By Clare Barrie, Future Leaders Fellows Development Network, Communications Officer

 

UKRI Future Leaders Fellows Oliver Mytton and Laura Carter are launching their brand-new podcast series, Next Generation Research. The pilot podcast series was created to share their exciting and innovative work with the public.

Working with freelance producer Hester Cant, they have produced 6 episodes, hosted by Cambridge University’s Professor Giles Yeo, that explore their cutting edge research and innovation with four of their peers.

Each episode features a different research area based on the work of one FLF, with co-researchers, case studies and other relevant professionals. The exciting, cerebral and informative episodes answer an intriguing research question that is relevant to wider society.

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The series follows 6 unique episodes –

Radish on Prozac: exploring how human medicines get into our food with Dr Laura Carter

Medicines which we consume to help treat and cure disease are making their way into our environment. These medicines are present in our soils and surface waters where they can enter the food chain. We’ll explore the fate and behaviour of these chemicals and what this means for human and ecosystem health.

 

Love Shouldn’t Hurt: What indigenous communities can tell us about preventing domestic violence with Dr Jenevieve Mannell

Domestic violence is a global health crisis. It feels like an impossible problem to solve, but is it? This podcast explores what communities in remote parts of the world – from the Peruvian Amazon to ancient civilisations in the Pacific – are doing to address it.

 

Catalysis makes the world go round: understanding how our society depends on industrial chemistry with Dr Andrew Logsdail

Over 90% of human consumption is facilitated by catalysis, including the provision of fuel for transport and heating, and the fertiliser that helps to grow food to eat. But what is catalysis? We’ll explore the concepts, impact, and future of how this chemical process is supporting your life.

 

We have the tools to stop HIV: learning from girls and young women about the barriers they face with Dr Valentina Cambiano

HIV is still with us. Every day around 600 girls and young women become infected with HIV in Eastern and Southern Africa. We have the tools to prevent this, why are we not using them? This podcast explores barriers girls and young women in Zimbabwe face in accessing HIV prevention.

 

Why my child? Understanding life-threatening infection with Dr Vanessa Sancho Shimizu

Why do infections make some children really sick, whilst others have only a minor illness. Genetics influence how our body responds to infections; understanding this may help us treat severe infections more successfully.

 

Turning the tide on childhood obesity: learning what governments need to do with Dr Oliver Mytton

Governments everywhere need to tackle childhood obesity. This podcast explores what policies work, what policies don’t, and how researchers know.

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The podcast came about through discussions at a Network Crucible, a residential event with sessions designed to encourage cross-cohort and interdisciplinary collaborations. From these conversations exploring exciting ways to share their research, the Fellows applied  for a Crucible Pump Prime grant. These grants are awarded to applicants looking at original, innovative ideas that utilise the expertise of two or more disciplines. The award facilitated a meeting and initial piece of work with Hester to scope this podcast series.

To create and share the podcast, the Fellows were awarded with a Plus Fund grant.

On the motivation behind creating the series, Dr Oliver Mytton, UKRI Future Leaders Fellow said,

“I am often inspired by the ambition and great work that so many Future Leaders Fellows are leading. We were sat around as a group trying to boil our research down to a catchy title and byline for a podcast. It struck me there were some great stories here: how research happens, the joys and challenges; and the potential to benefit people and society.

 

As a group, we want to share our research with the public. We are passionate about what we do. Our work is of wide interest, having the potential to touch on the daily lives of many people. We also recognise it is vital to build trust and understanding in our work, to help it have its maximum beneficial impact.”

The first episode, Radish on Prozac: exploring how human medicines get into our food with Dr Laura Carter, will be released on 27th June on the Future Leaders Fellows Development Network website.

Dr Laura Carter, UKRI FLF said,

“Creating the podcast has offered an opportunity to think about the wider implications of the research underway in my group. When you are working on your project day to day I think it is often easy to forget about the bigger picture and how your research is contributing more broadly to societal needs. It has been fascinating to work with Hester to think about how to convey our key research themes to a broad audience.”

View the trailer here

If you would like to meet the people and ideas behind the most innovative research in the country, subscribe now so the episodes are delivered to you on your preferred podcast platform as soon as they’re released. Subscribe here.

 

The Plus Fund is pot of flexible funding available to Fellows in the Future Leaders Fellows Development Network. The funds are designed to support the delivery of novel training and networking opportunities in response to other elements of the programme. Grants of up to £25K will be awarded via a rolling open call, supporting well-defined initiatives that develop and deliver transferable skills, training experiences, or resources – whether short-term or recurrent. Read more about Plus Funds

 

This podcast was supported by the Future Leaders Fellows Development Network and funded by UKRI. The views expressed in the podcast are the views of the individuals in the podcast, and do not necessarily represent the views of UKRI or the FLF Development Network.

Photo Credit – Future Leaders Fellows Development Network, Next Generation Podcast 2023

The FLFDN Plus Fund is a flexible funding stream open to FLF+s within the Development Network, offering funding for innovative projects that are aligned with the ethos and aims of the network.

The fund offers up to £25k per project, and has a rolling peer-review group that assesses applications each month so we can get you a decision asap. The review group consists of representatives from across the FLF network (including FLF+s), and offers in-depth and tailored feedback to each applicant regardless of outcome so that applicants can learn about the application assessment process, and have the opportunity to adjust their applications based on the feedback and resubmit.

We as a network are really excited to be able to offer this funding to FLF+s, and can’t wait to see the innovative and exciting projects you are planning. When we start getting projects off the ground we’ll be delighted to share them with the rest of the network so you can see what your peers are doing – for inspiration and collaboration!

If you have an idea for a project that could be funded through the Plus Fund then please visit our Plus Fund webpage for the application form and guidance documents, and don’t hesitate to contact hello@flfdevnet.com if you have any questions.