ISSUE SEVEN • AUTUMN 2011

Health, happiness The environmental and productivity imperative welcom e

... this most dynamic of institutions*

In this issue, we examine ‘the environment’ in the broadest sense of the word. Climate change and the battle to save the planet are among the defining challenges of our era.

We are proud that the University of Exeter is playing a globally significant role in this area. The city of Exeter is home to some of the world’s leading authorities on climate change, with scientists at the University and at our partner the Met Office contributing to the most authoritative UN report on global warming. In Cornwall, in particular, we are investing significantly in developing solutions to environment change and this issue looks at our Environment and Sustainability Institute and the new European Centre for Environment and Human Health.

Front cover image by Alyson Hallett: Poetry on a window at Elsewhere in this issue, we explore the impact of an individual’s surroundings on their well-being the Cornwall Campus. and productivity at work; long-established research in Psychology that has been under a recent Award-winning writer Alyson media spotlight. Hallett spent the past academic year as poet in residence working with geography Research is increasingly inter disciplinary and the University is supporting new projects through students and staff at the Cornwall campus as part of a the EPSRC Bridging the Gaps initiative, which fosters collaborations by academics from across the national programme to place University. Read on for examples of our close links with other organisations and with business. To artists and writers in higher education science departments support our research further, last year saw the biggest recruitment drive in the University’s history, all over the UK. increasing the number of new academic staff by almost 14 per cent in a single year. Amongst other things, Dr Hallett, who is now a Royal Literary Fund fellow based at Our investments and initiatives are not going unnoticed. This year the University has been ranked Streatham Campus, went on in the world’s top 200 universities for the first time, an achievement we are confident we can build a field trip to Iceland, led by Professor Chris Caseldine. on and even surpass with our £350 million investment in infrastructure and facilities across our The results of the team’s campuses in Exeter and Cornwall. The University’s climb in all major UK higher education league collaboration will be published in an upcoming book of poems, tables has led to us reaching the top 10 of the ‘Table of tables’ published by Times Higher Education. photography and scientific texts. We are also considered as among the ‘Ivy League’ of UK universities*.

This is the last issue of Research News in its present format - look out for a new digital version this winter.

Professor Nick Talbot Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Knowledge Transfer, University of Exeter.

*Source: The Sunday Times

Research News was edited by Abigail Dixon and Virginia Marsh, Communications and Marketing Services, University of Exeter, with contributions from Liz French, Sarah Hoyle, Ester White and the Research and Knowledge Transfer team. Design and production is by the Design Studio, University of Exeter.

For comments on the magazine, please contact the editor on 01392 725770 or [email protected] news e

RESEARCH NEWS • AUTUMN 2011

Low vitamin D and dementia Roman A research team from the recently because of research According to the Alzheimer’s Peninsula Medical School suggesting it may play an Research Trust, dementia civilisation has helped establish the important role in protecting affects 822,000 people in the first clear link between against several age-associated UK and costs the economy £23 found in Devon vitamin D deficiency and the diseases including cancer, heart billion per year – higher than development of the cognitive disease and stroke. cancer (£12 billion) and heart A University of Exeter problems that are a key feature disease (£8 billion) combined. archaeologist’s of dementia. The research, led by Dr David Moreover, the number of research has J Llewellyn, involved over 850 people with dementia is uncovered the Vitamin D is a fat-soluble older people (aged 65 or over) predicted to reach over 1.7 largest Roman vitamin present in a few foods living in Italy. Compared to million by 2050. settlement ever found such as oily fish. It is mainly participants with healthy levels in Devon. Two metal produced when skin is exposed of vitamin D, participants who detectorists discovered to sunlight. However, as people were severely deficient were nearly a hundred Roman age their skin becomes less 60 per cent more likely to coins in a series of fields efficient at producing vitamin experience substantial general several miles west of D, and the majority of older cognitive decline, and 31 per Exeter. Danielle Wootton, adults in Europe and the US cent more likely to experience Finds Liaison Officer for have insufficient levels. Interest new problems with mental the Portable Antiquities in vitamin D has intensified flexibility. Scheme then carried out a geophysical survey and was astonished to find evidence of a huge settlement Hubble Space Telescope will answer key astronomy questions including roundhouses, quarry pits and track ways. The site covers at least thirteen fields and is the first of its kind for the county.

Wootton received funding from the British Museum, the Roman Research Trust and Devon County Council Archaeology Service. The trial excavation on the site in June uncovered evidence of trade with Europe, a road possibly linking to the major settlement at Exeter, and two burials.

Future excavations at the An artist’s impression of the Jupiter-size extrasolar planet, HD 189733b, being eclipsed by its parent star. ESA, NASA, M. Kornmesser (ESAHubble) and STScI site are being funded by Earthwatch, Devon County An international team of of planets outside our solar will begin its observations in Council and the University, scientists led by the University system, known as exoplanets. October 2011. Over the next and will be assisted by of Exeter is poised to answer two years, the researchers the University’s Roman some of the biggest questions The research team, including will use tools developed at the archaeology specialist, facing astronomy today. The scientists from the University of University of Exeter to analyse Dr Ioana Oltean. The project team has secured a large California Santa Cruz, California the huge amounts of data will provide the wider programme of nearly Institute of Technology collected. Large programmes community and students 200 hours on NASA’s Hubble (Caltech), University of Arizona, on the Hubble Space Telescope with an exciting opportunity Space Telescope to explore Princeton University, IAP Paris, have historically led to data sets for fieldwork experience the atmospheric conditions NASA and Oxford University, with a lasting legacy. and training.

ONE news

The spirituality Beetroot juice of Transition boost The University has followed up Towns its ground-breaking research Tim Gorringe, Professor into the impact of beetroot actually reduce the amount of of Theology, is directing juice on athletes with a study oxygen you need to perform a two year project on the showing that the physiological even low-intensity exercise. In Transition Town movement, benefits of the root vegetable principle, this effect could help the community response that could help a much wider range people do things they wouldn’t has developed out of the twin of people. otherwise be able to do.” challenges of climate change and peak oil. is what will happen when In a study, published in the When consumed, beetroot the end of cheap energy Journal of Applied Physiology juice widens blood vessels, The research – funded by a makes this impossible. The and carried out in partnership reducing blood pressure and £227,000 grant from the Arts difficulties caused by this will with Peninsula Medical allowing more blood flow. It and Humanities Research be exacerbated by the damage School, researchers looked also reduces the amount of Council – seeks to clarify the caused by climate change.” at low intensity exercise and oxygen needed by muscles value assumptions underlying found that test subjects used during activity. The high the movement and to compare The Transition movement, less oxygen while walking – levels of nitrate in beetroot them with those of the which, after a pilot project effectively reducing the effort it juice causes the increase in Christian tradition. in the Irish town of Kinsale, took to walk by 12 per cent. performance. began in Totnes in 2005, seeks It aims to identify in what to address this problem. It Katie Lansley, a PhD student in The research, coupled with ways, if at all, Christianity has quickly become a global the Sport and Health Sciences findings that beetroot juice can contribute to a peaceful phenomenon, spawning, at department and lead author of can help athletes exercise for transition to a low energy present, about 400 Transition the new study, said: “As you get up to 16 per cent longer, is society. groups around the world. older or if you have conditions generating significant interest It attempts to build which affect your cardiovascular around the world. The “Currently Western society, communities where ‘energy system, the amount of oxygen widespread media coverage and increasingly other cultures descent’, or learning to live you can take in to use during of the research has led to a as well, take cheap energy, without cheap oil, will not be a exercise drops considerably. sharp increase in consumption. food and rapid transport threat but a promise, leading to Waitrose, for example, saw for granted,” says Professor a richer and more cooperative “What we’ve seen in this sales of the juice jump 82 per Gorringe. “The question pattern of life. study is that beetroot juice can cent last year.

Intergovernmental Panel Prize in 2007, produces its The collaboration brings Exeter leads in on Climate Change’s 5th assessment reports every together more than 1,000 Assessment Report, with the five to seven years, aiming to scientists working in areas climate change Met Office providing a further provide a clear scientific from atmospheric chemistry eight scientists. This means view of the state of climate and air quality through to The city of Exeter’s position there are more experts from change and its potential weather extremes and risk as a leading global centre for Exeter involved the report, consequences. management. research into climate change due for publication in 2014, has been cemented by the than from any other city in the At an institutional level, the Julia Slingo, Met Office Chief selection of 15 local scientists world. Furthermore, all the University is also deepening Scientist, said: “This is the to contribute to the world’s Exeter scientists are either its relationship with the Met first time that a group of most authoritative co-ordinating lead or lead Office, recently forming universities has joined forces and comprehensive climate authors of their chapters. the Met Office Academic with a leading government change report. Partnership with the UK organisation to form a cluster The IPCC, formed in 1988 by government agency and of research excellence aimed at Seven University researchers the United Nations and joint the Universities of Leeds accelerating science research are contributing to the winner of the Nobel Peace and Reading. to benefit society.”

TWO news

RESEARCH NEWS • AUTUMN 2011

Putting research into practice with the GWCT The GWCT – whose history stretches Southampton, Reading and Durham. back to the 1930s – uses science to Although Professor Sotherton promote game and wildlife management supervises 14 PhD students nationally as an essential part of nature and oversees a team of 25 senior post- conservation. It has a strong track-record doctorate scientists, the trust is not a in turning research into real changes in higher education institute and therefore land management and farming. is unable to award degrees.

Under the partnership, which began “The partnership has gone even The sustainability of Atlantic salmon in April 2010 and was initiated by the better than expected,” said Professor in southern Europe, the influence of University, Nick Sotherton, the trust’s Sotherton. “It had been difficult for us to pheasants’ upbringing on subsequent head of research, has been an Honorary fulfill the educational aims of the trust at performance and the feasibility of Visiting Professor in Biosciences and the a tertiary level. reintroducing of red squirrels in Centre for Rural Policy Research. Cornwall are among the projects that The partnership, which is set to run “We offer complementary expertise have emerged from a new partnership initially for five years, is the first of to Exeter’s. We also work very closely with the Game & Wildlife Conservation its kind for GWCT which also has with landowners and therefore bring Trust (GWCT). long-standing relationships with unprecedented access to private land.”

Science Exchange) for a hard to find the initial carrying out a feasibility study Bridging the £500,000 grant. funding to pump-prime their or holding a workshop to development.” develop ideas. Gaps makes first “While organising academic management along research The project, which is directed The largest award to date is awards thematic or departmental by representatives drawn a £5,500 grant for a project lines clearly ensures effective from all six academic colleges, exploring the relations between The first research ideas to win exchange of ideas within has four interlinked strands creativity in mathematical and support from Bridging the Gaps groups with a common agenda, of activity. The first three – biological systems, creativity as include such variety as the it often forms a barrier to communication, innovation a mental process, and creativity reconstruction of a Victorian development of really novel and policy – aim to spark in the social world. It brings computer device and the research ideas that may come interest and engagement together academics from across tackling of a disease threatening from ‘left field’ combinations across disciplines, while the the University, including politics, Japanese larch. This three of quite different disciplines,” fourth provides support mathematics, psychology, year Engineering and Physical says Professor David Butler, through a development fund law, education, medicine Sciences Research Council the project’s lead. “Even when for promising multidisciplinary and business. initiative aims to develop these potentially ground- ideas. multi-disciplinary working breaking complementarities Funding can be used for a range environments. The University are identified in different of activities, such as writing a successfully bid (as the Exeter research areas, it is often proposal for external funding,

Work in progress

SETsquared: Exeter has joined the SETsquared university collaboration that aims to boost research-led economic growth through the commercialisation of academic research. Exeter joins the universities of Bath, Bristol, Southampton and Surrey. In five years, the partnership has supported 650 companies to raise £150m in capital and create over 1,000 jobs.

The Centre for Additive Layer Manufacturing (CALM): A new £2.6 million facility in the College of Engineering, Maths and Physical Sciences is bringing ‘3D printing’ to businesses, entrepreneurs and researchers. A new production technique, 3D printing can create complex or bespoke parts, as well as complete products, by building them up one layer at a time. The centre’s funders are the European Regional Development Fund, South West Regional Development Agency, the University and EADS Innovation Works.

THREE Health, happiness and productivity: the environmental influence

Two major television series have showcased University of Alex Haslam and Dr Craig Knight, found that residents involved in redecorating their living Exeter psychological research to a mainstream audience. space were three times more likely to use that The BBC’s‘The Young Ones’ and Channel 4’s ‘The Secret Life space than before and four times more likely to of Buildings’ drew on over ten years of Exeter research into use it than residents who were not part of the decision-making process. the influence of a person’s environment on their health, happiness and productivity. Research with the elderly The research – which won Somerset Care National Dementia Care Award – has been and in work environments is now having significant applied in the company’s 26 homes in the South commercial implications. West. It has also been highlighted in In a BBC series, ‘The Young Ones’ which ‘The Social Cure’, a book published this year aired last autumn, residents of a care home and edited by Professor Jolanda Jetten, also were seen changing their surroundings of the Psychology department, Dr Haslam and using plants, new paint and artworks. The Professor Haslam. experiment showed that older people who are given choice over and responsibility for their This is part of a wider interest in the psychology living space feel healthier and happier, and of working and living space at the University. show improved memory and concentration. Craig Knight (pictured)arrived as a student in 2003 having worked in office design for The findings were based on research many years. His PhD and subsequent research collaboration between the University and involving more than 2,000 office workers, Somerset Care, which analysed the effects funded in part by the Economic and Social of involving residents in the redecoration of Research Council (ESRC), have demonstrated, communal areas. for example, that employees with control over the layout of their workspace are up to 32 per The study, which was carried out by the cent more productive than their peers at work University’s Dr Catherine Haslam, Professor in an imposed clean, lean environment.

FOUR RESEARCH NEWS • AUTUMN 2011

The research was picked up by Channel 4’s ‘The higher levels of well-being when they have Secret Life of Buildings’, where an experiment some control over their work environment, was conducted in the flagship London offices rather than having ‘good’ design imposed of Deloitte, the professional services firm. upon them. Good architecture is about identity realisation not identity suppression.” Craig explains: “Many office environments Good architecture feature very minimalistic internal spaces The research forms part of a wider project, is about identity that are free of so-called ‘distractions’. These funded by the Dutch Flower Council, and designs are supposed to lead to improvements conducted jointly with Ambius, the largest realisation not in productivity as the employee is less likely provider of rental plants in the world. identity to be sidetracked away from the task in hand. Psychological evidence suggests that, In parallel with his PhD, in 2005 Dr Knight suppression. in fact, the reverse is true. Our experiment helped set up and became Director of Prism involved measuring the productivity of groups (an acronym for Psychological Research working in this ‘lean’ environment with into Identity and Space Management), those into which plants were introduced and, a consultancy based at the University’s “ going a stage further, those who were able to Innovation Centre on the Streatham campus. personalise their own space.” Originally under the aegis of the Psychology department, Whilst the results of the Deloitte study are Prism is due to become a yet to be finalised, interim figures suggest separate company this autumn that productivity improvements are in line and aims both to improve with Knight’s previous research and have lives and increase a business’s been achieved through relatively simple and effectiveness and profitability. cost effective changes. Alex Haslam, Knight’s Current projects for Prism include colleague in much of this research remarks: advising Achmea, one of the “Our research demonstrates that people not biggest financial services group in only work more efficiently but experience The Netherlands. ” Photography: Tim Pestridge

FIVE The environmental imperative by Virginia Marsh

Cornwall is home to two of the Both projects build on the University’s Medical and Marine Schools, with University’s most significant existing strength in environment- particular interests in environmental new research investments, both related research in Cornwall and will and occupational health and work closely with, amongst others, the epidemiology. in the increasingly high profile Centre for Ecology and Conservation, environmental field. the fastest growing institute of its kind Setting up ECEHH involved excellent in the UK. foresight, says Professor Steve Thornton May 2011 saw the official launch of the who ‘inherited’ the project when he European Centre for Environment and “Cornwall is a natural laboratory,” became Dean of PCMD last year (see Human Health (ECEHH) while, in April, says Professor Mark Overton, Deputy page 8). It is “absolutely right for construction work got underway on Vice-Chancellor (External Affairs) who what we do and absolutely right for what is set to be one of the UK’s most oversees the University’s operations in Cornwall”. environmentally-friendly buildings, the Cornwall. home for the new Environment and The ESI, meanwhile, positions Cornwall Sustainability Institute (ESI) on the “These new initiatives originated in at the forefront of environmental Cornwall campus, near Falmouth. different areas but were developed and climate change technologies, in collaboration and complement and also involves EU funding – the each other.” European Regional Development Fund Convergence Programme is Financed in part by the European Union, providing almost £23 million of the £30 ECEHH will look at the complex and million investment. It aims to make interactive relationship between the good commercial use of existing local environment and human health. It is knowledge in these fields as well as an initiative of the Peninsula College of create a world-class research institution Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD) - a joint to increase that knowledge. venture with the University of Plymouth It will work across three main research and the NHS in the South West of themes: clean technologies, natural England. It will work from the expanded environment, and social science and Knowledge Spa at Treliske, Truro as well sustainability – and is headed by an as from laboratory-based facilities within award-winning ecologist, Professor the ESI. Kevin J. Gaston, formerly of the University of Sheffield. It is led by Professor Lora Fleming,

Peter Eels: Courtesy of Butterfly Conservation formerly of the University of Miami Both the ECEHH and the ESI are geared Small Copper butterfly where she was a professor in both the towards fostering inter-disciplinary

SIX Photo: Tim Alsop Healthy research. The new ESI building, for example, will house more than 100 academics from a range of fields, planet, in contrast to the virtual working environments of some rivals, says Professor Overton. healthy They will also work closely with business, reflecting a new stage of development for the University in Cornwall, now that people? the campus there is firmly established. Human health and “The campus has provided a massive well-being in urban economic boost to Cornwall,” says environments will be Professor Sir Steve Smith, Vice- examined by one of the Chancellor. “The ESI is a pioneering first research initiatives development in linking academia so closely with business and our staff have involving the new been actively helping Cornish businesses European Centre for to succeed.” Environment and Human Photo: Michael Depledge

Health (ECEHH). The University now has about 1,700 students based at the Cornwall campus Funded by the European Union and led by the University, the three year €3.5 which is shared and jointly managed million ‘Urban Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in China and Europe’ with University College Falmouth. project will look ahead to 2030 and 2080 and focus on seven cities across Europe and China. These range in geography, climate and size, from Xi’an in China, home “The first phases concentrated on staff to more than eight million people, through to Kuopio in Finland which has a and students, and on establishing higher population of less than 100,000. education in Cornwall,” says Professor Overton. “Now we are looking to create Project leader Professor Clive Sabel from the Geography department and ECEHH jobs through development of the said: “Every policy to tackle greenhouse gas emissions has a potentially profound knowledge economy.” effect on human health. That could be positive or negative, so in order to make that assessment we have to look at all the evidence and relate it to the on-the- ground technical, social, economic, political and cultural realities.” Photo: Tresco 2007 by Alistair MacNichol. All rights reserved Amongst other things, the research could inform how cities are developed in future.

“In China, new megacities are being built from the ground up – so this is an ideal opportunity to inform that process,” said Professor Michael Depledge, Chair of Environment and Human Health at ECEHH. “At the moment human health isn’t a major factor in city planning, yet the way buildings, developments, or cities are planned can have a huge impact on health.

SEVEN Dean’s research aspirations for PCMD

It is a year since Professor Steve Thornton took up his post as Dean of In the paediatric field, the college is one of the the Peninsula College of Medicine & Dentistry (PCMD), a joint initiative partners in Exeter’s first Paediatric Clinical betweeen the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth. He has been given Research Facility, launched in March, while, a mandate to provide ‘excellent education’ and expand the highly-rated as PCMD Dean, Professor Thornton oversees medical school’s research activities to match those of its longer-established the new European Centre for Environment and larger rivals, and to build on an already strong partnership with the and Human Health (ECEHH), based at the NHS in the South West. Knowledge Spa in Truro (see page six).

“This organisation has been built from scratch He will also oversee a new £19 million Centre in around ten years. My predecessor did a for Translational Medicine in Exeter which great job, leaving many areas of strength in has received a substantial grant from the both research and education,” says Professor Wellcome-Wolfson Capital Awards initiative. Thornton in his office overlooking the Royal This will also be supported by considerable Devon & Exeter hospital. additional funding from the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, PCMD and An obstetrician, Professor Thornton succeeded the University. Professor Sir John Tooke, the college’s founding Dean, after spending 12 years at the The centre will focus on research to improve University of Warwick Medical School where understanding of the causes of diabetes and latterly he was Associate Dean for Clinical related conditions, and on translating that Research. From 2006 to 2010, he also chaired understanding into personalised patient care. the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Royal Based at the RD&E, it will bring together, College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. in a new building, clinical and biomedical scientists working in human genetics, cell Despite being a relative newcomer that biology, human physiology and interventional admitted its first students in 2002, PCMD studies of diabetes. is already a top ten medical school. In the latest Guardian University League’s medical “Amongst other things, we will be able to rankings, it achieved eighth position for the integrate science and teaching,” says Professor second year in a row, up from 20th two years Thornton of the new centre. ago, making it the highest placed of the ‘new’ medical schools. It now has more than 450 Looking ahead, a further key objective is to staff, over 1,500 students and annual turnover establish PCMD as a leading centre for clinical of about £70 million. trials. ... a further key objective is to In terms of research, PCMD has a strong “This area is undergoing big changes international reputation in diabetes and nationally, with the UK losing clinical trials to establish PCMD cardiovascular disease; neuroscience, health eastern Europe. NIHR (the National Institute as a leading centre services research and the impact of the for Health Research) is reversing that trend in clinical trials. environment on human health. and keeping trials here,” he says.

“There is national pressure for research “We are already a nationally-accredited clinical concentration. So, to an extent, it makes sense trials unit. I want to expand that so we are to capitalise on our strengths” says Professor known for delivering the highest quality “ Thornton. trials.” EIGHT ” RESEARCH NEWS • AUTUMN 2011

People

Ten Exeter professors have been chosen as expert panel members for the 2014 Research Excellence Framework by HEFCE. They are Barbara Borg, Mike Boots, David Interview by email Butler, Peter Cox, Tia DeNora, Rob Gleave, Mark Jackson, Andy Jones, Debra Myhill and Roy Sambles. What has been the most rewarding moment of your career so far? Professor John Dupré, Director of Egenis, has been The past year – I completed three major writing elected a Fellow of the American Association for the projects, including a tricky research monograph about Advancement of Science (AAAS). the veneration of the dead in ancient Israel. I also won an AHRC Early Career Research Fellowship. Given Professor Peter Vukusic is this year’s Institute of Physics the increasingly competitive climate, that really took Schools Lecturer for Ireland, delivering the annual Tyndall Lecture series me by surprise! But the most exciting thing was making Name: the BBC TV series The Bible’s Buried Secrets. It was Professor Willie Hamilton has joined the Peninsula Dr Francesca a three-part documentary series, in which I presented College of Medicine and Dentistry in Stavrakopoulou my views about the ways in which key archaeological the newly-created post of Professor of Primary Care discoveries seriously challenge biblical claims about Diagnostics. the history and religion of ancient Israel. Following Age: 35 several months of writing and discussion with a fantastic Professors David Butler and Dragan Savic, both from production team, I spent last summer filming in the the Centre for Water Systems, have become among the first Job: Middle East. It was great fun, but also hard work – Fellows of the International Water Association. Senior Lecturer in especially working out how to make complex scholarly Professor Roger Eston, Dr Steve Gaskin, Professor Theology and Religion ideas both accessible and visually exciting to a Alex Haslam, and Will Katene have received National TV audience. Teaching Fellowships from the Higher Education Academy for Education: their outstanding contribution to student learning. BA Oxford; What excites you about your research? MSt Oxford; DPhil Oxford Being a detective. In my field there are still so many Professor Andrew Hattersley, PCMD, unknowns. I enjoy the challenge of finding new things has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. about what is probably the best known collection of Professor Dionisius A Agius of the Institute texts in the Western world. That challenge is made all of Arab and Islamic Studies has been elected the more complicated by the fact that I’m a secular as a Fellow of the British Academy. academic working in a field in which many scholars remain personally and confessionally invested in the Professor Ann Barlow has been appointed as the Bible. My research is sometimes perceived to be academic member of the Family Justice Council, an unsettling by those more certain of the historical independent public body funded by the Ministry of Justice reliability of the Bible than I am – particularly because cahired by President of the Family Division, Sir Nicholas Wall. I engage anthropological and archaeological perspectives Professor Nina Wedell of the Centre for Ecology and to tackle culturally-sensitive topics like child sacrifice, Conservation has been given the Royal Society Wolfson the use and abuse of corpses, and the worship of Research Merit Award. the dead. Professor Gilles Chabrier has been awarded the What do you hope to achieve at Exeter? Eddington medal by the Royal Astronomical Society. I’d like to strengthen biblical studies here even further. Professor David Stephenson has been It’s so rewarding to see the ways in which students elected a member of the Academia Europaea. become critical and intellectually rigorous readers of the Bible. And it might sound like I’m toeing a party line, but Professors Matthew Collins, Peter Cox, John I’d honestly like to continue working with my colleagues Thuburn and David Stephenson, from the College of to make the Department of Theology and Religion the Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, helped most respected in the UK. We’ve got a great reputation propose and convene an innovative programme that brought already, but we’re not the sort of people to take it together some 150 world-leading mathematicians, statisticians for granted! and climate scientists. Based at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Cambridge, the EPSRC-funded project looked at the mathematical and statistical approaches If you had not been an academic, what would to climate modelling and prediction. you have been? Like most academics, I feel immensely privileged to be paid to read, write and talk about the things that give me a buzz. I can’t imagine doing anything else. But if I really had to choose something else, I’d probably be a zoo keeper. As a child, I was crazy about lions.

NINE Research Briefs

The University has been Professor Nick Kaye, Dean of Professor Steve McCorriston, Researchers around the UK are awarded £1.1 million under the College of Humanities, and Business School, is leading a €1 taking part in a major initiative the Universities Modernisation two colleagues at the University million research project on factors to study Campylobacter – the Funding stream. The funding will of Bristol have been awarded a determining food prices throughout country’s leading cause of food be used to develop an integrated £406,000 grant from the Arts the EU. The consortium involves poisoning. Professor Richard Research Management and and Humanities Research Council 13 universities and is financed by the Titball in Biosciences will Administration System (RMAS). (AHRC) for research into live art European Commission. Exeter’s decipher the molecular basis of Once implemented, this will provide and performance archives. The share of the project is €199,000. environmental persistence in Exeter and others with the tools three-year project aims to create Campylobacter using a system to streamline the research support collaborations between research ... approach, hoping to develop process, enabling them to manage academics, creative artists and more effective methods to an increased number of projects. curators in developing models for Biosciences has signed a eliminate bacteria from the food the re-use of performance archive. memorandum of understanding with chain. The project is funded ... the Food and Environment Research through a joint call for proposals ... Agency (Fera) aimed at promoting managed by BBSRC, the Professor Anne Barlow is the exchange of expertise and Food Standards Agency and bringing £280,000 of Economic The Drama department is leading knowledge. Fera is a government Defra, sharing a total of £4 and Social Research Coucil (ESRC) a two and a half year project that agency. million funding. funding to the School of Law for a will document the cultural history project titles ‘Mapping Paths to Family of Southall, the London suburb, ...... Justice’. It will explore the relative since 1979. It has been awarded a merits and normative discourses of grant of £165,000 from the AHRC Exeter is part of a consortium Grand Challenges different styles of Alternative Dispute and will work in partnership with that has been awarded Explorations, an initiative Resolution in Family Law disputes. Roehampton University, ‘The £200,000 by the Higher created by Bill & Melinda Southall Story’ organisation and Education Funding Council for Gates Foundation that enables ... the Royal Geographical Society. England (HEFCE), to develop an researchers worldwide to The project’s outputs include a innovative strategic project in the test unorthodox ideas that Professor Philip Schwyzer, co-authored book, a digital archive, a field of Education for Sustainable addresses persistent health and English, has been awarded a grant symposium and Development. The ‘Leading development challenges has of £209,000 from the Leverhulme an exhibition. Curriculum Change for Sustainability’ awarded additional funding. Trust to study histories of memory project will be undertaken in Professor Dave Newman is in sacred space, in conjunction with ... collaboration with the universities leading a team of University of Professor Howard Williams of the of Aston, Brighton, Gloucester and Exeter engineers to develop a Archaeology department at the Professor Bill Barnes, Physics, Oxford Brookes. handheld, inexpensive battery- University of Chester. The inter- has received a grant of £143,405 powered instrument that can disciplinary project ‘Speaking with from the Leverhulme Trust for ... rapidly diagnose malaria. The the Dead: Histories of Memory in research on ‘Plasmonics and gain: project’s first phase produced English Sacred Space’ will investigate underpinning science’. PCMD is one of 13 academic a compact hand-held device commemoration in five English institutions and businesses across able to diagnose malaria under cathedrals – Canterbury, Chester, ... Europe to form a €6 million laboratory conditions. The Durham, Exeter and St Albans. research and analysis network, Phase II, simpler and more Professor Tony King, Sociology funded by the EU for a five-year robust devices will undergo ... and Philosophy, has been awarded period, which is designed to development and clinical testing £144k from the ESRC for a investigate the possible role of virus in field conditions in Thailand Professor Oliver James, project on combat, cohesion and infection in the cause of type 1 and Kenya. Politics, is participating in a €2.7 gender. The project explores diabetes. Proof of this concept could million European-funded research the performances of women as lead to the development of a vaccine programme investigating the impact infantry soldiers in today’s armed to prevent diabetes of public service reform and assessing forces and involves research on in children. the prospects for the future. the British, American, French, German, Canadian and Danish Armies. 100% recycled : 2011CAMS058

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