Research Insights

Research and Citizen Science

In the sixth and final installation of our Research Insights series, Professor Chris Lintott joins us to discuss how and when citizen science can elevate and improve research outputs.

Professor Chris Lintott is Professor of Astrophysics at Oxford University, where he is also a Research fellow at New College. He was recently also appointed the 39th Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College in London. Chris is lead Editor responsible for Laboratory Astrophysics, Instrumentation, Software and Data for the journals of the American Astronomical Society, including the Astrophysical Journal and Astronomical Journal.

Chris is also an author and a broadcaster for the BBC’s long-running Sky at Night program, and involved in all sorts of public engagement and outreach projects. Chris describes himself as “a distractible astronomer who specialises in galaxy formation, machine learning including anomaly detection, and occasional planet hunting.” His projects usually make use of the Zooniverse citizen science platform, working in collaboration with more than two million volunteers around the world. Chris is a proud and excited member of the collaboration building the Vera Rubin Observatory, which will power the next astronomical revolution.

Research Across Sectors

In the next of our Research Insights series Professor Roger Kneebone explores cross-sector influences between academia and practitioners in other fields and disciplines, with a focus on how cross-sector interactions can enhance each other’s research, skills and capabilities.

Roger Kneebone is Professor of Surgical Education and Engagement Science at Imperial College London, where he directs the Imperial College Centre for Engagement and Simulation Science (ICCESS) and the Imperial-Royal College of Music Centre for Performance Science. A graduate of St Andrews and Manchester universities, he trained as a general and trauma surgeon in the UK and Southern Africa before becoming a general practitioner in Wiltshire. In his role as an academic, Roger draws on these experiences to explore how simulation can enable publics to engage with clinicians and experts from domains outside medicine. His current work explores the nature of performing across disciplinary boundaries. Roger also hosts Countercurrent, a fortnightly podcast featuring unscripted longform conversations with a wide variety of guests.

Commercialising Research

Our fourth Research Insight film explores the pathways, risks and opportunities for commercialising your research, with special guest Dr Jason Mellad.

Jason is a scientist entrepreneur passionate about translating innovative technologies into better patient outcomes. As CEO and co-founder of Start Codon, a Cambridge UK-based accelerator, he aims to identify the most disruptive healthcare founders and innovations worldwide, seed fund them and leverage the exceptional resources of the Cambridge cluster to de-risk and drive the success of their start-ups.

Previously Jason was CEO of Cambridge Epigenetix (now Biomodal) and Business Development Manager for Horizon Discovery’s diagnostics division. He also served as an associate in Cambridge Enterprise, the technology transfer office of the University of Cambridge. Jason was awarded a Marshall Scholarship to complete his PhD in Medicine at the University of Cambridge (Clare College) after graduating Summa Cum Laude from Tulane University with a BSc in Molecular Biology and Chemistry.

Research and Public Engagement

This Research Insight film explores the benefits, opportunities, and pitfalls for combining research and public engagement with guest Professor Sarah Churchwell.

Professor Churchwell has published over 500,000 words of journalism in international newspapers and periodicals, including the New York Review of Books, Atlantic, Washington Post, New York Times, Financial Times, Prospect, Guardian, TLS, New Statesman, Telegraph, London Times, Sunday Times, and many others. Her television appearances include Question Time, PBS: American Experience, Newsnight, Newsnight Review, The Review Show, The Today Show (NBC), C-Span, Sunday Morning Live, This Week, Sky News, BBC Breakfast and regular appearances on BBC and Sky News, as well as contributions to numerous documentaries for the BBC, Ch4, Ch5, and independent production companies. Churchwell’s book The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe has inspired two film adaptations, both of which featured her extensively.

Professor Churchwell is the Director of the Being Human Festival, the UK’s national festival of the humanities.

Research in a museum context

Join us as we discuss the different pathways, benefits and opportunities for conducting research in a museum context with guest Dr Emily Pringle.

Emily trained as a painter and worked for several years as an artist, educator, researcher and programmer before joining Tate in 2010 as Head of Learning Practice and Research.  In 2017 Emily was awarded an AHRC Leadership Fellowship to examine research practices in art museums, leading to the publication of Rethinking Research in the Art Museum’ in July 2019. Emily was appointed Head of Research at Tate that same year. Emily is now a freelance researcher and writer on museum practice and research.

Research and Policy Engagement

The Network’s Professor Barry Smith interviews our guest Professor Graeme Reid, exploring the different pathways, benefits and challenges of research and policy engagement.

Following a distinguished civil service career in the Department of Business, the Cabinet Office, and the Treasury, Professor Reid is now Professor of Science and Research Policy at University College London.