders of the Bureau d’étude de pratiques indisciplinées (BéPI) focusing on hybrid research-by-design methods. Their work explores drawing as a means to investigate spatial and temporal dimensions of the built environment. They are the coeditors of Inventories (BéPI, 2021) and -in Drawing (BéPI, 2024), as well as the authors of the upcoming book Drawing and the Imaginary of Place to be published by Bloomsbury this year.

Predicting the unpredictable: Can mathematics teachers learn to anticipate student errors? 

In this blog post, Professor Colin Foster and Aidan Stannard explore a key question for maths teachers: how well can we predict the mistakes students will make? Drawing on their recent research and using Craig Barton’s Diagnostic Questions, they look at how accurately teachers can anticipate common errors, and how quickly this skill improves with practice and feedback.

Introduction 

If you have spent any time in a mathematics classroom, you will know that the most interesting answers students give are often the incorrect ones. Teachers spend a lot of their planning time trying to anticipate errors and misconceptions so they can address them head-on. This requires scrutinising the mathematics, trying to view it through the eyes of a novice, and thinking about how prior learning might lead students towards sensible but incorrect statements. 

The ability to accurately anticipate the errors that are most likely to arise is a teacher super-power, but how good are mathematics teachers at this? And is it something that can be improved through deliberate practice? In our recent paper (Stannard and Foster, 2025), we explored how well secondary mathematics teachers can predict the prevalence of specific student errors, and whether this improved with repeated feedback. 

A crucial aspect of Pedagogical Content Knowledge 

For decades, educational researchers have drawn on Lee Shulman’s (1986) concept of Pedagogical Content Knowledge. This is the special blend of content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge that is unique to teachers. It is not just knowing mathematics, but knowing how to teach mathematics. 

Within this framework sits a crucial sub-domain known as Knowledge of Content and Students. This includes anticipating student conceptions and misconceptions. It is the awareness, for example, that when teaching the addition of fractions, a noticeable proportion of the class are likely to try adding the numerators and adding the denominators. 

However, while most experienced teachers are aware of a variety of common misconceptions, predicting how an entire class are likely to distribute their answers across plausible errors is a demanding task, requiring a highly developed mental model of student thinking. 

Investigating teacher’s predictive skills 

To investigate this, we worked with seven secondary school mathematics teachers. Over a total of 37 sessions, of around 20-30 min each, the teachers were presented with multiple-choice diagnostic questions from Craig Barton’s free Diagnostic Questions website, which hosts thousands of questions designed to expose student thinking. 

Diagnostic questions do not contain haphazard distractors (incorrect options). Instead, every incorrect option is designed to reveal a specific identifiable error or misconception. For each question in the study, the teachers were asked to predict the percentage of students from a large dataset (also provided via the website) who would choose each of the four presented options. 

This task requires the teacher to do far more than merely identify the correct mathematical answer. They must deconstruct each distractor and understand the particular reasoning that might lead a student to choose one option over another. In addition, they must estimate the prevalence of that specific error within the broader student population. 

Teachers are highly skilled and improve rapidly 

We found that our teachers were very good at this and got much better remarkably quickly. 

Over the course of the sessions, all participants demonstrated measurable improvement in the accuracy of their predictions. The most dramatic gains did not take months of gruelling practice or hours of theoretical lectures. Instead the sharpest increases in accuracy occurred over just the first three sessions. The vertical axis of the graph shows a measure of how inaccurate the teachers’ predictions were. You can see this generally decreasing, particularly across the first three sessions. 

The mean improvement across a single session had a Cohen’s d effect size of 0.606. This suggests that the simple act of repeatedly engaging in this specific predictive task, coupled with the immediate feedback of seeing the actual student data, rapidly hones a teacher’s diagnostic intuition. Teachers quickly became better calibrated as they had their predictions challenged by the data. 

Implications 

It seems worth creating structured opportunities for teachers to repeatedly anticipate student errors and compare their predictions against empirical data. Teachers who can better anticipate what is going to happen in their classroom are likely to be better prepared to respond effectively. 

A mathematics department could dedicate 10 min of their weekly meetings to looking at a diagnostic question, making individual predictions about the distribution of student answers, and then discussing the actual data. This could be a high-impact activity that could accelerate the development of teachers’ predictive accuracy. 

A teacher who accurately anticipates errors is far better equipped to design robust explanations. They can select appropriate examples that deliberately highlight and resolve anticipated misconceptions. They can pivot their teaching in the moment when a predicted error arises, because they have already thought through possible responses. 

Mistakes are an inevitable and valuable part of learning mathematics. They provide a window into student thinking. Learning to better predict these mistakes might be an strategy for becoming a better mathematics teacher. 

About the authors 

Aidan Stannard is a secondary school mathematics teacher in Derbyshire. He is particularly interested in developing oracy and problem-solving skills within a mathematical context in his school. He originally undertook this research as part of his undergraduate degree at Loughborough University. 

Colin Foster is a Professor of Mathematics Education at Loughborough University. His research focuses on the learning and teaching of mathematics in ways that support students’ conceptual understanding. He is particularly interested in the design and use of rich tasks in the mathematics classroom, and in finding ways to enable students to develop the necessary fluency in mathematical processes to support them in solving mathematical problems. 

References 

Shulman, L. S. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4-14. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X015002004  

Stannard, A., & Foster, C. (2025). Secondary school mathematics teachers’ accuracy at predicting student errors. School Science and Mathematics. Advance online. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.18404 

Reflecting on STEAM II: Adding Arts to STEM

On 24 April 2026, University Teacher Dr Chukwuma Ogbonnaya and other colleagues from Wolfson School successfully hosted their second ‘STEAM’ event for Engineering staff and students at Burleigh Court. In this blog post, Chukwuma tells us more about the success of this initiative and the impact it had on members of our University community.

‘STEAM II: Adding Arts to STEM’ was created to bring people together through creativity, culture and collaboration. The idea grew out of a simple belief: that science and engineering are strengthened when they sit alongside the arts. Music, dance, drama, and storytelling offer powerful ways to connect people, celebrate cultural diversity, and create a sense of belonging and a vibrant community.

The first edition of STEAM took place in June 2025 and was designed for staff and postgraduate researchers (PGRs) across the engineering schools. It featured food, music, songs and dance from the UK, China, African‑Caribbean communities and India. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and it was clear that the initiative had struck a chord. As a result, STEAM II expanded to include the School of Science, alongside Wolfson, AACME, and ABCE.

At its core, STEAM II was shaped by the University’s values of Creativity, Collaboration, Authenticity, and Adventure. These values provided a strong framework for both delivery and reflection.

Creativity sat at the heart of the event. STEAM II brought together resources and talents from across four schools and beyond, with staff and PGR students actively contributing ideas, performances, and content. One of the most powerful moments was an improvised musical trio formed by members of staff from India, Bangladesh, and the UK. Without rehearsal or expectation, music became a shared language. Participants noticed this immediately. One person commented that they most enjoyed “playing a song between three people from India, Bangladesh and a piano”, while another described it as “the pinnacle of cross‑culture music and art spirit”. These moments showed how creativity can dissolve boundaries and create genuine, indescribable connections.

Collaboration was another clear strength. The planning and delivery of STEAM II relied on strong teamwork across all four schools. The involvement of the University Choir and Rendell Primary School added a valuable intergenerational and community dimension. Seeing children and University staff perform alongside one another brought warmth and energy into the space. One participant simply said, “I liked the instrumentals and the children singing,” a reminder that collaboration does not need to be complex to be meaningful.

Authenticity was evident throughout the programme. Rather than offering surface‑level performances, STEAM II explored deep cultural heritage through music, instruments, singing and storytelling. The diversity of what was shared mattered to the audience. Feedback such as “the variety of things we got to listen to and sing” showed that people valued both the range and the sincerity of the performances.

STEAM II was also an adventure. Although it was supported by EDI Services funding, much of the process involved uncertainty and trust. The team drew on lessons from STEAM I but remained open to new ideas and outcomes (see the reflection on STEAM I). The success of this approach was reflected not only in participant feedback but also in positive public responses from senior colleagues, including Professors Justin Waring, Sian Adiseshiah, and Claire Warden, who shared encouraging comments on LinkedIn.

One particularly encouraging outcome was an invitation from Professor Claire Warden for me, Chukwuma Ogbonnaya, to speak at an upcoming LU Arts Committee meeting about the STEAM concept. This invitation signals growing recognition of the importance of integrating arts into STEM and opens the door for future collaboration with LU Arts.

Reflecting personally, I am deeply grateful to everyone who made STEAM II possible. Big thanks to the Deans of the collaborating Schools for their support. My thanks go to the STEAM II Working Group, especially Laura Justham, Bhav Mistry, Rebecca Higginson, Hannah Sutcliffe, Karen Blay, Atish Vadher and other members. Eleanor Graff-Baker’s creativity, reliability, and resourcefulness were invaluable. I would also like to thank the University Choir, Rendell Primary School, Dimas Wicaksono, Eyram Tawia, Jiongyi Yan, Diganta Das, and Sarjeel Rashid for their performances. Finally, thank you to Phil Wilson for capturing the moments and memories of the event.

Overall, STEAM II exceeded expectations. It strengthened collaboration, deepened cultural engagement, and opened new possibilities to engage with local schools and the arts community. It demonstrated that when arts and STEM come together, they create meaningful, inclusive, vibrant and memorable experiences that enrich university life.

TRUST in the Loughborough University Research Repository

Do you trust the Loughborough University Research Repository? As someone who works behind the scenes, it’s obvious to me that you should 😉 but perhaps you’ve not thought about it. The TRUST Principles provide a common framework for demonstrating trust in a Research Repository. TRUST is a mnemonic acronym for Transparency, Responsibility, User focus, Sustainability, and Technology. Here’s what I know about our Research Repository that shows that you can trust it.

Transparency

To be transparent about specific repository services and data holdings that are verifiable by publicly accessible evidence.

Anyone in the world can search our Repository – and we have over 60 000 public items. Some of them might be embargoed, which means we will show the metadata even if you can’t download the full text. Many researchers have private items, as our Repository doubles for long-term storage as well.

You can read more about our services on the following webpages:

• Loughborough University Research Repository and LUPIN
• Open Access
• Archiving your research files

Responsibility

To be responsible for ensuring the authenticity and integrity of data holdings and for the reliability and persistence of its service.

Every item that is submitted to our Repository is checked by the Open Research team in the Library. We ensure accurate, high-quality metadata is added to each item that will improve the discoverability and reusability of the items. We are always on the lookout for copyright and GDPR compliance. One member of the team specializes in research ethics and is on hand to assist with risky deposits.

Furthermore, Loughborough University owns the metadata on the Repository and has full control over the files. Should we ever change platforms in the future (please, never in my lifetime!), we will be able to migrate without any loss of data. Every item is assigned a persistent identifier (DOI or handle), and these links will not break when (if!) we ever move.

User focus

To ensure that the data management norms and expectations of target user communities are met.

Our team is in daily contact with our user community and takes special note of its needs. We also monitor changes in the research landscape, such as legislation or changes to policies from funders, publishers, governments – basically anyone within the ecosystem.

Sometimes, all that’s needed is a tweak to one of our standard emails, other times a bigger response is needed, such as our Rights Retention policy.

Sustainability

To sustain services and preserve data holdings for the long-term.

Our Repository has a built-in checksum that guards against errors in transfer and storage. While this doesn’t prevent bit-rot, it does flag it when it happens. Where we think it’s possible, we will ask for lossless formats that are less likely to degrade over time.

The Open Research Policies for Open Access and Data and Methods commit the university to maintain both the infrastructure (more on this point below) and the service.

Technology

To provide infrastructure and capabilities to support secure, persistent, and reliable services.

We have a close working relationship with our current software provider, Figshare, and regularly provide input into their service development on behalf of our user community. They roll out monthly software updates as an agile approach to maintaining an excellent service.

Last words

That’s been a peek behind the scenes of what we do to support our users and our Repository, here at Loughborough University. You can TRUST that we are doing all we can to create the best showcase of the brilliant research we do here.

Read more

Lin, D., Crabtree, J., Dillo, I. et al. The TRUST Principles for digital repositories. Scientific Data 7, 144 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-0486-7

PS…

You might be wondering how LUPIN fits into this – we’ve got a webpage on that.

Slow Thinking and Synthetic Images. Notes from my IAS Residential Fellowship

Spending a month at the Institute of Advanced Studies at Loughborough University as a Residential Fellow was a particularly enjoyable and inspiring experience because it offers genuinely stimulating company and something increasingly rare in academic life: uninterrupted time to work on just one thing.

I arrived at Loughborough in February from Bologna, where I work and teach on topics at the intersection of semiotics, memory and visual studies. At the IAS, I had the chance to develop a project I had only recently started, connected to how AI-generated images shape our sense of plausibility and what constitutes an event in conflict and war contexts. More specifically, I was able to dig into how these visual artefacts mobilise emotional rhetoric and iconographic patterns, how they draw on a kind of “archive of the present” to appear credible and memorable even as they quietly undermine the logic of testimony and evidence, and how they tend to prescribe futures that are not always as peaceful or reconciliatory as they seem. In a moment when time for sustained thinking feels like a privilege rather than a given, having weeks to study and reflect, the university and IAS spaces but also the cosy house that the IAS gave to my husband and me made all the difference.

The intellectual conversations at the IAS were one of the highlights of my stay. My collaboration with Prof. Emily Keightley from the Department of Communication and Media gave me the opportunity to think about the temporal dimensions of memory and the circulation of such thorny visual objects. At the same time, chance encounters and lunchtime conversations with colleagues and fellows turned out to be as generative as any planned activity. In particular, Prof. Ksenia Chmutina and Prof. Arianna Maiorani, whose work on disaster studies and linguistics kept pulling my thinking in productive and unexpected directions.

Among the more formal activities of my stay, I delivered an IAS Research Seminar on 18 February 2026, Re-imagining Conflicts, Making Up Futures: AI-Generated Images and the Memorability of War, and, a week later, led a PGR Workshop titled Reading AI Images: A Semiotic Toolkit for Emerging Visual and Memory Cultures. Working through concepts like intertextuality, indexicality and visual pathos sparked a rich discussion on how semiotics can be applied to AI-generated conflict imagery, from the moment of generation and the politics of prompt semantics, to the ways these images travel in cultures.

Beyond the intellectual work, the IAS is simply a warm place to be. Jenny, Ksenia, Laura, Lynda, Yajie, Connor, Kieran and the rest of the team make International House feel like a genuine community rather than just a workspace. I am grateful for the conversations, the collegial atmosphere, the cheese and wine night (thanks, Laura!) and the chance to think together.

Dr Mario Panico

Top 10 Downloads for April 2026

Half of the top downloads for April are theses, and none of them are data items. And there’s a definite increase in traffic to our Repository compared to the October 2025 top 10 downloads.

From the Vice-Chancellor – April 2026

In my newsletter this month: Our People and Culture strategy, the new Research Academy, our new Flagship Research Institutes, study identifies pressure wave in football heading, and Team England kit launched.

Making progress – our People and Culture Strategy  

Following the success of Project Expectations, we’ve been taking forward a number of new approaches that shape how we all work, lead and develop at the University, including the development of our first ever People and Culture strategy, which has recently been approved by Council. Over the next four years, this will guide how we shape our colleague experience and approach our development, wellbeing and leadership in response to staff survey feedback, helping to maintain Loughborough’s strong position in the sector.  

One of the early deliverables of the strategy is the introduction of GLOW Conversations. Colleagues from around half of our Schools and Professional Services are now having GLOW conversations during this pilot year, with strong engagement from managers with training and use of the resources available.  

Importantly, we’re beginning to hear what having GLOW conversations feels like in practice. Colleagues are telling us they’re having more focused and meaningful discussions using the GLOW Conversations approach, with a clear emphasis on what matters most in their role as well as the development that will support them. In some cases, these conversations are helping to raise important issues earlier, such as support around wellbeing, workload, day-to-day challenges, or longer-term development.   

One member of staff said that being able to talk about their wellbeing and work-life balance in their GLOW Conversations, and to be listened to and not judged, had been amazing. Another said that having shorter term objectives, as opposed to 12-month ones under the previous Performance and Development Review process, had been helpful, saying “I can see how I’m moving towards achieving these since the introduction of GLOW Conversations.” 

Creating space for regular, open conversations feels particularly important at the moment and can really help us all to feel supported. While it’s still early, there is a growing sense that these small, ongoing conversations are starting to make a real difference.  

Our expectation is that GLOW Conversations will continue to roll out across the University over the coming months, with all areas moving into this approach by the end of the year. By taking a phased approach, it ensures that we can build on what we’re learning, support managers and teams as they move to GLOW Conversations and share our successes along the way.  

Thank you to everyone who is already engaging with GLOW Conversations and for helping to shape this new approach for all colleagues.

Loughborough University Research Academy formally launched 

Last week we launched the new Loughborough University Research Academy (LURA), which will help us to create a more connected and supported research community and drive the transformative cultural change to position Loughborough as a global research powerhouse. 

The establishment of LURA, one of the priorities within our Research and Innovation core plan, has been made possible thanks to the very generous philanthropic donation, the largest in our history, from Loughborough alum Chris Gill. I was delighted to be able to formally thank Chris for his incredible generosity at the launch event.  

Over the next five years, LURA will enable us to offer opportunities to more than 4,000 staff and doctoral researchers through tailored support and development programmes and support current students who are keen to explore a future career in research. It will also allow us to accelerate and amplify the impact of our innovative research that will help to shape global change.   

LURA will be housed in the Angela Marmont building in a state of the art, modern, high-specification and inspiring space, funded by Chris’s donation.

Flagship Research Institutes launched 

This week the University Executive Board approved the formation of six new virtual Flagship Research Institutes, aligned to the University’s three strategic themes, to support our research ambitions and enhance our global impact. 

Each of the Flagship Research Institutes represents a distinct area of our research excellence and will address the major societal, industrial and global challenges facing us today. They cover Clean Energy, Culture and Society, Digital Futures, Healthy Living, Responsible Manufacturing, and Women in Sport. 

The Institutes will act as significant interdisciplinary platforms through which to connect existing areas of excellence, strengthen collaboration across disciplines, deepen engagement with external partners, and build a stronger institutional identity around a set of globally significant themes. They will enable us to take a more focused and effective approach to attracting and supporting large-scale research funding bringing in additional income, and leading ambitious, high-impact research programmes.  

The Institutes will also help us to enhance our thriving research culture. Each will be led by an Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (APVCs)/Director, appointed from our existing staff, who will work part-time in the role.  

The Flagship Research Institutes’ APVCs will build on the work of the previous Associate Pro Vice-Chancellors for the three strategic themes, whose term of office finishes at the end of July. Thank you to Professor John Downey and Dr Kathryn North (Climate Change and Net Zero), Professor Emily Keightley and Professor Rebecca Cain (Vibrant and Inclusive Communities), and Professor David Fletcher and Professor Diwei Zhou (Sport, Health and Wellbeing) for their work in laying the foundations for this important next step in our strategic research ambition.

Research identifies pressure wave in football heading

One of our core strategic priorities is to undertake research, often in partnership with global organisations, that has the potential to bring about meaningful change. Our recently published research which identified a previously undetected pressure wave in football heading is a perfect example. 

The study, which was led by our Sports Technology Institute and philanthropically funded by The Football Association, has identified a mechanism of energy transfer to the brain from football headers – a finding that could prove significant in understanding the mechanics of headers and inform future research into long-term player health. 

Football is played by over 260 million players worldwide, with heading one of the fundamental skills of the game. But repetitive headers through a player’s career have been linked to an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases in later life.  

Our researchers studied ball-head impacts at match speeds, with a range of footballs from throughout the last century and an advanced surrogate head model. Using a specialist pressure sensor positioned within the brain model, they observed, for the first time, a distinctive pressure wave that transfers energy into the frontal region. The research showed the magnitude of this energy transfer varied by up to 55x across historical and modern ball types.  

The findings provide opportunities to work towards ball designs and testing specifications that minimise energy transfer into the brain.  

The results of the study have gained widespread interest. The researchers produced a targeted briefing for stakeholders such as FIFA, adidas, football governing bodies, player associations, charities and global ball manufacturers to ensure they were fully informed, with a clear and accurate understanding of the findings ahead of the wider release of the study. The research has also been picked up by major national and international media outlets, including the BBC, The Times and the New York Times.  

Commonwealth Games Team England kit revealed 

This month Team England revealed the kit its athletes will wear for the 2026 Commonwealth Games this summer and it was great to see the Loughborough University logo proudly featured on the sleeves of the medal ceremony attire.  

The use of our logo on the new kit is part of the value-in-kind landmark agreement we signed earlier this year to be the official University Partner of Team England for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the 2027 Commonwealth Youth Games, which will take place in Malta. As well as our logo on the ceremonial kit, we will host Team England for its immersion camps across multiple sports ahead of the Games and welcome all Team England staff and athletes to campus for Kitting Out, where they will be provided with all their kit, including ceremonial, village, training and competition wear.  

The new kit, designed in collaboration with Kukri Sports, takes inspiration from Glasgow’s distinctive character, blending bold street art influences with the work of renowned Scottish designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Sustainability has also been key, with more recycled materials incorporated, improved durability and reduced manufacturing waste.  

Athletes will have the option of competing in either red or white kits. 

While squad selections for the Commonwealth Games are still taking place, I’m confident that we’ll have many Loughborough-linked athletes competing for Team England in the new kit, as well as athletes selected for other nations’ teams. I’m sure you’ll join me in wishing all the Loughborough athletes the very best with their preparations for the Games, and I look forward to seeing our University logo on display on the podium! 

General Assembly – Wednesday 6 May, 2pm-3pm

Get an update on the University Strategy and our Core Plans, celebrate our successes, discuss our institutional priorities, and find out more about other announcements and events.

National accreditation for Loughborough

The University has been accredited as a UK Sport Elite Training Centre, recognising its role in supporting Olympic and Paralympic athletes to achieve success on the world stage. 

Loughborough Future Makers 

A call has gone out to invite students to help shape the Education and Student Experience, as part of the Students’ Union’s Future Makers programme. 

Event: Sites of Hostility and Resistance: Navigating the Digital LGBTQ+ Public Sphere in Hungary

Sites of Hostility and Resistance: Navigating the Digital LGBTQ+ Public Sphere in Hungary

Date: 5th May 2026
Time: 5pm-7.30pm (UK time)
Registration: This event is FREE to attend, but registration is essential.
To book your place, please email: a.zsubori@lboro.ac.uk

About the event:

You are warmly invited to join us for an upcoming webinar featuring Mariann Filó (activist, psychologist & Budapest Pride organiser), Ádám András Kanicsár (activist, journalist & social media expert), and Joci Márton (Roma LGBTQ+ activist) on Hungarian LGBTQ+ citizens’ use of social media. This event is chaired by Dr Anna Zsubori and draws on research conducted during her British Academy-funded postdoctoral fellowship at Loughborough University.

Various digital media platforms in illiberal contexts function as a complex double-edged sword. In Hungary, they often act as additional channels for illiberal attitudes, amplifying state-sponsored negative sentiments. Yet, these same spaces remain vital for the expression of liberal views and resistance. This session explores this tension, focusing on how social media spaces have become sites of both systemic hostility and profound resistance for LGBTQ+ communities in Hungary.

We will be joined by Hungarian guest speakers who will discuss the lived reality of navigating this digital environment. The discussion will cover the online and offline consequences of the regime’s anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, as well as the state-encouraged harassment. Beyond victimisation, our speakers will highlight the diverse strategies of resistance, exploring how marginalised groups utilise digital media to build counter-narratives, maintain community safety, and challenge the illiberal status quo.

The session features a panel of individuals at the forefront of this struggle, including activists, journalists, and individuals with direct lived experience of digital victimisation. By bringing together those who document these harms and those who experience them, this webinar aims to provide a nuanced understanding of how political communication in an illiberal regime translates into real-world harm, and how resistance persists in the face of structural exclusion.

This webinar will be of interest to academics across communication, digital media, gender and LGBTQ+ studies, human rights, and political science, as well as non-academic audiences interested in the lived realities of LGBTQ+ minorities and their digital experiences.

The event is supported by the British Academy and Loughborough University.

Five Minutes With: Tim Hewes-Belton

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I am the International Student Experience Manager based within Student Life, which is part of Student Services. I have been at Loughborough for about three and a half years, although I did complete my MSc here alongside working in the Library Café back in 2008-2009.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

There isn’t really a typical day in my role, and that’s one of the things I love the most. Some days are fast-paced and student-facing. I might be supporting the team to run an event for students or supporting an individual student, working with colleagues across the University to make sure they get the right support.

Other days are more strategic. While my team leads on planning and delivering our programmes, my focus is often on the wider picture, working with Schools and Professional Services to ensure we are meeting the needs of international students. That might involve working with Global Engagement to review our Pre-departure Briefing Content, supporting a school with an issue amongst their international cohort, reviewing policy, attending a meeting or working group, or advising colleagues on international student perspectives.

My team delivers a wide range of initiatives throughout the year. We run the International Welcome Events, develop resources and sessions to support students to transition to life in the UK, and coordinate the Heathrow Airport pick-ups. In the summer, we deliver the Pre-sessional Orientation, taking on a more pastoral role during that period. We also deliver the University’s vacation programmes, offering everything from trips and celebrations to sports and arts activities. Term-time activities include our Brighter Winter programme, which tackles the challenges of dark winter months and lots of other events to ensure that Loughborough feels like home.

No two days look the same. Whether it’s responding to a complex student situation or an emerging global event, a meeting-heavy day or developing a new resource to support students, it is always focused on how we can ensure we are delivering an excellent experience for our international students.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

I genuinely struggle to pick just one project. Some highlights include working with Loughborough Students’ Union (LSU) and the International Students’ Network to develop student-led events for international students, from International Students’ Day to the University’s first Songkran celebration and our now annual Thanksgiving High Tables. I particularly love supporting the development of student-led activity because it shifts the focus from doing things for students to doing them with students. Celebrating the impact our students have on our community on International Students’ Day is particularly special.

I’ve also loved working with the Student Accommodation Centre on our new International Friendly Landlord Scheme, which launches in March and collaborating with the School of Design and Creative Arts to better connect isolated students by aligning social events with the academic programme such as our ‘Designing Christmas’ event in 2023. For me, there is nothing better than seeing our events and interventions have a positive impact on the lives of our students.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

I think the thing I am most proud of during my time at Loughborough has been developing our vacation programmes into what they are today. When I started, I was a team of one, and the University had only delivered online Christmas activities during Covid. In my first year, we successfully introduced a fully in-person Christmas programme and launched a new Easter programme, both with strong student engagement.

Since then, we have continued to grow. We’ve delivered two iterations of a summer programme to support postgraduate students through the longer, quieter months, doubling the number of events between the first and second year. What began as a small-scale initiative is now one of the most comprehensive vacation programmes at any UK university. I am so proud that Loughborough supports those students who stay on campus, both home and international. Creating connection, belonging, and lots of memories for students who might otherwise feel isolated is the most rewarding part of my job.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

I think the value that I connect to most is collaborative. As a team, International Student Experience works with so many wonderful colleagues from across Schools, Professional Services and LSU to ensure we provide the best experience for our international students. We couldn’t do what we do without their support and dedication to our students.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

Outside of work, I’m a massive Eurovision fan. I’ve been to the contest a couple of times, decorated the house with flags for at least a week each year, and have hosted more Eurovision parties than I can count.

Discovering Eurovision as a teenager was probably one of the things that first sparked my curiosity about other cultures, languages and perspectives. Looking back, it definitely played a part in shaping my interest in international and intercultural work, so you could say, Eurovision helped set me on the path to the career I have today.

What is your favourite quote?

I’m not sure I have a favourite quote, but anyone who works with me will hear me say “international students are not one homogenous group” at least a couple of times a week.

If you would like to feature in ‘Five Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Martha Causier at m.causier@lboro.ac.uk.

Leverhulme Lectures with Professor Helena P. Osana 

The Department of Mathematics Education is pleased to host a series of three Leverhulme lectures with Professor Helena P. Osana from Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.

Helena Osana a Professor of Mathematics Education at Concordia University where she is the Principal Investigator of the Mathematics Teaching and Learning Lab. Her particular research interests are in the area of children’s mathematical development, learning and instruction, and mathematical cognition. You can find more about her work here.

All lectures are open to the public and no booking is required.

For further information, please contact the Centre for Mathematical Cognition.

Finding One: Units in the Elementary Mathematics Curriculum

Date: 20 May 2026
Time: 16:00 – 17:00
Location: Schofield Building, SCH101, Loughborough University, Epinal Way, LE11 3TU

A unit is what we call “one.” This lecture examines where “one” appears—and often hides—in the elementary mathematics curriculum. It traces how units structure the big ideas in elementary mathematics, including numeration and place value, multidigit arithmetic, multiplication and division, and fractions. The talk highlights how seemingly disparate domains in school mathematics are tied together by unit concepts and how understanding in mathematics is dependent on flexible and relational reasoning about units and “oneness.”

Understanding One: Challenges in Children’s Understanding of Units

Date: 10 June 2026
Time: 14:00 – 15:00
Location: Schofield Building, SCH101, Loughborough University, Epinal Way, LE11 3TU

This lecture focuses on children’s understanding of units from early counting to more advanced concepts involving measurement and composite units. It reviews research on how children construct the idea of “one” as both a countable entity and a unit that can be iterated and nested within higher-order structures. Common difficulties are examined, including treating collections of units as wholes, coordinating multiple units, and understanding number as a structure of embedded units. Together, these perspectives provide a nuanced account of why unit concepts are persistently challenging.

Supporting One: Supporting Children’s Unit Understanding

Date: 7 July 2026
Time: 14:00 – 15:00
Location: Schofield Building, SCH101, Loughborough University, Epinal Way, LE11 3TU

This lecture explores how learning environments and instructional approaches might support the development of robust unit understanding in children. The lecture will describe what is known about how environmental factors, such as visual representations and narrative, may play a role in children’s interpretation of “oneness” and in coordinating groups of discrete elements into structured, countable units. Promising early evidence will be presented on how to support children’s learning of embedded units in base-ten through instruction that explicitly foregrounds unit structure and supports analogical mapping across representations. Implications for curriculum design and classroom practice will be addressed.

Data collecting in China: what you need to know

The introduction of data protection laws in many countries around the world was a welcome advance in recognising the value of data and the risks it might pose if that data were to fall into the wrong hands. It’s made things a little trickier for researchers, who now have to navigate not only their own country’s laws but also the laws of the partner country that they might be working in. Data protection, in spirit, is the same everywhere, but the nuances can be tricky to navigate. Here’s what you need to know about collecting data in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Data collecting: a matter of consent

Data collection in the PRC has many similarities to data collection in the UK: consent is required if you are collecting data from humans. What’s different about the PRC is that you need specific and separate consent for each general type of information (source). Which means you can’t just ask for permission to use personal, medical and financial data in the same sentence – each of these needs its own question that the participants can agree to (or not). In truth, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to do that all the time: it makes it super clear for the participants what you’re collecting and what they are agreeing to.

What’s personal information? What’s sensitive data?

Surprisingly, there’s an easy out-clause: anonymised data. If the data you are collecting is anonymous, then you don’t need to worry about consent (see Article 4). Note that it needs to be truly anonymous, not just de-identified or pseudo-anonymised. If you’re counting the number of times a gate is opened, for example, by watching who might open the gate, that would count as anonymous, provided you don’t record anything about the opener.

There is a very broad definition of personal information: “refers to various information related to an identified or identifiable natural person recorded electronically or by other means, but does not include anonymised information” (Article 4).

“Sensitive personal information” is personal information that once leaked or illegally used, may easily lead to the infringement of the personal dignity of a natural person or may endanger his [hers/their] personal safety or property, including information such as biometrics, religious belief, specific identity, medical health status, financial accounts, and the person’s whereabouts, as well as the personal information of a minor under the age of 14 years” (Article 28).

It’s interesting to note that anyone over the age of 14 would not need parental consent. In the UK, it would be 13 (source). These small differences are what make data protection and research a challenge!

Transferring data out of the PRC

To move collected data out of the PRC, what’s known as a cross-border transfer, you’ll need to contact the Cyberspace Administration of China (Article 38). I wasn’t able to find any practical information on how to do this, and I would suggest that researchers have a local contact to guide them through these administrative tasks.

Legislation

Three PRC laws are relevant: the Personal Information Protection Law, the Cybersecurity Law, and the Data Security Law.

Disclaimer

I am not a lawyer, nor have I done any research involving the PRC. The above post is my opinion only, and should not be taken as official guidance. I am not liable for any claims resulting from anything written in this post. I welcome any corrections at RDM@lboro.ac.uk.

World IP Day 2026: Why Sport Is One of IP’s Biggest Playing Fields

Disclaimer: This blog post is for information only. We do not endorse any of the merchandise and we are not affiliated or receive any commission from any companies presented in this blog post.

Why IP Matters in Sport

This World Intellectual Property Day, the theme chosen by WIPO is IP and Sports. This day was launched by WIPO in 2000 to draw attention of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact daily life.

I was never much into sports. I mean I watched the odd football game, mainly because well, with just one TV in the household and a brother and dad who enjoyed football, if I wanted to watch TV, well I had no choice. Football it was. Of course, I also enjoyed gymnastics, and really wanted to be in gymnastics, Nadia Comaneci and her perfect 10 was something to be proud of. Unfortunately for me, I was tall, awkward and ill most of the time.

Nowadays, I still don’t watch sports, but my partner does, so I have no choice but to watch football, golf and rugby. IP drives creativity and innovation and this is especially true in sports. Sport has a global reach, huge commercial value and emotional fan engagement.

Modern sport isn’t just about performance on the field – it’s built on the IP of it.

The IP Rights at Play in Sport

Last year’s World IP Day theme was IP in Music and we looked how different IPs intersect, same goes for IP in sports. Let’s take a sports shoe for example: patents protect the technology used to create the shoe while designs protect the look of the shoe. Trademarks distinguish it from other makes of similar looking shoes while copyright protects any artwork or ad created to sell the shoe. As can be seen, multiple Ips can overlap in protecting a single sport product.  

Trademarks: The Heart of Sporting Brands

Real sport fans will have in their possession branded shirts or scarves, hats or any other merch available for their favourite team. If you like multiple types of sports, let’s say football and hockey, you might own two very different shirts. For example, I used to own a Chicago Bull T-Shirt, even though I have never been to Chicago nor have I ever seen them play, but I did like their logo. And the T-Shirt was really comfy, bought from a thrift shop and lasted well over 25 years. The good old times when clothes didn’t fall apart after one wash. Anyway, that is the subject of a future blog post.

The red bull logo for the Chicago Bulls? Trademarked. Just Do It? Trademarked. The Premier League? Trademarked. I am sure you get the gist by now. Club crests, kit sponsorships, rebrands and logo exceptions, merchandising, all of these would be protected by trademark.

Celebrities can also protect their name as trademark. Rory McIlroy for example, has secured trademark protection for his name in both the UK and the EU (EUTM). At the top of the ranking is Kylian Mbappé, with 15 EU trademarks (his name, his famous goal celebration, quotes…). Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi, with 7 EU trademarks each are right behind.

Trademarks turn loyalty into long-term commercial value.

Editorial use only. Adobe Stock image.

Copyright: Broadcasting, Content and the Fan Experience

I will do my best not to ruin sports broadcasting for you, but copyright and other related rights, have a say in how television and other media can broadcast sports. Did you know that television and other media pay out huge sums of money in licensing to be able to broadcast top sporting events, like the Olympics, the Five Nations or the Masters. (If you have no clue what I am talking about, with the last two it’s rugby and golf)?!

Sports broadcasting covers multiple media platforms, each contributing to how audiences access live events. Television remains the most valuable medium, with broadcasters securing exclusive territorial rights to attract large audiences and generate revenue. Radio continues to be important, especially where TV or internet access is limited, preserving live sports commentary traditions. Digital streaming, including mobile and on‑demand services, has significantly reshaped sports consumption by allowing fans to watch live matches, replays, and highlights anytime and anywhere. Together, these platforms broaden global access to sports while raising ongoing challenges around rights management, exclusivity, and piracy.

Media rights are commonly divided by territory, with broadcasters purchasing either domestic or international rights. Territorial exclusivity allows rights holders to tailor pricing, coverage, and marketing to specific regions, while ensuring broadcasters control live distribution and related revenues. Domestic rights typically hold the highest value due to strong local demand, whereas international rights help expand global reach. The rise of streaming platforms has added complexity, often requiring geoblocking to prevent access outside licensed areas and protect regional exclusivity agreements.

This is why some Premier League (PL) games are not shown in the UK. Fair? Well debatable. Here are the key issues territorial media rights create for fans:

• Restricted access due to geoblocking
  Fans may be unable to watch matches while travelling or living abroad, even if they subscribe to a service in their home country.
• Fragmented viewing experience
  Different competitions or even matches within the same league may be split across multiple broadcasters, forcing fans to pay for several subscriptions.
• Higher costs for fans
  Exclusive regional rights often drive up subscription prices, making it expensive to follow a team or sport consistently.
• Inconsistent availability and coverage
  Some regions receive limited broadcasts, fewer matches, or lower-quality coverage compared to others.
• Delayed or unavailable content
  International fans may face delayed access to highlights or replays, reducing engagement and increasing reliance on unofficial sources.
• Encouragement of piracy
  When legal access is restricted or overpriced, fans may turn to illegal streams, exposing them to poor quality, security risks, and legal consequences.

Overall, while territorial exclusivity benefits rights holders and broadcasters, it can reduce convenience, affordability, and fairness for fans, especially global and mobile audiences.

Copyright underpins how fans watch, share and engage with sport.

Design Rights: Protecting the Look of the Game

Now as I mentioned, I might not watch sports, but I do exercise, while not the same, design in athletic wear and / or equipment is important. For example, for athletes and regular people who exercise, a good sports bra is a must, as are good running shoes, home or gym equipment, and so on. Good design and good equipment reduces the risk of injury and can look good as well. I mean, you do have to look good when exercising.

Design plays a significant role in sport, influencing both appearance and performance. As new materials are developed, design innovations soon follow, shaping products such as athletic footwear, sports bags, and performance apparel including swimsuits, gym wear, and tennis clothing.

Sportswear and equipment manufacturers frequently collaborate with fabric producers to address specific performance challenges. Innovations like GORE‑TEX® transformed protective outerwear, while modern sports kits have become lighter, more flexible, and more comfortable. Advanced fabrics such as X‑Static®, which incorporates silver fibers, help regulate temperature and moisture to enhance comfort. Other high‑performance materials provide insulation and protection against wind and water, which is particularly important for athletes competing in cold environments.

Design rights protect the visual appearance of products and can be either registered or unregistered. Registered design rights provide stronger legal protection by formally recording the design, giving the owner exclusive rights for up to 25 years and making enforcement easier. In contrast, unregistered design rights arise automatically without registration but offer more limited protection and shorter duration, and infringement must be proven through evidence of copying. While unregistered rights can be useful for early or short‑lived designs, registration offers greater certainty and protection against imitation, particularly in competitive markets.

Fast fashion has also increasingly influenced athletic wear by making sports clothing more affordable, trend‑driven, and widely accessible, but this shift comes with significant drawbacks. Rapid production cycles allow consumers quick access to fashionable sportswear, encouraging innovation and lowering prices, yet often at the expense of durability and performance quality. The emphasis on speed and low cost contributes to overconsumption, with functional garments frequently discarded as styles change. This model also raises serious ethical and environmental concerns, including waste generation, resource depletion, and questionable labour practices. While some established sportswear brands are responding with more sustainable materials and long‑lasting designs, the challenge remains to balance affordability, performance, and ethical responsibility in a fast‑fashion‑driven market. If you wish to be more sustainable, and I would advise we all are, you can use the good on you website or app to choose more ethical and sustainable brands and products.  

Patents and Sports Innovation

Technology plays a central role in modern sport, with ongoing innovation driving improvements in performance, safety, and fan engagement. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), sports technologies, ranging from footwear and apparel to equipment, training systems, and performance‑tracking tools, are often protected through patents, which safeguard new inventions for up to 20 years. Patents encourage innovation by preventing unauthorised use while also promoting the wider diffusion of technology through licensing. This system enables manufacturers to invest in advanced materials, precision equipment, and data‑driven technologies that enhance athlete performance, reduce injury risk, and improve the sporting experience worldwide.

For example, the smart watches that some people wear (I have one, just upgraded actually) can tell a lot about people’s performance during exercise but also track different exercises and help (in some cases) people avoid injuries created by overexercising. Apple Watch Series 11 (I own this one) for example, can give you insights into possible hypertension. The Vitals app is interesting. I was ill a while ago and my vitals were all over the place, my breathing was bad, my temperature was high, my blood oxygen was low and my sleep, well, that was nonexistent. It correctly postulated that I have a cold.

Peloton has a feature called Peloton IQ, which helps you with keeping proper form during exercising, which is especially needed during weight training. (No endorsement of Peloton or Apple Watch, but through ads I knew Peloton has this feature).

Here are clear examples of patented sports technologies, based on those commonly highlighted by WIPO and the wider sports‑technology industry:

• Advanced sports footwear and apparel – Innovations such as energy‑return running shoes, aerodynamic swimsuits, and temperature‑regulating fabrics are frequently patented to protect new materials and construction methods that enhance performance and comfort.
• High‑performance sports equipment – Patents cover technologies used in items like lightweight tennis rackets, carbon‑fiber bicycles, aerodynamic surfboards, footballs, golf clubs, and bobsleds, all designed to improve speed, control, and safety.
• Protective and safety gear – Impact‑absorbing helmets, padding systems, goalkeeping gloves with anti‑slip coatings, and protective prosthetics for para‑athletes are patented to reduce injury risk while maintaining performance.
• Training and performance‑tracking technology – Devices such as smart wearables, motion‑tracking systems, precision timing equipment, and performance‑analysis software are patented to measure speed, endurance, biomechanics, and recovery.  
• Specialist and adaptive sports technologies – Patented innovations also include aquatic wheelchairs, starting blocks, gym equipment, and rehabilitation tools designed to improve accessibility and training efficiency across different sports.

Together, these patents protect innovation, encourage investment in research and development, and allow sports technology companies to license their inventions while improving performance and safety for athletes at all levels.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged bottom view of the wood-type golf club head shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the wood-type golf club head shown in FIG. 2 and showing a monitoring device

Image Rights and Personality in Sport

Many elite athletes use intellectual property (IP) protection strategically to develop, control, and preserve their personal brands beyond their sporting careers. Across a wide range of sports, both contemporary stars and legendary figures have registered EU trademarks to manage commercial ventures and protect their long‑term legacy by securing rights over their names, logos, and distinctive imagery.

In football, prominent players such as Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Ewa Pajor, alongside icons including Pelé, Diego Maradona, and George Best, have all taken steps to protect their identities—sometimes extending this protection to signature celebrations or poses. A similar approach is evident in basketball, where athletes like Luka Dončić, Victor Wembanyama, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James follow the branding pathways established by figures such as Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal. Tennis players, including Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Iga Świątek, Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, also actively safeguard their brands, while athletes from other disciplines—such as Mondo Duplantis, Tadej Pogačar, Carolina Marín, and Max Verstappen—use IP rights to expand their commercial presence and influence beyond sport.

Brands and clubs face several legal and commercial risks when using athlete images, particularly where intellectual property and personality rights are not carefully managed. Using an athlete’s image, name, or likeness without proper consent can lead to disputes over image rights, trademark infringement, or breach of endorsement agreements. Even where permission exists, reputational risks may arise if an athlete becomes involved in controversy (remember O.J Simpson anyone?), potentially damaging the brand or club by association. In addition, unclear ownership of image rights, especially where athletes, clubs, leagues, and sponsors all have competing interests can result in costly legal conflicts and undermine commercial partnerships if rights are not clearly defined in contracts.

Enforcement and Integrity: Protecting the Value of Sport

Illegal streams, counterfeit merchandise, infringement of athletes’ images are all issues that can happen in sport and have a detrimental effect on both the sport industry as well as fans. In Europe for example, European authorities are continuing to combat organised crime connected to counterfeiting and piracy within the sports industry.

In 2024, the Europe‑wide EMPACT Operation Fake Star led to the discovery and seizure of over eight million counterfeit luxury and sporting items, including large volumes of fake sportswear, footwear, and branded labels. The operation resulted in 264 arrests and underscored the significant involvement of criminal networks in this trade.

Alongside enforcement efforts, the EUIPO, through the European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights, continues to monitor counterfeiting and piracy trends and supports awareness initiatives encouraging consumers to choose legal content and genuine products.

The sale of counterfeit sports equipment has a significant economic impact across the EU. EUIPO estimates indicate annual losses of around €851 million, representing approximately 11% of total sector sales. France, Austria, and the Netherlands bear the greatest financial losses, each losing hundreds of millions of euros. In relative terms, the impact is most severe in Romania, Lithuania, and Hungary, where counterfeit sports goods account for up to 20% of all lost sales in the sector.

While some might not be upset of brands losing money, buying counterfeit merchandise also poses health risks as they fail to comply with safety and environmental protection standards, you can read more about that in Dangerous Fakes Trade in counterfeit goods that pose health, safety and environmental risks, report by OECD and EUIPO.

IP rights are effective but not absolute tools for protecting innovation, brand value, and commercial interests. Their main strength lies in the legal exclusivity they provide: trademarks, designs, patents, and copyright give rightsholders clear grounds to prevent unauthorised use, take enforcement action, and work with customs authorities to seize infringing goods. They also act as a strong deterrent, since registration signals ownership and increases legal risk for infringers.

However, their effectiveness depends heavily on enforcement. IP rights do not enforce themselves; they require monitoring, legal action, and often significant financial resources. In fast‑moving or global markets, such as sportswear or digital media, piracy and counterfeiting can still flourish, especially across borders where enforcement varies. Online infringement further weakens effectiveness, as illegal content can be shared rapidly and anonymously.

Overall, IP rights are most effective when combined with active enforcement strategies, international cooperation, clear licensing agreements, and consumer awareness. While they cannot eliminate piracy entirely, they remain essential in reducing infringement, protecting investment, and supporting innovation and fair competition.

For more information on IP and sports why not have a look at WIPO’s Reference Guide to Sustaining Sport and its Development through Intellectual Property Rights?!

The information contained in this blog post should be taken as recommended advice or guidance but should not be taken as legal advice. If in any doubt, please seek proper legal advice. Some images licensed from Adobe Stock.

Webinars and whatnots – April 2025

Upcoming:

• HERSA 2026 Annual Conference, 3 – 4 June 2026, 09:30 – 17:00 GMT, Leonardo Hotel, Hinckley Island

Catch up:

• Midlands Innovation Open Research Week

Of interest:

• Data availability tracker, American Economic Association journals

Previous months’ Webinars and whatnots:

• March 2026 – none
• February 2026
• January 2026
• December 2025
• November 2025
• October 2025
• September 2025- none
• August 2025
• July 2025
• June 2025
• May 2025 – Midlands Innovation Open Research Week 2025
• April 2025
• March 2025
• February 2025
• January 2025
• December 2024
• November 2024

Why a Year of Reading Needs Cities, Languages, and Copyright

The National Year of Reading: Turning Reading into Habit

This year has been designated the National Year of Reading, and Loughborough University Library is taking part. The campaign aims to help people (re)discover their love of reading. In my blog post last year, The Enduring Magic: Why Books Still Matter in the Digital Age, I touch on the fact that a YouGov poll found that only 40% of Britons have read or listened to a book in the last 12 months.

As today marks UNESCO’s World Book and Copyright Day, I thought I would highlight the joy of reading and why it is more important than ever.

World Book & Copyright Day still matters

World Book & Copyright Day is a yearly event organised by UNESCO to promote reading, publishing, and copyright. It is celebrated on the 23^rd of April, and the first event was celebrated in 1995. You can read more about it in my blog post World Book and Copyright Day 23rd April.

With the rise of AI and our more technologies driven world, books are bridges to lived experiences, doors to new worlds, remember Narnia everyone? And if not, then why not read C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia?! I mean who would not want to have a wardrobe that opens a door to a fantastical world?!

Copyright is an important building piece in the dissemination the wonderful creations of authors. Copyright protects their works from being misused, adapted, changed, or modified in any way. Currently, in the US there are 36 copyright suits by authors against AI copyright infringement. It is widely known that books have been pirated to feed AI systems.  

This is our time to fight back against the machines. Switch off from the world, curls up with a good book, some hot chocolate and forget the world for as long as the book lasts.

Part of UNESCO’s celebration of World Book and Copyright Day is also the naming of a World Book Capital; this initiative recognizes cities for promoting books and fostering reading. This year, that capital is Rabat.

© Cristina Rusu

Rabat: A City of Books as a Living Story

Rabat is the capital city of Morocco, located on the northwestern coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Unlike Marrakesh, the streets of Rabat tend to be quieter and emptier. This might change with the naming of Rabat by UNESCO as the World Book Capital for 2026. The reason for this is Rabat’s 54 publishing houses, hosting the third largest publishing fair in Africa and boasts a thriving indie bookshop scene. Another reason is Rabat’s clear commitment to literacy, the empowerment of women and young people through reading, and addressing illiteracy in underserved communities.

The year‑long programme will roll out 342 activities spread across 12 themes, with the ambition of taking books beyond traditional cultural spaces and into hospitals, prisons, orphanages, public squares, stations, and transit hubs.

The fair itself is set to host 890 exhibitors from 60 countries, including 320 direct participants and 570 represented exhibitors, showcasing more than 130,000 titles. Alongside the exhibits, the programme will feature over 204 cultural events, bringing together more than 720 speakers, thinkers, and creatives.

France is set as the guest of honour, solidifying the literary and cultural ties between Morocco and France.

Multilingualism: Reading in Many Voices

Arabic is the official language of Morocco; however, French is still used widely and with France being the guest of honour for the upcoming book fair, I thought it is important to have a look at multilingualism.

I am multilingual, I speak German, Romanian, English and French. I am also trying to learn Italian and Spanish on Duolingo. I can say My dog does not cook for the family in both those languages…. Growing up, I grew up bilingual, my dominant language was for many years (and apparently still is) German. While my first language was Romanian, I struggled to read in Romanian and preferred German books. Nowadays, I tend to buy books in whatever the writer’s dominant language is. Well, provided I speak that language of course. As an aside, I also prefer subbed foreign movies or series, not dubbed ones, even though I grew up with mainly dubbed films and series (dubbed in German, and yes I know this is confusing) if something needs to be dubbed, I prefer German rather than English. I mean Sailor Moon in English is sooooo cringe.

Why is this important? A report by the National Literacy Trust has found the following:

• Multilingual young people are more engaged with reading than their monolingual peers:
  • Nearly 3 in 5 (56.4%) multilingual young people say that they enjoy reading in their free time, which is higher than the percentage of their monolingual peers who say this (46.3%).
  • More also read more often in their free time compared with their monolingual peers.
  • Multilingual young people also read a greater variety of formats in their free time than their monolingual peers, both onscreen as well as on paper.
  • More multilingual than monolingual young people say that they read to learn about new things, new words and new cultures.

Taking this into account through Resolution A/RES/74/135, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2022 to 2032 the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, drawing global attention to the endangerment of many Indigenous languages and encouraging collective action to preserve, revitalise, and promote them.

Copyright as the Quiet Enabler

Copyright plays a crucial role in safeguarding authors’ rights. It gives creators control over how their work is used and enables them to earn income through licensing and royalties. When a book is published, for instance, the author typically retains copyright, preventing others from reproducing or distributing the work without consent.

That protection, however, is not indefinite. Copyright lasts for a limited period (in the UK lifetime of the author plus 70 years), after which works enter the public domain and become freely available for anyone to use. A well‑known example is Winnie‑the‑Pooh: after decades under copyright, the original version of the character has now entered the public domain (I am sure you could not have missed Winnie-the-Poo: Blood and Honey). While this allows wider use of the early material, more recent adaptations remain protected under copyright and other rights.

Relax, have some hot chocolate and curl up with a good book

Make this World Book and Copyright Day a day that you read a book you might not have picked up, especially banned books.

© American Library Association. Banned Books Week is ® American Library Association.

However, you don’t need to only read banned books, Penguin has created a list of the must-read books of 2026.

Recently, I read The Three Witches by Elena Collins which is a timeslip novel inspired by Shakespear’s Macbeth, specifically the three witches. As it is a timeslip novel, one-part focusses on the three witches, sisters from 11^th Century Scotland while the other timeline focusses on an actress looking for her big break, who is cast as one of the witches in an upcoming documentary about Macbeth and the historical Mac Bethad mac Findláech, King of Alba (Scotland). While there are some historical accuracies, most of it is fiction, however, this has not stopped me wanting to visit Forres and the Witches Stone.

I also have a rather extensive to be read pile, and I keep adding to it. Mainly because, I read depending on my mood and usually have at least three or four books on the go. One of the books on the go is about endometriosis, In der Regel bin ich stark: Endometriose: Warum wir unsere Unterleibsschmerzen ernst nehmen müssen! Written by Anna Wilken, former Germany’s Next Top Model but also someone who like me has been struggling with endometriosis. And yes, if you want to read it, you will need to learn German, but why not. I am a super fan of Agatha Christie, and I enjoyed Lucy Worsley’s book about her. Other books to be read include:

Saša Stanišić – Herkunft (or the English version, Where You Come From)

Robert Menasse – Die Hauptstadt (The Capital)

Oliver Pötzsch– Die Henkerstotcher Saga (The Hangman’s Daughter saga)

Nina Bargiel – The Crone Zone

National Trust On Screen (great to decide what NT places you would like to visit)  

Mai Mochizuki – The Full Moon Coffee Shop

© Cristina Rusu

So relax, pick up a book, curl up on the sofa, bed or your designated book chair, have a hot chocolate, coffee or tea, and enjoy!

The information contained in this blog post should be taken as recommended advice or guidance but should not be taken as legal advice. If in any doubt, please seek proper legal advice. Some images licensed from Adobe Stock.

• Bluesky

How to Write Literature Reviews

Written by Bess Chan

A literature review is a critical analysis of existing published research on a specific topic. It demonstrates to your readers that you have a firm grasp of the relevant literature in your field. In order to do this, you need to have critically read a multitude of sources related to the topic. If you’re unsure how to do so, please read this blog post on critical reading.

Remember, a good literature review does not merely report what is said in the sources. Here are a few strategies to help you produce a strong one in your dissertation:

Ensure the conceptual grounding is clear

When you’re writing the literature review in your dissertation, it must always be conceptually grounded, meaning you should state the assumptions and constructs that underpin your study. To show your conceptual grounding, you should:

• Clearly define core concepts, because words in academia can mean different things to different people. With clear definitions, this can prevent ambiguity and signal analytical precision.
• Show how your variables or concepts affect one another.
• Clarify any underlying assumptions so your readers know the limits of your logic.

Sometimes, you may want to make your literature review conceptually grounded by incorporating a theoretical framework. If you do this, make sure that all concepts and theories are linked to your study and referred to in later chapters, such as the discussion and conclusion.

Move from description to synthesis

Many students want to show the amount of reading they’ve done and thus describe the sources in detail, but this is a very common mistake. You shouldn’t simply show what the sources discuss; you should instead group studies by themes, theories, or methodologies. If you’re unsure how to group studies or connect the sources, try creating a research matrix before writing your literature review. Research matrices are particularly useful here because they allow you to compare studies across shared categories, which makes patterns and tensions in the literature easier to see. Find out more about research matrices in this interactive presentation or in this blog post.

In addition to grouping studies, you should also illustrate the relationships between sources and evaluate the evidence.

For example, instead of saying:

Smith (2020) argues that social media reduces academic performance. Jones (2021) finds a negative correlation between usage and grades. Brown (2019) challenges this by showing no significant relationship.

You should put it as:

Smith (2020) and Jones (2021) both identify a negative relationship between social media use and academic performance, while Brown (2019) reports no significant effect. This divergence suggests that the impact of social media may depend less on usage itself and more on how it is integrated into students’ study practices.

Find out more about synthesis in this interactive presentation.

Build towards the research gap

One of the main purposes of conducting research is to advance knowledge, so when you carry out any study, you’d probably want to find out something that’s currently not well understood. This missing or underdeveloped area is commonly referred to as a research gap.

So how can you find such a gap? Remember that these gaps don’t appear abruptly; they have to emerge logically from the literature. Therefore, before your research starts, it’s very important for you to read a wide range of sources to ensure your gap hasn’t already been addressed by previous studies. These gaps may take several forms, such as under-researched populations or contexts, inconsistent or contradictory findings, or limitations in how previous studies have been conducted.

In addition, you should state explicitly in your literature review what the gap is, why it matters, and how your dissertation is going to address it. Find out more about presenting the research gap in this interactive presentation.

Use a coherent structure

Some students may think that they should present ideas in the literature review chronologically, but this isn’t always necessary, as you may not have to trace the evolution of a concept over time. Instead of using a chronological approach, you can, for example, organise your ideas by themes, meaning that you group sources by various sub-topics. You can also follow a methodological structure if you’re comparing how different research methods have impacted findings.

Find out more about structuring your literature review in this interactive presentation.

Relate the literature review to the research questions

A literature review shouldn’t feel like a separate entity; it needs to link back to the research question(s). Therefore, in your literature review, after presenting the research gap and its significance, you should explain how your dissertation is going to address the gap, typically through clearly defined research questions and an appropriate research approach. For example, you may present your gap in this way:

While existing research has primarily focused on the quantity of social media use, there is limited understanding of how different patterns of engagement affect academic outcomes.

You can then relate the gap to the research question by saying:

This study therefore addresses this gap by examining patterns of social media engagement through a mixed-methods approach, focussing on both frequency and type of use among university students.

Lastly, if you’d like to learn more about the structure of a literature review and gain insights from analysing exemplary examples, you’re welcome to sign up for the Literature Review Mastery course. Also, if you have any questions about the literature review, I encourage you to book 1-2-1 meetings with me, Bess Chan, your London-based EAP Tutor, via email or the booking form.

Reflections on Midlands Innovation Open Research Week 2026

Report by Avsar Gurpinar

“Universities as Open Knowledge Research Organisations: Why and How” by Neil Jacobs (UK Reproducability Network)

Watch the recording

The keynote focused on universities’ role in democratising knowledge by producing verifiable, reproducible research that can be scrutinised and reused. Jacobs linked his arguments to the work of the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN), of which he leads the Open Research Programme, situating the talk within broader efforts to transform institutional research culture.

Defining open knowledge

A central part of the keynote was to define “open knowledge” and to ask what minimum degree of openness and transparency are required for work to count as open. This was framed by the familiar principle “as open as possible, as closed as necessary”, emphasising that openness is a default rather than an absolute, and that justified limits (for example, around privacy or sensitivity) remain compatible with open knowledge. The motto “Take no one’s word for it” underscores that what matters is not just the findings but also how the research was done, why particular choices were made, the evidence used, and the reasoning or judgment that links methods to conclusions.

UNESCO open science pillars

Jacobs also drew on the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science to situate open knowledge within an international policy framework. UNESCO’s model identifies several interdependent pillars: open scientific knowledge (including publications and data), open science infrastructures, open engagement with societal actors, and open dialogue with other knowledge systems. The talk emphasised that open science should not be extractive; instead, it should involve engagement and dialogue with communities, including indigenous and local knowledge holders, in ways that recognise diverse epistemologies.

Data, infrastructure, and CARE

Open and FAIR research data were positioned as a key component of open knowledge, but Jacobs highlighted that data governance must also consider responsibility and ethics. This is where the CARE principles (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, Ethics) were presented as an important counterpoint and complement to FAIR, particularly in relation to indigenous and community data. Infrastructures were presented not only as technical platforms but also as the information environment around research-repositories, metadata, identifiers, and systems that make research outputs findable, accessible and reusable over the long term.

Strategies for universities

In terms of practical strategies, the keynote outlined several ways universities can move towards becoming open knowledge organisations. These included cancelling closed, non-transparent databases where possible; supporting open infrastructures; and signing major declarations and agreements, such as the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information, DORA (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment), and CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment), all of which promote open, responsible research assessment and open research information. Another strand was developing open research policies, prizes and champions, and embedding open and reflexive research practices explicitly in doctoral training and early career development.

Engagement, assessment and good practice

The talk emphasised that open knowledge also entails engagement with society through public involvement strategies, community engagement, and the sharing of good practices in open research across institutions. This includes open dialogue with other knowledge systems and communities, in line with UNESCO’s emphasis on open engagement with societal actors and diverse knowledge systems. Jacobs highlighted existing advice and guidance, including resources and case studies from institutions such as Oxford and Edinburgh, where open research and responsible research assessment are being integrated into policy, practice and support structures.

Jacobs referenced a book by Lucy Montgomery, which framed the “open knowledge institution” as a university model oriented to the common good, designed to tackle the collective action problems that currently undermine open research.

Open knowledge institutions and the common good

Montgomery drew on her work with Open Knowledge Institutions to argue that universities should serve as infrastructures for producing and sharing knowledge as a common resource, rather than as gatekeepers of scarce, prestige-based outputs. In this model, openness is not an optional add-on but central to the institution’s mission, so solving collective action problems around openness is part of the university’s core function in society.

Collective action problems in open research

The talk characterised open research as a classic collective action challenge, in which individual incentives do not automatically align with what is best for the research commons. A key example was incentive misalignment: researchers are often rewarded more for prestige signals (high-impact journals, rankings) than for transparent, reproducible, openly shared work, even when the latter is better for collective knowledge. Jacobs also highlighted the free-rider problem: many people and institutions benefit from open knowledge without contributing back. He argued that this is not inherently damaging in a commons model and is already present in existing open practices.

Wicked problems, risk, and trust

These issues were framed as “wicked problems” because they involve complex interdependencies, contested values, and shifting expectations. Risk and trust were central: researchers may fear reputational harm if openness exposes errors or invites criticism, and they may not trust institutions or assessment systems to value open practices fairly. Cultural lag compounds this, as norms and expectations around reward, prestige, and “proper” scholarly work tend to change slowly, even as policy rhetoric about openness advances.

Infrastructure, effort, and coordination gaps

Montgomery also emphasised infrastructure gaps and workload issues: open research requires time, tools, skills, and support (for example, for data curation, licensing, and documentation), and current systems often make openness difficult and time-consuming. He also highlighted coordination gaps between national and network-level initiatives (such as UKRN and other open research alliances) as another barrier, as fragmented efforts can lead to duplication, confusion, and uneven support for researchers.

Suggested solutions and directions

As possible responses, the talk highlighted implementing agreements such as CoARA and DORA to realign incentives and move away from prestige-driven, metrics-heavy assessment towards responsible evaluation that recognises transparent and open practices. Jacobs argued that universities should avoid prioritising prestige over transparency and instead develop policies, criteria, and narratives that explicitly reward openness as part of academic excellence. Strengthening infrastructure, resourcing support for open practices, and actively encouraging and recognising researchers who engage in open research were discussed as practical ways for institutions to reduce risks, build trust, and narrow the gap between open rhetoric and everyday practice.

“What even is open research?” by Jodie Heap (Keele University)

Watch the recording

Jodie Heap, Scholarly Communications and Research Support Librarian at Keele University, led a session titled “What even is open research?!” that provided an accessible introduction to open research and its relationship to funding, assessment and scholarly communication. The session set out to clarify how open research extends beyond open access publishing, tracing how openness now spans the full research lifecycle and asking participants to consider what is already established, what is still emerging, and where uncertainties and tensions remain.

Heap distinguished between related but non-identical concepts: open access, open data, open research, and open science, emphasising that open research is best understood as a broad umbrella term for practices that make research processes and outputs more transparent, accessible, and reusable. She proposed three main pillars of open research: transparency in how research is conducted, accessibility of outputs and materials, and reusability of data, methods, and other products so others can meaningfully build on them.

The session discussed the range of materials that can fall under open research, including publications, datasets, methods, software, and even elements of peer review, with transparency increasingly seen as part of rigorous scholarly practice. Heap provided a brief historical overview in which the 2000s were dominated by debates and policy developments on open-access publishing, while the 2010s saw growing attention to open data and the formalisation of the FAIR data principles (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable).

Building on this history, she noted that the 2020s have seen a broadening towards “open research” or “open science” as integrative frameworks that bring together open access, FAIR data, persistent identifiers (such as ORCID iDs and DOIs), and transparent methods and reporting into a more holistic approach to research culture. Within this framing, reproducibility, research integrity, public trust and value for money were highlighted as key rationales: open practices help make findings verifiable, enable others to scrutinise and reuse work, support global collaboration, and demonstrate the public benefit of funded research.

Heap also acknowledged that openness is not absolute: there will always be sensitive or restricted data for which full openness is neither possible nor desirable. Multiple actors: funders, institutions, publishers, infrastructures, and individual researchers need to work together to navigate these boundaries responsibly. Through short activities and group discussion, participants were invited to reflect on where their practices already align with open research principles, where they encounter barriers or ambiguities, and how the evolving ecosystem of policies, infrastructures and norms might shape what open research could become in practice.

“Learnings from the inaugural University of Warwick Open Research Awards” by Josh Caldicott, Gabriel Clarke and Yvonne Budden (University of Warwick)

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The session by Josh Caldicott, Gabriel Clarke and Yvonne Budden from the University of Warwick described the launch of the university’s first Open Research Awards in 2025, created to recognise and celebrate projects and practices that embody open, transparent and collaborative research. The awards were presented at the inaugural Warwick Open Research Symposium to highlight strong open research practice across a wide range of disciplines. The talk also explained how cross-institutional collaboration within the Open Research Group helped secure funding, build institutional support and develop the awards as a sustainable initiative.

The panellists framed open research around several interconnected principles, including openness, accessibility, reusability, collaboration, inclusivity, knowledge exchange, impact, and innovation. A key message was that open research is broader than open access alone: it also encompasses how research is designed, documented, shared, and reused. The awards, therefore, recognised a diverse set of outputs and methods, rather than limiting recognition to conventional publications.

One of the most striking examples was a video protocol. Because it was openly shared and easy to access, other researchers could replicate the process more easily, and the protocol itself became citable. Other recognised formats included websites, zines and podcasts, showing that open research can take many forms and that valuable research communication does not always follow traditional academic publication models. The talk ultimately positioned the awards as both a recognition mechanism and a means of broadening understanding of what constitutes good open research practice.

“Introduction to the Open Book Collective” by Caroline Ball and Helene Murphy (Open Book Collective)

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Caroline Ball and Helene Murphy introduced the Open Book Collective as a community-governed, non-profit initiative that enables libraries to collectively support open-access book publishers and the infrastructure that sustains them. The session presented it as an alternative to book-processing charges, grant-funded routes, and institutionally subsidised publishing, with a strong emphasis on shared investment, bibliodiversity, resilience, and long-term sustainability.

The talk positioned books as particularly important to open research in the humanities and social sciences, where monographs and edited collections remain central scholarly forms. It also highlighted why existing funding and policy models often struggle to support books equitably, and why collective approaches are being explored as a more practical and fairer solution.

How the model works

The Open Book Collective was described as a UK-registered, non-profit intermediary organisation with no commercial interest. It is not a publisher, a content bundle, a BPC (Book Processing Charges) scheme, a vendor, or a transformative agreement, and it deliberately avoids a one-size-fits-all model. Instead, it serves as a community-facing mechanism through which libraries can support publishers and infrastructure providers in a coordinated way.

A key part of the session was an explanation of how different funding routes compare. Publishing a book can cost roughly £10,000 or more, and the main routes discussed were author- or institution-paid BPCs, external grants such as AHRC or Wellcome, institutional subsidies, and collective models involving libraries and the Open Book Collective. The panel suggested that the collective model is particularly attractive because it spreads responsibility and makes support for open books more sustainable.

Publishing landscape

The session also mapped the wider ecosystem around open-access books. It highlighted Diamond OA and COPIM (Community-led Open Publication Infrastructures for Monographs) as key reference points in developing non-commercial open publishing infrastructure. There was also discussion of communication among libraries, the Open Book Collective and publishers, showing that the model depends on active coordination rather than a simple transaction.

Different kinds of presses were identified, including university presses such as Edizioni Ca’Foscari and LSE Press, scholar-led presses such as Mattering Press and punctum books, and independent presses and service providers, including those producing MARC (MAchine-Readable Cataloging) records. This variety illustrated that open book publishing is not a single category but a diverse field with different needs, capacities and missions.

Significance for open research

The session presented the Open Book Collective as a timely and potentially defining development for future publishing standards. Its importance lies in how it addresses longstanding problems of affordability, discoverability, governance, and global knowledge equity. By focusing on collective funding and shared infrastructure, it offers a model that aligns with the broader open research agenda without reducing openness to article-based publishing. This talk can serve as an example of how open research extends beyond data and articles into the economics and governance of scholarly communication. It also shows that open access publishing is increasingly being reimagined not only as a technical or policy issue but also as a collective, institutional and infrastructural one.

“Institutional experiences of rights retention policies” by Mike Dainton (University of Birmingham), Jim Grange (Keele University), Lucy Veasey (University of Nottingham), Nicola Dowson (Open University), and Gwen Kent (Open University)

Watch the recording

This panel focused on how universities are using rights retention to make research outputs openly available while remaining compliant with funder and institutional open access requirements. The speakers explained that current regulations have mainly centred on journal articles and conference proceedings with ISSNs, and that rights retention is a way to ensure wider dissemination by allowing the author to retain the right to share an openly accessible version of the work.

A key element was the rights retention statement, which typically declares that, for the purposes of open access, the author has applied a Creative Commons Attribution licence, usually CC BY. The panel described this as a gateway to open research because it enables immediate or near-immediate access via repositories and services such as institutional databases, Zenodo, arXiv and SSOAR (Social Science Open Access Repository).

Gold and green access

The discussion also clarified the difference between gold and green open access. Gold OA means the final published version is openly available on the publisher’s platform, often with a fee, while green OA involves self-archiving a manuscript version in a repository, sometimes subject to an embargo. The panel suggested that rights retention strengthens the green route by preserving the author’s ability to deposit and share the accepted manuscript under a CC BY licence.

Why it matters

The overall aim was framed as the broad dissemination of knowledge, alongside a cultural shift towards openness in research practice. The speakers linked rights retention to broader ambitions for open research, particularly the idea that authors and institutions should retain sufficient rights to share publicly funded research without unnecessary barriers. In that sense, rights retention was presented not only as a compliance mechanism but also as part of a broader move to normalise openness across the research lifecycle.

“Citizen Science panel” by Janice Ansine, Helene Murphy (Open University), Rachael Leman, Paulina Pawlikowska, Jane Bonnell, Hannah Jenkins, and Katie Woodhouse-Skinner (Nottingham Trent University)

Watch the recording

This panel defined citizen science as research involving public participation in collecting, contributing to, or helping to interpret data, and linked that participation to collaboration, innovation and impact. It also introduced the ten principles of citizen science and emphasised that volunteers contribute time, attention and local knowledge in ways that can materially strengthen research.

The session used several examples to illustrate how citizen science works in practice. iSpotNature was presented as a biodiversity platform, while the leopard-monitoring case used photographs taken by safari visitors to identify animal locations, behaviours, and conditions in the wild.

Another striking example was “Spot a Hog,” which uses privately owned garden camera traps and citizen-contributed observations to monitor hedgehog populations. The panel also noted that citizen science can support zoo species planning, demonstrating that the approach is useful not only for conservation but also for broader wildlife management and planning.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the Open Research Week was an informative and comprehensive event that addressed issues ranging from open science to open publishing, and from intellectual property to rights retention. All the sessions were recorded and shared on the University of Leicester’s Research Repository.

University Coat of Arms - Celebrating 60 years of Loughborough University's Royal Charter

By Ruth Maguire, University Archivist

On 19 April, Loughborough University will be celebrating 60 years since it received its royal charter and became the first technological University in England. To celebrate, the archives are taking a closer look at the University’s Coat of Arms which represent the institution’s origins and aspirations. 

Although we only became a university in 1966, our history goes back to 1909 when Loughborough Technical Institute was set up by Leicestershire County Council to provide local facilities for further education. Renamed Loughborough College in 1920, it was granted a Coat of Arms which was later used as the basis of the University’s own Coat of Arms. 

Let’s take a look at the Loughborough College Coat of Arms:

• The red cross of St George, which divides the shield into four, signifies that the College was in England.  
• The device of King Offa of Mercia, in the first quarter, shows that it was located in the ancient kingdom of Mercia.  
• The peacock comes from the arms of the Duke of Rutland, Visitor of the College.  
• The book signifies knowledge and the hammer practice – together they represent ‘Training on Production’, a guiding principle of Loughborough College Principal, Herbert Schofield.
• In the crest above the shield a hand entwined by the serpent of wisdom holds the book of knowledge.  
• The College motto is ‘Veritate Scientia Labore’ –originally translated as ‘By Truth, By Science, By Labour’. 

In comparison, the Loughborough University Coat of Arms:

• The red cross was replaced by purple, the university colour.  
• Offa’s symbol was retained.  
• The book of knowledge and the hammer were replaced by the lamp of learning and the thunderbolt – representing the University’s association with technology.  
• The Duke of Rutland’s peacock was placed on the crest as a symbol of pride in achievement and holds the key of knowledge. 
• The motto remained the same, ‘Veritate Scientia Labore’. 

Here’s to the next 60! 

Keep an eye out for event slinked to the University’s anniversary celebrations and more information on the University’s history can be found on our webpages: 

University Archive | University Library | Loughborough University 

Capturing Creativity Community Friday Fika 15 May, 11:30 - 12:30 BST

Capturing Creativity Community Friday Fika – first regular meet-up planned for Friday 15^th May, 11.30 – 12.30 BST

The Capturing Creativity Community Friday Fika is an informal networking opportunity for professional services staff and researchers interested in creative practice research and the showcasing of this research via institutional repositories.  If this is you, you are very welcome to join us!  The Friday Fikas are organized by the team behind the annual Capturing Creativity conferences, which started back in 2023.  We hope to organize regular Friday Fikas in between the annual conferences to help build our community of best practice.  

At this, our first meet-up, we will hope to talk about ideas for the next Capturing Creativity conference which will take place in October 2026.  We would also love to hear about your other news, updates and ideas around creative practice research.  Please do share details of this event with your networks, particularly amongst practice researchers and PGR students who might be working on theses with a practice component.

The Friday Fikas and annual conferences alike aim to promote a friendly and supportive community to share ideas and best practice.  This event is informal – do bring along a hot drink and feel free to share ideas and ask questions.  

Please register for this event here and we look forward to seeing you on Friday 15^th May!

You can access the slides and recordings from previous Capturing Creativity conferences via the links below:

Capturing Creativity 2023: https://doi.org/10.17870/bathspa.c.6842109

Capturing Creativity 2024: https://doi.org/10.17870/bathspa.c.7469703

Capturing Creativity 2025: https://doi.org/10.17870/bathspa.c.8128517

We will be issuing a call for contributions for the Capturing Creativity 2026 conference in the coming months via the usual jiscmail channels.

With very best wishes,

Claire Drake, Bath Spa University

Rebecca Atkins, Bath Spa University

Lara Skelly, Loughborough University

Katie Fraser, Loughborough University

Obituary for Barbara Jaworski

Everyone at the Department for Mathematics Education at Loughborough University was very sad to learn that Barbara Jaworski, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics Education, died in December 2025 after a short illness.  

Barbara was well known throughout the international mathematics education community. As well as her many research contributions, she served as President of both the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education and the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. Barbara was central to the development of mathematics education research at Loughborough. 

An event to celebrate Barbara’s life was held in March. Here we reproduce the remarks made at the event by Tony Croft, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics Education. 

Tony Croft’s memories of Barbara 

I first met Barbara around 2003/4 – I can’t remember and don’t have an exact record.  

The Mathematics Education Centre at Loughborough, as it was then, had been established a couple of years earlier in 2002.  One of its primary roles was to oversee the teaching of mathematics to the large number of engineering students at Loughborough.  A secondary role was to engage in scholarly activity and research into the teaching of mathematics at university level. Many of the staff in the Centre at the time had a lot of expertise and success in teaching engineers and acquiring grants for teaching and learning projects. But by and large these did not contribute significantly to the wider university research ambitions. We had a small group of committed staff but no professors.  

And so, it was necessary, and the University provided funding, to appoint a professor of mathematics education – someone with an excellent track record – who would lead the research ambitions of the new centre. An advertisement was placed and amongst those who applied was Barbara. At the time she was a professor at the University of Agder, Norway. 

Barbara duly gave a presentation to staff, was interviewed and I am delighted to say she was offered the post.   In my office following the interview, and after we had offered her the post, we discussed how soon she might start. 

She was keen to get going straightaway but in typical Barbara style she had many commitments in Norway that she wanted to honour. She asked that it might be acceptable for her to continue some of her existing work in parallel to her new commitments. I distinctly remember her saying to me: 

“I know that I will be able to do both of these things at the same time. I work very, very hard. I will show you that I can do both.”  

This reassurance was accepted and Barbara was appointed on this basis. 

She never ever let us down. She did work incredibly hard, and doubtless for many long hours over many years. Her commitment to Loughborough was unwavering. 

She wholeheartedly immersed herself in this new and, for her, very different environment. To the best of my knowledge Barbara had never taught engineering mathematics to engineering undergraduates before but despite this being quite different from anything she had experienced she rose to the challenge magnificently. Dealing with extremely inhomogeneous groups of undergraduates with very diverse levels of motivation and interest, and some with a great dislike of anything mathematical, was possibly quite new to her. 

But she dived into the teaching and importantly used the new environment to develop new research interests and projects. A key characteristic of Barbara’s was always a keenness to invite others to join her projects, not to exploit them in anyway, but to support and nurture their own interests and to further the collective good. 

She established and encouraged a series of seminars called How we Teach, where mathematics department academics were invited to share their own experiences with mathematics educators. She was very successful in drawing many mathematicians into this endeavour and helped bridge the gap between mathematicians and maths educators. 

But beyond her own work, she was always more than ready and very generous with her time, always available and willing to offer support and advice to other colleagues in projects of their own. From my personal experience her input to the PhD supervision work that I was doing was invaluable, and she always had time to help and especially when situations became very difficult. She was always willing to trouble-shoot. 

On a personal level, Barbara introduced me to the University of Agder and Norway more generally. I was able to spend time working there, and following Barbara’s advice, my wife Kate and I had a wonderful holiday in Norway, taking a coastal and fjord cruise on the Hurtigruten Ferries which she strongly recommended. For us that was a holiday of a lifetime and we’ll be forever thankful to Barbara for that recommendation and introduction. 

Kate and I enjoyed numerous, delicious dinners with Barbara, and as I’m sure we all know, she was an excellent chef and a wonderful host. At her house in Burton on the Wolds she had a piano which I don’t think she had played for many years, but she kept promising herself that this was a pastime she would revisit. Sadly, I’m not sure she did ever get around to that. 

During the pandemic we met regularly on-line for a coffee, a chat and a catch up, shared news on each other’s work projects. In those dark times, we cheered each other up and looked to the future. 

I can honestly say that Barbara’s influence and legacy, particularly at Loughborough, but no doubt far beyond, have been profound and will be felt for many years to come. 

She will very sadly missed by so many of us. 

Thank you 

Tony Croft 

April Copyright Reads 2026

It is finally April and we can start getting excited for Spring. Well, at one point hopefully. In the Romanian calendar, April is called florar coming from the Romanian word for flower. It is the month were flowers bloom. It is also when the hanami takes place in Japan. The custom reminds us to slow down and enjoy the beauty of flowers.

In the UK it is bluebell season. The woods around were I live are covered in a beautiful carpet of bluebells and the smell is intoxicating. Why not take a break from the digital world and take a stroll in nature?! If you work at Loughborough University, why no visit Burleigh Wood for a stroll?!

But before enjoying those nice and sometimes sunny Spring days, why not have a read of this month’s copyright selection? As usual, we picked the best courses, reports, videos, books and journal articles for you.

We are staying firmly in the world of AI and copyright, looking at the Mumumelon controversy, and of course we continue to look at sustainability. On the 26th of April, we are celebrating the World Intellectual Property Day and this year’s theme is all around the world of sport. Why not take part?! We certainly have a blog post in mind, but it’s a secret! Shhh!

Without further ado, here are this month’s reads! Enjoy!

Balancing the Global Copyright System in the Public Interest: An Analysis of the African Group’s Proposed Instrument on Limitations and Exceptions [Policy Brief]

Romania: A new Chapter [YouTube Video]

CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance: Legal and Ethical Perspectives [Webinar]

COPY-IT ( Italian copyright law after the most recent EU legislative reforms: impact assessments, best practices and reform proposals to build a more efficient and fairer system)

Copyright Suits v. AI Companies [AI Litigation Tracker]

What to do if your creative work is copied or stolen online

IVIR Course on International Copyright Law (Scholarship) [Course]

Cox v. Sony Music Comes to Hollywood

World Intellectual Property Day: April 26, 2026: IP and Sports: Ready, Set, Innovate

‘Creativity for the public good’: reframing copyright law reform in New Zealand

Urban green spaces are scarce, while climate and wealth impact access

Copyright’s Hidden Power over Culture and Knowledge [Book]

WIPO Academy – [DL] IP eLearning [Course]

Knowledge on environment, climate and sustainability [Report]

Taylor Swift’s IP Savvy Becomes a Liability in ‘Showgirl’ Suit

Building climate-resilient agriculture in Europe: An economic perspective [Report]

Welcome to the CERL Provenance Digital Archive

How African creators are currently being exploited in the AI boom

Why we don’t recommend waiving your licensing fees

WIPO Publications

26: Provenance as accountability: Transparent and verifiable cataloguing for the digital age [Chapter]

WIPO Guidelines for Esports Players

Guidelines for Esports Tournament Organizers

Intellectual Property and Esports: An overview of the game

‘Mumumelon’ Purposefully Rips Off Lululemon But Is ‘Less Terrible’ For The Earth

Artificial intelligence for universities [Courses]

Compact Copyright: Quick Answers to Common Questions, Second Edition [Book]

EU Ecolabel facts and figures

We hope you enjoyed these reads and we hope to welcome you back next month for more exciting reads.

© Cristina Rusu

Some images licensed from Adobe Stock.

Five Minutes With: Chukwuma Ogbonnaya

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I am a University Teacher, and I joined Loughborough on 1 February 2022.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

My job role has evolved since I joined the University. I started as a Module Leader for three modules, and I taught those as well as a few others. This involved researching cutting-edge developments in engineering management and manufacturing, and using the appropriate pedagogical frameworks to design and deliver the content to students.

I am also delighted to have been recognised as a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Currently, as Programme Leader for Undergraduate Engineering Management, my role has expanded to include greater collaboration with module leaders, administrative staff, and students. In addition to my Education and Student Experience roles, I contribute to the University EDI theme as Chair of the REACH Staff Network to promote racial equity and cultural inclusivity. Overall, it has been an outstandingly satisfying experience at Loughborough as I have been provided with learning, growing and development opportunities.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

My favourite project has been the Engineering Dance and Drama event, themed ‘STEAM: Adding Arts to STEM’. Having come from a banking background, I learned that people should embody the core values of the organisation they work for. At Loughborough, as the then Co-Director of EDI at Wolfson School, I wanted to create an EDI event that would be adventurous, creative and collaborative.

I designed an event where staff from the three engineering schools could come together in a relaxed environment to enjoy music, food, dance, drama, and authentic storytelling. I submitted the proposal for EDI funding and was delighted when EDI Services supported it. The event was awesome! EDI Services has also funded a second edition, ‘STEAM II’, which now includes the School of Science alongside the three engineering schools. The next event will be held at Burleigh Court on 24 April 2026.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

My proudest moment at Loughborough was delivering the ‘Know My Heritage – Nigeria’ event at Wolfson School, where staff members shared presentations about their cultural heritage. It was my proudest moment because people laughed and engaged with my stories and culture, and I felt very much part of the Loughborough community. For me, it is a thing of joy to be a source of joy to others.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

I am a systems thinker, and I have written a book titled ‘Domain-based Systems and Systematic Thinking’. I think in systems, and I seek how I can apply as many University values as possible in every context, although one or two may be more applicable than others. However, if I must choose, I would rank my choice as follows: Collaborative, Creative, Adventurous, Responsible and Authentic.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

I am a writer. Because I consider myself to be modestly creative, creating ideas, frameworks, systems and processes is very natural for me. I published 10 articles from my PhD at the University of Manchester. Since then, I tend to transfer creativity to other areas of activity. I value service to any community I find myself in, and I wish to contribute any skills I have. This is why I volunteer with organisations to support with creating strategic directions based on their mission and vision statements. For instance, I am the Technical Secretary/Welfare Secretary of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (Manchester branch), BoT Chairman of Onicha Education Foundation, Lead Organisational Development and Partnerships at Green STEM Education and Charitable Foundation, and Coordinator of Ebonyians in Diaspora Think Tank Group.

What is your favourite quote?

Galatians 6:9: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (NIV).

If you would like to feature in ‘Five Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Martha Causier at m.causier@lboro.ac.uk.

Former IDIA Student Rashane Jude Pintoe Presents Research on Online Extremism at International Counterterrorism Conference in Tashkent

Former student, Rashane Jude Pintoe (MSc Security, Peace-building and Diplomacy) spoke at the International Conference on Counterterrorism and Radicalisation in Central Asia, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.The conference was organised by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in collaboration with The University of World Economy and Diplomacy.

Rashane contributed to the panel on “Countering Online Extremist Propaganda,” where he presented his research on the Islamic State Khurasan Province (ISKP). His presentation explored the group’s evolving propaganda narratives, its use of digital platforms and transnational social media networks, and the mechanisms through which it facilitates recruitment and radicalisation. He also highlighted practical approaches to countering these threats, particularly within the context of Central Asia’s unique security environment.

According to Rashane, ISKP has emerged as the most dangerous Islamic State affiliate in present time. The group holds a strong command of digital tools and online networks to radicalise and recruit. Its primary propaganda magazine, the Voice of Khurasan, is published in over ten languages, making use of cultural and local grievances to bring the vulnerable to its ideology. Rashane’s research is part of his upcoming book to be published by a university press later this year. 

The conference brought together a distinguished audience, including military and intelligence practitioners, government officials, regional scholars, and international partners. His engagement with this diverse group reflects the real-world relevance and impact of his research. We are delighted to see his work contributing to critical international discussions and informing efforts to counter online extremism in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

You can watch a clip of Rashane’s contribution on the IDIA LinkedIn page.

The New Islamic State Offshoot That Europe Fears – Except Britain?

This blog was written by Rashane Jude Pintoe (Student of MSc Security, Peacebuilding and Diplomacy) and was published on the Eurasia Review. Rashane is also a Fellow at the Global Peace Institute UK.

While the United Kingdom looks elsewhere, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) continues to churn out propaganda in English, Turkish, Russian and German – and somewhere on the continent, someone is listening.

The UK is dangerously behind the proscription curve. While allies from Washington to Canberra have long designated ISKP as a terrorist organisation, Britain has yet to take this most basic legal step available to protect its citizenry. The omission is not a case of bureaucratic tidiness or principled restraint, but a blind spot that an increasingly ambitious terrorist movement will not hesitate to exploit.

My upcoming book on “Islamic State 2.0: Wilayah Khurasan” will speak to the very dangers of this organisation outside its immediate area of operation in Afghanistan and Pakistan. ISKP’s novel strategy under the recent leadership of Sanaullah Ghafari, alias Shabab al-Muhajir is increasingly outward, targeting Central Asia, Russia and Europe.

The World’s Most Active IS Affiliate

ISKP was declared in eastern Afghanistan in 2015, forged from disgruntled fighters of the Afghan and Pakistan Taliban, al-Qaeda and other smaller jihadist groups, who pledged loyalty to the then-IS caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The group waged a major war against both the Taliban and the US-led coalition in Afghanistan that resulted in major military engagements – including the only time the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal, the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, dubbed ‘Mother Of All Bombs’, was used in combat.

Although ISKP had greatly sunk in power by the late 2010s, it emerged strong under the new and resilient leadership of al-Muhajir. The group then went onto launch the deadly Abbey Gate suicide bombing at the Kabul airport in August 2021 that killed thirteen US servicemen during the botched Afghan withdrawal. Amongst the 182 people killed were two British dual nationals and a child of a British national.

In operational terms, ISKP is the most aggressive IS franchise in existence. Its record speaks for itself, including mass-casualty bombings across Afghanistan and Pakistan, attacks on Shiite places of worship and congregation, targeted assassination of Taliban officials, cross-border attacks in Iran and Russia, failed plots in countless countries in Europe, India and the US.

This is not a parochial insurgency. It is a movement with reach, discipline and a clearly articulated global mission.

A Threat To Europe – And To Britain

For European security agencies, IS has become the jihadist organisation most likely to attempt a mass-casualty attack on the continent. ISKP’s propaganda output has increasingly shifted towards appealing to Western audiences with all the calculated precision of IS. ISKP’s main propaganda magazine, the “Voice of Khurasan” has been published in several languages, including English, as a means of appealing to vulnerable individuals living in English-speaking regions. The 2025 report by the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) found seven ISKP terrorist plots in Europe, including in Germany, France, Austria, Sweden and Belgium.

The UK has already seen individuals attempting to travel to Afghanistan for the explicit purpose of joining ISKP’s training camps. This was witnessed when the brothers, Muhammad Abdul Haleem Heyder Khan and Muhammad Hamzah Heyder Khan, from Ward End in Birmingham and both 18 at the time, attempted to join ISKP in 2023. Another case was Farishta Jami from Stratford-upon-Avon who also saved money for a one-way ticket to Afghanistan to fight alongside ISKP. Although several of these attempts were stopped due to the strong monitoring capabilities of the British intelligence services, the attempts alone are a warning – the group is successfully penetrating the imagination of extremists inside Britain. At a time of national debate on the cases of IS fighters and sympathisers like Shamima Begum, Britain must not make the same mistakes it once did. Its online infrastructure is equally troubling. Channels affiliated with ISKP regularly celebrate and encourage terrorist attacks on European and American soil, call for new operations against the UK, and lionise past IS atrocities. For a group intent on re-establishing the Islamic State brand globally, Britain represents both symbolic and strategic value.

Britain’s Legal Blind Spot The United States designated ISKP a Foreign Terrorist Organisation a decade ago in 2016. The United Nations (2019), Canada (2018), and Australia (2017) and have long followed suit. Yet the UK – despite its history of early and robust counterterrorism action – remains conspicuously silent. Under the Terrorism Act 2000, the Home Secretary may proscribe any organisation believed to be “concerned in terrorism”. The legal threshold is not high. The evidence against ISKP is overwhelming. So why the hesitation?

The most charitable explanation is bureaucratic inertia. The less charitable is strategic miscalculation. Some analysts suggest that London, like other governments, may be reluctant to inadvertently bolster the Taliban’s claim to be a counterterrorism partner by formally recognising

their enemy as a terrorist threat. If so, that would represent a political logic so detached from operational reality that it borders on recklessness.

Terrorism designations are more than mere diplomatic gestures – they are security tools. Treating them otherwise invites avoidable risk to the legal fabric, national security policy and ultimately British lives.

What Proscription Actually Achieves

Proscription is far more than symbolic condemnation. It is the mechanism that criminalises membership, criminalises funding, procurement and propaganda, restricts online networks, enables arrests before plots mature, prevents travel for terrorist training, and closes legal loopholes in prosecuting facilitators, recruiters and financiers.

Without proscription, law enforcement is forced to work with a half-empty legal armoury. Individuals who spread ISKP propaganda, translate its materials, send money abroad or attempt to join the group cannot be prosecuted with the full force of terrorism offences available for other proscribed entities. In counterterrorism, such gaps are not academic – they are operational vulnerabilities.

The Lessons of IS Have Been Forgotten Too Quickly

Europe has been here before. For years, the rise of the Islamic State was treated as a distant curiosity – another regional insurgency in a crowded field of Middle Eastern conflicts. By the time IS swept through Mosul and al-Baghdadi declared the caliphate from the pulpit of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in 2014, it had already incubated a wave of foreign fighters and a propaganda machine powerful enough to inspire attacks in Paris, Brussels, London and Manchester.

ISKP is not yet as powerful as IS at its peak, but it is more global, more ideologically refined, and far less constrained geographically. It thrives in a region where international attention has waned and where no state exercises full control. To leave such a group unproscribed is to repeat the same error that enabled the last major wave of jihadist violence.

The Cost of Inaction

Failing to proscribe ISKP carries three dangerous consequences:

1. It signals hesitation to those who watch for weakness

Terrorist organisations interpret inconsistency as opportunity. Britain’s silence stands out starkly against its allies’ clarity.

2. It undermines international coordination

Counterterrorism is built on shared designations. The UK’s outlier status complicates cooperation, intelligence alignment and enforcement.

3. It exposes British society to unnecessary risk

Online radicalisers, recruiters and facilitators enjoy more legal ambiguity than they should. A single successful ISKP-linked attack in Europe should dispel any illusion that this is a hypothetical concern. The upcoming book on ISKP goes into detail on how sites such as Threema, Tech Haven and Telegram have been extensively used by ISKP to communicate and propagate. The UK has its own problems with sites like EncroChat which is widely used by criminal networks from county-line drug syndicates and grooming gangs.

An Authoritative Understanding of the Threat

Researchers studying ISKP closely are unequivocal. ISKP is not merely another militant faction. It is the most globally oriented, externally focused, and ruthlessly violent branch of the Islamic State enterprise currently in operation. Its ambitions do not stop at Kabul or Karachi. They extend to Europe. They extend to Britain.

Therefore, Britain must close this gap, before ISKP opens one. Proscribing ISKP is neither radical nor controversial. It aligns Britain with international partners, equips security agencies with the tools they need and sends a clear message that this country will not wait for tragedy before recognising a threat that is already well understood.

The Home Office should act without delay. The cost of doing nothing could be far higher than the political convenience of inaction. Terrorist organisations exploit hesitation as ruthlessly as they exploit weakness. Britain cannot afford either.

The question is no longer whether ISKP intends to strike in Europe, but whether European governments can move faster than a terrorist group operating at digital speed.

Spogomi – the competitive sport of litter picking

If someone told you litter picking could be a competitive sport – complete with rules, referees, global teams and even a World Cup – you might not believe them. But SpoGomi, a fast-growing Japanese-born sport, is proving that cleaning up the planet, can be exciting, strategic and surprisingly addictive.

Rooted in community action and powered by the spirit of gamification, Spogomi is reshaping how people around the world think about environmental responsibility.

As part of our Climate Cup initiative, over 65 students took part in Loughborough’s first ever Spogomi race, showing the fun behind climate action.

Where it all began

Spogomi was created by Kenichi Mamitsuka, a Japanese runner who began picking up trash on his morning jogs around 2008 and realised how the fun he was having with it. This led to the development of the sport ‘Spogomi’ (Source: National Geographic)

The name combines the word ‘sport’ and the Japanese word for trash ‘gomi’. Today, the sport has spread far beyond Japan and continues to grow in popularity worldwide.

How Spogomi Works:

Spogomi has a formal rulebook and strict competitive structure. Teams – usually groups of 3, have a limited amount of time (often 45-60 minutes) to collect as much litter as they can within a designated area.

Players must obey several rules:

• No running, speed walking only
• Teams must stay close, typically within 10 metres of each other
• Only fallen litter counts – nothing already in bins
• Sorting matters – after collecting, teams get a certain amount of time to sort items correctly for scoring. Incorrect sorting can lead to point deductions

(Source: National Geographic)

Scoring rewards both quantity and type of waste. High-impact items such as cigarette butts score especially well because they’re harmful, abundant and difficult to collect.

Spogomi flips the script on environmental activism by providing a fun, social, physical and rewarding space for action.

Loughborough’s first Spogomi

As part of the Climate Cup, 16 Athletic Union clubs took part in Loughborough’s first SpoGomi race in March. Teams including gymnastics, lifesaving and hockey, raced around Loughborough town centre to gather as much litter as they could in a 45-minute time slot. The winning team collected more than 28kg of litter from Loughborough’s streets, with the event clearing a staggering 281kg of rubbish from the town centre in total.

Sources:Inside spogomi, the growing competitive sport of picking up trash | National Geographic

Five Minutes With: Neil Budworth

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I’m the Director of Health, Safety and Wellbeing and have worked at Loughborough for a little over 10 years.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

I know that everybody says this, but no two days are ever the same. One of the reasons that I have the best job in the world is that I am involved in such a diverse range of things. In health and safety terms, a good day is when nothing happens – and then nothing continues to happen, by which I mean everything going as planned and no incidents. 

A typical day can include working with colleagues in the Chaplaincy to look at halal food provision or prayer room availability, and then working with Occupational Health colleagues looking at our wellbeing strategy, or discussing guarding and interlock standards for laser installations, or plotting and managing cricket ball trajectories. If there were an award for the most diverse role, I think I’d definitely be in with a good shout.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

This may sound strange, but it was how we worked during Covid. The way the team responded was just superb. We were absolutely at the top of our game, working efficiently, dividing the work between us, everyone was clear on the part they needed to play and how the parts fitted together. The University Leadership team, Professional Services and Academic colleagues acting as one. The Catering and Domestic Services team and the Estates and Facilities Management team worked magic. The Health and Safety team was the benchmark for the sector and was respected and listened to by the Government. The Covid years were probably the hardest of my professional career, but we knew absolutely that we were making a positive difference every day.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

I was fortunate to be awarded the University Medal for the work I did during Covid. Receiving the medal was a very special moment, not just because it said a lot about how the University appreciated the work that my team and I did during Covid, but because you could really feel how grateful the students were for what we did to give them the best experience we could through a difficult time. It was incredibly humbling.

I am also proud that a big part of my role, and my mission in life, is to make sure that Loughborough University is a safe place. A safe place doesn’t just mean a physically safe environment; it also means a psychologically safe environment. 

If someone feels threatened or harassed, physically or sexually, then the workplace is not safe for them. Preventing the occurrence of and protecting people against sexual harassment and violence is a part of what we do. I think recognising this has allowed us to be proactive, and the introduction of the new mandatory ‘Defining Sexual Harassment and Consent (E6)’ training for staff is a good example.

Whether that is designing facilities and working arrangements with lone workers, and in particular lone women in mind, implementing systems to allow rapid reporting, designing interventions on stress and mental wellbeing, agreeing travel arrangements and precautions, or just ensuring that the threat of harassment and violence is considered in risk assessment, it is all part of my role. 

Fundamentally, the power imbalance that exists when harassment occurs is also central to causing mental harm.

Beyond risk assessment and planning, the Occupational Health team support those who have suffered harassment or violence, wherever it occurred, as does the Chaplaincy team.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

Authentic. I think you can only do my job well if you care and have an honest desire to help people stay safe and well. Health, safety and wellbeing is underpinned by honesty, trust and respect.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

To be fair, anyone speaking to me for more than three nano seconds will know this. I play in two bands locally, a pub band called Heart of Oak playing songs from the 60s to the 00s, and a shanty band called ShantyFolk playing, surprisingly, shanties (think Fisherman’s Friends)! I’m a firm believer that balance is important in life. Playing music, especially with others, means you have to be in the moment, and that helps you to put things into perspective.

What is your favourite quote?

My favourite quote is: “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” from the film ‘The Princess Bride’, but that’s probably not very relevant in a work context. 

Part of the reason this is a favourite quote is that while I was at university, an opportunity came up to be an extra in a film. I grabbed that opportunity and so can honestly say that I’ve been in a Hollywood blockbuster featuring one of the most famous quotes in Hollywood.

More relevant, I like the quote often attributed to Henry Ford: “Whether you believe you can or you can’t, you’re right.” I like the emphasis on the power of attitude and belief, and try to bring that approach into my day-to-day life.

If you would like to feature in ‘Five Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Martha Causier at m.causier@lboro.ac.uk.

From the Vice-Chancellor March 2026

In my March newsletter: University finances, the QS World University Rankings by Subject, BUCS Big Wednesday, nominations for University awards, and Fellowships of the Academy of Social Sciences.

An update on the financial landscape 

At General Assembly on 4 March, I gave an overview of the financial landscape, and the implications of some of the pressures that are impacting, or are likely to impact, Loughborough and the higher education sector as a whole, both now and in the future. This was followed up yesterday with a staff forum, hosted by the Chief Operating Officer, Richard Taylor, aimed primarily at Professional Services staff, to provide a further overview of the measures we’re taking to try to ensure our long-term sustainability. A summary of the discussion is available online for those who could not attend. 

Our immediate focus is to deliver savings of around £8m required for the next financial year in a carefully considered and targeted way. Let me reiterate what we have previously said: there will not be a university-wide compulsory redundancy scheme. We will look to make savings through a reduction in non-pay budgets, permanent removal of existing vacancies, and very limited, targeted proposals for redundancy across the Professional Services. 

We have always managed, and will continue to manage, our finances prudently and responsibly and, as a result, we have so far been able to avoid some of the difficult challenges being felt by others in the sector. But the higher education sector is facing a level of financial pressure we have not experienced before. We are operating in a new global environment: with fewer overseas students looking to study in the UK and tighter government immigration policies, the international student recruitment market has shifted significantly. We must make changes to the way we operate and that will stand us in good stead for the future.

I know this is difficult news and may be unsettling. Our priority is to handle the process as respectfully and transparently as possible. We will endeavour to keep you updated as this work progresses and make sure you have opportunities to ask questions.  

Loughborough tops global rankings for 10th year in a row 

One of the most well-respected international league tables, the annual QS global subject rankings, was published last week and I was delighted to see that Loughborough was crowned the world’s best university for sports-related subjects for the tenth year in a row. Being the best in the world in a given academic subject is a fantastic achievement, being at the top for a decade is truly amazing! It is testament to the talent, dedication and collaborative spirit of our staff, students, partners and alumni and reflects our unwavering commitment to excellence in teaching, research and performance. 

The School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Sports Technology Institute and the London-based Institute for Sport Business are all renowned for the fundamental and applied research they undertake. Together they have helped athletes win Olympic and Paralympic medals, improved public health and influenced international sports policy at the highest level. 

I was also delighted to see a continual upwards trajectory in a range of other subject areas. We are placed in the top 50 in the Library and Information Management subject category (22nd), which reflects work undertaken in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities and Loughborough Business School; 38th in Anatomy and Physiology, encompassing work in the School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences and the School of Science; and 48th in Art and Design. 

The University secured top 100 rankings in five further subjects: Architecture and the Built Environment, Communication and Media Studies, Geography, Petroleum Engineering (which is undertaken in the Schools of Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering and Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering), and Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering. 

The QS World University Rankings by Subject are based on surveys of academic staff who specialise in the subject area, and employers who recruit graduates from the discipline. It also considers research output and impact, measuring both citations and paper output over a five-year period. Our performance in the rankings shows that our work is recognised and valued by the international academic community. 

Enhancing our standing in the QS rankings is a key objective in our strategy. To have consolidated our international standing in all of these areas is an important step forward in our reputational ambitions. 

A memorable BUCS Big Wednesday 

Students from across the country flocked to our Loughborough campus last week for BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) Big Wednesday, which showcases the very best of elite student sport. This was the third consecutive year that we have hosted the competition, which underlines our commitment to sport and our outstanding sporting ecosystem, aligned to our strategic aim of Sporting Excellence and Opportunity. 

The event is the culmination of months of league competition with over 2,000 student-athletes, coaches and support staff competing in 60 Championship, Trophy and Vase finals across 16 different sports. More than 100 student volunteers from our Coach and Volunteer Academy (CVA) also played a vital role in delivering the competition. The passion, dedication and talent on display was truly inspiring.  

The event was yet another occasion to remember, with Loughborough teams securing 13 of the 16 possible pieces of silverware. Standout performances included Netball Women’s 1’s, who claimed the Championship title for a fourth year in a row, and Badminton Men’s 1’s, who secured their third consecutive title. 

Congratulations to all those involved in these events and thank you to everyone who worked so hard to deliver them. 

Nominating individuals for University honours 

At the graduation ceremonies each summer and winter, as well as celebrating our students’ achievements, we bestow honours on exceptional people from across the University and beyond.  

We award Honorary Degrees to recognise high-profile individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to fields the University has close links with. Among our most recent recipients were Pia Sinha (Chief Executive Officer of the Prison Reform Trust), actor and Loughborough alum Colin McFarlane, and Paul Sinton-Hewitt, who founded Parkrun. 

We also present University Medals to celebrate the very best of our community. Recent recipients include Professor of Environmental Physiology and Ergonomics George Havenith, Sports Ground Manager William Relf, and Sandra Freeman from Domestic Services in Estates and Facilities Management. 

Nominations for Honorary Degrees and University Medals can be made by any current member of staff, current students or lay members of University Council, and I’d encourage you to consider putting forward a nomination for someone you consider to be truly worthy of recognition. Details of the criteria, the process and how you can nominate someone for an Honorary Degree or a University Medals are available online. We’ve also made a short video. 

Each nomination is considered by the University Honours Committee, which meets three times a year. The next nomination deadline is 15 May. So if you know of someone at the University who goes above and beyond and makes a truly outstanding contribution to the University, or you think the work and commitment of someone in wider society is worthy of recognition, please do think about putting them forward. 

Professors made Fellows of Academy of Social Sciences 

It was announced this month that three of our Professors – Kirsten Campbell, Professor of Law and Society; Helen Drake, Professor of French and European Studies; and Máiréad Enright, Professor of Law – have been awarded Fellowships by the Academy of Social Sciences, reflecting the outstanding quality of their research and their commitment to ensuring social science delivers real benefits for society. 

The Academy is the sector’s leading independent voice in the UK, championing the role that the social sciences play in education, government and business. Fellows are selected from the public, private and third sectors through an independent peer review process that recognises both their contributions, excellence and impact within the social sciences.  

To have staff and graduates made Fellows of prestigious academies such as this underlines our standing as a leading university and also helps to further our strategic ambition to raise the University’s global profile. 

Congratulations to Kirsten, Helen and Máiréad on your achievement. 

REF code of conduct 

There are just a few more days to give your feedback on the draft Research Excellence Framework (REF) Code of Practice, an essential document outlining how we will make fair, transparent and inclusive decisions about our REF 2029 submission, including the selection of research outputs. 

UK Town of Culture bid 

The University is working in partnership with Charnwood Borough Council and community organisations on a bid for Loughborough to become the UK Town of Culture 2028. The competition enables towns to showcase their cultural story and celebrate local heritage, creativity and communities. 

The UK and Global Young Academies 

Mentoring and training places are available to support applicants to two of the most prestigious interdisciplinary networks for emerging leaders: the UK Young Academy and the Global Young Academy.

DRN2026 Drawing as Storytelling: Narrated Memories

Online event: Wednesday 29th April 2026

Tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/drawingresearchgroup/2143687

Narrated Memories is the first in a series of online events in collaboration with the Storytelling Academy at Loughborough University, which explore the relationship between Drawing and Storytelling. Drawing begins where words cannot reach, and storytelling begins when images ask to be read. This first panel brings together artists and researchers exploring the theme of narrated memories.

Lucy Brennan Shiel’s presentation will consider a story that began with a letter from her Irish mother sent to Brennan Shiel in the UK. The letter became a large drawing, which was explored through Bracha Ettinger’s matrixial theory, a theory of the feminine. The drawing was initiated by Brennan Shiel’s mother’s writing which subsequently inspired the drawing. The drawing can be encountered as a psychic ‘borderspace’ explored through partly scripted and partly improvised storytelling. It’s a re-encountering of Brennan Shiel’s mother. It includes a recent photographic process subsequently layered through the photocopier with drawing processes. That ‘uncopying’ process forms part of the story which aims to navigate the complex layers of re-engagement that were interrupted by colonial restructuring in Ireland and subsequently through Irish Catholicism, which became the vehicle of Irish nationalism. Meanwhile, Irish women fell prey to both and like Brennan Shiel, emigrated. According to Irish feminist writer Geraldine Meaney ‘a history of colonisation is a history of feminisation’, but where does that leave the identity of Irish women? Using James Joyce’s Ulysses as a literary and ancestral reference point and a site of feminist intervention in the character of Molly Bloom, the presentation will explore exile, loss, and blind spots in retraversing the site of ‘the mother’.

Janice Nadeau’s presentation will explore the relationship between drawing and storytelling through Mémoires de maisons, a practice-based research project in which writers and poets are invited to narrate memories of a former home. The research examines how drawing, understood as a polymorph process and an act of bricolage, intervenes in storytelling by collecting fragmented memories and filling gaps created by narrative omissions. The ongoing project is based on private interviews with writers and poets from Quebec. As their memories unfold, the researcher produces drawn notes in an immediate and urgent mode, comparable to figure drawing, where one gathers as much information as possible before the subject changes pose. This phase results in spontaneous drawings composed of accumulations of words, sketches, crossings-out, and collages, reflecting the intensity of listening to an embodied voice while drawing in real time. Narrated memories emerge in fragments rather than as complete or spatially organized accounts. Between these fragments lie absences that drawing can activate—not to recover historical truth, but to intervene in the narrative itself. Adopting the position of the bricoleur (Lévi-Strauss), who works with what is available, the drawer selects elements, triggers free association (Taylor), and invents story fragments to reconstruct a remembered house. The narrator’s style directly shapes this process, requiring constant adaptation as new spatial elements emerge. By prompting questions and clarifications during the interview, drawing operates as a reflexive tool (Schön) that reshapes the narrative, challenges the traditional subordination of drawing to text, and transforms storytelling through a new mode of expression.

Yige Bao’s presentation will explore how drawing, when approached as a thinking and sensing process, can dissolve the boundaries between image and text, forming a hybrid language rooted in bodily experience. Informed by autoethnographic methodology and posthumanism theory, Bao’s practice investigates how drawing functions not as representation, but as a trace: a residual movement of the body, memory, and affect. Building on theories of drawing as performative, time-based, and processual, this presentation approaches drawing as a form of embodied storytelling. Drawing is not simply a visual outcome but an active thinking process; it is a gesture in time, a trace of bodily movement, attention, and sensation. Rather than aiming for representation or resolution, drawing in this context allows for repetition, erasure, hesitation, and disruption, which better reflect the fragmented and layered nature of memory and identity formation. Within Bao’s autoethnographic practice, drawing does not illustrate written narratives but coexists with writing, forming an intermedial space in which verbal and visual elements shape one another. This visual–verbal interstice invites alternative forms of narration that are non-linear, fragmentary, and affective, enabling the articulation of experiences that resist discursive capture.

Biographies

Lucy Brennan Shiel is a mixed media inter-disciplinary Irish artist working in the space between Ireland where she grew up and England where she now lives. Her research interests are a Drawing, Feminism and Ulysses (1922) a novel by Irish writer James Joyce. She has been exploring how drawing activates integrated narratives and the potential to re-member memories or imaginings when encountering others and our potential to imagine differently through integrated storytelling.

Janice Nadeau PhD is a professor at University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) École de design (Canada). Her practice explores memory and graphic space through drawing, illustration, and animation. She has illustrated award-winning books and directed animated films, including Harvey (2023), selected in over 130 festivals and recipient of 17 awards.

Yige Bao, from China, is a visual artist living in the UK. PhD doctoral researcher at the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at Loughborough University, current research interests focus on Feminism, Posthumanism, and female reproductive alienation.

London Easter Break Guide 2026

Staying in London over the Easter break and looking for activities to do? Then look no further! We have put together a guide on different events and activities taking place across London.

Where to Celebrate Lent, Holy Week and Easter

• Westminster Abbey
• St Paul’s Cathedral
• St George’s Cathedral

Easter Related Activities:

• 21 Mar – 12 April: Lindt Gold Bunny Hunt at Hampton Court Palace: Explore the palace and roam around the gardens to find hidden Lindt Gold Bunny statues to win a chocolate treat.
• 28 Mar – 12 April: Zoonormous Egg Hunt at London Zoo: Wander past incredible wildlife as you search for hidden eggs on a special Easter egg hunt (included in zoo entry). Easter Family Fun | London Zoo
• 4^th April: Easter Scavenger Hunt Golden Square: Compete against other teams in this 4-hour game jam-packed with seasonal Easter challenges including a scavenger hunt packed with chocolaty twists!  BucketRace’s Easter Scavenger Hunt – London Tickets | Fever
• 28^th March – 6^th April: Ham House Easter Trail in Richmond: Inspired by the British Civil Wars explore the scenic gardens as well as take part in a themed Easter trail. 
• 6th April: London Easter 10k race in Regent’s Park: Take part in this Easter celebratory run in the heart of one of London’s most iconic parks. The event is for individuals of all abilities, and you’ll get to take in the sights of the park including the boating lake and the famous Regent’s Park Broad Walk.

What’s On in London:

• 14^th March – 6^th April: Sounds of Blossom festival at Kew Gardens Sounds of Blossom | Kew
• 02 April – 12^th April: Revel Puck Circus: The Glimmer Daze Gambit Revel Puck Circus: The Glimmer Daze Gambit | Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
• 11^th April:Tulip Festival at Hampton Court Park Tulip Festival | Hampton Court Palace | Historic Royal Palaces
• 13^th April: London Games Festival https://games.london/
• Cleopatra: The Experience Exhibition at the Excel excel.london/visitor/whats-on/cleopatra-the-experience
• April Roundhouse Three Sixty Festival https://www.roundhouse.org.uk/seasons/three-sixty-2026/

Sport

• Home matches 25^th March and  27^th March Schedule | London Lions
• West Ham vs Wolverhampton Wanderers 11^th April 2026 West Ham United / Wolverhampton Wanderers – Premier League – London Stadium, London – West Ham United FC
• Pulse vs Nottingham Forest 22 March, Pulse vs Brimingham Panthers 4^th April NSL Fixtures – London Pulse Netball
• Leyton Orient match Home Match Monday 6^th April Fixtures – First Team
• Matchroom Boxing Saturday 21^st March Matchroom Boxing: George Liddard v Tyler Denny
• Baller League Season 3 – Match Day 2 and 3,  23^rd March and 30^th March Football: Baller League – Season 3 – Match Day Two, Football: Baller League – Season 3 – Match Day Three
• The Boat Race 2026 Oxford University Boat Club v Cambridge University Boat Club Saturday 4^th The Boat Race 2026 – The CHANEL J12 Boat Race
• Women’s Six Nations Rugby 11^th April Twickenham Stadium Guinness Women’s Six Nations: Red Roses v Ireland @ Allianz Stadium, Saturday 11 April 2026 Kick-Off 14:25 : Ticketing

Day trips from London

London is perfect for quick day trips. Whether you’re looking to visit the coast, countryside, or historic towns, all the places below are within 1.5 hours commute by train from London!

• Cambridge – Home – Visit Cambridge
• Oxford – Visit Oxford – Oxford City Council
• Brighton – Things to Do in Brighton | Attractions & Activities | VisitBrighton
• Bath – Things to Do in Bath – VisitBath.co.uk
• Windsor – Visit Windsor | Official Tourist Information Website
• Winchester – Visit Winchester | Things to do in Winchester, Hampshire

Don’t forget to use your student oyster card and rail card!

Oyster Card

As a student aged 18 or above and currently living in a London borough, you are able to apply for an 18+ Student Oyster photocard which provides students 30% off all tube and bus travel in London.

To apply for this, you will need to apply online with TFL. The university will then be responsible for confirming your student status and your Oyster photocard will be processed

Rail Card

For students looking to travel, you are able to apply for the 16-25 Railcard which allows you to save up to 33% off most train fares. If you are a mature student (aged 25+), you are still eligible to apply for the Railcard but must ensure that you state that you are aged 25 and above during your purchase. Railcards cost £30 per year or £70 for three years.

Please visit the Student Experience LEARN page on more information on support for students during the Easter break.

Seasonal Eating - what is it and why does it matter?

In a world where we can buy strawberries in December, and pumpkins in May, the concept of eating seasonally can seem a bit odd. But behind its name, seasonal eating provides a powerful shift in how we eat, shop and connect with our food. Seasonal eating isn’t just nostalgic – it’s better for our health, our wallet, and the planet.

What is Seasonal Eating?

Eating seasonally means eating foods that are naturally in harvest at that time of year. Eating out of season produce means flying it in from overseas or using intensive farming methods such as pesticides and greenhouses to force them to grow year-round. Both of these use lots of resources and come with huge carbon footprints.

Why is Seasonal Eating important?

Transporting produce across the globe requires fuel, refrigeration and packaging. Growing crops out of season sometimes demands artificial heat, extra energy or heavy chemical inputs.

Seasonal eating supports:

• Lower carbon emissions
• Reduced food miles
• More eco-friendly farming practices
• Less reliance on single crop (monoculture) systems

When you buy seasonal produce, you’re more likely to be buying from local growers. That means:

• More money stays in your local economy
• Smal farms receive direct support
• You get fresher, more traceable food
• Local biodiversity is strengthened

What are the benefits of eating seasonally?

Flavour

When food is grown and harvested in its natural season, it simply tastes better.Fruit and vegetables picked at their peak have had time to develop full flavour and optimal ripeness. Out of season produce, on the other hand, is often grown in heated greenhouses or picked early and shipped long distances. Both processes affect taste and texture.

Nutrition

Not only is seasonal produce tastier, but it’s often more nutritious. When fruit and vegetables are harvested at the right time and sold quickly, they maintain more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Long transportation and storage can cause nutrients to degrade.

Price

Out of season produce is expensive because it’s imported or grown with costly energy inputs

Seasonal food tends to be:

• More abundant
• Less resource-intensive
• Cheaper to harvest and transport

How can I get better at shopping the seasons?

• Plan ahead using online guides such as Hubbub or Eat the Seasons
• Grow your own – seed packets will tell you when best to harvest your own fruit and vegetables, following this will help you eat more seasonal, sustainable food
• Shop at farmer’s markets – these will be full of local, freshly grown produce
• Explore cookbooks for seasonal recipes

March Copyright Reads 2026

Here we are almost at the end of March. In Romania, March is called Mărțișor which literally means “little March”. First of March, Romanians also tend to gift a Mărțișor which is an object that is worn on the chest like a brooch. It signifies the beginning of Spring.

As mentioned in February Copyright Reads 2026 most of February and some of March, I was suffering from a viral infection. However, some of March I also spent on holiday in Lancashire completing the Pendle Witch Trail and enjoying a healthy dose of fresh sea salt air. Where are the Regency Doctors and their prescriptions for “sea cure” when you need them?!

© Cristina Rusu

But I guess you are not here for my vacation stories, but for our monthly copyright reads. We have some interesting reads for you again. We stay firmly in the realm of AI and law, but also look at some sustainability news, we have an update on the UK Government stance on AI, and we also celebrate women in innovation.

Happy reading!

Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

CC Licenses, Data Governance, and the African Context: Conversations and Perspectives

German court says “It’s AI” isn’t enough to void copyright

EBSCO launches Indigenous Studies Source database

GEMA v. OpenAI: The Munich Regional Court Presents an Exemplary Judgment on a Well Conceived Test Case

Netflix documentary, the Plastic Detox: HEAL partners with impact campaign

Supreme Court Draws a Hard Line on Contributory Infringement in Cox v. Sony Music

Climate change education through cultural heritage Wed, April 8, 2026

Why every scientist needs a librarian

WWF responds to WMO 2025 State of the Climate report

Women Proprietors of Copyright in England, 1675–1775 [Book]

Why are people adopting AI to write?

AI & Copyright: Comparative Insights Across Six Jurisdictions

Plant a Tree

UK government “no longer has a preferred option” for AI and copyright

Report on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence

An end to the input-output dichotomy in AI copyright? Like Company v Google takes an unexpected turn

Artificial Intelligence in Creative Industries [Book]

Estée Lauder sues perfumer Jo Malone for breach of contract

How best to recycle Europe’s fast fashion waste? Grow mushrooms on it, say researchers

On the Copyrightability of AI-Generated Works

Seoul repair shop wins Louis Vuitton trademark case over bag refits

UK design protection review with policy considerations

AI-related inventions and battery technologies surge [Report]

Female participation in inventorship

Bad Bunny vince la causa per la violazione del copyright di “Enséñame a Bailar” e chiede 465.000 di rimborso per le spese legali [Italian article]

Extracting books from production language models

OpenAI closes Sora video-making app and cancels $1bn Disney deal

Also, as Easter is approaching why not have a look at our previous blog post: Protecting the Season: An Overview of Easter-Related Intellectual Property.

We also like to take this time to wish all of our readers a Happy Easter!

© Cristina Rusu

Celebrating Women Inventors: Creativity, Courage, and the Beauty of Ideas

Every year, International Women’s Day arrives with a flurry of stories, celebrations, and well‑deserved spotlight moments for women across the world. I had originally planned to write about women artists and copyright this year, but as I mentioned in February Copyright Reads, the viral infection I had coupled with some annual leave in March, left me with little time to do proper research on women artists and copyright.

Still, the inspiration stayed with me. And instead of letting that spark fade, I decided to shift focus and celebrate something that has been on my mind lately: women inventors. The brilliant, determined, often overlooked women whose ideas quietly (and sometimes loudly) reshaped the world.

However, I also wanted to highlight women uplifting women, which I feel doesn’t happen enough. As such I wanted to shine a light on The Atlas of Beauty, a project that celebrates the diversity, strength, and individuality of women everywhere.

Historic women scientists

Historically, women faced monumental barriers when it came to scientific discovery and invention. Limited access to education, legal obstacles around patenting, and societal expectations meant that many women had to publish under male names or fight to prove that yes, they really did invent what they said they invented.

In history women like Mary Sommerville (1780-1872) and Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) paved the way for women scientists. Sommerville was a Scottish scientist, writer and polymath while Herschel was a German astronomer and the first known professional female astronomer, and the younger sister of William Herschel, with whom she worked most of her career. Both women were elected as the first female Honorary Members of the Royal Astronomical Society. However, they are not the only ones, below I name only a few of the many women who have shaped our lives with their inventions.

By Thomas Phillips – Mary Fairfax, Mrs William Somerville, 1780 – 1872 – vgGXxVhiio34ew at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21865703

Pioneering Women Inventors

Ada Lovelace – The First Computer Programmer

Watercolour portrait of Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, c. 1840, possibly by Alfred Edward Chalon – Science Museum Group, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28131684

In the 1840s, Ada Lovelace wrote what we now recognise as the first computer program. Her notes on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine described how a machine could process symbols and instructions, in other words, how computers work today. Ada Lovelace also became close friends with the aforementioned Mary Sommerville who introduced her to Charles Babbage.

Hedy Lamarr – The Inventor Behind WiFi

Studio publicity still of Lamarr for the film Ziegfeld Girl (1941) By Unknown author – Dr. Macro, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=98179126

Hedy Lamarr was not only a celebrated actress but she also co‑invented frequency‑hopping technology designed to prevent radio‑guided torpedoes from being jammed. That invention later became the foundation for WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS.

Marie Van Brittan Brown – Home Security Pioneer

Marie Van Brittan Brown invented the first home security system in 1966 together with her husband Albert L. Brown, influencing the surveillance technology we use today.

Dr. Shirley Jackson – A Telecommunications Trailblazer

Her research contributed to inventions such as touch‑tone phones, portable fax machines, fibre optics, and caller ID.

Ann Tsukamoto – Stem Cell Innovator

Ann Tsukamoto co‑patented the process for isolating human stem cells—an achievement with major implications for medical research.

Inventions We Use Every Day

Stamps of Romania, 2013. Josephine Cochrane By Post of Romania – [authority_id=101&search[year]=2013&search[month]=&search[theme_id]=&search[freetext]=&search[order_by]=asc wnsstamps.ch], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31749977

– The dishwasher – Josephine Cochrane
– Solar energy technologies – Dr. Maria Telkes
– The retractable dog leash – Mary A. Delaney
– 15 patented inventions – Maria Beasley

Women, Invention, and Intellectual Property

Even today, women remain underrepresented as patent holders. Intellectual property is crucial to ensuring that inventors, women included, get recognition and the opportunity to build on their work.

The Atlas of Beauty: A Reminder of Creative Strength

© Mihaela Noroc. Images used for editorial purposes only.

Mihaela Noroc’s The Atlas of Beauty captures women worldwide. Each portrait a reminder of individuality, resilience, and authenticity. Innovation, like beauty, doesn’t look one way; it looks like all of us. I have to admit this is not a completely unbiased choice. The author of The Atlas of Beauty is a fellow Romanian and I own both books. I am also very excited about her new project, photographing Romanian women both at home (in Romania) and abroad.

Looking Ahead: Empowering Tomorrow’s Inventors

More initiatives are emerging to support girls in STEM, increase patent applications by women, and encourage innovation through mentorship and education.

Conclusion

Recognising women’s achievements isn’t reserved for one day in March. It’s something we can do every day: by telling their stories, sharing their inventions, and celebrating the beauty and strength behind their ideas. Just like in The Atlas of Beauty, every woman carries a story worth telling and some of those stories reshape the world in remarkable ways. So let’s celebrate and support all the women in our lives, our sisters, sisters-in-law, daughters, mothers, colleagues, friends and strangers.

CRCC Event: Constructing Vulnerability

The CRCC, in collaboration with the Discourse and Rhetoric Group (DARG), are proud to announce ‘Constructing Vulnerability’, a hybrid symposium on the communicative construction of vulnerability and its implications for social organisation and collective futures.

Date: Thursday 21st May
Time: 10am-4:30pm
Location: Jennings Council Chambers, Hazlerigg Building Loughborough University, and online

Constructing vulnerability

Vulnerability denotes exposure to potential harm—a condition that, while applicable across a range of domains, assumes particular ethical and political significance in relation to human subjects. Contemporary discourse frequently designates certain populations as “vulnerable” through political, medical, or regulatory frameworks. Yet vulnerability should not be understood as an inherent or essentialist attribute. Rather, it emerges as a contingent phenomenon, constituted and mediated through social structures, institutional arrangements, political economies, and discursive regimes. Vulnerability, in short, is communicatively constructed across multiple scales and contexts.

Symposium details

This symposium brings together scholars from Loughborough University alongside distinguished invited speakers to interrogate the communicative construction of vulnerability and its implications for social organization and collective futures. Drawing on diverse empirical backgrounds—including digital environments, healthcare delivery, justice systems, and educational institutions—panellists will examine the specific communicative practices through which vulnerability is produced, negotiated, and managed. Through this interdisciplinary dialogue, we aim to advance both theoretical understanding and critical reflection on how communication shapes the politics and experience of vulnerability in contemporary society.

List of presenters and titles

Emma Richardson, Laura Jenkins (Loughborough University, Communication and Media, DARG): The interactional production of vulnerability in police investigative interviews: A conversation analytic study

Marc Alexander (Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh): How mental health establishes ‘vulnerability’ as the basis for support from a housing helpline: Self-descriptions and diagnostic categories

Itoitz Rodrigo-Jusue (Loughborough University, International Relations): Counter-radicalisation and the construction of vulnerable individuals in the UK

Kirsty Horsey (Loughborough University, Law School): Assumed vulnerability in surrogacy – the wrong way round?

Jo Sims, Marco Pino, Jessica S. Robles (Loughborough University, Communication and Media, DARG): Vulnerable moments: When patients with life-limiting illnesses show upset in conversations with palliative care professionals

Jessica Nina Lester (Indiana University): On the making of vulnerability: Nonspeaking autistic children and the production of the “speaking” human

Francesca Williamson (University of Michigan): Antiblackness, vulnerability, and interaction in pediatric surgical care

Kathryn Jordin  (Loughborough University, Communication and Media, DARG): Wobbly moments: Exploring caregiver practices to manage upset in UK preschool settings

Cristian Tileaga and Penny Litchfield (Loughborough University, Communication and Media, DARG): Navigating researcher vulnerability during a focused ethnographic research project

Paula Saukko  (Loughborough University, Sociology): Fostering an ethos for supportive communication online: Experiences and challenges of people with eating disorders

Akwugo Emejulu (Sheffield University): Small, necessary acts for liberation

Tickets:

In-person and online tickets available here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/constructing-vulnerability-tickets-1985059749146?aff=oddtdtcreator

The home maths environment and early maths skills: Report launched

In this blog post, Professor Vic Simms writes about the completion of the “Play and Learning at Ulster and Sheffield” (PLUS) project, an intervention designed between researchers, educators and parents to test the relation between home mathematics activities and early mathematical development. The work was funded by the Nuffield Foundation and involved collaboration with Emma Blakey, Abbie Cahoon, Ben Hunt, Ella James-Brabham, Danielle Matthews and Emma Smith.

The “Play and Learning at Ulster and Sheffield” (PLUS) project

We know that children start school with varying levels of maths skills. These differences appear to persist throughout education, and poorer maths skills at school predicts lower educational attainment and lower incomes later in life. Our research aimed to understand one potential source of this inequality, the home maths environment.

The PLUS study had a number of components:

First, we brought together a number of data sets from research groups across the UK, amounting to 921 dyads data. Our analyses established that the frequency that parents engage with their children in home mathematics was positively associated with children’s maths skills. Interestingly, the frequency of engagement with home maths was not associated with socio-economic status. This tells us that families from different socio-economic backgrounds engage at similar rates with home maths- therefore, socio-economic differences in children’s early maths may not be due to the amount of exposure they have to these activities.

Second, we worked with early years educators and parents to develop cheap and engaging resources to be used in the home with 3-5 year-olds. By the end of this process, we produced 16 evidence informed resources to be used by families at home. These were fun games, such as number scavenger hunts, shopping games, and building activities.

Third, we recruited a small group of families to use these resources at home over a period of 8 weeks- at the end of this time the families gave us feedback. Families were very positive about the resources, but felt a little more explanation would be helpful. In response, we developed short videos to go along with each activity, explaining how the activity should be done.

Finally, we recruited 84 families to participate in a pilot study. These families engaged with the activities for 8 weeks and give us extremely positive feedback- we also had a very low drop-out rate from the study.

What did we learn?

The quality of interaction around home maths may be a more fruitful focus for intervention and research than simply the frequency that families engage with home maths. In addition, the production of acceptable and relevant resources for families takes time and effort! Working with families through this process increases chances of success. We also learnt that we need to work on recruitment and communication when aiming to engage with families from diverse backgrounds. We also have developed some key messages for researchers and policy makers, these are summarised in the final report.

What’s next?

Our next steps are to take the learning from the PLUS study and apply for funding to run a larger study with families from diverse backgrounds to help support early maths development. Watch this space!

Recalibrating the Transatlantic Alliance: Insights from Klaus Welle’s Lecture 

Written By Rashane Jude Pintoe (Student of MSc Security, Peacebuilding and Diplomacy)

Amid shifting global power dynamics and mounting geopolitical uncertainty, the foundations of transatlantic relations are being fundamentally reassessed. Long defined by strategic alignment and shared threat perceptions, the relationship between the United States and Europe is now entering a period of recalibration. During this tumultuous period, Loughborough University London organised a timely lecture by the former Secretary General of the European Parliament, Mr Klaus Welle. Titled “Challenges and Opportunities in Transatlantic Relations in the 21st Century”, the lecture was part of the institute’sInside the Profession Series and offered both a diagnosis of current tensions and a glimpse into the future of the transatlantic partnership. 

One of the central themes in the discussion was the divergence in threat perceptions between the US and Europe. Mr Welle highlighted that for the first time in over eight decades, the two sides of the pond are no longer aligned in how they prioritise security challenges. He posited that Washington’s strategic gaze is increasingly fixed on China, while Western European states remain primarily concerned with Russian aggression. This divergence thus holds significant implications for alliance cohesion, resource allocation and long-term strategic planning. He suggested that this drift is leading to a slow recalibration of commitments on both sides. 

Closely tied to this is the emerging conversation about European strategic autonomy. Mr Welle spoke of the recent remarks made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the Munich Security Conference 2026. He highlighted that Chancellor Merz did not only ask for the operationalisation of the EU solidarity clause in Article 42 but suggested also that Article 42 should become the European pillar of NATO and that that pillar should become “self-sustainable”. This framing is significant. For decades, NATO has functioned with an implicit imbalance – heavily reliant on American leadership and capabilities. This call for a distinct European pillar suggests a shift towards a more self-sustaining model for Europe – something that has become a major discussion, especially after the Greenland debate. 

At the national level, changes are also underway that reflect this broader shift. President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to revise France’s nuclear doctrinerepresents one of the most consequential adjustments in decades. While the full implications are still unfolding, the move signals a willingness among key European actors to rethink longstanding strategic assumptions. It also raises important questions about deterrence, signalling, and the future role of nuclear capabilities within Europe’s security architecture. 

Perhaps more striking, however, was the discussion surrounding NATO’s Article 5. Traditionally viewed as the bedrock of collective defence, it is now subject to reinterpretation in some policy circles in Washington. Mr Welle highlighted how figures such as Pete Hegseth and Elbridge Colby have suggested that the US may increasingly adopt a secondary, rather than primary, role in responding to threats against European allies. Whether this represents a formal policy shift or simply a strand of strategic thinking remains to be seen. Nevertheless, even the suggestion of such a change introduces a degree of uncertainty that European policymakers can no longer ignore. He stated that US defence strategy is recalibrated on three main priorities. First, having control of the Atlantic – perhaps with a return to the Monroe Doctrine. Second, having control of the Pacific, especially in line with Chinese ship building exercises posing a challenge. And third, a priority that no single country should dominate Eurasia, which is where China’s Belt and Road initiative is a problem for the US. 

During the Q&A session, Mr Welle was asked whether the EU’s recent moves towards greater defence integration were reactive – much like a knee-jerk reaction rather than calculated political decisions. His response was candid. Democratic politics, he noted, is inherently constrained by public opinion. While warning signs were visible as early as 2014, particularly following Russia’s actions in Ukraine, the level of public awareness required to drive meaningful policy change only materialised after the full-scale invasion in 2022. In hindsight, what may appear as delay can also be understood as the lag between strategic necessity and political feasibility. Interestingly, Mr Welle also suggested that this shift in American priorities is not confined to any one administration. Even future Democratic governments, he argued, are likely to prioritise domestic spending over expansive commitments to collective defence – further underscoring the importance for the EU to take care of itself.

Another question touched on divisions within Europe itself, particularly in relation to the recent US war with Iran and how some European countries like Spain have refused to support the US. Here, Mr Welle pointed to a structural issue, whereby the incomplete integration of EU foreign policy was to blame. He stated that decision-making remains largely consensus-based, allowing individual member states to act as veto players. Moving towards majority-based decision-making could, in theory, enhance coherence and effectiveness. Yet such reforms face a familiar obstacle, which is that member states are often reluctant to effectively integrate sensitive areas such as foreign policy as it often means ceding a degree of sovereignty to the EU. Integration, as he observed, tends to proceed out of necessity rather than mere ideological commitment. 

For the students and staff in attendance, the discussion painted a picture of a transatlantic relationship in transition. For Europe, the challenge lies in balancing greater autonomy with continued cooperation. For the US, it is a question of recalibrating its global role without undermining longstanding alliances. What is certain is that the assumptions that have underpinned transatlantic relations for decades can no longer be taken for granted. 

Use of Advanced Academic Language

Written by Bess Chan

You’re probably aware of the differences in language use between academic writing and daily conversations. For example, while we usually don’t use first-person pronouns, contractions (e.g. it’s and they’ve), and rhetorical questions in academic writing, these features are common in informal settings. If you’d like to learn more about academic style, please refer to this interactive resource.

There are definitely more features than the three mentioned above, and it’s quite common to see students unknowingly drift away from an appropriate academic tone and style. In the following, you’ll find some advanced academic language features to help elevate your writing to the next level.

Nominalisation

Nominalisation refers to the process of changing verbs, adjectives, or adverbs into nouns. This step is important in academic writing because it allows ideas to be compressed into compact structures and helps create a sense of abstraction. For example, instead of writing:

The coral reefs are starting to turn white and die off because of the steadily growing temperature of the ocean.

This process can be recast as: thermal-induced coral bleaching. 

Why should we turn a full sentence into a noun phrase? The answer lies in how we build sentences, as the beginning of a sentence typically introduces what the sentence is about. When a sentence is turned into a noun phrase, it can occupy this position, allowing the process to be treated as a conceptual object that can then be analysed.

However, nominalisation is not always preferred. We still need to strike a balance with clarity. Find out more about nominalisation in academic writing.

Precision

One obstacle to precise writing is the use of imprecise verbs. These are usually phrasal verbs, which are combinations of verbs and prepositions, such as look at, go through, and bring up. Because phrasal verbs often possess multiple meanings depending on context, they are generally considered imprecise. For instance, look at can mean examine, observe, or consider, while go through can mean examine, experience, or be approved.

Therefore, to ensure your writing is precise enough, better use single-word verbs instead. For example, instead of writing bring up an issue, change it to mention an issue.

There are other obstacles that stop you from writing precisely. Find out more about precision in academic writing.

Concision

Some students may find it difficult to reduce the number of words in their writing, especially when working within word limits. One useful grammatical feature to look out for is empty openings, such as it is and there are. Instead of saying There are several factors that influence the quality of a dissertation, you can write Several factors influence a dissertation’s quality. This version is more concise because it removes unnecessary introductory words.

Of course, concision should also work together with precision. So instead of saying several factors, you can be more specific: The significance of a research question, the depth of literature engagement, and the level of analytical depth all influence a dissertation’s quality.

Find out other ways to show concision in academic writing.

Thematic Progression

In one of the previous blog posts, you can find the strategies to present a coherent text. In fact, there’s another way to achieve cohesion in academic writing, and that’s thematic progression. This concept, developed within systemic functional linguistics, refers to how information is organised and developed across sentences so that ideas flow logically and coherently in a text.

When looking at a sentence or independent clause from this perspective, there are two functional parts — theme and rheme. While the theme refers to what the sentence is about and usually appears at the beginning of a sentence, the rheme is the new information or comment about the theme. To create a clear flow, writers often take the rheme of one sentence and turn it into the theme of the next, forming a logical chain of ideas. Take a look at the following sentences:

A dissertation’s quality is influenced by the depth of its literature review. This aspect allows the writer to identify theoretical and empirical gaps.

In this example, the theme of the first sentence is a dissertation’s quality, and the rheme is the depth of its literature review. It is referred to as this aspect in the second sentence and placed at the beginning as the new theme.

Find out more about theme and rheme.

Lastly, if you’d like to learn more about the features but happened to have missed the in-person Advanced Academic Writing Course, you’re welcome to register your interest for the online course in June. Also, if you have any questions about the features, I encourage you to book 1-2-1 meetings with me, Bess Chan, your London-based EAP Tutor, via email or the booking form.

Retaining rights in your research outputs: Policy update from 1 April 2026

From 1 April 2026, all research articles and conference papers authored by Loughborough staff and doctoral researchers will be automatically covered by the institutional Rights Retention Policy.

This change simplifies Open Access and ensures more Loughborough research is immediately available and compliant with the REF 2029 Open Access Policy.

What’s changing?

Authors no longer need to add a Rights Retention statement: publishers have been notified directly by the Library.

After publication, the Library will make the Author’s Accepted Manuscript openly available in the Research Repository immediately, with no embargo periods.

What do researchers need to do?

1. Continue depositing your Author’s Accepted Manuscript in the Research Repository via LUPIN as soon as it’s accepted.
2. Inform external co‑authors that Loughborough operates a Rights Retention Policy.
3. Contact the Library Open Research team with questions or to discuss opting out.

For more information, please see our institutional Rights Retention webpages.

New publication: Art History and Artificial Intelligence: Looking at Images in an Algorithmic Culture, Kathryn Brown (Ed.)

CRCC member Kathryn Brown has recently edited a new book: Art History and Artificial Intelligence: Looking at Images in an Algorithmic Culture in collaboration with the British Academy.

A timely publication

Art History and Artificial Intelligence investigates tensions and opportunities that are arising in human-machine ‘dialogues’ about visual art. Contributors explore recent developments in machine learning and computer vision and debate whether algorithmic analyses of art open new possibilities for human seeing. The book demonstrates how a range of technologies falling under the umbrella of ‘AI’ challenge the epistemological ambitions of both humanistic and scientific study while also addressing the consequences of understanding ‘vision’ as a metaphor for computational processing. By investigating how AI and computer vision are working – or might work – in partnership with art historical research methods, this volume also interrogates urgent ethical questions that are impacting on research agendas in this interdisciplinary field.

About the editor

Kathryn Brown is Reader in Art Histories, Markets and Digital Heritage at Loughborough University. Her books include Women Readers in French Painting 1870–1890 (2012), Matisse’s Poets (2017), ed. Digital Humanities and Art History (2020), Henri Matisse (2021), Dialogues with Degas (2023), and Art Auctions: Spectacle and Value in the 21st Century (2024). She has held visiting fellowships at the Center for Advanced Studies in the Visual Arts (Washington DC), the Humanities Research Centre of the Australian National University, Tulane University, the Beinecke Library (Yale University), and the Getty Foundation. Brown’s research has been funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK), the British Academy, the Independent Social Research Foundation, and the Terra Foundation for American Art. She is the series editor of Contextualizing Art Markets for Bloomsbury Academic.

Geoeconomics in Practice: State Power and Trade in the Global Economy — Insights from a Guest Lecture by Klisman Murati

Written by Mtendere Nara Horea (Student of MSc Diplomacy, International Business and Trade)

The Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs recently welcomed Klisman Murati, Founder and CEO of Pareto Economics, for a timely and thought-provoking lecture on geoeconomics in practice. His message was particular yet expansive: power in the modern world is implemented thorugh economic measurees as a through traditional diplomacyy and/or military force.

After the presentation, I had the opportunity to ask several questions that further expanded the conversation into how we should think about economic indicators, frontier markets, and career development.

Rethinking GDP: The Most Misunderstood Indicator?

When asked which economic indicator is most misunderstood today, Murati did not hesitate to say: GDP.

He described GDP as a highly oversimplified measure. While it capturres aggregate economic output, it fails to reflect inequality, distributional outcomes, institutional strength, or long-term sustainability.

A country can present strong GDP growth while experiencing structural instabilities. Without examining inequality, demographic trends, productivity, and governance quality, GDP on its own tells an incomplete story.

Assessing Frontier Markets: Ambition and Execution

On the question of evaluating frontier markets differently from developed economies, Murati reframed how was see frontier markets entirely. They should be assessed based on what they are trying to achieve and the capabilities of them achieving their ambitions.

Rather than focusing on the deficits such as lower income levels, weaker institutions, infrastructure gaps, he emphasized direction and capability. Frontier markets should be assessed based on national ambition, policy coherence, institutional capacity and the executional discipline to achieve targets.

The approach enables a narrative shift from a limitation perspective to a potential outlook while remaining grounded in realism whilst actively implementing.

Compounding Skills: Incentive, Communication, and Humility

When asked which skill compounded most in his career, Murati’s response was striking in its simplicity: understanding people’s incentives and motivations.

Markets move because people make decisions. Policies change as stakeholders apply pressure. Organisations succeed because aligned incentives drive performance. The ability to decode motivations, across governments, corporations, institutions and amongst individuals too is foundational.

He paired this with two reinforcing traits:

• Communication: Clarity of thought is improved through clarity of expression
• Humility: Avoiding ego preserves learning capacity and long-term credibility

For a class preparing to enter diplomacy, finance, and advisory roles, this advice carries purposeful weight.

The Five-Year Vision: Pareto Economics

Looking ahead, Murati articulated an ambitious trajectory for Pareto Economics: to become the most formidable data company driving successful transformation in emerging markets.

This signals, not just growth, but innovation. With deepening analytical capability, refining data models, and positioning the firm for long term contribution at the intersection of policy advisory, strategic intelligence, and economic transformation.

In a world where information is abundant and insight is scarce, structured and multidimensional data analysis gives a competitive advantage.

Final Reflection

The session reinforced how economics is not merely about numbers. It is about power, incentives, institutional design, and long-term positioning.

GDP without distribution is incomplete. Markets without direction are unstable. Talent without humility is unstainable.

The lecture offered a framework not just a perspective. In an era defined by competition and division, those who analyse countries holistically, understand incentives deeply and communicate with clarity will be best positioned to shape outcomes. It’s a reminder that geoeconomics is not just a theory, it is the language of modern governance shaping how states pursue power, manage trade and expand global opportunities.

A recording of Klisman Murati’s talk can be found on the IDIA LinkedIn page.

Five Minutes With: Lucrecia Alvarez-Barrantes

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate and have been at Loughborough for two and a half years. I am working in the NERC-funded Microplastic Entrainment, Transport and Fragmentation in Atmospheric Boundary-layer Flows.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

Depending on the state of my project, my days can be really different. During the data collection stage, I spend many hours conducting experiments with microplastics and sediments. This includes examining the abrasion effects on plastic samples through high-resolution microscopes, measuring particle velocities, and conducting experiments in a wind tunnel. On the other hand, when I am analysing the results, my days are more desk-based. I spend time extracting, processing, analysing the data and writing.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

My favourite part of this project is that it offers a continuous learning experience. Throughout it, I’ve had the opportunity to work with various technologies, including microscopes, high-speed cameras, and lasers for measuring particle velocities.

I also enjoy attending international conferences because they provide many opportunities to connect with researchers from around the world and broaden my perspective.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

My proudest moment is when the scientific papers are finally published, as they reflect the results of months of hard work by a group of scientists.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

Collaborative. I believe that working closely with my colleagues as a team provides valuable opportunities to learn from their expertise and experiences, helping me become more efficient in my role and continually improve the way I approach my work.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

I volunteer with a local community group called ‘Incredible Edible Loughborough’. The group focuses on teaching people how to grow food in community spaces while promoting sustainable environmental practices. Through this experience, I’ve learned about gardening and vegetable cultivation, and it’s also made me realise the importance of connecting with my local community.

What is your favourite quote?

I want to highlight an inspiring quote from Professor Joanna Bullard: “Let’s do some science!” She would always say this with great enthusiasm before we began any experimental work, and her energy and passion have been truly inspiring for my career.

If you would like to feature in ‘Five Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Martha Causier at m.causier@lboro.ac.uk.

AI can help with research, but humans must remain accountable

Co-authored by Professor Nick Jennings and Bashir M. Al-Hashimi

This article was originally published by Times Higher Education in March 2026.

Full automation may be possible in narrow cases, but it is neither realistic nor desirable as a general model, say Bashir M. Al-Hashimi and Nick Jennings.

At a time of rapid technological advancement and widespread job losses around the university sector, academics could be forgiven for wondering whether their role in the research process might ultimately be made redundant by artificial intelligence.

Such AI systems – including but not limited to large language models (LLMs) – are certainly reshaping research practice at a breathtaking pace.

It is not that the underlying structure of research is changing. Whether in science, engineering, the social sciences or the humanities, this still typically involves six stages. These involve selecting research problems and questions; assessing the state of current knowledge; generating specific ideas and hypotheses; conducting the research (experiments, simulations, modelling, archival work, fieldwork or creative enquiry); analysing and interpreting the results; and, finally, communicating them.

But AI now influences every stage of this workflow. For instance, LLMs are highly effective at specific tasks such as literature review, idea generation and synthesis. Their speed and efficiency are transformative. However, here, as elsewhere, human domain expertise and oversight are essential to ensure quality, rigour and meaning.

LLMs can correctly identify highly cited papers and summarise domain positions. Yet influence in research is contested and shaped by disagreement. Not everyone agrees on what constitutes the most influential and important work. Scientific judgement cannot be reduced to metrics or consensus alone.

In the formulation of research questions, LLMs can quickly suggest avenues that sound credible and technically sophisticated. However, without both experimental and theoretical domain expertise, developed through study and research, they struggle to establish whether these problems are truly open, scientifically valuable, strategically important, or worthy of sustained investigation.

Equally, moving from plausible questions to new knowledge requires human-led critical thinking. Assumptions must be challenged. Contradictions must be explored. Risks must be taken and uncertainty embraced. These actions require responsibility, imagination and courage. AI systems can support this process but cannot replace humans’ intellectual responsibility for it.

Of course, some AI enthusiasts note that the pace of progress in AI is so rapid that any assertion of what AI cannot yet do has a very short shelf life. Yet as these systems become more powerful, the need for human responsibility only increases. Full automation of discovery may be possible in narrow cases, but it is neither realistic nor desirable as a general model. Capability without judgement undermines trust.

LLMs and humans interact most usefully as peer reviewers of each other’s contributions. Humans should use their expertise and judgement to assess AI outputs for usefulness, accuracy and bias. One useful piece of prompt engineering to learn in this regard is to require LLMs to expose their reasoning step-by-step, allowing researchers to inspect its logic and identify weaknesses.

LLMs, in turn, should be used to question humans’ assumptions, exposing flaws in explanation or design, and offering alternative perspectives. But in all cases, the role of the LLM is to stimulate critique, not to assert authority. The value of LLMs in research is not in the answers they give but in how they are used to support critical thought. “Recursive reflection” prompts, for instance, ask LLMs to refine ideas through multiple cycles of feedback, while “inversion” prompts ask them to list and then invert assumptions to stress-test a hypothesis.

Structured prompting frameworks such as RISEN (Role, Instruction, Steps, End, Narrowing) support systematic research interaction by embedding clarity, constraints and critical intent into the prompting process. Used in this way, prompt design becomes an extension of research rather than a shortcut.

The most profound practice shift that is occurring relates to PhD supervision. This is evolving from a two-way relationship between students and supervisors to a three-way partnership that also includes AI. The student brings curiosity, creativity and effort. The LLM contributes computational intelligence and knowledge access at scale. And the supervisors provide wisdom, values and judgement, ensuring intellectual growth, responsible use and ethical practice. Again, LLMs cannot replace supervision; they make good supervision more important than ever.

Nor can LLMs be authors on papers. Authorship remains inseparable from intellectual contribution, responsibility and accountability. Even when they meaningfully assist the research process, LLMs cannot be held accountable or answer for consequences.

As research automation increases, humans gain time to think more deeply about research questions, interdisciplinary integration, engagement with complex challenges, and economic and societal impact. The opportunity is clear: to push the boundaries of discovery by thinking harder, not just faster.

Of course, we are not deaf to the environmental concerns about AI use. But here again human direction and responsibility make a crucial difference. In many scientific applications, AI systems do not operate autonomously but are directed by researchers, who constrain the search space and prioritise promising hypotheses. This reduces the computational burden that would otherwise arise from exploring an enormous number of possibilities, thereby lowering energy consumption. At the same time, AI-assisted research can accelerate the discovery of new materials and technologies, such as more efficient batteries or energy systems, which may themselves reduce energy use.

Nor is climate change the only big societal challenge to which responsible and sustainable AI use might provide solutions by expanding analytical capacity and integrative thinking. Health and social resilience could also greatly benefit.

The main risk we face is not that AI becomes powerful or power-hungry. It is that humans disengage. If researchers remain curious and accountable, embedding AI use within rigorous peer review and transparent validation, then AI systems will remain what they ought to be: powerful tools that amplify human ingenuity rather than corrupt, diminish or overwhelm it.

Bashir M. Al‑Hashimi is vice-president (research and innovation) at King’s College London. Nick Jennings is vice-chancellor of Loughborough University. LLMs were used as tools to support drafting, refinement and critical exploration of ideas in this article. All interpretations, arguments and conclusions are the authors’ own.

From the Vice-Chancellor - February 2026

In my newsletter this month: Queen Elizabeth Prize presentation; a landmark partnership with Team England; the 2nd International AI Safety Report; and our new General Counsel and Director of Legal Services.

University presented with its eighth Queen Elizabeth Prize

This week I was delighted to join Professor Vicky Tolfrey (from the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences) alongside our Chancellor, Chair of Council, members of Loughborough Sport and our research community, some of our Para athletes and our sports partners at St James’s Palace in London for the presentation of our 2025 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Higher and Further Education. Loughborough now ranks among the most highly acclaimed institutions with eight Queen Elizabeth Prizes in total – only the University of Oxford surpasses this achievement.  

Our latest award was presented in recognition of our pioneering contributions to Para and disability sport, notably in partnership with ParalympicsGB.   

Loughborough University stands at the forefront of global excellence in Para and disability sport research, led by the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport within the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences. Over the last two decades, the work of Professor Tolfrey (the Centre Director) and her team has been pivotal in driving Britain’s success in Para and disability sport. They have delivered performance innovations that have helped ParalympicsGB to secure a top two world ranking at three consecutive Paralympic Games, and have prepared the next generation of Para sport leaders. By the end of 2027, 54 students will have completed doctoral studies with us. 

Together with Para sport colleagues, led by the Head of Para Sport Alasdair Donaldson, they have steered the creation of a world-class ecosystem at Loughborough that is unique in higher education. 

The work our experts carry out in this area is truly inspiring and makes a real difference, not only to sport at all levels but to wider society too. They are committed to using their knowledge to ensure real-world benefits for all, removing barriers to participation, supporting future sports leaders, and enabling disabled people to choose to be healthy and active. 

Congratulations to all those involved in helping us to achieve this incredibly prestigious honour. 

University agrees landmark partnership with Team England

This month we signed a landmark agreement to be the official University Partner of Team England for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the 2027 Commonwealth Youth Games, which will take place in Malta. 

This partnership is an opportunity for us to further our long-standing relationship with Team England and raise Loughborough’s profile on the world stage. Our University logo will appear on the podium kit, including at the medal ceremonies. Team England staff and athletes will be welcomed to campus for ‘Kitting Out’, where they will be provided with their kit – including ceremonial wear, village, training and competition wear. 

We’ll also host many of Team England’s sports for their immersion camps ahead of the Games, facilitating team cohesion to prepare them physically and psychologically for international competition. Many athletes, coaches and practitioners are already familiar with our elite performance environment, so it seems fitting that we will be able to host them all on campus together. 

During Team England’s ‘Kitting Out’ and immersion camps at Loughborough, the team will stay at Burleigh Court Conference Centre and Hotel, and the Elite Athlete Centre and Hotel. 

This value-in-kind partnership reflects not only our strategic ambition to enhance our excellence in sport but also underlines our shared commitment with Team England to create the best possible sporting ecosystem for our athletes as they head onto the world stage. 

The Glasgow Games will be held between 23 July and 2 August, with 3,000 athletes competing for 74 nations across 10 separate sports, with a fully integrated Para sports programme. We’ll soon begin following the journeys of the Loughborough-linked athletes selected for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, showcasing their build up to and performance at the Games themselves. Make sure you keep an eye on our website, our newsletters and social media to keep up to date with all the latest news. 

Second International AI Safety Report published 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fast becoming embedded throughout, and transforming, our society. I’ve spent nearly 40 years researching AI and can see so many benefits that it could bring to the way we live, learn and work. It’s one of the most consequential technologies of our time and will impact individuals and societies around the globe. 

It’s vital that we have an evidenced-based assessment that provides a shared understanding of how AI capabilities are evolving, identifies the risks associated with these advances, and highlights the techniques that exist to mitigate those risks. 

I was delighted, therefore, to have been involved as a Senior Advisor to the Second International AI Safety Report, which assesses what general-purpose AI systems can do, what risks they pose, and how those risks can be managed. The report, which was launched earlier this month ahead of an AI safety summit in India, is backed by more than 30 countries and international organisations, representing the largest global collaboration on AI safety to date. This year’s edition builds on the previous iteration, released last year, which was commissioned following the inaugural AI Safety Summit, hosted by the UK government at Bletchley Park in November 2023. 

The 2026 report concludes that the trajectory of AI over the coming years will be shaped by choices made by developers, governments, institutions and communities. By working together and having a shared, evidence-based understanding of the AI landscape, we can ensure that the choices we make are well-informed.  

In my December newsletter I highlighted a blog that Vipin Ahlawat, our Director of IT, and I had written about how we can make best use of AI in a responsible way. We outlined some of the actions we’re taking at the University to guide how we design, deploy and use AI tools. If we work to use AI responsibility at every level – as individuals, organisations, communities, nations and global partners – we can ensure that we harness and are well placed to manage its potential to benefit us all. 

Kate Gallagher appointed as General Counsel and Director of Legal Services 

This month we announced that Kate Gallagher will be joining the University as General Counsel and Director of Legal Services at the end of May 2026. 

Kate will lead our award-winning Legal Services team, building on their excellent reputation as a trusted and valued support service working closely with our academics, professional services teams, and key industrial partners. As General Counsel and Director of Legal Service she will provide strategic legal advice to the University’s senior management and governing body and work with colleagues to ensure that we continue to operate successfully in an increasingly regulated environment. 

Kate is currently head of the Higher Education team at Browne Jacobson LLP and previously worked as General Counsel and Director of Legal Services at the University of Nottingham, where she established and led a full-service in-house legal team. 

She has significant experience advising on the wide range of legal, regulatory and governance issues affecting the Higher Education sector and has a special interest in free speech, whistleblowing and social media in the workplace, including policy writing and development. 

I’m sure you’ll join me in welcoming to Kate to Loughborough in the spring. 

Latest social policy research report 

The latest report from Loughborough’s Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) reveals that most children in the UK are now growing up without a socially acceptable standard of living.

Students work presented at Tate Britain

Two Loughborough Fine Art students have been selected to present their work as part of the gallery’s Tate Late series recognising the legacy of influential photographer Lee Miller. 

February Copyright Reads 2026

I am sure you all will be a bit confused why the February Copyright Reads are coming out now (2 weeks into March) rather than in February, well, unfortunately for me I caught a very bad viral infection which sent me to bed for 3 weeks. I can tell you that was not fun. I mean I watched a huge amount of shows. Sanditon was not as bad as I thought, and Red Eye Season 1 was better than Season 2, but still entertaining enough for someone trapped in bed by a viral infection.

Be careful out there, as I have been hearing reports of people being off ill for 4 weeks with whatever this evil virus is.

And without further ado, here are February’s copyright selections:

WIPO Toolkit on Access to Copyrighted Works in the Collections of Cultural Heritage Institutions: Libraries, Archives and Museums

IP Meets AI: Disney’s Deal with OpenAI

The Warner Bros. Bidding War Is Over

Meet Seedance 2.0, Hollywood’s Newest AI Copyright Headache

German court denies copyright protection for AI-generated logos

Deploying Visual AI is a legal minefield…how to avoid getting hit

common European data space for cultural heritage

Witchcraft and Magic in England, c. 1400–1920

European Public Domain Day 2026

‘Does this unit have a soul?’ AI-generated works, creativity research, and copyright policy

Semana de la Cultura Libre with CC Uruguay

Coloniality, Collections and the Responsible Use of AI in Museums and Heritage

Radiohead’s Biggest Song of All-Time Got Them Sued for Copyright Infringement

Copyright Infringement in Form of a Reproduction of Preexisting Works in a Large Language Model

Looking back at the European Public Domain Day 2026

Music Publishers File New Piracy Suit Against Anthropic Alleging Mass Torrenting of Copyrighted Works

AI Training & Copyright Part 1: Text-and-data mining under court scrutiny

Crafting identity: lessons for Australia from the European Union’s geographical indications framework—crafting culture, anchored in place

Die bedenkliche Prämisse der Memorisierung von Werken in KI-Modellen als urheberrechtliche Vervielfältigungshandlung und ihre Folgen : Zugleich Besprechung von LG München I, 11.11.2025 – 42 O 14139/24 [Article in German regarding the GEMA case]

Digitising Tribal Art Archives in India: Consent, Ownership, and the Problem of Data Colonialism

AI, explained simply. No hype, just clarity.

ByteDance to curb AI video app after Disney legal threat

New AI video tool in “massive scale” copyright infringement, charges MPA

‘Workable’ AI copyright solutions lacking amidst UK policy ‘reset’

All images used are from Adobe Stock library.

Research in Action - Iro Xenidou-Dervou

Here is the latest instalment of our blogs about the Mr Barton Maths Podcast. This blog features Iro Xenidou Dervou from Loughborough University and you can hear the podcast with Craig here or in your usual podcast app.

Iro writes:

I was delighted to talk to Craig, it was a great opportunity to discuss our work into early financial literacy. In the podcast, we spoke about “Arlo’s Adventures”, an innovative comic strip designed to measure young children’s knowledge and understanding of money and finances.

As a cognitive developmental psychologist, I’m endlessly fascinated by what children can do, and often think that they can do much more than what our existing measures are able to show us. Children can really surprise us, and we just need the right tools to capture their capabilities. That’s what Arlo is designed to do! Craig and I discussed studies that I’ve conducted with 4-6 year olds around the UK, with Arlo’s Adventures, and what the findings from Arlo tell us about young children’s (variable!) financial literacy skills. We also discussed how financial literacy and numeracy are related but distinct constructs, the key components of financial literacy at this young age, the factors that might influence it, and what all this means for improving children’s financial understanding.

For any researcher with interests in psychology, development, mathematics or financial education, or any parent who is curious to know what and how their child understands about money, this podcast episode is for you!

Publications associated to Arlo’s Adventures can be found here, and a previous blogpost about Arlo can be found here.

We hope you enjoy listening to this episode. Don’t forget to check out the others in this series too, if you haven’t already.

UK Data Services: a social science data infrastructure funded by ESRC UKRI

Note: this event is restricted to Loughborough researchers.

13 May 2026, 14:00-15:00, Online

Join us for an essential introduction to the UK Data Service with Dr. Hina Zahid and Dr. Maureen Haaker, Data Producers Support Leads at the Service. Discover best practices for preparing your data collections for deposit, whether submitting population-representative data, smaller and medium size data collections, or code.

The session will include practical guidance you can immediately apply to your own projects, a live demonstration of the deposit process and a Q&A session. 

ESRC-funded researchers are required to submit their data for deposit to the UK Data Service, and those funded by the UKRI collecting and preparing social sciences data collections are strongly encouraged to do so. If you work with UKRI funding, this workshop will help you stay compliant, confident, and ahead of deadlines.

Register online

Five Minutes With: Nick Freeman

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I joined Loughborough in 2007. I’m based in English, where I am currently a Reader in Late Victorian Literature.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

A major reason why I became an academic is that every day is different. I’d distinguish though between a day spent on campus working with students and colleagues, and a research day spent in a library, an archive, or ransacking the house looking for a book I’m sure I’ve got somewhere. Helping students develop and refine their skills and discover what they are capable of is very fulfilling.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

My favourite research project is my current one. At the moment, I’m writing a book about the first English production of Oscar Wilde’s play, ‘Salome’, in 1905. It had been banned by the censor because it portrayed Biblical characters, but a daring group of amateur actors managed to stage it at a theatre in Notting Hill. It’s really exciting rediscovering those lost performers and saluting their daring initiative.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

Individually, when I won the LSU ‘Lecturer of the Year’ award in 2008. As a team member, it was probably working on the REF submission when English did better than ever before in REF 2021.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

They are all so interconnected that it’s hard to isolate one above the others, but my work is definitely about collaboration and creativity, whether with students and colleagues or in my research.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

My pride and joy is a Chilean Nightshade tree I grew from a tiny sapling. It now has masses of purple flowers every summer. The butterflies and bees love it even more than I do.

What is your favourite quote?

Ronald Firbank summed things up pretty well in his novel, Vainglory, from 1915. “The world is disgracefully managed. One hardly knows to whom to complain.”

I’ve also often benefitted from John Connolly’s sage advice: “If you’re gonna taunt the dog, make sure you know the length of the chain.” Wise words!

If you would like to feature in ‘Five Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Martha Causier at m.causier@lboro.ac.uk.

The Two Sides of the Moon: What an Evening About Communication Taught Me

Written by Venthan Kathiramalai

On 6 February 2026, Massimo Maltempi and Guglielmina Barbieri (of Max Mal Consulting) ran a workshop at Loughborough University London on interpersonal communication, unconscious bias, and everyday negotiation. I organised and hosted the event together with fellow-IDIA students Nadeen Maher and Glory James. The idea was to run something practical and useful, but the session ended up being more reflective than I expected. Instead of focusing on persuasion or strategy, it kept coming back to awareness of our reactions, our assumptions, and how much a conversation we decide on before it properly begins.

I helped organise the session, so I already knew the topic would be communication and people skills. But it’s one thing to plan an event and another to sit in the room while it’s happening. What stayed with me afterwards was not a specific technique, it was noticing how quickly we react to people before we’ve really given them a chance.

 The brain sometimes works to protect us, but it can also make situations worse.

A large part of the discussion centred around unconscious bias and the mental shortcuts we rely on in social situations. The speakers framed this not as a flaw, but as a natural feature of being human. We rarely meet people as blank slates; instead, we meet them as predictions. Within moments of an interaction we have already formed impressions about competence, confidence, and trustworthiness, often before a full sentence has even been completed.

What made the discussion particularly engaging was its realism. The goal was not to eliminate bias but to notice it. Awareness, rather than perfection, was presented as the skill. By slowing down our interpretations, we create space for a person to become more than our first assumption about them, and communication improves almost automatically.

Emotional awareness is not emotional absorption

One idea that stayed with me came from Massimo’s explanation of emotional awareness. He described it as the ability to allow others to express themselves while remaining present and supportive, without taking on their emotional state. The distinction sounds subtle, yet it reframes empathy entirely.

Often, people think supporting someone means sharing their emotional intensity, but this frequently escalates situations rather than resolving them. Emotional awareness instead involves steadiness by listening attentively, acknowledging what is being expressed, and responding constructively without becoming overwhelmed. In practical terms, it is the difference between calming a disagreement and unintentionally amplifying it. The point was not detachment, but balance: understanding others while still remaining grounded yourself.

Asking for favours without it feeling like a favour

The session also touched on something surprisingly practical, asking for help. Many of us either hesitate excessively or overcompensate by trying to persuade too strongly. The suggestion offered was disarmingly simple: clarity, sincerity, and respect. Cooperation tends to emerge naturally when people feel acknowledged rather than managed.

Seen this way, communication becomes less about technique and more about intention. When we stop treating interaction as a small negotiation to win, conversations become easier and far more genuine.

Vision: the antidote to random motivation

Towards the latter part of the workshop, the discussion shifted toward vision setting. The argument was that without a clear “why”, effort easily becomes directionless, leaving us dependent on fluctuating motivation and inspiration. A vision, however, provides orientation. Whether applied to a project or personal development, it acts as a reference point for decisions and adjustments.

Rather than forcing productivity, a clear purpose creates alignment. When circumstances change, which they inevitably do, we still have direction. Motivation may come and go, but a vision continues to guide action.

The psychology in the pictures

Guglielmina’s part of the session brought a noticeably different energy into the room. Where the earlier discussion encouraged reflection, hers made us participate almost immediately. She introduced a series of images and asked us a deceptively simple question: who looks trustworthy?

What followed was slightly uncomfortable in an illuminating way. The photos showed the same person more than once, but taken from different angles, with different facial expressions, posture, and lighting. Almost everyone in the room instinctively preferred one image over the other. We described one version as approachable, competent, and reliable, while the other seemed distant, less warm, or harder to trust. Yet it was the same individual.

The exercise made visible how quickly we construct character from appearance. Small details, a head tilt, a half-smile, the direction of eye contact, can shape judgement before a single word is spoken. We were not evaluating behaviour or values; we were interpreting presentation.

It felt particularly relevant in 2026, where meeting new people has become routine, in classrooms, workplaces, online calls, networking spaces, often at speed, in unfamiliar contexts and online. Our minds try to cope by using past experiences as templates, but those templates easily become blueprints. We begin reacting not to the person in front of us, but to a pattern we recognise from somewhere else.

Guglielmina’s point was not that first impressions disappear, but that they should remain provisional. Awareness allows a pause between perception and conclusion. Without that pause, we risk judging present actions through past experiences, sometimes even past hurts  and mistaking recognition for understanding.

The exercise was simple, slightly quirky, and surprisingly revealing. It showed that communication does not begin when someone speaks. It begins the moment we see them, and often, long before we realise we have already decided who they are.

Leaving with fewer techniques but more awareness

By the end, the session felt less like a training workshop and more like a recalibration of attention. There were practical communication tools, certainly, but the lasting takeaway was subtler: effective interaction depends less on saying the perfect thing and more on noticing what is happening while we speak and listen.

The conversations that continued during the networking afterwards suggested many others felt the same. People skills, it seemed, are not tactics to memorise but habits to practise, habits of awareness, patience, and intention. That may take longer than learning a technique, but it also appears to last longer once learned.

Thank you to Massimo Maltempi and Guglielmina Barbieri for leading the session, to the guests who took part so openly, and to Loughborough University London for supporting a different kind of event. Special thanks also to our Director, Dr Tim Oliver, and Nicola Cheloti for their support in making the event possible. And finally, thank you to everyone involved in organising and hosting the evening Nadeen Maher, Glory James and myself for helping bring it together.

The Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs (IDIA) offers master’s and doctoral programmes designed to meet the evolving demands of today’s world. At IDIA, we work alongside our students to provide them with the essential tools to comprehend these global realities, preparing them for diverse careers in both public and private sectors across the globe. Check out our programmes and apply to study with us here.

How Disinformation Gets Under Our Skin

Author: Ali Bilgic (Professor of International Relations and Middle East Politics, Loughborough University)

Over the past few years, I’ve increasingly found myself grappling with these stubborn questions: why do obviously false stories online capture people’s attention so powerfully? Why do some narratives linger long after fact‑checkers have disproved them? These questions stayed with me because, in my work on political psychology and security, I kept seeing the same recurring theme. People weren’t always drawn to disinformation because they trusted its accuracy. They were drawn to how it made them feel, how it seemed to speak to their anxieties and offer a comforting sense of clarity when the world around them felt messy or unstable. This realisation eventually grew into my latest research article, produced with the support of the Norwegian Research Council’s FAKENEWS project.

Article background

What I argue in the article is that disinformation behaves less like a faulty claim and more like a tool that works through emotion. When people feel uncertain or anxious about politics, cultural change, economic pressures, or simply the speed at which life now moves, disinformation steps in and offers an emotional anchor. It provides stories that tell people who is responsible for their frustrations, who is threatening their values, and who can restore a sense of order. The emotional pull is often stronger than any factual doubt. Something that feels true can be more persuasive than something that is true.

In this project I drew on elements of psychoanalysis, particularly Lacanian ideas about how individuals form a sense of self in relation to others. But the underlying insight is easy to put into everyday language: emotions shape our beliefs far more deeply than we tend to admit. When a person encounters an online story that mirrors their fears or frustrations, the emotional resonance arrives instantly. It is only later—if at all—that more deliberate thinking follows.

To ground this in something concrete, I looked at the so‑called “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory. Variations of this idea have circulated across Europe and North America for years, pushed by far‑right politicians, commentators, and online networks. The theory falsely claims that elites are engineering a demographic “replacement” of white populations by racialised minorities. What fascinated me is not the content—which is simply untrue—but the way it gives shape to a broad sense of unease. For people who already feel anxious about cultural change, economic insecurity or identity, the theory offers a story that transforms that anxiety into a clear emotional target. It names an enemy, explains the supposed “danger”, and promises a path to restoring stability.

Examples and implications

This pattern can be seen in many other examples. Anti‑vaccine rumours, climate change denial, stories about stolen elections. All turn vague feelings of uncertainty into emotionally charged narratives. Once anger, fear, pride, resentment attach themselves to a story, the story becomes difficult to dislodge. People hold onto it not because every detail is convincing, but because it helps them make sense of their emotional world.

This has important implications for anyone concerned about a healthy public debate. If disinformation spreads because it meets emotional needs, then our usual responses such as correcting the facts, debunking falsehoods, or urging people to “think critically” cannot be the whole answer. Those tools remain essential, but they don’t address the underlying emotional landscape in which disinformation thrives. If the emotional gap remains unfilled, the misleading narrative simply adapts, resurfaces or reappears somewhere else.

For me, this is where the broader impact of the research lies. It encourages us to approach disinformation not just as a technical or informational problem but as a deeply human one. The stories that spread most easily are those that offer comfort, coherence or a sense of belonging in moments of uncertainty. Understanding this does not excuse the harmful consequences of these narratives, but it does help us see why certain ideas take hold so quickly and why others—no matter how accurate—struggle to resonate. We need to take emotions seriously and explore how they interact with broader racialised (as in the case of “Grear Replacement”), gendered, sexualised, able-ist power relations.

Emotional dynamics

My hope is that this work invites a shift in our conversations. Instead of assuming people are simply “gullible” or “misled”, we might ask what kinds of emotional pressures and insecurities make certain narratives appealing in the first place. If we can understand that, then we can begin to imagine responses that acknowledge people’s concerns without giving ground to harmful or exclusionary stories.

In a world shaped by rapid change and constant digital noise, these emotional dynamics will only grow more important. By recognising how disinformation taps into our deeper fears and desires, we can start to build societies that are not only better informed, but also more emotionally resilient.

Publication details: Bilgic, A. (2026). Ontological (in)security after truth: Disinformation as affective technology. Cooperation and Conflict, online first. https://doi.org/10.1177/00108367261422466

Bio: Ali Bilgic is a Professor of International Relations and Middle East Politics at Loughborough University and the Political Communication theme lead of CRCC. He is the author of Rethinking Security in the Age of Migration: Trust and Emancipation in Europe (Routledge, 2013 and 2018, 2nd edition) and Turkey, Power and the West:

Gendered International Relations and Foreign Policy (Bloomsbury, 2016) and Positive Security (co-authored with Prof Gunhild Hoogensen Gjorv, 2022 and 2024, 2nd edition).

Democracy at the Ballot Box: Moldova’s Post-Electoral Reflection

Written by Dr. Dorina Baltag, Visiting Fellow, Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs

Post-electoral moments are often treated as administrative closure. Ballots are counted, mandates are distributed, and attention shifts forward. Yet in democracies operating under sustained external pressure and internal reform fatigue, post-electoral reflection is not closure, it is consolidation.

On 19-20 February 2026, the Central Electoral Committee of Moldova convened a two-day post-electoral conference to assess its 28 September 2025 parliamentary elections. Bringing together the electoral administration, public institutions, civil society, international observers, development partners, and diaspora representatives, the event offered something relatively rare in the region: a structured, institutionalised space for collective democratic self-assessment.

Beyond reviewing procedures, the discussions implicitly addressed a broader question: what does democratic resilience look like when legitimacy is contested, trust is fragile, and hybrid interference is persistent?

Resilience Is Produced Through Coordination

A first key conclusion emerging from the data presented is that Moldova’s democratic resilience is not primarily a function of formal institutional capacity. Rather, it is produced through coordination.

The 2025 elections took place in a context of intensified foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), illicit political financing risks, and sustained polarisation. Yet the electoral process itself remained operationally robust. This was less the result of institutional insulation and more the outcome of networked cooperation between the Central Electoral Commission, law enforcement bodies, civil society monitors, independent media, and diaspora networks.

For enlargement countries operating in contested geopolitical spaces, this lesson is particularly salient. Democratic security increasingly depends on coordination ecosystems rather than single institutions.

Beyond Numbers: The Diaspora as Political Infrastructure

Diaspora participation was frequently referenced in quantitative terms, i.e., turnout figures, percentage shares, electoral impact. These metrics are undeniably significant. However, numbers alone obscure the structural dimension of diaspora engagement.

The Moldovan diaspora has evolved into more than an electoral constituency. It functions as a transnational civic network, a channel of European norm diffusion, and an informal diplomatic actor shaping narratives about Moldova within EU member states.

Reducing diaspora engagement to voting logistics risks overlooking its strategic democratic function.

Equally, mobilising diaspora participation primarily during electoral cycles leaves a structural gap between episodic political activation and sustained institutional dialogue. In the absence of embedded consultation mechanisms, diaspora engagement remains politically visible but institutionally peripheral.

This creates a paradox: the diaspora is electorally decisive yet governance-light.

Reframing diaspora not merely as voters abroad but as part of Moldova’s democratic infrastructure would shift the discussion from logistics to long-term political integration – a shift that becomes particularly relevant in the context of EU accession and democratic alignment.

Trust as the Missing Strategic Variable

While procedural integrity and institutional coordination featured prominently in the discussions, one critical variable remained underexplored: trust.

Electoral systems can be technically robust and procedurally compliant yet remain vulnerable if public confidence in institutions is fragile. In Moldova’s case, the 2025 elections were not primarily threatened by technical failure. The more persistent risk lies in legitimacy erosion.

Hybrid interference strategies increasingly operate through perception rather than penetration. Their objective is not to disrupt ballot counting, but to cultivate scepticism, amplify grievances, and normalise institutional doubt. In low-trust environments, this form of interference finds fertile ground.

The conference rightly emphasised coordination and resilience. Yet without a parallel strategy for rebuilding social trust, resilience risks remaining defensive rather than transformative.

Why This Matters Beyond Moldova

Moldova’s experience resonates beyond its borders. Enlargement countries operate in an increasingly complex security environment where democratic processes are simultaneously domestic political events and geopolitical arenas.

The post-electoral conference in Chișinău demonstrated a commitment to structured reflection, multi-actor dialogue, and forward-looking agenda-setting. This in itself is a signal of democratic maturity.

For the European Union, Moldova represents both a candidate country and a democratic stress test. Its ability to maintain electoral integrity under hybrid pressure while pursuing accelerated European integration offers insight into the evolving relationship between enlargement and democratic security.

The key lesson is that resilience cannot remain reactive. It must become institutionalised, i.e., embedded in coordination mechanisms, trust-building strategies, and sustained civic engagement. Ultimately, democracy at the ballot box is not only about polling stations and voter lists. It is about predictability, inclusion, and the credibility of the relationship between citizens and the state — both at home and abroad.

Dr Baltag is a Visiting Fellow of the Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs. She researches EU external relations and diplomacy, with particular focus on democratisation in the Eastern Partnership. Outside of academia she is the cofounder of Noroc Olanda Stichting, a Moldovan diaspora NGO based in the Netherlands. If you would like to get in contact with Dr Baltag, head to her LinkedIn page.

Webinars and whatnots – February 2025

Upcoming:

• Open Research Week 2026: 2-6 March (Edge Hill University, the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, and the University of Essex
• Edinburgh Open Research Conference 2026: 18 June
• University of Derby Open Research Week: 11 & 12 March

Catch up:

Of interest:

Previous months’ Webinars and whatnots:

• January 2026
• December 2025
• November 2025
• October 2025
• September 2025- none
• August 2025
• July 2025
• June 2025
• May 2025 – Midlands Innovation Open Research Week 2025
• April 2025
• March 2025
• February 2025
• January 2025
• December 2024
• November 2024

Research in Action - Vic Simms

Here is the latest instalment of our blogs about the Mr Barton Maths Podcast. This blog features Vic Simms from Loughborough University and you can hear his podcast with Craig here or in your usual podcast app.

Vic writes:

Returning the Craig Barton podcast is a pleasure, and a great opportunity to discuss our research on how families can support their children’s early mathematical development. As a developmental psychologist, I am fascinated about how children’s blossoming cognition, especially related to mathematics, can be supported through interactions in their environment especially in their homes, but also in early years and childcare settings. The last time we talked we were embarking on a new research project, so it was great to catch up and reflect on the processes and the challenges of doing research with families in their homes.  Through this recent research, we have established that what families do with their children before starting school matters, we then worked with families to develop cheap, accessible, playful resources that can be used in everyday family routines. Our research team aims to make sure that parents feel supported and confident in their interactions with their children- and that they can have joyful mathematical experiences together. We don’t want families to feel burdened. We also discussed the long‑term influence of early maths experiences, the role of childcare settings, and why positive, low‑pressure interactions matter so much. 

Vic mentions a link to the CEML evidence briefing for ‘phonics for maths’ and you can find that here.

We hope you enjoy listening to this episode. Don’t forget to check out the others in this series too, if you haven’t already.

A wintry but welcome stay at the IAS

My January 2026 residency at Loughborough University’s Institute of Advanced Studies enabled me to finally meet in person with Professor Ksenia Chmutina! We had been familiar with each other’s work on disasters for some many years and had spoken many times, but the IAS fellowship provided the ideal setting to sit down together properly. Over the course of my stay, we were able to discuss our ideas about disasters and creative methodologies. These discussions have now progressed to the point where we are developing a joint grant proposal on the topic.

Alongside this I had the opportunity to run a workshop for postgraduate researchers on turning academic research into comics. The session drew a small but engaged group from various disciplines, and focused on the practical aspects of adapting complex ideas into visual narratives. This workshop fed into a broader event Ksenia organised for the Journal of Disaster Studies, which brought together storytelling and comics researchers Karen Sung, Oliver Hooper, and Richard Johnson – it was an absolute pleasure to learn about their practices. The event provided a useful forum for discussing the specific challenges and possibilities of using comics in research, and it was fantastic to be part of the conversation.

The residency also gave me the space to present my paper on worldmaking and the global climate order for the first time. It’s always a little nerve wracking to present an idea for the first time, but the IAS was the perfect space to do so and to receive some really constructive feedback.

Beyond these activities, the fellowship allowed me to connect with several other scholars at Loughborough whose research intersects with my own interests and we’re now in the early stages of discussing a potential joint project. Last but not least, the IAS team were absolutely incredible throughout, making me feel very welcome at every turn. And the flat that I was provided with on campus was a little oasis on campus. For anybody thinking about applying to be an IAS fellow I would definitely recommend it.

Dr Gemma Sou

Midland Innovation, NTU and OU Open Research Week 2026

Open Research Week 2026 is a week‑long, cross‑institutional programme championing the practices, skills and culture that make research more transparent, collaborative and impactful. Delivered in partnership between Midlands Innovation, Nottingham Trent University and The Open University, the week brings together researchers, technicians, librarians and professional services teams who are driving forward open knowledge.

Across five days, participants will discover practical approaches, hear from leading voices, and connect with a vibrant regional network. This year’s programme features standout keynote contributions, including Neil Jacobs (Associate Director, UKRN), who will explore how universities can evolve into truly collaborative, open‑knowledge institutions, and Carl Laflamme (Academic Associate, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University) and Chetan Raina (Chief Executive Officer of YCharOS), who will examine how open science principles can flourish even within commercially sensitive environments.

Throughout the week, participants can explore groundbreaking research, engage in thought‑provoking discussions, and uncover new opportunities for collaboration.

Sign up for events now!

Research in Action - Chris Shore

Here is the latest instalment of our blogs about the Mr Barton Maths Podcast. This blog features Chris Shore from Loughborough University and you can hear his podcast with Craig here or in your usual podcast app.

In this episode, Chris reflects on his career to date and how that has influenced his current research interests. He also discusses the LUMEN curriculum and the connection it has to his research.

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed on the Mr Barton Maths Podcast [The Mr Barton Maths Podcast | 200+ Maths Education Episodes]. Craig Barton is a skilful and generous interviewer, and although I was a little nervous beforehand, we ended up having a really enjoyable and wide‑ranging conversation. We talked about my experiences as a secondary school teacher before moving into the university sector, my current work in pre‑service teacher education, and my ongoing interests in pedagogy and how this plays out in the classroom.

A particular focus of our discussion was the question at the heart of my PhD: what makes a good mathematical explanation? We explored what explanations are, how they differ from other forms of teacher talk, and where they appear in real classroom practice. We also reflected on when explanations should be used within the modelling sequence and how they interact with other pedagogical tools such as worked examples.

We then connected these ideas to my work on the LUMEN Curriculum (https://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/lumen/curriculum/). One of the design principles of LUMEN is conceptualising the curriculum as a mathematical story, where mathematical objects (such as multiplication or fractions) act and behave in different settings. We pay close attention to how that story develops. Craig and I discussed the role of explanations within this curriculum story and how they interact with mathematical tasks and practice exercises.

I hope you enjoy listening to the episode! Please do get in touch if you’d like to know more or to chat about anything that came up in the conversation. 

From Descriptive Writing to Critical Writing

Written by Bess Chan

Your opinions, or your voice, are important in academic writing. To show your voice, you’re generally advised to first read your sources critically, including asking questions about the texts and making critical notes, and then formulate your paragraphs using the PEEL structure, adding evaluative language, and synthesising source information.

What if you are at the stage of revising or proofreading a piece of academic writing? How can you effectively check whether your writing is insufficiently critical and needs more of your voice and evaluation? Here are a few things you can do to check your work:

Check the paragraph first – what is it mostly doing?

Examine each sentence closely to identify its function. Is it showing:

• a description
• a piece of evidence
• an analysis (e.g., interpretation of evidence and significance of source information)
• or an evaluation (e.g., strengths, weaknesses, and implications)?

If your paragraph consists mostly of description and evidence, it is descriptive, and you’ll need to add more analysis and evaluation. Although examining each sentence can be quite tedious, this step is an effective way to see whether a paragraph reflects your voice.

Find out more about paragraph structure here.

Identify where to add your voice

Some students may rely too much on evidence to explain a point. Ask yourself these two questions:

• Have I added a follow-up explanation after a citation?
• Have I ended a paragraph with a conclusion rather than a reference?

If your answer to either question is “no”, consider adding one of the following to demonstrate your voice:

• Explain why the evidence matters
• Evaluate how convincing it is
• Compare it to alternative views or contrasting evidence
• Connect it to the argument

For example, if using the evidence “Several studies indicate that assessment feedback improves student performance in subsequent assessments (Smith, 2020; Brown, 2026)”, you can add your voice in the following ways:

• Explain why the evidence matters:
  Several studies indicate that assessment feedback improves student performance in subsequent assessments (Smith, 2020; Brown, 2026). This evidence matters because it highlights feedback as an active factor in performance improvement, suggesting that without meaningful engagement with feedback, students may struggle to progress.

• Evaluate how convincing it is:
  Several studies indicate that assessment feedback improves student performance in subsequent assessments (Smith, 2020; Brown, 2026). The consistency of findings across both studies strengthens this claim; however, the sample size of these studies may not be large enough to generalise the results.

• Compare it to alternative views or contrasting evidence:
  Several studies indicate that assessment feedback improves student performance in subsequent assessments (Smith, 2020; Brown, 2026). However, Jones (2023) and Lee (2024) argue that feedback has limited impact unless students are trained in feedback literacy, suggesting that feedback alone may not automatically lead to improved performance.

• Connect it to the argument:
  Several studies indicate that assessment feedback improves student performance in subsequent assessments (Smith, 2020; Brown, 2026). This pattern suggests that feedback not only justifies a grade but also actively guides students to recognise gaps in their understanding and adjust their learning strategies. Therefore, feedback functions as a key mechanism for enhancing learning because it enables students to make targeted improvements over time.

Find out more about voice in academic writing here.

Realise that your voice does not have to start with “I”

Students who are not familiar with academic style may assume only sentences beginning with “I” show their voice. However, “I” is generally not accepted in academic writing, as it is too subjective in tone. Instead, third-person pronouns like “it” and “they”, as in “it means” or “they imply”, should be used when you make an evaluation, weigh evidence, or draw reasoned implications.

If you feel uncomfortable showing your voice without the first-person pronoun “I”, try to write a sentence that begins with “I think” or “I believe” first. After writing the whole sentence, remove “I think” or “I believe” and qualify the sentence by adding hedges (e.g. could, would, likely, possibility, and appear to), boosters (e.g. must, absolutely, definite, and certainty), and attitude markers (e.g. surprisingly, significant, critical, and desirable).

Find out more about ways to show subtle differences in evaluation here.

Review your work against a checklist

Before submitting your work, ask yourself:

• Have I explained why this evidence matters?
• Have I evaluated how strong or limited the claim is?
• Have I linked this paragraph back to my overall argument?
• Does the paragraph show my reasoning, not just my reading?

If the answer is “no” to more than one question, you should revise your work to ensure your voice is clear.

Lastly, if you’re unsure whether you’ve written critically, I encourage you to book 1-2-1 meetings with me, Bess Chan, your London-based EAP Tutor, via email or the booking form.

Five Minutes With: Phoebe Cross

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I work within Loughborough Sport as Sports Volunteering Officer, aiming to provide high-quality volunteering experiences for students through the Coach and Volunteer Academy (CVA). I have been doing this role since September 2024.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

I feel very lucky that my days at work are varied and it’s rare that two days look the same! Normally, I am based in our office in the Students’ Union, working through emails, in meetings or organising different areas of the Coach and Volunteer Academy strands. Sometimes, I am out and about on campus, meeting colleagues or supporting events. For example, I have recently supported Talk Sport and the Loughborough Student Officiating Conference, two events that brought students together to develop their skills and interests. I love being active throughout the day, so you might see me in the gym or at a spin class over lunch!

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

This would definitely be recruiting volunteers for BUCS Big Wednesday (BBW) last year. The CVA provided over 100 student volunteers to be part of BBW, and they all played a huge part in the success of the event. I recruited the volunteers through the CVA portal, helped to organise the volunteer training with BUCS and coordinated the shift allocation for students across the event. It was really rewarding to see students actively contributing to one of the biggest events in the University calendar and with myself being a huge sports fan, BBW was a great couple of days!

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

My proudest moment at Loughborough would be planning and attending the CVA Awards 2025. This event brought together students, staff and alumni to celebrate the 10 years of the CVA. It was great to celebrate the impact that volunteers make across the University and recognise their hard work, passion and dedication. The event was a reminder of why I enjoy this role and a key motivator to continue developing our student workforce.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

Creative is the value I resonate with most because it best reflects how I approach my work. I enjoy finding new ways to engage volunteers, solve problems and bring fresh ideas to our programmes.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

Outside of work, I referee women’s football across the Women’s Super League and Women’s Super League 2. I love the challenge of managing high-pressure situations, making quick decisions and working with my officiating colleagues to deliver a game. There’s a strong sense of community and professionalism in the women’s game, and it’s exciting to be on the pitch as the sport continues to grow. A lot of the skills I use within refereeing are transferable to my area of work and those skills help me within my role.

What is your favourite quote?

“Control the controllables”

If you would like to feature in ‘Five Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Martha Causier at m.causier@lboro.ac.uk.

CA Day: Conversation, community & cake

CA Day 15th December 2025

Celebrating its 18th year, CA (Conversation Analysis) Day was––as ever––a celebration of the global appeal of conversation analytic research. With a full programme of talks, including keynotes by Chase Wesley Raymond and Deborah Chinn, and the ever popular CAkeOff competition – delegates were certainly provided with plenty of sustenance for the body and mind.

Morning presentations

After a warm welcome from Saul Albert, the presentation programme began with Gilian Noord, Alison Pilnick, Elizabeth Stokoe and Tony Avery presenting their research on silence in GP telephone consultations. This was followed by a presentation by Virginia Calabria, Joe Webb and Brett Smith on their research about shared decision making between people with learning disabilities and social workers.

Before the first break Chase Wesley Raymond presented the first keynote, engaging the audience with a talk on institutional ‘lingualism’ as interactional practice and what bilingualism looks like in certain settings. The programme continued with Alexa Hepburn and Jonathan Potter looking at the institutional aspect of family mealtimes, before Natàlia Server Benetó presented data exploring the three-partedness of lists in Spanish and Catalan.

Afternoon presentations

The afternoon presentations began with Luyang Zhou presenting their research on how children contribute to interaction in paediatric consultations in China. Ole Pütz followed with a presentation exploring whether AI chatbots could understand a third-position repair. 

After a short break, delegates heard from Sanaa Hyder about their research on story telling in consultations between GPs and ethnic minority patients. This was followed by Marco Pino, presenting for Kathryn Jordin with Emma Richardson and Laura Jenkins, who shared findings from their research on how children and adults mobilise gender categories to make sense of and organise play.

The day closed with the final keynote talk from Deborah Chinn, who shared her own research of how CA can explore how people with intellectual disabilities are positioned as ‘incompetent’.

CA Day will return in December 2026, for more details please check the Discourse and Rhetoric Group (DARG) website: https://darg.lboro.ac.uk/ca-days/

Celebrating Tết Away from Home: Lunar New Year as a Vietnamese Student in London

Written by Chi Nguyen

What would you like others to know about Lunar New Year?

Lunar New Year is the most important festival across many parts of Asia, reflecting deep cultural, spiritual, and familial bonds. In Vietnam, we call it Tet. Following the Western New Year, Tet usually falls in January or February, with decorations appearing as early as a month beforehand. From cities to rural villages, streets come alive with high‑spirited crowds, traditional ornaments, and national flags adorning every corner. Regional differences shape the atmosphere: pink peach blossoms brighten the North, while yellow apricot blossoms flourish in the South, both symbolising prosperity and good fortune. Although folk paintings and red calligraphy scrolls are less visible in major cities today, they remain culturally significant as invitations for harmony, wisdom, and luck. Central to Tet is the practice of honouring parents and respecting teachers, reflected in the traditional order of the first three days: Father first, Mother second, and Teachers third. These values deeply anchor in each Vietnamese, even as the country celebrates with joy in the biggest festive season of the year.

Are there any special traditions during Tết and what do they symbolise?

Tet holiday normally lasts five days, yet it remains the most anticipated season. The excitement perhaps comes from the abundance of traditional dishes and the joy of receiving lucky money in red envelopes. Each region has its own distinctive specialties, but children and adults alike love bánh chưng, the square sticky‑rice cake wrapped in dong leaves, and bánh tét, its cylindrical southern counterpart. Traditional pork sausage, spring rolls, red sticky rice, and candied fruits are also beloved Tet foods, cherished not only for their flavours but for their symbolism of prosperity, family unity, and a fresh start. Red envelopes, filled with lucky money, represent blessings passed from elders to younger generations, wishing them health, wisdom, and kindness for the year ahead. Tet therefore carries deep‑rooted cultural values that extend far beyond visible decorations and celebration. Wherever we are, Tet lives most strongly in our thoughts and reflections, shaped by a thousand years of ancestral values passed from generation to generation.

How will you be celebrating Tết as a university student away from home?

While I have always prioritised spending Tet with my family, this year will be my first Tet away from home. Although there are still two weeks until Lunar New Year, Loon Fung, the Far Eastern food market in Stratford, has already filled its aisles with festive items. The most striking are the kumquat trees, symbols of abundance and good luck. Decorations and foods from different Asian cultures are displayed right at the checkout, drawing in customers who will likely celebrate their traditional New Year here in London. For those seeking a celebration that feels almost like home, Chinatown is undoubtedly the heart of Lunar New Year festivities. Lion and dragon dances, street performances, and colourful food stalls create a completely different atmosphere from Western fireworks and champagne.

Beyond the festive energy, Lunar New Year is also a moment to slow down and reflect. I will spend the first day of Lunar 2026 at Linh Sơn Temple, a Vietnamese pagoda in Lewisham, Southeast London, to welcome the fresh energy of a new chapter. These practices help me cultivate focus, resilience, and compassion, qualities that support my journey as a sport leadership student and a dedicated marathoner.

In many Asian cultures, we believe that while the Western New Year, based on the solar calendar, brings a visibly festive and outward‑facing energy, the Lunar New Year offers a more personal, reflective balance. If Christmas and the Western New Year are celebrated with vibrant bustle, then taking a quiet moment to embrace the stillness and freshness of the Lunar New Year can become a meaningful way to reconnect with our inner peace, or simply a gentle pause to breathe.

All photos in this blog are credited to Dzung Viet Nguyen.

Roses are Red, My True Love is Fair: This Valentine's Day, You'll find Copyright There

Disclaimer: This blog post is for information only. We do not endorse any of the merchandise and we are not affiliated or receive any commission from any companies presented in this blog post.

It is February and like every year, all of us are happy that January is behind us, and we can now enjoy longer days as well as (usually) nicer and warmer weather (except if you live in the UK, of course).

There are multiple stories on how Valentine’s Day came to be, however some historical facts claim St Valentine was put to death for his faith around the year 270. There are claims that St Valentine performed secret Christian marriages in defiance of a ban by Emperor Claudius II ‘Gothicus’ which seems to be without historical foundation. Modern scholars believe that (with most such celebrations, see our Halloween post) it derived from an ancient Roman fertility cult called Lupercalia. As with everything, the origins of the festival are rather obscure, however the name derives from the Latin word lupus (wolf) and is believed to be a festival for a deity which protects herds from wolves.

Romanians have their own love festival on the 24^th of February, called Dragobete. It is also a celebration about the arrival of Spring. While 14^th of February was accepted as the day of love in Romania as well, some Romanians celebrate either, or both. Why not? I do specifically enjoy the part where tradition says men are not allowed to annoy women or your love falls apart.

I am sure you are asking yourself now, okay, that’s nice but how does this all connect to copyright?! Well, as we have seen with Easter, Halloween and Christmas, many things that we take for granted on holidays and celebrations are protected by some form of IP. So, let’s take them one by one.

Patent your Love

Of course, Valentine’s Day has its own array of patents. In general, that would be greeting cards. However, we also have a wishbone to test who loves more and a spice container containing love. If you your loved one is an avid swimmer, why not gift them some heart-shaped swim goggles? As you can see, love can be patented.

Put a (Trade)mark on it!

Valentine’s Day is also very popular day for popping the question. And many people would love it if that question is accompanied by a very special blue box, coming from a well-known jewellery company, called Tiffany & Co. Did you know that said popular jewellery company have not only trademarked their signature Tiffany blue but also their blue boxes?!

Of course, during the usual Valentine’s Day dinner date, Champagne does make an appearance. Many Champagne makers register their Champagne as trademarks, like this example from 1948.

However, this is not all that can be trademarked. Heart shaped logos, slogans and other distinctive signs can also benefit from trademark protection.

Designed, Registered, Loved

Think of the design of engagement rings or the love shaped chocolate boxes, wedding ornaments and anything else dedicated to love can be protected by design rights. Let’s take the Welsh love spoon for example, Paul Curtis protected the designs of many different looking Welsh spoons in 2020.

Another popular jewellery company is Pandora, and they have several registered jewellery designs.

I Would Do Anything for Love… But Not Copy Someone Else’s Work

As we all know, creative outputs are protected by copyright. Think dating apps, poems, love letters, romantic songs and anything else that goes with Valentine’s Day. If you have a creative streak, and compose your own romantic poem or song, or card, or cute love potatoes, those will be protected by copyright.

If your creative streak is rather lacking, you are in luck, as there are many romantic classics in the public domain. Feeling like the Bard would have some good sonnets on the go? Well, you are in luck, many of Shakespeare’s sonnets are in the public domain. Or maybe the world of Jane Austen is more your speed? Well, her works are also in the public domain. Important to note, please make sure that the work you are using is indeed in the public domain. Any re-publication of public domain material will add another 25 years of protection, like a newly typeset edition of Shakespeare. The older the better.

ystävänpäiväkortti by A.M. Davis & Co. Quality Cards London – Helsinki City Museum, Finland – CC BY.

Do You Want to Know a (Trade)secret?

It is good practice to never reveal a trade secret. It isn’t much of a secret if it is revealed. Secret recipes and formulas for chocolate or perfume, the algorithm that decides which chocolates appear in your curated Valentine’s bundle.

That Which We Call a Rose: Protecting New Varieties by Any Other Name

Want to love like the French? Why not buy an “Edith Piaf” rose?! Plant varieties can receive protection through Plant Variety Rights depending on certain conditions.  

A plant variety can only be protected if it meets three conditions:

• It must be different from any other known variety in at least one clear, visible way.
• It must be consistent, meaning all the plants of that variety look and behave the same in the important features that make it different.
• It must stay the same over time, so those key features don’t change when the plant is grown again and again.

You Had Me at Merlot: A Love Letter to Geographical Indications

Valentine’s Day would not be complete without the romantic dinner at the end of the day. However, did you know that some of the food that you might enjoy on the evening are protected by Geographic Indications (GIs)? For example the Exmoor Blue Cheese or the Dorset Blue Cheese. The wine served might also be protected, like this Greek wine.  And for those of us with a sweet tooth, we cannot forget some nice cakes at the end of the date.

❤️ Valentine’s Day Conclusion

As we celebrate a day devoted to love, it’s worth remembering that protection systems like Geographical Indications—and all forms of intellectual property—are, at their heart, about safeguarding meaningful relationships. Not between people, but between products and the places, traditions, and skills that shape them. Just as true love honours authenticity, integrity, and trust, so too do these protections ensure that what we value is recognised, respected, and preserved.

This Valentine’s Day, may we continue to show a little love to the origins, craft, and communities that make our favourite products truly one‑of‑a‑kind.

The longest-lived day-saint Valentine’s – Heidelberg University Library, Germany – Public Domain.

The information contained in this blog post should be taken as recommended advice or guidance but should not be taken as legal advice. If in any doubt, please seek proper legal advice. Some images licensed from Adobe Stock.

In Conversation with Anna Ligęzowska, winner of the Dean’s Dissertation Prize 2024/25.

We are pleased to share an interview with Anna Ligęzowska, winner of both the 2024-25 Loughborough University London Dean’s Dissertation Prize and the Dissertation Prize from Loughborough London’s Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs, for her dissertation ‘Fragile Peace, Persistent Systems: Child Recruitment through the Lens of the Transformative Justice Cube’. 

Anna studied for an MSc in Security, Peacebuilding and Diplomacy. In this interview, recorded with Dr Tim Oliver (Director of IDIA), Anna reflects on both the findings of her dissertation research and the challenges and opportunities of researching and writing a dissertation. Please click on the link below to watch the interview:

Interview with Anna Ligęzowska, Dean’s Dissertation Prize Winner 2025

Framing Türkiye in European Security Discourse: Insights from a Master’s Dissertation  

Written by Imannur Gül (Student of MSc Diplomacy and International Relations 2024-25, Shortlisted for the IDIA Dissertation Prize 2025)

Writing my Master’s dissertation at Loughborough University was both an academic and personal journey. As a student of Diplomacy and International Relations, with a strong interest in security studies and Turkish foreign policy, I wanted to engage with a topic that reflected current geopolitical realities while also contributing to ongoing academic debates. My dissertation, titled “Türkiye as a Strategic Actor in the European Union’s Security Architecture” with the research question “How have evolving global dynamics between 2017 and 2025 affected the way European leaders define Türkiye’s role in European foreign and security policy discourse?”, emerged from this motivation.

The starting point for my research was the changing nature of European and transatlantic security. Since the first Trump administration, debates about NATO, European strategic autonomy, and the reliability of transatlantic partnerships have intensified. Trump’s repeated statements questioning US commitments to NATO created uncertainty in Europe and raised concerns about security dependence on the United States. These dynamics were further accelerated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which fundamentally reshaped European threat perceptions and security priorities.

Against this background, Türkiye increasingly appeared in political and academic debates. As a long-standing NATO ally with one of the strongest militaries in the alliance, a key actor in migration management, and a state positioned as a bridge at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East, and the Black Sea region, Türkiye occupies a complex and often controversial role in European security discussions. As someone from the Turkish diaspora in Europe, and with an academic focus on Turkish political life, I became particularly interested in the question of whether Europe, in its efforts to strengthen its security architecture, increasingly needs Türkiye.

One of the main challenges I faced early on was narrowing down my research focus. Initially, I considered analysing the issue primarily from a Turkish perspective. However, through discussions and brainstorming sessions with my supervisor, Dr Nicola Chelotti, it became clear that a more original and analytically strong approach would be to examine how European leaders themselves frame Türkiye. This shift in perspective shaped the entire dissertation.

Methodologically, I chose to conduct a thematic analysis of speeches by European political leaders and EU officials. Using the six-step thematic analysis framework developed by Braun and Clarke, I systematically collected, filtered, and coded speeches delivered between 2017 and 2025. This period was divided into three phases:

1. 2017-2021 Coexistence of Strategic and Contentious Partnership

2. 2022-2024 Discourse Shift during the Zeitenwende

3. 2025 Emerging Consensus among European Leaders

Out of approximately 100 collected speeches, 61 were identified as directly relevant to my research question. These speeches were analysed and coded under two main themes: Türkiye as a Security Partner of the EU and Türkiye as a Challenge for EU Security. This approach allowed me to systematically assess whether Türkiye was predominantly framed as a security partner or as a problematic actor, and how this framing changed over time.

The findings revealed a nuanced picture. On the one hand, Türkiye was frequently framed as a challenging or difficult partner, particularly in relation to the Eastern Mediterranean, the Cyprus issue, and its military operations in Syria and Libya. These issues have repeatedly strained EU–Türkiye relations and reinforced perceptions of rivalry and difficult partner. On the other hand, the analysis demonstrated that Türkiye has increasingly been recognised as a key strategic actor within Europe’s security architecture. Its military capabilities, geostrategic position, and role in managing migration and border security have made cooperation with Türkiye indispensable for the European Union. Moreover, since the outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine war, Türkiye’s importance as a NATO ally has become more pronounced. Its ability to maintain communication channels with both Moscow and Kyiv, and its role as a mediator, have reinforced its strategic relevance for both European and transatlantic security.

Theoretically, my dissertation was grounded in neorealism, which provided a useful macro-level framework to analyse how systemic pressures, alliance dynamics, and shifting threat perceptions shape EU–Türkiye relations. Applying this lens helped connect empirical findings to broader structural changes in the international system.

Overall, writing this dissertation taught me that research is not only about answering a question, but also about refining it, adapting one’s approach, and remaining open to where the data leads. The project strengthened my analytical skills, deepened my understanding of European security politics, and confirmed my interest in pursuing further work in diplomacy and international security.

The Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs (IDIA) offers master’s and doctoral programmes designed to meet the evolving demands of today’s world. At IDIA, we work alongside our students to provide them with the essential tools to comprehend these global realities, preparing them for diverse careers in both public and private sectors across the globe. Check out our programmes and apply to study with us here. 

Research in Action - Hugo Lortie-Forgues

Here is the latest instalment of our blogs about the Mr Barton Maths Podcast. This blog features Hugo Lortie-Forgues from Loughborough University and you can hear his podcast with Craig here or in your usual podcast app.

In this wide ranging discussion, Hugo talks about his work on fractions, and the challenges with implementing and communicating the results of intervention work in a general sense. Craig shares his insights on being involved in these processes from a practitioner perspective, which is something we don’t always hear about as researchers!

Hugo: “I was recently interviewed on the Mr Barton Maths Podcast. Craig and I discussed some of my earlier research on how students learn fractions, including factors that can make this area of maths challenging. From there, we moved on to my more recent work on how best to communicate education research evidence to teachers. We talked about the practical and methodological challenges that come with evaluating the effectiveness of educational interventions, for example the importance of control groups and the need for valid and reliable measures. Craig shared his own experience of being involved in a randomised controlled trial, which brought a more practitioner-focused perspective. We also discussed how educational programmes can vary widely in their impact on student achievement, and how these effects can be communicated in different ways. Finally, we spoke about how the effects of educational programmes vary substantially in terms of how certain they are, and how important it is for teachers to consider this uncertainty when making decisions. Craig and I had a lot of fun unpacking these issues, and I hope listeners enjoy the conversation as much as we did”.

You can listen to the episode here The Mr Barton Maths Podcast | 200+ Maths Education Episodes

The Theory of Friendship in International Diplomacy: Insights from Dr Felix Berenskötter’s Lecture 

Written by Rashane Jude Pintoe (Student of MSc Peace-building, Security and Diplomacy)

At a time when international politics is increasingly framed through rivalry, distrust, and transactional alliances, the idea of friendship between states can sound naïve or even misplaced. However, it was precisely this assumption that Dr. Felix Berenskötter set out to challenge in his recent lecture at Loughborough University. Titled ‘Theorising the Formation and Dissolution of International Friendship’, the lecture was a compelling argument for taking international friendship seriously – not as rhetoric or sentiment, but as a meaningful political relationship with real consequences. A political scientist, Dr. Berenskötter is a Reader in International Relations at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. 

Dr. Berenskötter’s research sits at the intersection of International Relations theory, political language, and identity, with a long-standing focus on concepts such as power, security, anxiety, and trust. He has worked on it since his doctoral thesis and will be published a forthcoming book on how international friendships emerge, endure, and unravel. From the outset, it was clear that this was not an attempt to offer a neat or closed ‘theory of friendship’, but rather to open a conceptual space that existing theories struggle to capture. 

One of the most striking arguments of the lecture was that dominant IR theories leave important aspects of political relationships unexplained. Concepts such as solidarity, favouritism, backstage access, and the willingness to openly criticise another state are difficult to account for within realist or liberal frameworks. He also shed light on the fact that usually, states refrain from calling out other states unless something they deeply share is threatened. This sort of critique is something people usually associate with friendship – which he placed as an element in his theory. For students of diplomacy, this reframing was particularly thought-provoking as it makes us reconsider behaviours that we often take for granted as purely strategic. 

A key distinction running through the lecture was between alliances and friendship. Alliances, Dr. Berenskötter argued, usually emerge in response to a shared threat and tend to dissolve once that threat disappears. Friendship, by contrast, does not originate from a security problem. This distinction felt especially relevant in a contemporary context where shifting alliances are often mistaken for deeper political bonds. Friendship, in this sense, becomes most visible when the stakes are high – during wars, moments of disappointment, or experiences of perceived betrayal – when expectations rooted in trust are either upheld or shattered. 

Central to Dr. Berenskötter’s argument is the idea that friendship places trust at the centre of political analysis. Whereas realism assumes distrust and liberalism explains limited trust through institutions, friendship begins from the expectation of trust and mutual commitment. This focus on trust led to a deeper discussion of ontological security – the security of a political community’s sense of self and identity. Friendship, he suggested, can be one of the most important relationships through which political communities secure a stable sense of who they are. 

Dr. Berenskötter conceptualised friendship not as a role that states perform, nor merely as language, but as a relationship defined by intertwinedness and a shared being in time. Drawing on biographical narratives, he then argued that friendships – both interpersonal and political – are shaped not only by a shared past, but by commitment to a shared future. He made a particularly vivid illustration whereby he likened friendship to standing in the rain, trusting that the bus will arrive in ten minutes rather than the next day. That simple illustration captured the element and degree of trust required to invest in this shared future even amid uncertainty. 

The formation and breakdown of this friendship was also explored. Dr. Berenskötter delved into how interaction, positive or negative shared experiences, attraction to a shared future, and ultimately political choice and commitment are required for the formation of the relationship. Drawing on Aristotle’s distinction between friendships of utility, pleasure, and virtue, he further suggested that many political relationships remain stuck at the level of usefulness, never developing into something deeper. On the other hand, he theorised that breakdown of the friendship occurs through processes of estrangement, including changing perception of the counterparty, shifting material circumstances, leadership change, or the inability to recalibrate expectations after conflict. He argued that what matters most is not that friends fight, but how, or whether, they manage to move forward afterwards. 

The discussion that followed extended these ideas into contemporary cases. The audience had questions about changes in leadership, differences in power, and the kind of government in place, prompting particularly engaging responses. Dr. Berenskötter further noted that friendship is one of the few relationships capable of bridging significant power differences, which is precisely why it has been viewed as politically dangerous by some philosophers. In the Q&A session, he spoke on German–Israeli relations – arguing that a shared past without meaningful investment in a shared future does not constitute friendship under this theory. Likewise, he suggested that Russia’s response to Ukraine can be partly understood through a ‘friendship lens’ by the former forcing the latter to remain in the friendship. This demonstrated the analytical reach of the framework. 

For those in attendance, the lecture offered more than a new concept – it provided a different way of seeing international politics. By taking friendship seriously, Dr. Berenskötter challenged us to rethink how political communities relate to one another, how trust is built or broken, and why the language of friendship continues to matter in moments of crisis. For students and scholars at Loughborough, it was a timely reminder that some of the most powerful forces in world politics are not always the most obvious ones. 

The Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs (IDIA) offers master’s and doctoral programmes designed to meet the evolving demands of today’s world. At IDIA, we work alongside our students to provide them with the essential tools to comprehend these global realities, preparing them for diverse careers in both public and private sectors across the globe. Check out our programmes and apply to study with us here. 

Invented Heritage, Brand Authenticity, and the Dissertation Journey: Lessons from an Award-Winning Dissertation 

Written by Younseok Song (Runner-up for the Dean’s Dissertation Prize)

Writing my dissertation was the highlight of my Master’s degree. It was a precious time of intense intellectual growth, demanding active critical thinking and rigorous research. While I was personally satisfied with the outcome, I was thrilled and honoured to see my work recognised as the Runner-up for the Dean’s Dissertation Prize. In this blog post, I would like to reflect on the two biggest challenges I faced during my research and how I overcame them. I hope this post will be helpful to those starting their research or anyone finding the dissertation process daunting. 

My Research: Invented Heritage and Brand Authenticity 

My research explored the question: How do different types of invented heritage used by luxury perfume brands impact Perceived Brand Authenticity (PBA)? In the first phase, I conducted a multiple-case study and categorised the types of invented heritage into four strategies: acquisition, inspiration, forgetting, and fantasising. In the second phase, I conducted interviews to assess the impact of each strategy on PBA.  I discovered that while ‘acquisition’ and ‘inspiration’ generally have a positive impact, ‘forgetting’ and ‘fantasising’ tend to have negative, yet mixed and nuanced effects. Ultimately, I concluded that consumers are not historical purists, but rather sophisticated interpreters of narrative who demand honesty. 

Challenge 1: choosing the Topic Strategically 

The first hurdle was defining the topic. If you want to write a valuable dissertation, you must approach topic selection strategically. Instead of starting from scratch or picking an “easy” topic, it is crucial to choose something you are genuinely curious about. Do not forget that a dissertation is a marathon, not a sprint—often lasting around seven months—so maintaining your passion is key.  

A dissertation becomes truly valuable when it offers a novel discovery and contributes new findings. I started with the broad area of “deceptive branding,” a subject I have been interested in for years. I invested significant time reading existing literature to identify gaps and pinpointing exactly what I wanted to explore. Eventually, I settle on a novel topic: the impact of invented heritage on perceived brand authenticity. 

Challenge 2: Defining the Scope 

The second challenge was deciding the scope of my literature review. The more I read, the more I realised how many subjects were interconnected with my topic. When I struggled with trying to cover too many areas, my supervisor, Dr. Antonius van den Broek, helped me set the right direction by prioritising selective areas. He also emphasised feasibility. Do not forget the submission deadline and words limits. Following his advice, I narrowed my focus to the three subjects most relevant to my topic. This allowed me to gain a substantial understanding of those areas and transition smoothly to the next stage of research. 

You Are Not Alone 

It is normal to feel overwhelmed when you first start your research; I was no exception. Please remember that at Loughborough University London, there are many professionals besides your supervisor who are eager to support you. I received excellent support from Bess Chan at the Academic Language Support Service (ALSS). She provided valuable feedback and advice on my academic writing. If you need help, I strongly recommend engaging with your supervisor and actively using the university’s support services. 

A big thank you to Younseok Song for writing this blog!

Considering postgraduate study? Explore our website to discover more about postgraduate degrees and how to apply!

Reflections from Canada House: Measuring Sport’s Contribution to the SDGs

Written by Céline Erciyas (Student of MSc Diplomacy and Sport)

On 4 February 2026, Canada House in Trafalgar Square hosted the launch of the Global Sport and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Baseline and Initial Impact Report. Organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) team in partnership with the High Commission of Canada in London, the event brought together policymakers, academics, and civil society actors to reflect on the role of sport in delivering the SDGs. More than a report launch, the event highlighted how sport is increasingly framed as a credible tool of public policy and international cooperation.

Opening remarks by Simon Collard-Wexler, Minister-Counsellor at the High Commission of Canada, set a clear political tone. Framing the report as a “call to action”, he emphasised Canada’s belief in sport as a means of building community and cooperation across the Commonwealth. With major sporting events on the horizon (Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, FIFA World Cup), sport was presented as a platform for positive societal change rather than simply competition.

Dr Arjoon Suddhoo, Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, addressed a long-standing challenge: while sport’s contribution to the SDGs is widely acknowledged, it has remained difficult to measure. The report responds to this gap by delivering a first-ever global baseline, using data from across every country to evaluate the contribution of sport and physical activity against the SDGs. Importantly, the report is framed not as an endpoint, but as a starting point to guide future action, partnerships, and policy learning.

Panel discussion: from measurement to meaningful action

The panel discussion, moderated by Dr Lin Sambili, Adviser for Sport for Development and Peace at the Commonwealth Secretariat, brought together Steven Parker (Senior Policy Analyst, Department of Canadian Heritage – Sport Canada), Gemma Wood (CEO, Numbers and People Strategy), Catherine Carty (UNESCO Chair at Munster Technological University), and Simon Lansley (Managing Director, Connect Sport).

Panellists explored how improved measurement can fundamentally transform sport policy. The development of 60 indicators across seven thematic domains was presented as a clear shift from aspirational approaches to evidence-based decision-making. While acknowledging that approximately 25% of relevant data remains unavailable, speakers agreed that even partial measurement significantly strengthens governments’ ability to justify investment, design reforms, and align sport more closely with public policy objectives.

The discussion also highlighted the political value of data standardisation. Comparable indicators and the Global Sport and SDGs Impact Data Portal were identified as key tools for improving coordination across sectors and levels of government. The publicly accessible dashboard allows users to explore what works, region by region and country by country.

At the same time, panellists cautioned against an overreliance on quantitative data alone. Transformative action, they argued, should not be postponed in pursuit of perfect measurement. Instead, the report offers a shared language that enables sport to engage meaningfully with actors in education, social inclusion, and development, thereby enhancing its legitimacy and supporting sustained investment.

Finally, the panel raised important questions of power and participation. As decision-making in sport remains highly centralised, speakers questioned how communities can move from being passive data subjects to active users of information. In this context, storytelling was emphasised as a crucial complement to indicators, ensuring that lived experiences and local realities remain visible alongside quantitative evidence.

Students’ reflections

From my own perspective, these measurements are precisely what had been missing to fully understand the real contribution of sport to our societies. Coming from a European background, I am not surprised to see that Europe performs below the global average in aligning sport policies with the SDGs, with only around 23 per cent alignment. This gap is partly shaped by the way sport is financed at the EU level, as funding remains largely short term. Programmes such as Erasmus+ illustrate this challenge well, with projects typically limited to three or four years. Without a long-term funding vision, the transformative potential of sport risks being constrained, despite its increasing role in addressing broader societal and developmental objectives.

Another student, Sam Lynch, noted:

“I found the quantitative aspect of the event quite compelling. Working at the intersection between sport and international governance, I am constantly grappling with how to justify the importance of sport relative to other global challenges. The concrete, indicator-led data in the Commonwealth’s report will prove monumental in vindicating new sport for development initiatives.”

The Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs (IDIA) offers master’s and doctoral programmes designed to meet the evolving demands of today’s world. At IDIA, we work alongside our students to provide them with the essential tools to comprehend these global realities, preparing them for diverse careers in both public and private sectors across the globe. Check out our programmes and apply to study with us here. 

80 Years of the United Nations General Assembly: IDIA Students at a Historic UNGA Commemoration 

Written by Rashane Jude Pintoe (Student of MSc Peace-building, Security and Diplomacy)

In January 1946, in a world picking itself up from the scourge of the Second World War, the leaders of that generation convened at Central Hall Westminster London in search of permanent peace – forming the United Nations. Eighty years later in January 2026, accompanied by faculty, eleven students from the Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs (IDIA), attended the 80^th year commemoration of that very pledge at the very same Central Hall Westminster. 

The event, ‘UNGA at 80: From 1946 to Our Future’, organised by the United Nations Association UK, was both a privilege and a powerful reminder of history’s weight on the present. With keynote contributions from the UN Secretary-General, the President of the UN General Assembly and the UK Attorney General, and several panel discussions with prominent personalities, the event stood out as a rare high-level gathering at the intersection of global diplomacy, international law and multilateral governance. 

The event offered a particular opportunity to reflect not only on the origins of the UN, but also on its relevance at a time when the rules-based international system appears increasingly threatened by several actors. Eighty years ago, the UN General Assembly emerged as a forum grounded in collective security, in the hopes of upholding international law with cooperation amongst nation states. That very vision echoed throughout the afternoon – yet it was difficult to ignore how distant that message of optimism felt given the status quo. 

From multiple conflicts across the globe, to various norms being selectively applied, the trust between allies becoming increasingly fragile and renewed scepticism toward international institutions and collective commitments, the event felt less like a celebration and more like a moment of reckoning. UN Secretary-General António Guterres captured this tension clearly in his address. He emphasised that multilateralism is not an abstract ideal but a practical necessity. The strain on alliances and the transactional approach increasingly visible in global diplomacy raise uncomfortable questions about whether the rules-based international order can endure without consistent leadership from its architects. Against this backdrop, the Secretary General’s defence of international law and cooperative problem-solving felt less ceremonial and more urgent. 

Annalena Baerbock, the former German Foreign Minister and current President of the UN General Assembly, built on this theme by touching on the Assembly’s foundational purpose – to serve as a space where all states can voice concerns and shape global norms regardless of their power and influence. Her speech also highlighted the dangers posed when major powers bypass or undermine it. In an era where unilateralism often appears expedient, her message was a reminder that legitimacy in global governance is derived not from power alone but from participation and consent. 

The UK Attorney General, Lord Hermer KC, made his speech’s message firmly in the language and principles of international law, returning repeatedly to the UN Charter as a living document rather than a historical artefact. He spoke of how the Charter’s commitment to collective security, peaceful dispute resolution and legal restraint remains essential in an era marked by power politics and selective rule breaking. Particularly striking was his warning that when international law is treated as optional rather than binding, it is not only institutions that suffer, but the stability and predictability of the entire international system. 

Another profound speaker came from outside the traditional diplomatic circle. Prominent astrophysicist Professor Brian Cox made an address that offered a broader and humbling perspective to the matters at hand. His placing of the issues of humanity as a mere blip in the larger existence of the universe brought strong perspective on why unity and peace are essential when looking at the grander scheme of things. This did not diminish the seriousness of global challenges but rather reframed them. If humanity occupies such a small window in time and space, then peace and collective survival become not just moral choices, but rational ones. 

The perspectives of the speakers lingered long after the event concluded. The troubles facing the world today – fractured alliances, weakened institutions, and growing mistrust – are significant, but they are not immutable. The UN itself was born in a moment of profound crisis, when cooperation seemed improbable. That it has endured for eighty years, however imperfectly, is testament to the enduring appeal of multilateral solutions. 

Leaving Central Hall Westminster, it was difficult for Loughborough students and all other guests not to reflect on the symbolism of place and time. The same walls that once hosted the hopeful beginnings of the UN now hosted a conversation about its uncertain future. Whether the next decades are defined by fragmentation or renewed cooperation remains an open question. Yet events like ‘UNGA at 80’ serve as a reminder that the principles of unity and collective responsibility are not relics of the past – they remain essential guides for navigating an increasingly complex world. 

The Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs (IDIA) offers master’s and doctoral programmes designed to meet the evolving demands of today’s world. At IDIA, we work alongside our students to provide them with the essential tools to comprehend these global realities, preparing them for diverse careers in both public and private sectors across the globe. Check out our programmes and apply to study with us here. 

Love data? Then license it!

It’s International Love Data Week, 9-13 February 2026 <3 It’s the one week of the year when we come together to raise awareness around data and talk about the issues in using or reusing them.

Data of course does come with copyright considerations, especially when using third-party data or when using your own created data.

What data are we talking about?

No, we’re not just talking about numbers, although quantitative measures are definitely data. Data can be anything that comes together to inform findings – it could be interviews, videos, performances, or 3D printed objects. Research outputs, such as journal articles, conference papers, and performances, can be used as data too. It’s worth thinking in terms of your own data, but also what other research-related material you’re generating that could be data for someone else.

In general, unless there is an agreement to the contrary, what you create will belong to you, you will be the first copyright owner or rights holder. Copyright is an automatic right applied to original creations, as long as they are created by a “natural” person, aka a human.

Data sharing

You can do two things with your data: use it to inform your findings (obviously) and share it. You can do one or the other, you can do both. There are several good reasons to share your data. As your data underpins your findings, sharing your data is a way to validate your findings. It gives the reader some way of tracing back to where you found your conclusions, so that they can follow you to the end. Future researchers might reuse your data, which is a research impact in-and-of itself, and it might also save them the time and money they would have spent collecting the same data again. You might also find new audience via your shared data, audiences who don’t have access to journal articles.

Data and copyright

You’re not giving your data away if you share it. Anything you put out there is usually automatically under copyright (under UK law at least), unless you say otherwise. This is true for all forms of data, from spreadsheets to squiggles. Your data is your data until you relinquish the copyright.

It is important to note that for protection to occur, it must fall into certain categories: literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, broadcasts, sound recordings and films and typographic works. Copyright does not protect ideas, facts or equations, merely the expression of them.

Copyright license options

The default copyright licence in the UK is All Rights Reserved. If you don’t say anything about the copyright, this is the one that applies. It allows future users to look at your data and anything else they would need permission for. Since a big benefit of sharing data is reuse, a Creative Commons licence is a much better option.

Creative Commons is a copyright licence with certain permissions and restrictions baked in. The base licence is CC-BY: Creative Commons Attribution. This allows future users to reuse the data provided they cite you – standard practice in academia.

Then you can have some add-ons: Non-commercial (NC) means that future users may not sell your data without separate permissions, No Derivatives (ND) means that no changes can be made to your data and Share Alike (SA) requires future users to reshare (if they do) under the same license that you’ve put on.

It makes little sense to use ND for data – the point of data is to derive something, isn’t it? And Share-Alike is oddly restrictive – there might be very good reasons to change the data. At Loughborough University, we recommend the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial (CC-BY-NC) license as the default for data.

If you wish to be even more generous you can always share your data under CC0, meaning you relinquish all rights, and the data has gone directly into the public domain. No attribution is legally necessary – although, ethically, you should always cite the work of others.

Secondary data & license considerations

You might be a researcher who doesn’t generate their own data and reuses data that others have shared. Knowledge of copyright license is essential for you, too. If the data isn’t licensed for reuse, then you can’t reuse it. Just being publicly available does not mean that you are allowed to use it. Social media data, for example, is owned by someone who might or might not have given permission for their material to be reused in research. If you’re going through a data provider (like a social media platform), you may have to comply with their terms and conditions, as well as the copyright. If you wish to re-share third-party data, unless it is under a Creative Commons licence, you might need to ask for permission to use it (potentially) or share it (definitely).

Tl;dr

1. Just about anything can be used as data;
2. Data sharing is good;
3. Use a Creative Commons licence to make reuse clear;
4. Consider a CC-BY-ND licence for your data;
5. Always check licences before reusing others’ data.

Last word

Data sharing is good, and the complexities should not stand in the way of that. If you need any assistance, contact the Copyright and Licensing Manager or the Open Research Manager for Data and Methods.

To help, we have also created a useful guide How to keep data sharing legal – A quick guide. You can also read more about The State of Open Data on Springer Nature website. And if you need more evidence that Open Data is the way to go, why not have a read of the 2025 report on Open Data?! The future is Open!

So go ahead, Love your Data!

And Subscribe!

Research in Action - Andrew Manches

This is the second post about our latest Research in Action podcasts on the Mr Barton Maths Podcast. This pod features a Centre of Early Mathematics Learning (CEML) colleague Andrew Manches, from the University of Edinburgh and you can hear the episode here or in your usual podcast app.

In this wide ranging discussion, Andrew talks about his work including how to translate research into practice, embodied learning and the use of technology in cognition.

Andrew writes:

In my role as a Co-Investigator for Loughborough’s Centre of Early Mathematics Learning (CEML) at Loughborough I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Craig Barton. You can listen to the here. The interview was very relaxed, giving me the opportunity to share work as well as personal thoughts on the challenges of translating educational research into classroom practice, and the opportunities and risks of emerging technologies.

In our discussion about translating educational research into practice, I was able to draw on recent work critically reflecting on the tension between the depth and scale of translation. The former is often more familiar to academics -the opportunities to engage in depth with non-academic partners on projects, or to attend, and write for, events targeting practitioners. Here there has been much effort, and much improvement in academic ‘knowledge-exchange’, although the increasing volume and noise of information in the world makes this increasingly challenging. Unfortunately, however, this work is often limited to already interested parties; it is harder to scale impact to the thousands of educators and children our work seeks to benefit. There are avenues – identifying and communicating with key stakeholders and gatekeepers – but what about when our research develops educational resources for children – how do we develop and scale these sustainably?

Here I was able to draw on several projects that have explored the potential to scale resources informed by underpinning research. Generally, these resources draw upon my research field of ‘embodied learning’, an emerging area in education drawing upon cognitive theories that our embodied (body-based) interaction shapes how we think. For an educational example, how a child may conceptualise ‘addition’ in terms of physically bringing two groups of objects together. One way we can explore embodiment is looking at the spontaneous gestures that we create when communicating our thinking. For example, how young children use their hands when they lack the language. Or how adults naturally use gestures when explaining ideas to children, although they may not be aware they are doing so. These gestures reveal much about how we think. This is why on one project we created a game – STEM Charades – which educators (and parents) can play with children (with or without the physical resource) to reflect on how we use our hands to represent and explain different ideas.  

In other work, we have explored the potential of technology to provide new interaction experiences. This is not about artificial intelligence (although our group is exploring the impact and potential of AI for young children), but rather how we can represent ideas – such as numbers – in new ways through technology. As an example, we are creating a virtual number representation within a creative environment (Numbuko) as part of CEML to enable young children to explore numerical relationships through colour. We are also exploring how Numbuko could be physical – digitally augmented blocks – allowing children to physically add groups of objects together and see the numerical changes through colour.  

Trying to scale ‘adoption’ of educational resources is challenging and presents awkward questions to academics about the boundaries of their role. The government is encouraging social-minded (e.g., educational) ventures from research – but do academics have the time, support, or motivation? While personally I lack time, my previous career as an infant teacher gives the motivation to try and find ways to scale resources – whether through industry partners or directly through entrepreneurship. Importantly, I feel where academics do try to develop or support the development of research-informed resources, they have more voice to critique the many proliferating resources already out there – which as anyone attending an educational technology show recently will testify – is only set to accelerate. 

We’d love to know what you think, so please drop us a line or get in touch with Andrew if you’d like to know more about his work.

You can listen to the previous Research in Action series on Craig’s podcast page here.

This blog post was edited by Chris Shore.

Five Minutes With: Yajie Hu

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I am a Doctoral Leader at the Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) as well as a Doctoral Researcher in the School of Design and Creative Arts. I have been at Loughborough for more than four years now.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

Now that I have submitted my PhD thesis, my days are quite varied. Much of my time is spent juggling different roles across the University. When we have IAS events, I usually help support activities or attend meetings with the team. On other days, I might be teaching or supervising students, which can easily fill a full day with tutorials and academic support. I also enjoy getting involved in creative and student-focused activities, such as leading LU Arts workshops whenever the opportunity arises. So there isn’t really a typical day for me at the moment, but that’s exactly what keeps things interesting!

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

One of my favourite projects has been my role as a Doctoral Leader at IAS. This role has given me the opportunity to connect and network with researchers/academics from diverse disciplines around the world, help organise academic events, and contribute to fostering an inclusive and supportive research community. It has not only broadened my perspective on multidisciplinary research but also enhanced my skills in academic networking and collaboration, which are experiences that I believe will significantly benefit my academic journey in many ways.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

I think my proudest moments at Loughborough are not just a single event. They are really a combination of experiences. It could be submitting my PhD thesis, receiving positive feedback from colleagues or students, or being nominated for an award. All of these moments have been incredibly rewarding. I feel that Loughborough University has offered me so many opportunities, and if you are able to see them and make the most of them, you can truly enjoy and grow from everything the University has to offer.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

I would say the value I most connect with at Loughborough is collaboration. From my experience, even though the University is very large, there are many events and opportunities that bring different departments together. This encourages dialogue, teamwork, and collaboration across disciplines. I have felt a strong sense of community at Loughborough, almost like being part of a big Loughborough family, which makes the collaborative environment really special.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

Outside of study or work, I am a professional jewellery artist with around ten years of experience in contemporary jewellery. My work is internationally recognised and has been exhibited in many countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, China, Germany, Italy, France, Portugal, Poland, Greece, Turkey, Romania, Sweden, and Belgium. Notable exhibitions include TALENTE 2018 during Munich Jewellery Week, New York Jewellery Week, and Florence Jewellery Week. I have received several awards for my work, and some of my pieces are featured in the book ‘Chinese Contemporary Jewellery Design’ by Dr Bifei Cao. As an artist, I am passionate about exploring colour, texture, and form, creating pieces that are both wearable and appreciated as art.

What is your favourite quote?

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”, by Winston Churchill. It reminds us that winning or losing is never the end of the story, and what really counts is having the strength and determination to keep going, even when faced with difficulties.

If you would like to feature in ‘Five Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Martha Causier at m.causier@lboro.ac.uk.