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1Research and Innovation News • Issue 18 • Autumn 2016 www.port.ac.uk/research

Research & Innovation News

The conference was opened by Professor Graham Galbraith who told the audience about the importance of Research and Innovation activity to the University’s strategic ambitions and indicated how much he was looking forward to the conference.

This was followed by opening remarks from Professor Pal Ahluwalia who set the scene for the University’s Research and Innovation activity from now until 2020.

The first special guest took to the stage. Barry Cleasby from Southern Water talked about both his academic career and how positions in academia, government agencies and now commercial firms, have brought him to a career leading commercially commissioned research at Southern Water. Barry trumpeted the four projects that Southern Water and the University are collaborating on, which are in the areas of water quality, shared facilities, marine litter and algae bloom.

Dr Toby King from Bowman Power then took the audience through a whistle stop tour of his academic career that quickly led him to be an adventurous and successful entrepreneur all over the world. Indicating that ‘There are lots of cool ideas out there… [People take forward those that are] strongly articulated… [and]… cash is king!’ He then talked to the audience about his company’s latest scientific challenge, that of harnessing the waste thermodynamic energy from generators to increase their efficiency.

Sarah Duckering, the new Director of Research and Innovation at the University, gave an overview of her vision for Research and Innovation Services (RIS) going forward. She indicated that major priorities for the department were to support positive culture change and for support staff to be considered efficient, effective and valued by the University community. Team members then highlighted the opportunities for academic commercialisation routes, to work with Innovation space companies and to seek international funding.

An eagerly anticipated lunch was enjoyed by many on the sunny Portland veranda before practical academic-led plenary sessions began in the afternoon.

The Researchers’ Network led a session on ‘Building Research and Innovation Capacity’ whilst Dr Djamila Ouelhadj, Dr Wendy Powell, Dr Qian An and Dr Louise Butt walked a keen audience through their personal experiences of taking their research expertise

and applying it to commercial problems. Colleagues shared their experiences of seeking commercial networking opportunities, presenting in front of companies and building close industry relationships, with numerous questions resulting from those presentations.

Dr Dylan Jones and Lisa Rhodes delivered a session on international funding, focusing on recent successful European projects and giving an overview of the opportunities available in both the local, national and international funding arenas. Simultaneously, the Research Grants Officers from RIS held a session to cover an all-points bulletin of support for funding applications.

The day was a great success with academics, support staff and external visitors networking furiously to make sure they got the most from the conference. Feedback after the event was also forthcoming with attendees generally happy with the event and its programme. Amongst suggestions for next year was a greater focus on pure research and a request to advertise the event early to ensure people’s calendars are free. In that vein the 2017 conference will be on 20 April 2017, please save the date.

2016 a good year for research and innovationOn Thursday 26 May, researchers, innovators, doctoral students and support staff came together for the University’s Research and Innovation Conference in Portland Building.

Inside this edition:Update from our networks ...............................page 13–14

IBBS update ............................................................ page 19

Small business update ......................................page 22–23

Research and Innovation Enabling Fund ............. page 24

Focus on a researcher ........................................... page 31

Tweets from the Conference

Issue 18 Autumn 2016


Update from Research and Innovation Services TeamIt’s been a rollercoaster of a year. Since our summer issue, many have been in contact with the newsletter to highlight their successes and promote their events. Our headline article walks us through the recent University Research and Innovation Conference, highlighting our ability to attract industry speakers as well as credible leaders from our own community of researchers and innovators. It also delves into the many successes and appointments that have taken place over the last five months.

Of particular interest in this edition is the link to the new Researcher Development Programme, the launch of the Research and Innovation Enabling Fund, as well as an update on the planned activity to cement the University’s Small Business Charter accreditation. This newsletter sees two faculties make regular contributions and the Research Support team in Research and Innovation Services provide an update on our work with Pure.

With some sadness this will be the last newsletter that I put together with the team at Research and Innovation Services before I move to a new role at Portsmouth Business School. Having worked with the then Director of Research and Marketing department to establish the newsletter back in 2011, I am proud that not only can our institution sustain such a publication, but also that we are on our 18th edition. To all the contributors I would like to extend my thanks. Writing is never easy, particularly in front of your peers and so their contribution is rightly recognised.

As always, if you would like to contribute to the next newsletter, please contact RIS by emailing [email protected].

Peter HooleyOperations and Projects Support Manager Research and Innovation Services From September 2016 – Director of Business Development, Portsmouth Business School

Update from the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation)Welcome to the start of a new academic year, which we begin with a bumper edition of Research and Innovation News. As we implement the University’s strategic plan, and deliver the vision in our Research and Innovation Strategy, there is a lot to be excited about.

Looking back, the Research and Innovation community engaged in an informative and exciting Research and Innovation Conference in May. In August, we began advertising for our Theme Professors. These key strategic leadership positions will, no doubt, have an enormous positive impact on our research and innovation as well as our teaching. I look forward to welcoming the successful candidates and working with them in the years to come.

As I talk to colleagues around the institution, I am amazed by the sheer volume of people working hard to deliver our vision. This edition of the newsletter is packed with many such examples. Dr Louise Butt outlines her personal journey, taking her research from the laboratory to industry. The Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Sciences talk us through their achievements and their ambitions for the future and there are numerous stories demonstrating a growing culture of involving our undergraduate and postgraduate students in high quality research.

To support our activities, the University has appointed Lisa Rhodes as our new Director of Continuing Professional Development and Matt Gummerson as our new NHS Partnership Facilitator. We also say goodbye to David Carpenter, who has been a stalwart for ethics at the University. At the same time, we welcome Dr Simon Kolstoe as our new Ethics Adviser.

As we proceed to raise our profile, I am pleased that considerable work is going on to help our academic community publish. The ORCID programme is aimed at ensuring that our academic outputs

are recognised and ‘The Conversation’ is providing an opinion platform for our experts on a world stage.

Since our last newsletter, the UK has voted to leave the European Union. While we consider the implications of this decision, and the implementation plan and consequences of the decision are being discussed, there is still much to be optimistic about as we continue to secure EU funding. Research and Innovation activity at the University is fundamentally strong. We continue to invest in new ventures and our outlook is positive. In addition, we will continue to explore other international opportunities to fund our research and innovation.

I hope you will join me in the coming months to welcome our new Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement), Chris Chang, the Theme Professors and strategic support staff that we have put in place. I look forward to hearing more about the exciting research and innovation that is being undertaken at the institution.

Professor Pal Ahluwalia Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation)

Professor Pal Ahluwalia


Faculty of Creative and Cultural IndustriesDavid BrownSouth Coast Centre of ExcellenceSatellite Applications Catapult with UK Space Agency – £234,999

Hui Yu 4D Sensing System for Home-based Facial Palsy Therapy Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council – £100,610

Portsmouth Business SchoolAaron Hatcher An Economic Analysis of Quota Allocation Under a Landing Obligation: Problems and SolutionsFisheries Innovation Scotland – £29,880

Gianpiero TorrisiPERCEIVE: Reflective Societies: Cultural Heritage and European IdentitiesEuropean Commission – £172,614 (€250,290)

Faculty of ScienceAlex Ford Developing Biomarkers for Sewage Effluent Exposure in the AmphipodOekotoxzentrum Centre Ecotox – £36,783

Matt Guille Distribution of Male Xenopus National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research – £106,760

Federica Ragazzola Will Coralline Algae Reef Mitigate Climate Change Effects on Associated Fauna?The Royal Society – £11,992

Richard Hill In Vitro Mechanism and In Vivo Efficacy Anti-GBM Studies Headcase Cancer Trust – £25,000Innovate Pharmaceuticals Limited – £25,000

Bridget Waller Cultural Variation in the Social Function and Expression of GuiltThe Leverhulme Trust – £106,827

Gary Fones From Catchment to Tap: Source and Fate of Polar Organic Chemicals and their Associate RisksSouthern Water Services Limited – £65,166

Biogeochemistry, Macronutrient and Carbon Cycling in the Benthic LayerNatural Environment Research Council – £15,885

Peter Rowley Rock and Soils TestingThe Natural History Museum – £6,565

Liz Twigg Evaluating the Effects of Community Treatment Orders (CTOs) in England using the Mental Health Minimum DatasetNational Institute for Health Research – £197,227

Mike Tipton Immersion SuitOcean Survivor – £10,617

Research and Development The Unseen – £35,395

Ann Dewey Respiratory Quality Improvement ProgrammeWessex Academic Health Science Network – £5,000

Faculty of TechnologyNicholas Bonne Isaac Physics Widening Participation FellowshipUniversity of Cambridge – £10,000

Development of Astrophysics Public Engagement Activities for the BVI CommunitySouth East Physics Network – £9,765

Karen MastersGalaxy Zoo: Human-Guided In-Browser OptimizationGoogle Inc. – £22,654 ($29,450)

Gillian Prosser Seeing the Wood for the Trees: Detecting Cyber-threat in Smart CitiesSouth East Physics Network – £10,000

Jack Kopecky Living Meta Analysis: Pilot for PsychologyThe British Academy – £13,904

Philip James ScottChairmanship of BCS Health Programme at UK eHealth Week 2017British Computer Society – Funded

Faculty of Humanities and Social SciencesStephen CorbettDeveloping Effective Leadership and Management in Education (DELME) CBSC 15/16 for PGS and Mayville SchoolsPortsmouth Grammar School and Mayville School – Funded

Tamsin Bradley Violence Against Women and Girls in South AsiaGovernment Department and Industry Partner – £80,452

Natalya Vince Students, Social Change and the Construction of the Post-independence Algerian State, 1962–1976European Commission – £172,484

Becky Milne Children, Communication and Criminal JusticeEconomic and Social Research Council – £6,259

Funding updateSuccessful awards attained between 29 April 2016 and 15 September 2016

This information is obtained from the Research Management Information System, Pure, and can be viewed on the Portsmouth Research Portal. Awards displayed are to the value of £5,000 or higher.

https://pure.port.ac.uk/portal/


ORCIDsEver wondered why every academic and researcher needs an ‘ORCID’? Dr Emily Bennett from the University Library explains why here.

What are ORCIDs?An Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) is a unique number that is assigned to an academic author. So every academic author in the world should have a unique ORCID.

Why do I need one?ORCIDs are the international standard for identifying academic authors. They are now required by most major publishers and funders.

As the ORCID website explains, ‘ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier that distinguishes you from every other researcher and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between you and your professional activities ensuring that your work is recognized.’

How can I get an ORCID?Academic authors are encouraged to follow these steps:

• Login to Pure• Click the Personal tab• Click the Edit Profile button• Click the Create or Connect your ORCID

ID button and follow the instruction on the screen

• Press Save on your profile in Pure

What if I have an ORCID already?If you have an ORCID already, then please attach it to your Pure profile by following the above steps.

Where can I get further help?Please contact [email protected]

Library updateIn this update, Dr Emily Bennett, University Library Research Outputs Manager, explains why every academic and researcher should have an ORCID, announces a number of discounted and free Gold Open Access deals and introduces us to the University’s Research Data Champion, Dr Lorenzo Stafford.

Research Data ChampionThe University has appointed Dr Lorenzo Stafford to the role of Research Data Champion. Openly sharing research data is now a key issue at both a national and international level.

It’s a requirement for major funders, including RCUK, and also becoming a requirement for publishing in academic journals.

Sharing research data has many benefits for both the public and the research community. As the EPSRC explain, the benefits include -• Increasing the visibility of research and generating citations, leading to

growth of scientific reputation of individual researchers, their research teams and their institutions.

• Reinforcing open scientific inquiry.• Protecting against use of faulty data by allowing published results to be

independently verified, refuted or refined, thus improving the overall quality of research and encouraging diversity of analysis and opinion and helping to resolve scientific disputes.

• Stimulating new approaches to data collection and methods of analysis.• Increasing awareness of research in related areas leading to more

opportunities for collaboration.• Allowing re-use of data for research not foreseen by the initial investigators

– this increases the efficiency of use of public funding by avoiding unnecessary duplication of data collection.

• Permitting the creation of more highly powered data analysis by combining data from multiple sources.

• Facilitating education of new researchers and the wider public.

As the Research Data Champion, Lorenzo will play a lead role in promoting open access research data across the University.

Gold Open Access deals

The University Library has secured a number of deals with some key publishers offering discounted and free gold Open Access (OA). These deals offer reduced rates on Article Processing Charges (APCs) to make your journal articles OA as soon as they are published.

Some of the highlights are:• Free APCs for articles published with many Springer journals and Royal

Society of Chemistry journals.• 75% off APCs for articles published in many Taylor & Francis journals. • APCs for £200 for articles published with many Sage journals.

The discount schemes all work in slightly different ways and you may need a code from the Library before the discount can be applied. More information about applying for funding to pay APCs can be found here. Please contact the OA team for more details – [email protected].

However, no Library Update page would be complete without a reminder about OA! So it’s important to also add that all articles, including those that make OA via the gold route, need to be uploaded to Pure as soon as they are accepted for publication, in order to be eligible for the REF.

Screenshot of an ORCID in the Pure system

Dr Lorenzo Stafford


Student wins exciting commercial research placementCongratulations to Tim Dykes, a second-year PhD researcher from the School of Creative Technologies who has gained a three-month work placement internship within the Cray EMEA Research Lab based in Bristol. Cray provides innovative systems and technological solutions enabling industry, academia and government to meet existing and future simulation and analytics grand challenges. Tim will be working closely with world experts on some of the largest supercomputing systems available on the planet, developing extremely scalable, physically based visualization algorithms exploiting emerging technologies for remote and interactive visualization of next-generation big data. The supervisory team (Mel Krokos, CT, Malcolm Whitworth, SEES, and Gongbo Zhao, ICG) are proud that Tim has been offered this tremendous opportunity with the Cray EMEA Research Lab, giving his research world-industry recognition, and expect it to be a catalyst for similar future opportunities for our students.

Graduate School update

Student completes international research tripsKelsey Suggitt, a second year PhD student in the Centre for European and International Studies Research was recently awarded a travel grant from the Society for the Study of French History to cover her expenses whilst completing a three month research trip to Paris. This entailed archive research at the French National Archives in Pierrefitte, at the French Military Archives in Vincennes and at the Contemporary History Archives within the Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques. She was also the recipient of several external and internal grants to cover the costs of a study-half day in March entitled ‘Re-imaging Ends of Empire’. This was hosted by CEISR and SLAS and delegates included established researchers, early-career researchers, postgraduate and undergraduate students from across the world.

Graduate School appoints new web and communications officerIn July, we welcomed Alanna Smith to our team who joins us as the new web and communications officer. Alanna worked in the Science Faculty Office as a Faculty Administrator for almost three years prior to taking on this role. With extensive knowledge of PhD applications, PGR processes and conference organisation we’re confident that Alanna will make a significant contribution to the Graduate School’s success.

University joins Doctoral Training Alliance (Energy)The University of Portsmouth will be joining the Doctoral Training Alliance (DTA) in Energy, a cohort based doctoral programme involving 13 UK universities. The first cohort of this five year programme, will start in October 2016, with the University funding two new studentships per year over three years. The training aims to produce independent, highly-employable researchers with expertise and skills in this strategically-important research area, thus contributing to industry needs and to the competitiveness of the UK as a knowledge economy in the twenty-first century.

Kelsey Suggitt

Alanna Smith

Tim Dykes in front of the fastest supercomputer in Europe, Cray XC30 ‘Piz Daint’, at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS), Lugano


University hosts PURE UK User Group meetingIn May 2016, the University hosted the Pure UK User Group Meeting, bringing together all UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that manage their research information using the Pure system.

With a 40 HEI membership and growing, the UK User Group is an excellent resource for sharing best practice and improves the way in which the University can utilise Pure and our Research Portal.

Taking place at The Holiday Inn, Southsea, the conference was spread over two days in which the supplier, Elsevier, demonstrated upcoming functionality and obtained feedback from institutions to inform future developments.

With the next Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise already fresh in the minds of Research and Innovation offices across the country, proceedings began with a REF 2020 Workshop from Elsevier’s Manya Buchan.

We are already monitoring Open Access compliance of research outputs and it was extremely useful for RIS staff to see how Pure will ease the administrative burden of the REF.

Day one continued with reports from the working groups on the progress made regarding the application and understanding of a variety of functions, and developments planned for future releases of the system.

With the day’s work completed, the group retired to a more social setting to network and discuss the challenges of managing HEI research data, enjoying a meal at Jamie’s Italian at Gunwharf Quays.

The second day then began with the subject most attendees were eagerly anticipating, as Elsevier set out their roadmap for the next three releases of Pure, before conversation switched to which improvements requested at the previous meeting in January would be implemented.

The conference closed with Elsevier confirming that a vast redevelopment of the Activities section (where academic staff record esteem indicators) has been undertaken for the October release – so look out for this addition to Pure at the end of 2016.

The University first launched Pure in January 2014 and its importance as a tool, used by both academics and support staff, to record and monitor research activity has continually increased. Pure is the database behind our research showcase – Portsmouth Research Portal.

Graduate School update continued

ICG wins STFC accreditation for PhD training quality

The Institution of Cosmology and Gravitation (ICG) has won accreditation for doctoral training in a recent review done by the Science, Technology and Facilities Council (STFC). The review evaluated the institute on five categories: training environment, quality of training, quality of supervision, careers advice and recruitment.

The ICG received recognition for areas of best practice, including good recruitment practices and equal opportunity monitoring, and also for recognition on entrepreneurship.

This is the first such accreditation review made by the STFC, and passing it is a requirement for a department to receive studentships. The ICG has a long history of research council studentships, having hosted them continuously since its creation in 2002. Presently, eight ICG PhD students are supported by STFC studentships.

The incoming ICG PhD students for 2015/16, three of whom are STFC supported.


Summer studentshipTwo outstanding University of Portsmouth students have been awarded eight-week summer studentships as part of a programme jointly funded by the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Trust and the British Lung Foundation. A total of only ten awards were made nationally.

The studentships are designed to attract the brightest and best clinicians and researchers of tomorrow into the field of CF, combining clinical practice with an active research programme. Each student is awarded £1,500 for expenses/project costs and will attend the CF Trust annual UK conference in September.

Studentship award winners:

Adrian Fautly

Adrian Fautly – Determining the best maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing protocol for children, adolescents and adults with cystic fibrosis.

Supervisor: Dr Zoe Saynor

Adrian graduated with 1st Class Honours in Sport and Exercise Science with an interest in clinical exercise physiology and physiotherapy. This summer he will gain valuable experience of clinical practice and research before he begins his MSc in Clinical Exercise Science at the University. Aerobic fitness is clinically important in CF, since lower levels are associated with a poorer prognosis, reduced quality of life and increased risk of being hospitalised. This project will enable us to rank clinical tests based on their accuracy to measure maximal oxygen uptake and ability to determine other measures of aerobic exercise function. This will permit practical recommendations and guidelines for clinical care teams and researchers.

On completing the studentship, Adrian attended the UK Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Trust conference in Nottingham on 7–8 September 2016 and was awarded third prize in the poster competition. Adrian will now stay on at the University of Portsmouth to complete his MSc. He plans to continue with his research in the area of Cystic Fibrosis and non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis.

Thomas Murray

Thomas Murray – Effects of tobramycin on lung fibroblast function and extracellular matrix remodelling.

Supervisor: Professor Jan Shute

Tom is a first class Biomedical Sciences student with an interest in immunology who wants a career in biomedical research and sees this research experience as a stepping stone towards a PhD.

In CF, airway infection and an inflammatory response lead to the breakdown of the extracellular matrix and loss of lung function. Tobramycin is an antibiotic widely prescribed for inhalation to treat CF lung disease, but it may have negative effects on lung tissue repair which will be investigated. This research could improve current antibiotic prescribing strategy in CF.

Tom will be presenting his research data at the British Pharmacological Society’s flagship annual meeting on 13–15 December 2016, which takes place at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London.

Adrian Fautly Thomas Murray


Successful postgraduate studentsBetween 30 April 2016 and 16 September 2016 the following students completed their research degrees:

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Ivano Bruno – Between Rhetoric and Implementation of EU Relations with the Mediterranean: The Case of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) in Egypt

Jill Dealey – Denying the Deniers? An Examination of the Probation Service Working with Sex Offenders in Denial

Elizabeth Doble – Risk Assessment by Statistics? A Critical Examination of the Clinical and Actuarial Risk Assessment Approaches used within the Probation Service to Assess Sexual Offenders

Hyun Ho Kim – Comparing the Policing and Management of Security in Private/Hybrid Space in South Korea and the United Kingdom

Simon Retford – Child-against-Parent Abuse in Greater Manchester: Key Themes, Collaboration and Preventative Interventions

David Rubens – Beyond ‘Command and Control’: Developing a New Paradigm for Incident Command Systems, Critical Decision-Making and 21st Century Crisis Response

David Shepherd – Complicit Silence: Organisations and their Responses to Occupational Fraud

Christopher Spackman – The Boys’ Brigade and Urban Cultures, 1883–1933: A Relationship Examined

Portsmouth Business School

Ishmael Ackah – Essays on Energy Consumption and Oil Resource Management in Oil Producing African Countries

Emhemed Aboubaker Afafa – The Impact of Knowledge Management on Project Success

Abdulla Mohd Rabaya Busenad – Implementing KM in a Public Organization: The Case of the Dubai Police Force

James Anthony Hand – An Analysis of Aspects of the Equality Act 2010

Faye McDonald – Developing and Validating an Integrated Framework Explaining Pro-environmental Behaviour in the Workplace

Heather Short – The Hidden World of e-learning in Small and Medium Enterprises

Thomas Taylor – Understanding Factors that Influence Employers and Young People to Participate in Advanced Apprenticeships

Anis Zras – An Examination of the Emergence and the Development of Professional Accountancy in Developing Countries: The Case of Libya

Faculty of Science

Mohammad Bin Bostanudin – Butylglyceryl-Modified Polysaccharide Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery to the Brain

Alexandra Boys – Exploring Social Constructions Regarding Bullying Between Children in Schools by Adult Stakeholders Working in the British Education System

Pui Chong – VSL#3(R) Probiotic Supplementation in Subjects with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Randomised, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Proof-of-Concept Trial

Cristina Costantini – Introducing Complementary Foods to Infants: A Look at the Practice of Feeding in the UK and Italy

Sarah Fouch – Molecular Epidemiological Study of Extended Spectrum Beta-lactamase (ESBL) Producing Bacteria from Teaching and District General Hospitals within Hampshire

Christie Garson – Thermoregulation in the Encapsulated Environment. Reducing Thermoregulatory Strain Experienced by Warfighters when Wearing Fully Encapsulating Protective Clothing with Additional Investigations of Thermoregulatory Control

Salman Goudarzi – Novel Role For Gas6 as a Positive Regulator of Myelination

Gemma Graham – The (Change) Blindingly Obvious: Investigating Fixation Behaviour and Memory Recall during CCTV Observation

Matthew Harris – A Study of the Naturalisation and Dispersal of a Non-native Bivalve, the Manila Clam, Ruditapes philippinarum (Adams and Reeve 1850) in Estuaries Along the South Coast of England

Lauren Hartny-Mills – Site Fidelity, Social Structure and Spatial Distribution of Short-Finned Pilot Whales, Globicephala macrorhynchus, off the South West Coast of Tenerife

Samah Jassam – Role of CD15 and CD15s in the Cellular Mechanisms of Cancer Cell Metastasis from Lung to the Brain

Jennifer Jepson – Exploring Associated Factors and Dynamic Relationships between Lecturers and their Engagement with Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL)

Holly Keats – Gene Regulation in the Ventral Midbrain of the Developing Chick Embryo

Mathias Leidig – Development of a Global Data Poverty Index and Disaster Risk Reduction Applications in Costal Regions by Means of Free Geoinformatic


Rhian Llewellyn – Palynology Through the Early Wenlock Ireviken Event

Sean Morrow – The Effects of DNA Damage Caused by Sperm Cryopreservation in Xenopus

Liliya Angelova Nazlamova – Identification and Characterization of an A-form DNA Promoter and its Downstream Novel Rab-Gdi Gene in Xenopus

Michael O’Sullivan – The Taxonomic Diversity of British Jurassic Pterosaurs

Oluwafemi Oyewole – The Purification and Functional Study of Compounds Produced by Escherichia coli BP that Induce and Inhibit Sulphate Reducing Bacteria Growth

Sara Ellen Percival – Portsmouth Coastal Flood Vulnerability and Risk: Assessment and Mapping of Impacts at Microscale

Jack Owen Phillips – RNA Interaction Studies; A Pathway to the Development of a Surface-based Technology

Lucia Privitera – The Effects of Diffuse Pollution on European Eel Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758)

Rozenn Trepos – Innovative Approaches for the Development of New Non-toxic Antifouling Solutions

Cara Valvona – LDHA as a Potential Therapeutic Target for Medulloblastoma

Ella Frances Walker – On the Edge of Thermoregulation: A Matter of Physiology and Physics

Mikaella Vouri – The Role of TAM Receptors in Brain Tumour Cell Signalling and Behaviour

Faculty of Technology

Claire Louise Ancient – Delivering Positive Reminiscence Through a Ubiquitous Device Application Designed for People Living with Dementia and their Care-givers

Mohd Rizal Bin Mohd Isa – Watermarked Face Recognition Scheme-enhancing the Security while Maintaining the Effectiveness of Biometric Authentication Systems

Sandro Ciarlariello – Intrinsic Correlations of Galaxy Sizes and Luminosities in Weak Lensing

James Daniel Etherington – Measuring Galaxy Environment in Large Scale Photometric Surveys

Nalinda Hettiararchchi – Ultrasound Sensing and Hand Gesture Recognition for Dexterous Prosthetic Devices

Han Liu – Rule Based Systems for Classification in Machine Learning Context

Heman Mamand – The Assessment of Deteriorated Concrete Structures Using Extended Digital Image Correlation (EDIC)

Hao Qin – Design Knowledge Capture and Reuse in an Integrated and Collaborative Working Environment

Emily Walsh – Obsolete Restrictive Covenants: A Socio-legal Analysis of the Problem and Solutions

David Wilkinson – Full Spectral Fitting of Stellar Population Models for Studies of Galaxy Evolution

Jonathan Wright – Intelligent Methods for Locomotion Optimisation

Guangguang Yang – Rainfall Field Modelling for European Satellite Networks

CorrectionsIn the previous edition of Research and Innovation News, before the electronic update was applied, the names of the Autism Centre for Employment team were not included in the Outstanding Adult Services Award article on page 10. A print error also caused Dr López’s name to appear misspelt.

On page 15, within the University of Portsmouth Ageing Network Update, the images of Ms Kellyn Weir and Dr Julie Udell were incorrectly attributed.

We apologise for any confusion caused by these errors.


Dr Louise Butt and the RNA array technology platform

Dr Louise Butt tells us about her journey to commercialisation, how it came about and how the experience has influenced her research.

What made you decide to commercialise your research?We’ve been acutely aware of the challenges in our area of research for some time and have worked hard to develop alternative novel high-throughput methods for our own purposes. We quickly recognised that pharmaceutical, biotechnology and research organisations could also benefit from the RNA Array technology and were excited by the prospect that the RNA Array platform could speed up biological discovery and support drug development.

What initial steps did you take on your journey to commercialisation?We received research funding (BBSRC and HEIF), which allowed us to complete proof-of-concept and validation studies. We already had well-established links with RIS. They assisted with much of the IP protection process. By late 2015, we were in a position to embrace the opportunity provided by the SETsquared Partnership in the form of the ICURe Innovation-to-Commercialisation programme.

Please describe your commercialisation journey.The ICURe programme was a whirlwind process. In December I spent time researching and formulating our business model, a working document identifying our key customers, competitors and partners. Early January began with a brief stint in Bristol at the commercialisation training bootcamp. Fortune favours the brave and the day after boot-camp was completed I was on a plane heading to the US for the Biotech Showcase. This four-day event was attended by over 1,600 companies from across the globe. By the end of March I’d flown over 34,000 miles, attended four large international conferences and spoken to investors, executives, academics, industry leaders, government officials, regulators and innovators primarily from life science organisations. Despite this intense process I still feel like we’re in the early stages of commercialisation. The insights from the ICURe process were invaluable. They continue to guide our technology commercialisation journey and are driving some of our research decisions.

What obstacles have you had to overcome, and how have you done this?One of the biggest challenges was finding the right people. In large organisations, it’s often difficult to pin down the person with the knowledge and expertise that you want to access. Websites often contain generic emails and central switchboard numbers. I was surprised how easily I could access senior management, CEOs and directors by targeting and attending large international professional conferences, exhibitions and trade shows. At these events, I learned about the next best thing, company challenges, strategies and most importantly, what they were prepared to invest in!

How has RIS supported through the process?The support from RIS has been invaluable. They’ve supported the project from the outset, from helping with securing funding through to guiding us through the patent process. Kate Charles has been fantastic. She sought out opportunities to further

nurture and commercially develop the RNA Array and that led us to the ICURe programme. Kate assisted with the initial ICURe application, supported my training at bootcamp and even attended the final investor-style pitch presentation in London.

Has the commercialisation process had a positive impact on your research?Definitely. We’ve had some initial interest from companies looking for new high-throughput technologies and a request for us to conduct an unrelated small-scale project. We’re looking at translational funding opportunities and are cultivating relationships with potential commercial partners as part of a joint bid.

Do you think the approach you take to future research might change as a result of your commercialisation experience?Absolutely. The process has made me re-evaluate what I consider important in terms of research. I was surprised at the difference between academic and commercial perspectives. I now have a better understanding of the strict regulatory processes required to bring products to market in the life science sector. With an ever-changing funding landscape, I think it’s imperative for academic researchers to engage with commercial organisations allowing development of strong mutually beneficial links.

What have been the benefits of embarking on the process of research commercialisation?I’ve had the opportunity to showcase our research to a wider audience, raise the University’s profile globally and develop contacts that may benefit my colleagues. I’m now looking to develop new research projects with clear ideas of what is considered commercially valuable. Importantly this is underpinned by the knowledge and experience I’ve been able to tap into.

Dr Louise Butt

Journeys to commercialisation


The University was delighted to host the 58th Operational Research Society Annual Conference (OR58) in September. Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Professor Pal Ahluwalia, welcomed the delegates to the University. ‘We are very pleased to host this year’s conference, the largest of its kind in the UK,’ he said. The conference was chaired by Dr Djamila Ouelhadj, Head of the Logistics and Operational Research Group in the Department of Mathematics.

OR58 was hailed a major success with a record attendance unseen since the OR Society’s foundation 57 years ago. The conference attracted 370 delegates, of which 195 were academics and 175 practitioners. The conference brought a rich and outstanding programme of research and innovation and, for the first time, introduced new topics and discussion formats that the OR Society will now adopt for future conferences. There was a full programme for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday that included presentations by academics and practitioners covering a broad spectrum of techniques and application areas in the fields of OR and Analytics. This year’s OR58 programme has contributed to building the future vision of OR around innovation, impact, new challenges, and change for a better and happier society; change that tackles the new challenges of society around poverty, disasters, immigration, and terrorism. A vision that we hope will build long term partnerships between academics and business to achieve impact on business, society, and government.

The University was honoured to welcome distinguished plenary speakers. The President of the OR Society Ruth Kaufman opened the conference on Tuesday morning with a Presidential Address entitled ‘Diversity and Identity: Challenges and Opportunities for UK OR.’ In the afternoon, Professor Sally Brailsford chaired a plenary panel session on the emerging topic of Behavioural OR.

On Wednesday, Professor Graham Fletcher, Head of Research and Development for Cubic Transportation Systems Limited, delivered a plenary on ‘The Changing Face of the Transport Problem’. In the afternoon, the three finalists for the President’s Medal presented their work, and the Medal was awarded to the Gilbert Owusu, from British Telecom.

Finally, on Thursday morning we held the second Operational Research Society debate session organised by Professor Sanja Petrovic, Vice President of the OR Society. The debate session was entitled ‘The Future of OR is analytics?’ and

involved two distinguished speakers: Professor Stewart Robinson and Professor Cathal Brugha. In the afternoon the University welcomed Dr Peter Richtarik, a Fellow of the Alan Turing Institute who presented the closing plenary on ‘Big Data Optimisation’.

This year, OR58 delivered a new and very successful Making An Impact (MAI) day, which aimed to give more people than ever the chance to ‘Make an Impact’. The day was full of activities and sessions to get delegates from business and academia to work together. We were particularly pleased to devote our series of workshops to the Regional Grand Challenges of the region. These workshops invite leaders of the region to discuss the challenges they face and how OR could help to solve them. We were honoured to welcome the leader of the City Council for Portsmouth, Councillor Donna Jones, and Admiral Nick Lambert from the Royal Navy, who participated in the Grand Challenges of Portsmouth workshop, where they discussed how these challenges could be addressed by the OR community. For the first time the Catapults and Innovate UK participated at the OR58 conference and a dedicated workshop on Catapults/Innovate UK: How they can support you. The workshop involved the Satellite applications, Transport Systems and Offshore Renewable Energy Catapults, and the South Coast Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications.

To close, Djamila Ouelhadj thanked the Operational Research Society for the prestigious opportunity to chair the OR58 conference and everyone who contributed to making OR58 an amazing success. She said, ‘As the Chair of the OR58 conference, I have had the most amazing and inspiring experience that will stay with me forever, and I would like to offer my sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed to the success of the OR58 conference’. The President of the OR Society, Ruth Kaufman, thanked Djamila for chairing such a successful conference and said, ‘Djamila, you have certainly put Portsmouth on the map when it comes to the OR world!’

OR58 Operational Research Society Annual Conference: 6–8 September 2016Dr Djamila Ouelhadj, Reader of Operational Research and Conference Co-Chair, gives an overview of this highly successful three-day conference.

From left to right: Professor Andrew Osbaldestin, Head of Department of Mathematics; Dr Djamila Ouelhadj, Conference Co-Chair and Reader of Operational Research, University of Portsmouth; Ruth Kaufman, President, The OR Society; and Professor Pal Ahluwalia, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), University of Portsmouth

Councillor Donna Jones, Leader of Portsmouth City Council at the conference

Conference networking session


Dr Ryan Fitzgerald Live, video and photo identification: Which eyewitness identification procedure best facilitates recognition?

What do you hope to achieve as a result of securing the funding? My goal is to learn how best to administer an identity parade. The basic recipe is to have an eyewitness inspect a parade of individuals and decide whether one (or none) of the parade members is the person who committed the crime. However, there are many ways to administer an identity parade. Witnesses in South Africa view live identity parades, similar to how identification procedures tend to be depicted in popular films. Live parades are also used in the USA and Canada, but in those countries it is far more common for witnesses to see photographs (mugshots) of the parade members. Here in the UK, recent legislation has led to the widespread use of video technology to present identity parades. The variation across jurisdictions begs the question: Which one works best? By securing this funding, I can bring the scientific and legal communities closer to an answer.

What is the potential impact of the research likely to be?Although changes to identification practices may take time, the project has the potential to influence policy in the UK and abroad. Policymakers and law-enforcement organisations require a high standard of evidence before adopting new procedures and, irrespective of the research outcomes, significant political hurdles will need to be overcome in order to revise or replace an existing identification system. These short-term challenges notwithstanding, the project could lay the foundation for systemic changes in how identity parades are administered. If one identity parade medium is found to be superior to the alternatives, jurisdictions currently using an inferior medium may consider changing how they administer identity parades. The use of more diagnostic identification procedures would facilitate correct identifications of guilty suspects and also prevent false identifications of innocent suspects.

What does it mean to you to get the funding? The ESRC funding will allow me to investigate this topic with greater rigor than has previously been possible. The use of live identity parades is challenging because actors need to be paid to appear for every day of testing. Photo and video materials also need to be constructed on the day of testing to ensure that the comparison between the live and photo/video conditions is not confounded by changes in appearance over time. The costs associated with the testing procedures have led researchers to avoid using live identity parades, resulting in a significant gap in the literature that this project will help to fill.

How is the work progressing? The work is in the early stages of development. The grant activities are not set to commence until December 2016 (several months from the time of writing). However, I am currently liaising with a team of international collaborators to ensure the project commences smoothly.

What are the benefits your research is hoping to bring about? The project findings could benefit various members of society. The direct beneficiaries are eyewitnesses, who would benefit from improved identification procedures that increase the probability that they will identify the person who committed the crime and decrease the probability that they will misidentify an innocent person. Law enforcement investigators will better understand how the medium can affect the reliability of identification evidence. Innocent suspects would obviously benefit from their reduced risk of mistaken identification and wrongful conviction. Taxpayers may also benefit, as wrongful conviction cases commonly result in windfall payments to the exoneree in an attempt to compensate for the miscarriage of justice. Taxpayers may also benefit if the findings support the use of a cost-effective procedure, such as video or photo identity parades, that does not require parade members to be paid for each identification procedure.

What opportunities for further research might come out of this study? With the recent introduction of video identification parades, there are vast opportunities for following up this project with further research. The eyewitness identification literature dates back to the 1970s, but most of what we know has been found using photo identification procedures. This project will provide a foundation for this promising new area of research.

Dr Ryan Fitzgerald

Featured new research study


Research and Innovation are at the core of the Environment Network across its 250+ academic members. The network aims to bring together a wealth of knowledge and expertise to generate new ideas, projects and collaborations under the theme of Sustainability and the Environment. There are many academic disciplines involved in such a broad research theme, some perhaps less obvious than others. Below are some of the current active research projects across the network illustrating the breadth of activity.

Fire history on the California Channel Islands spanning human arrival in the AmericasHuman populations in North America might have used fire as a tool thousands of years earlier than previously thought, according to new research from Dr Mark Hardiman in the Department of Geography.

The study has cast new light on the fire history of the California Channel Islands, a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California. It found a significant period of charcoal deposition, which occurred between 12,500 to 14,000 years ago, possibly coinciding with the arrival of the first humans on the island.

Mark said: ‘This study allows us to paint a much better picture of what these early occupied landscapes would have looked like. The sedimentary record that exists in the canyon is truly spectacular and records ‘snapshots’ of the landscape changes which were occurring on the islands at the end of the last ice age.’

Driving innovation in wood protection for the marine environmentDegradation of wood by marine wood boring species causes major economic losses worldwide. Research on the biodegradation of wood in the sea has been pursued at Portsmouth for over 40 years. Since 2006, Dr Simon Cragg has led a team of researchers in this area to develop internationally-recognised expertise in the identification, biology and husbandry of marine wood borers. The research expertise of the

Portsmouth team has been used to link laboratory performance data with field assessments, and to predict borer hazard in different areas of the world.

This research has generated international impact in the following areas:• Acceleration of evaluation of protection methods while

reducing testing costs.• Evidence of durability backs EA procurement policy.• Evaluations have been used to market less well-known

timber species.• Information on borer hazard changes affects decision-

making locally and globally.

Research cluster for sustainable citiesSince the last UPEN update, the Research Cluster for Sustainable cities has gained momentum in the area of the resilient and sustainable future of cities. Led by co-directors Professor Steffen Lehmann and Professor Mark Gaterell the Cluster is a cross-faculty group with a broad focus on the transition to sustainable and liveable urban areas. Already there have been initial discussions and agreements signed by numerous companies agreeing to work together with the Cluster on future research projects. In addition to these industry links, the Cluster is in early stages of producing research proposals.

From left to right: Professor Steffen Lehmann, Mr Charlie Hall, Mr Michael Hall, Mr Roberto Braglia

Dr Mark Hardiman

University of Portsmouth Environment Network (UPEN)

Coastal Cities network: Adaptation and resilience of the built environment and infrastructure of coastal citiesAn active research group including members from Civil Engineering and Architecture have been working to develop a coastal cities network to address adaptation and resilience of the built environment and infrastructure of coastal cities. This builds on existing work by the group led by Professor Mark Gaterell and is of high relevance to a low lying flat city such as Portsmouth.

Among many other research areas and strengths, these are just a few examples of the types of activity within the Environment Network. It is important to remember that this is a member driven network and therefore communication is key to success. Let us know what you are doing, what you are proud of and anything you would like to share at [email protected]. Likewise, if you are looking for new partners or ways to collaborate with other faculties or institutions then we can help.

Tom GreenwoodSustainability and Environment Facilitator


2016 continues to be a busy and fruitful year for UPAN with an ever increasing membership and engagement with a number of members from both within the University and the wider community.

A particular highlight was the successful Inaugural University of Portsmouth Ageing Network Conference: ‘Working Together to Support Healthy Ageing’ held in June and co-sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Research UK South Coast Network.

Following a number of steering meetings with UPAN members it was agreed that the day should reflect the overarching vision of UPAN, that of being an inclusive and innovative network, working together to support healthy ageing and that it should be externally facing to incorporate the skills, expertise and knowledge of our wide membership. The conference clearly demonstrated that UPAN is an interdisciplinary and multi-professional network of individuals from across the University working in collaboration with NHS, local authorities, business, charities, community

groups, members of the public and other academia, in the broad field of ageing.

It was extremely pleasing to see on the day over 150 delegates representing the wide spectrum of UPAN membership, with over 60 members actively contributing to the day’s programme, a range of interactive stands, stalls and poster presentations, all providing evidence of the flourishing research and service provision happening within the University and the wider health and social care field.

‘…met incredibly interesting people at #UPAN2016 this morning and now at my desk inspired by some of the comments this morning’.

The conference, opened by the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Graham Gailbraith, was a blend of keynote speakers, interactive workshops, short talks and exhibition space, which was a platform for displaying innovations and technology with hands-on interaction and posters. The conference provided lots of opportunity for networking, as well as presenting some of the leading and emerging research and innovation work being undertaken across the network.

The morning keynote speaker, Sophie Edwards (Shared Intelligence, Organisational Development Consultant) presented a fascinating talk on the processes, value and development of successful networks.

‘Really enjoyed the day. I had no idea that the University reached out to the local area…..glad the emphasis was on the ‘impact’/ end result, on end-stage users’.

This was followed by a series of interactive workshops, covering a wide range of topics. These included: Working together with the public in research and innovation; Working together to improve and deliver local services; Panel debate – How to do dementia research; and speed networking.

‘…genuinely the best conference I’ve ever been to. Learning so much, and meeting so many valuable new contacts. Feeling inspired’

The afternoon session showcased examples of the innovative and ground-breaking research currently underway within the University. Researchers presented short talks on areas of research and included: Professor Anastasia Callaghan and colleagues (IBBS): How can bio-scientist support healthy ageing; Professor Jim Briggs (School of Computing): What can computer scientist and engineers do to support human ageing; Mr Mark Liddle (Health and Safety Laboratory): What’s being done about the designed environment to help reduce falls and injuries and; Dr Cressida Bowyer (CCI): What can the creative industries do to support healthy ageing?

The conference ended with a thought provoking keynote presentation from Professor Martin Severs (Medical Director of the Health and Social Care Information Centre) entitled: Digital transformation and the older person.

‘…great pace…great diversity of attendees, very knowledgeable speakers. Enjoyed the innovative little touches like the network map…’

Throughout the day, delegates were able to peruse the exhibition space that housed a number of stalls promoting affiliated networks, local statutory agencies, community and voluntary health and social care groups and poster presentations from University researchers. They were also able to visit ‘hands-on’ interactive and technology stands, again demonstrating the exciting developments that are happening in this field within the University.

Delegates also visited the conference ‘Video Blog’. Here they recorded their thoughts of the day, letting us know what they believed UPAN could be doing more of and suggesting topics that they thought would be of value for the University to research in the field of ‘healthy ageing’.

Conference programme

Lively networking at the Conference

The University of Portsmouth Research short-talks

From left to right: Head of School, School of Health Sciences and Social Work, Dr Chris Markham and keynote speaker, Prof Martin Severs

Solent NHS Trust Research and Development

To find out more about the work of UPAN contact: Amy Drahota, Derek Ward and Nicky Ansell.T: 023 9284 4432E: [email protected]: www.port.ac.uk/university-of-portsmouth-ageing-network

University of Portsmouth Ageing Network (UPAN)

https://twitter.com/hashtag/UPAN2016?src=hash

https://prezi.com/41fehlhinz9m/copy-of-health-networks/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy)

https://gallery.mailchimp.com/26a20b151c2390cac17399941/files/IBBS_UPAN_talk.pdf

https://gallery.mailchimp.com/26a20b151c2390cac17399941/files/IBBS_UPAN_talk.pdf

https://gallery.mailchimp.com/26a20b151c2390cac17399941/files/Briggs_CS_and_Eng_support_ageing.pdf



https://gallery.mailchimp.com/26a20b151c2390cac17399941/files/Mark_Liddle.pdf



https://gallery.mailchimp.com/26a20b151c2390cac17399941/files/Martin_Severs.pdf

https://gallery.mailchimp.com/26a20b151c2390cac17399941/files/Martin_Severs.pdf

Evolving research ethics at the University of PortsmouthDr Simon Kolstoe talks about his new role, as the University Ethics Adviser, here.

It is perhaps not well known that both HEFCE and RCUK require a robust system for ethically reviewing research projects if the University is to continue receiving funding. Quite apart from any moral obligations felt by researchers, documents such as Universities UK’s Concordat To Support Research Integrity ensure that the University must encourage researchers to consider all their work in light of ethical principles along with seeking review by an ethics committee operating independently from governance and management structures. Far from being an additional administrative hurdle, HEFCE and most funding councils argue that good ethical review represents a significant value-adding exercise as it helps researchers consider the impact of their research from the perspective of both their participants and wider society. In recent years the University of Portsmouth has been fortunate to have this agenda driven by David Carpenter who has been responsible for setting up the current university-wide research ethics review system.

David initially trained in nursing before transitioning into political and moral philosophy with a particular interest in health care. As a longstanding chair of an NHS research ethics committee, and active member of the Association for Research Ethics (AfRE – that he will shortly be chairing), David was able to bring considerable external experience to the task of establishing a robust internal research ethics review system. This has been critical to the establishment of a research infrastructure to complement the University’s growing research aspirations. As part of this role David spent considerable effort providing training to researchers including organising the biennial Research Ethics and Governance Conference (along with RIS’s Denise Teasdale). Prior to his retirement as University Ethics Adviser at the end of June this year, David used this conference to give an entertaining and inspiring farewell address.

Entitled ‘The end to research ethics as we know it,’ and linked to the conference topic of internet mediated research, David argued that continuing technological development produces new ethical challenges that existing review frameworks are not well able to address. In particular, he argued that the research ethics community must remain conscious of its rhetorical and dialectical structures if it is to support new types of research. Current review frameworks seem particularly focused on issues such as gaining informed consent, ensuring anonymity and not recruiting minors, despite such a focus prohibiting (or at least making very difficult) some important research. Consider for instance a researcher who is interested in understanding online child exploitation through monitoring internet forums. From a general ethical perspective this is highly laudable research as in the long run it may protect many children, but any attempt to design such research would encounter significant obstacles due to the current research ethics paradigm. David suggested that the reason for this is an example of a category error as research committees assume that good ethical research must always look a certain way, whilst in reality the research environment is moving much faster than the ethical paradigm can adapt. David’s solution is to move away from consequentialist or duty based ethical approaches into a consideration of virtue ethics, focusing less on methodology and more on the motivation of the researchers themselves – surely a motivation to understand and reduce child exploitation should be considered alongside how exactly consent will be obtained?

In taking over from David as the University Ethics Adviser, I face a considerable challenge both practically and intellectually. David has always been cheerful and helpful to all researchers whilst at the same time not afraid to challenge assumptions and the status quo. Indeed I first met David when he came before the NHS research ethics committee that I chaired, witnessing first-hand his indomitable and expert support for a Portsmouth academic. Whilst I cannot hope to adopt his style (my wardrobe is lacking Fedora’s and sharp suits), I do hope to be able to do justice to his legacy, continuing to build upon the solid foundation that he has established. Indeed David would be keen to point out that he hasn’t gone far. Despite his retirement, he is still teaching moral and political philosophy at the University. I look forward to his constructive criticism as we continue to build an ethical research culture in Portsmouth.

Dr Simon Kolstoe University Ethics Adviser

From left to right – David Carpenter and Dr Simon Kolstoe

From left to right – Dr Lisa Sugiura, ICJS; Harry Evans, Research Analyst, Social Research Institute, Ipsos MORI; David Carpenter and Denise Teasdale, Research Manager (REF and Governance), Research and Innovation Services


Introducing…


How has your career led you to become the Partnership Facilitator between the University and the Portsmouth Hospitals trust?After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2003, I worked here for a couple of years as a Research Assistant in Humanities. I then spent a decade at Portsmouth City Council, supporting partnerships that included the local health system and the University to address key challenges facing the city. So in many ways this new role is an extension of a career built on helping organisations to work together on shared goals.

Tell us about your job role and how you see it working?This new job was created to build collaborations between PHT and the University around education, research and innovation. There are three key elements to my role:

• enabling connections • developing collaborations• delivering capacity

So, for example, it is about linking researchers at the University with clinicians at PHT to develop new ideas that improve people’s lives. Then finding ways to bring in other disciplines across both organisations to grow those projects. And creating shared resources that support people to do more, together.

What do you hope to achieve in your first year?I want people to have a shared understanding of what PHT and the University of Portsmouth are trying to achieve together, and remove some of the barriers that currently get in the way. We will have developed some new research collaborations that can lead to grants, high impact publications etc. And we will be working on some workforce development plans for staff at PHT, delivered by the University of Portsmouth.

What has been your greatest achievement with the role, so far?Getting R&D set-up costs waived for the University of Portsmouth researchers at PHT. It’s a really challenging financial time in the NHS and the need to cover costs is pressing, but through the partnership we were able to make the case that nurturing the research relationship with the University was the priority.

How can your role help the researchers and innovators at the University of Portsmouth?The hospital is a fantastic resource, with 7,000 staff treating half a million patients each year, and with a real commitment to research and innovation. I can help people at the University by linking you with the right people or by developing new ways of working to support you to collaborate more effectively.

What do you perceive as the biggest challenge going forward?For me the challenge is about how we grow some of the fantastic research collaborations we already have into much bigger grant-funded programmes.

What’s the most exciting upcoming opportunity for the University and the hospital to work together on?There are so many, but to pick just one I think the opportunity to improve the lives of dialysis patients in the Renal Department – with work underway with the School of Engineering, Sports and Exercise Science, the School of Health Sciences and Social Work and the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences.

When you are not at work, what would we most likely find you doing?Putting off until tomorrow whatever I should be doing today. How can people get in touch with you?I split my time between the Research and Innovation office at QA Hospital and the University where I am in St Michael’s 2.01. Always happy to meet for a chat about any ideas people may have. Please contact me at [email protected] or 023 9284 4519.

Matthew Gummerson

Matt GummersonMatthew Gummerson is the Partnership Facilitator for the University of Portsmouth and Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust (PHT). He tells us more about his role and the value it can add to the University of Portmouth.

Introducing…


Lisa RhodesLisa Rhodes has been appointed by the University as the Continuing Professional Development Director. She tells us about this new role.

The role of Director of CPD has been created as a result of the University’s strategic ambition to grow CPD activity with industry, the public sector and the wider community at a local, regional, national and international level. This 12-month project post will initially take responsibility for a strategic review of the existing provision and unmet demand, allowing the development of an understanding of the market for CPD at the University, by undertaking an in-depth analysis of opportunities.

Having been with the University of Portsmouth for a short time, I was not expecting to have a change in role quite so soon. When the opportunity arose to be part of a University-wide initiative, in a key position to drive forward development and delivery of CPD activity however, it was one I did not want to ignore. My previous experience of leading a Professional Development Unit and as Director of Business Engagement saw me working with education providers and employers across the South-East to upskill teaching staff and the regional workforce. As an advocate for lifelong learning and understanding the significant impact that workplace training and development can have, both on individual employees and on businesses and organisations as a whole, I know that this new role is vital to establishing University of Portsmouth as a ‘provider of choice’ for workforce development.

I am already aware of the excellent and valuable programmes and courses currently being delivered by staff across the University and I am excited by the opportunities that can arise from exploring how these can be developed further. I know we have the expertise to deliver a comprehensive portfolio for current and emerging workforce skills and needs. Over the next 12 months, I hope to drive the expansion of our current work to new markets, working closely with academic and support staff across the University. I know that there are challenges ahead, working across a complex organisation, with a range of established systems and processes already in place, but I believe that by working together, sharing best practice and through identifying innovative solutions, this is an area that can grow substantially. I have already been overwhelmed by the amount of interest from across the University there is in developing this area of work.

Lisa Rhodes

Introducing…


Hit the headlines directly, with The Conversation

In the Media and Communications team, we work with many academic colleagues to promote their work. It’s about more than getting a headline; we’re looking to help that research have an impact on policies and practices throughout the UK and globally.

But getting coverage can be hit and miss. That’s why we’re excited about having joined The Conversation – a news website in which academics and researchers are in the driving seat. It is they who pitch ideas, writing the articles, and provide expert comment on the issues of the day, supported by The Conversation’s team of expert editors. The University’s media and communications team will also provide support and advice.

With a massive audience of 2.6 million readers, contributed content can influence global discussions on academics’ specialist subjects. Because of its international reputation, and with its content being available free through Creative Commons licensing to world media, the most engaging and newsworthy articles have a potential reach of 35 million readers.

The benefits go beyond writing for The Conversation alone. Many contributing academics have been invited to write as a contributor for broadsheet newspapers and specialist magazines. In turn, they are able to raise their profile among key influencers in their specialist area, as well as meeting one of the University’s headline strategic goals of raising the profile of their subject, department and the University around the world.

Our membership of The Conversation includes face-to-face news writing training. This is on campus by one of the site’s editors. Numbers are limited and we’ll be working with The Conversation to identify attendees.

How it worksAcademics and researchers sign up online, after which they can pitch ideas for content to the site’s editors. Contributors can be in any stage of their research career from doctoral student onwards.

The site uses approximately 800-word articles aimed at an informed lay reader wanting depth and insight on a wide range of subjects. Content is written for a reading age of 16 (for comparison, most UK broadsheet newspapers aim at a reading age of 14-year old and mid-market tabloids aim at a reading age of 11-year-old. Content is either asked for by the site’s editors or offered by an academic and is usually live within 12–24 hours.

A number of colleagues are already signed up and are contributing articles, and now that we are full members we hope many more will do so. Kate Daniell, Senior Marketing and Communications Officer

https://theconversation.com/become-an-author

Public good project: The Conversation aims to provide thoughtful, useful and informed content

When research hits the headlines


Earlier in the year, Anastasia Callaghan and John McGeehan were appointed as the new Co-Directors of the University’s Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Sciences (IBBS).

With welcome support and encouragement, a new vision for IBBS was subsequently created. This set out to recognise IBBS as:

‘An Internationally-Leading Cross-Disciplinary Institute for Fundamental and Translational Research in the Biomedical

and Biomolecular Fields’.

Staff and students are the most crucial asset and will remain at the heart of IBBS’ success. With this in mind, the first task was to arrange a research/away day, which took place on Wednesday 8 June 2016. The event balanced a staff engagement session, allowing Anastasia and John to communicate their vision, with research talks from PGR students.

Engagement sessionAnastasia and John launched the day by reflecting on the recent excellent REF achievements whilst recognizing IBBS’s great untapped potential to achieve much more. After they explained the reasoning behind the new vision statement, the groundwork was set for the morning engagement exercise. Attendees were encouraged to log their thoughts, ideas and suggestions on

a number of topics. These ranged from approaches that could be used to improve communication within IBBS, to issues with its web-presence and the timing of the seminar series. With the support of facilitators from RIS and the Faculty, there was much debate and lively

discussion. Some truly excellent insights were gained and these will be shared with the IBBS members during an upcoming follow-up session.

Postgraduate research sessionThe afternoon saw a return to the scientific heart of IBBS, with PhD students showcasing the diverse research being conducted, through poster and oral presentations. The generosity of the event sponsors, Qiagen, Bio-Rad, Brand GMBH + CO KG and Fisher Scientific, meant that first, second and runner-up prizes could be awarded for both oral and poster presentation categories. After much deliberation by the judging team consisting of the School Heads, the Faculty Research and Innovation Leads, and the Dean of Science, Professor Taraneh Dean, had great pleasure in presenting the awards to the winners.

Networking with Pimms and ice creamThe day drew to a close with Anastasia and John thanking all those involved in making the event a success. Dr Rhiannon Lloyd and Harry Mallinder, received a special mention for their hard work in supporting the organisation and smooth running of the event. Professor Dean concluded proceedings with words which really summed up the positivity of the day and the collective enthusiasm for IBBS going forward under the leadership of the new co-directors. With attendees feeling reinvigorated, they adjourned to Ravelin Park for a Pimms and ice cream networking reception.

Looking towards the futureGiven the clear steer from the University, IBBS has a key role in successfully delivering the Research and Innovation Strategy and supporting the recently identified thematic areas. IBBS needs to be versatile in responding to the changing funding landscape, able to diversify its income streams, build a stronger external profile and network, and improve its REF metrics.

The valuable contributions from attendees at the engagement session, are already instigating change. For example, following discussions with our new Director of Marketing and Communications, Dorothy Albrecht, plans are in place to collate the content for a revamped online presence. A creative media company with a professional photographer has been tasked with generating images that capture IBBS’ fantastic equipment and research successes over the next year. With a view to resolving the seminar series’ issues, holding sessions at 12.30pm and providing a lunch reception will be trialed over the coming months to assist with accessibility and networking opportunities.

Autumn will see the formal IBBS review process taking place, involving external advisors providing their input and guidance as well as a ‘Going Forward’ workshop with IBBS staff and students. By the end of 2016–early 2017, with an agreed strategy and implementation plan in place, 2017 should represent an exciting year for IBBS and its members.

Look out for regular updates from IBBS in future editions of Research and Innovation News.

IBBS updateNews from the University’s Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Sciences

Dr Anastasia Callaghan and Dr John McGeehan

IBBS staff participating in the engagement exercises IBBS staff participating in the engagement exercises.

Top row, left to right, Charlotte Mardle, Natalia Chira and Billie Dolphin receive poster prizes from Professor Taraneh Dean. Bottom row, left to right, Carlanne Stone, Amanda Corla and Louise Kelly receive talk prizes.


CCI round-up

Dean of the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries wins prestigious Textile Society’s Critical Writing Award 2016Catherine Harper, Professor of Textiles, has won the Textile Society Critical Writing Award to carry out further empirical object analysis of the textile artefacts of Bloody Sunday.

This award will allow Professor Harper to fund another trip to the Museum of Free Derry in Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The Museum have granted permission for Professor Harper to undertake a detailed study of Father Edward Daly’s handkerchief, used in the iconic press image, as a cease fire flag for removal of the body of 17-year-old Jackie Duddy, during the shooting on Bloody Sunday in 1972.

Although there are many press cuttings and other documents archived, many are unexamined and these provide significant scholarly background to the material culture work necessary on the textile itself. To help explore one of the most infamous episodes in modern British history, Professor Harper will be using Professor Lou Taylor’s dress culture research methodology to engage with the textile, and undertake a novel literary approach via James Fenimore Cooper’s Autobiography of a Pocket Handkerchief, as well as

a standard auto-ethnographic approach to creating a definite textile text for publication in TEXT.

Professor Harper said: ‘I’m delighted and honoured to have been chosen as the recipient of this award, which means I will be able to return to Northern Ireland to continue my work around this textile, which is of enormous cultural and political significance.’

As well as publication, Professor Harper plans to approach BBC Northern Ireland about creating a short piece for radio of television based on this textile as part of her wider Stained and Bloodied Cloths of Ireland series.

Professor of Design and Innovation International field tripsDuring summer 2016, Professor Joan Farrer, Associate Dean Enterprise and Innovation represented the Faculty of CCI at the University of Portsmouth at three international conferences, supporting workshops and institutional meetings in Vietnam, Australia and India.

Joan visited Vietnam to attend RMIT University’s campus ‘Producing Fashion: Made in Vietnam fashion colloquia’. The conference and workshops explored how contemporary mass market fashion, textiles and accessories is produced and consumed, drawing attention to practices of sustainable manufacture and entrepreneurship. The events series originated through a network of four institutions: London College of Fashion, University of the Arts, Domus Academy, Milan, Institute Francais de la Mode, Paris and Parsons, The New School of Design, School of Fashion, New York.

This was followed by, The 9th Textile Bioengineering and Informatics Symposium, The 6th Asian Protective Clothing Conference (APCC) in Melbourne, Australia. Joan gave a keynote to scientists on her work and funded projects in design innovation for wellbeing using smart materials focussing on transdisciplinary methodology for societal good. The Textile Bioengineering and Informatics Society (TBIS) is a Hong Kong based charitable organization created to foster, develop and promote all aspects of science and technology in bioengineering of materials, fibers and textiles. Conference proceedings will be published in The Journal of Fiber Bioengineering and Informatics, an important journal in the field.

The final of Joan’s events was the Sixth Euro-India International Conference on Holistic Medicine (ICHM) in Kottayam, India.

Joan gave a keynote highlighting design and science working practices for healthcare innovations focussing project examples

from the Faculty of Creative and Cultural industries. Four transdisciplinary research projects in progress were presented, expected to produce new types of holistic research and solutions using mixed methods for textiles and biomedical applications in the design, science and innovation arena.

This marked an exciting summer for colleagues within CCI, with many attending and speaking at conferences around the world. Within the School of Architecture, Dr Fabiano Lemes attended History – Theory – Resilience, The 17th International Planning History Conference (17–22 July 2016), in Delft, The Netherlands. Louis Netter represented the School of Art and Design, in Barcelona, at The IAFOR International Conference on the City 2016 (16–18 July 2016). From the School of Media and Performing Arts: Dr George Burrows attended Song, Stage and Screen XI, (23–30 July 2016), in New York, Dr Jo Bucknall headed to Stockholm, Sweden for The International Federation for Theatre Research (June 2016) and Dr Laura MacDonald went to Bodies at Work: Performance, Labour and ATHE @ 30 (10–14 August 2016) in Chicago.

Within CCI, we are proud of our growing research and innovation culture, with these colleagues paving the way on an international stage.

Professor Joan Farrer representing CCI at The 9th Textile Bioengineering and Informatics Symposium, The 6th Asian Protective Clothing Conference (APCC) in Melbourne, Australia.

Image courtesy of: www.derrynow.com


Economic analysisA PBS economist has helped overhaul economic development plans for the ArRiyadh region in Saudi Arabia. Working as a subject matter expert with a team assembled by Deloitte Middle East, Paul Lovejoy, of the Economics and Finance subject group, provided advice to the ArRiyadh Development Authority as it updated its strategy for the region surrounding Saudi capital Riyadh.

The project coincided with the advent of lower oil prices for the world’s largest exporter of crude oil, and commenced with a review of the existing economic strategy. It quickly became apparent that ambitious forecasts for migration out of metropolitan Riyadh into the surrounding region had not materialised.

As Paul explained: ‘The relationship between capital cities and their surrounding regions are always complex, and in the case of Riyadh it was clear that rising development costs and increasing congestion were not yet sufficient to spur businesses into consider relocating to the surrounding ArRiyadh region.’

An exciting aspect of the project was a desire to draw on global best practice in economic development. Paul contributed to

this by drawing on his previous experience in economic development spanning London and South East England, also providing bespoke training for senior Development Authority staff.

‘We encountered a huge desire to investigate deeply and draw appropriate lessons from relevant examples across the globe,’ Paul said. ‘Translating these lessons into results on the ground of course presents huge challenges, but the genuine interest in understanding what works bodes well for the future development of the region.’

The project concluded with a series of recommendations for the ArRiyadh Development Authority, including working much more closely with businesses and communities throughout the region. In Paul’s view: ‘This project confirmed once again that successful economic development relies on effective investment, institutional capacity building and working with stakeholders. If any one of these three pillars is absent, the best strategy in the world will simply sit on the bookshelf gathering dust.’

PBS round-upResearch and innovation activities at Portsmouth Business School cover multiple areas – from submitting RCUK research bids to in-company courses to KTPs. To give a flavour of these diverse activities, this page highlights some recent examples of work by our colleagues in the areas of productivity assessment and improvement; economic analysis; and short courses and training.

Paul Lovejoy

TrainingLiz Sharples, a Senior Teaching Fellow in Travel and Tourism Management within the Marketing and Sales subject group of the Business School, recently conducted a workshop for retail branch managers in Gunwharf Quays.

The workshop looked at issues around tourism and the expectations of consumers from different cultural backgrounds. It aimed to help prepare the retail managers for increasing numbers of customers from other countries and cultures, particularly with events such as the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series sailing event, which was expected to bring a large number of foreign tourists to the city.

The workshop comprised of twenty delegates and included input from students from countries including China, Russia, Portugal and Hong Kong, who were able to offer the retail managers the benefit of their first-hand understanding of the expectations of their own cultural, and their own experiences of cultural differences between their countries and the UK.

ProductivityAs part of a KTP led by the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, the Business School provided strategic advice and guidance to DustScan Ltd, a spin-off company of the University of Leeds.

Paul Ankers, of the Strategy, Enterprise and Innovation subject group of the Business School, provided academic support to a research associate based at the company, and offered guidance to DustScan on strategic business analysis and planning.

Alongside the KTP, Paul also supervised teams of Executive MBA students to provide consultancy to DustScan on cash-flow and business management issues, and then to offer a review of the market for dust monitoring on solar farms. Both MBA projects helped resolve issues for the company, with their turnover for 2015–2016 up by 25 per cent and profits up by 100 per cent.

University students with Professor Geoffrey Walton (far right) MD Dustscan Ltd

Liz Sharples and PBS students delivering workshop for retail branch managers in Gunwharf Quays


Cell Block Studios officially opened on 22 SeptemberWe are pleased to announce that Cell Block Studios officially opened to members of the public on Thursday 22 September.

The launch event was formally opened by Professor Pal Ahluwalia, the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation and Flick Drummond, MP for Portsmouth South. Among those attending the launch were members of the University Executive Board, Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust staff and trustees, and local representatives of the arts, cultural and creative industries. During the launch event visitors were given tours of the converted, 19th Century, Grade 1 listed Victorian prison block, and also got the chance to meet some of the new businesses who are moving into the studio cells.

The building will be the University’s focal point for working with the creative and digital businesses in the city, which will benefit from being part of a community, having access to free events and dedicated support from a Business Development Manager, and will look to create over 400 jobs between now and 2021.

Small business updateHow did Brexit affect the small business community?Regardless of the outcome, the EU Referendum came and went in a frenzy. The ramifications on small businesses could be seen months before the vote itself actually came to take place, and some are still feeling the effects.

When we look at Innovation Space as a business, we average eight to ten enquiries a month with two to three new members. But in the two months before the Referendum, we saw just four enquiries and one new member. Some enterprise centres reported zero enquiries for nearly five months and we all heard the same reasons – ‘We’re waiting to see what happens with Brexit’.

This effect was also seen in business support enterprises who noted a drop in enquiries for people starting their own company. The level of enquiries, including those typically in employment looking to start their own business, dropped in the build up to the 23 June 2016. Anecdotally, most businesses in Innovation Space noted a downturn in trade months before the vote.

We’ve also seen effects not dissimilar to those experienced by HEI’s involved in EU funding consortiums. One business has been forced to find a new collaborator, to provide additional financial support, and others are waiting to find out whether or not bids for EU funding allocated by BIS will be accepted or if the structure of the funding schemes will change.

Whilst some of these implications will take time to resolve, we are starting to see a return to normal. Enquiries are increasing, although notably July and August are quieter months, and, for us, it’s business as usual as we continue to offer support to the start-up and small business community.

Portsmouth continues to grow its small business economyWhen Innovation Space launched in late 2013 the picture in Portsmouth was not inspiring. There were large scale redundancies announced, at the Dockyard and IBM, alongside a historically low start-up rate (four per 1,000 residents) and higher failure rate over two years, 75–80 per cent, compared with the national average around 50 per cent.

Two and a half years later, we’re seeing a shift to this previously negative outlook. A recent report by Barclays had shown steady growth over the past 18 months, up to the end of the first quarter of 2016, and the Solent LEP recently published a report that showed that we’re now the second highest rated city for start-ups (at 10.4 per 1,000 residents) across Hampshire.

Although a stretch to claim this work is the sole result of what we do, we’ve had several businesses tell us over the past few months that the work we’ve been doing gave them the confidence to start their company. A truly rewarding effort that we’ve got them from concept to first customers as a result of our business support programmes.

There’s still space for understanding what’s happening on a larger scale for businesses in Portsmouth. Knowing the failure rates and reasons for this at a local level can help feed into better support and resources for these companies.

We’re keen to start moving on to a much more strategic use of the Innovation Spaces and use the skills, knowledge, experience, and networks the University is a part of, to start influencing these start-up successes on a broader city and regional scale.

Flick Drummond MP (Portsmouth South) cutting the cake at the Cell Block Studios launch event

Colin Walker, Cell Block Studios’ Manager with event attendees in upstairs meeting room at Cell Block

Flick Drummond MP and Professor Pal Ahluwalia, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation in one of the office spaces


Working towards Small Business Charter Excellence

Small Business Charter (SBC): Taking forward an agenda for successful reaccreditation 2019-2020 by Portsmouth Business School on behalf of the University.

Since the last newsletter, the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) has recently changed their Small Business Charter Award from having three levels – bronze, silver and gold – to a kitemark system. A kitemark can be awarded for a period of three or five years, depending on the outcome of CABS’ assessment.

The three key criteria for achieving an award remain the same:• Actively support the growth of small firms• Actively engage with other stakeholders in the growth agenda• Provide students with relevant start-up support.

One of the main purposes of the SBC is to champion Universities and Business Schools who are committed to supporting SMEs. In recognition of particular specialisms offered by certain Universities, those considered best in class, SBC are encouraging them to detail three areas to be considered worthy of exemplar status.

We are now seeking to build on the success of this Award which will require work to sustain, as well as implement new initiatives, and to identify and develop our three best in class specialisms. Pat Smith has been appointed as the Faculty’s Enterprise Development Manager. It will be her role to ensure that when the time comes to submit the re-accreditation in November 2019, the University will be awarded the SBC kitemark for another five years.

Pat Smith Pat has a wealth of project management experience and has successfully delivered several high quality programmes in the region. Upon taking up the role on 18 July 2016, she said: ‘This is a terrific opportunity for me to actively drive the University’s Small Business agenda.

‘I am really excited by the prospect of engaging with our local small businesses and exploring ways we can support them, and in turn, ways they can mentor and encourage our students looking to start up their own businesses. The kitemark reaccreditation will be not only a badge of honour for the University, but a measure of how successful I have been in role.’

Pat is working on her project plans over the coming weeks and will be seeking information and support from colleagues from across the organisation.

This is just one of the many examples illustrating how the University’s Strategy is being delivered; demonstrating our commitment to ensure our students receive relevant and career-enhancing activities, and our role in contributing to economic and social development in the City and across the region.

Small business update

Pat Smith


RIS launch University-wide Research and Innovation Enabling FundOn 8 July 2016 RIS staff held an information event in Park 2.23 where they described the details of the Research and Innovation Enabling Fund (RIEF).

The University has funds available in 2016–2017 to enable activities that support the implementation of the University Research and Innovation strategy. RIEF will be used flexibly, and to maximum effect and return, to support the following strands of activities:

• Research and Innovation Development – funds to pump-prime research and innovation activity, and small pilot projects which are expected to support the development of external funding bids or contracts. Equipment will not be funded (RIS sponsor: Colin Waring, [email protected]).

• Impact Acceleration – support for the development of impact case studies and evidence of impact for REF (RIS Sponsor: Dee Summers, [email protected]).

For further information about how RIEF can support the following activities, please contact RIS at [email protected]:

• Mobility – where funds are not available in departments/faculties, to facilitate collaboration building – these should be linked to future funding bids, to commercialisation or impact activities and are designed for short visits. Requests to attend trade shows/conferences, not normally accessible to academic researchers, may also be considered.

• Staff Exchanges – funds to enable exchanges of one week to three months between UoP staff and a member of staff at an external organisation, academic or non-academic collaborator; such exchanges are to develop new collaborations and to enhance relationships for the co-production of research, innovation and/or impact activities.

• Bid writing support for complex, multi-party bids – use of funds to employ professional bid writers or coordinators.

• Commercialisation activities – funds to support proof-of-concept studies, the development of commercial products and services, as well as investigation of market potential and engagement of external advisors.

The emphasis for all strands will be to focus on activities which are not currently supported by faculties and departments, and to resource areas which have the greatest potential for return on investment through achievement of University KPIs relating to Research and Innovation. Inter-disciplinary and collaborative working is particularly encouraged. Support for the activity will be required from the Head of Department and relevant ADR/ADIs.

All applications will require a RIS sponsor – that is, applicants must discuss their proposed use of the funds with a member of RIS, who will direct them to the appropriate strand, assist them with the application and submission. Direct submissions to panel will not be accepted.

There will be a formal call for applications for the Research and Innovation Development Fund – likely to take the form of an Expression of Interest, followed by a pitch to a panel. For all other strands, applications will be accepted at any time during the 2016/7 financial year, with funding decisions made in September, January, May and June (or exceptionally by Chair’s action, if an urgent decision is required).

All successful applicants will be required to submit a final report, setting out what has been delivered as a result of the funding, e.g. research outputs, collaborations, funding bids, evidence of impact, personal skills development. Reports on such developments may be requested periodically after the end of the activity, and are used by RIS to demonstrate and evidence return on investment and to encourage further investments from the University in RIEF.

Research and Innovation Enabling Fund event – 8 July 2016


Inaugurals update

Professor Arthur ButtBrain glue: where would we be without it?

Arthur Butt took us on an entertaining journey in his inaugural lecture on 16 March 2016, from his undergraduate degree in Marine Biology, through to becoming interested in glia cells and arriving at the University of Portsmouth.

Arthur travelled and worked in many different places including Middlesex Hospital where he met Geoff Pilkington and John Dobbin before going on to do his PhD at Kings College on the blood brain barrier, studied dogfish, travelled to Yale to look at glia cells in mice, and worked in Guys and St Thomas’ hospital before coming to work at Portsmouth.

Arthur talked through the various projects he had worked on with his PhD students including epilepsy research, new glia-based therapies for the lifelong health of the brain, increase in glial cells in people with bipolar, then spinal injury and why wires cannot regenerate due to glia.

Arthur has funding from the Multiple Sclerosis Society regarding disruptions in myelin and how this causes a slowed or blocked nerve signal. He also has funding from Alzheimer’s Research UK regarding how to slow or halt the loss of myelin in the brain, which decreases as we get older losing the ability regenerate.

Arthur said that he worked with fantastic PhD students – ‘The right ideas, the right place, the right support and the right people’ and ended his lecture with a slideshow giving credit to his family.

Professor Lorraine Hope Memory at the sharp end: The psychology of eliciting information

Given the substantial amount of terrorist acts and vicious crimes, reported in the news recently, the subject matter of Professor Lorraine Hope’s inaugural lecture (27 April 2016) was highly topical. The research that Lorraine and her team have carried out on memory performance under challenging conditions has contributed to the development of enhanced memory elicitation from eyewitnesses. It has had particular influence on operational eyewitnesses such as police officers and military personnel, who have experienced life at the sharp end.

Lorraine started the lecture by explaining why the memory is prone to forgetfulness, error and incompleteness. She highlighted the significant challenges posed when trying to elicit reliable information from eyewitnesses and discussed the effects of increased stress, physical exertion and personal threat on memory performance. She also talked about the development of high quality interviewing techniques including Self-Administered Interview (SAI), the Self-Administered Witness Interview Tool (SAW-IT), the Timeline Technique and the Structured Interview Protocol. In addition, she emphasised the importance of working with external practitioners who had made a tremendous contribution to her research.

Lorraine’s passion and determination to turn knowledge into actions to address some real-world issues was truly inspirational.

Professor Arthur Butt

Professor Lorraine Hope

http://www.port.ac.uk/school-of-pharmacy-and-biomedical-sciences/staff/prof-arthur-butt.html

http://www.port.ac.uk/department-of-psychology/staff/lorraine-hope.html


Professor Humphrey SouthallAuditing a divided nation – A new map of Britain’s changing economy and society 1841–2021

Humphrey’s inaugural lecture, on the 4 May 2016, was introduced by Professor Paul Hayes (Pro Vice-Chancellor) who walked the audience through Humphrey’s career, which started with a PhD around the Origins of Britain’s North/South divide at Cambridge and subsequently led to his interest in geographical boundaries and, with lottery funding, the Vision of Britain web resource.

Humphrey explained that his team collect data and that some of the census data being used comes from as far back as his PhD. He went on to explain that a big part of his work is reclassifying and redistrictifying old data to match modern standards.

He explained, the first four censuses were conducted by a method known as Ask the Vicar so the data was not trustworthy as most parishes reported no manufacturing, so his work could not use data before 1841. He also explained that there are some interesting obstacles to overcome when occupations such as aeronaut are recorded before the invention of the aeroplane has taken place.

Humphrey talked about the four great evils of his research and took the audience on a statistical journey examining issues such as unemployment and its link to activities such as suicide and some of the more eclectic correlations that can be derived such as how being poor makes you more likely to be unsteady on your feet.

The lecture finished with a thank you from Professor Taraneh Dean, the Dean of the Faculty of Science.

Professor Joan Farrer...Necessity is the Mother of Invention… From the Republic, Book 2, 369C, Plato

On 11 May 2016, Joan Farrer took us on a journey, following her passions and what drives her work. Joan has previously worked with many large companies including the Burton Group, Marks and Spencer PLC, through to introducing non-grocery goods into Tesco. Her current work concentrates on applied research for real world solutions, societal well-being and Design Thinking, combined with transdisciplinary collaborations with STEM colleagues.

As part of her academic journey, Joan decided to pursue a PhD at the Royal College of Art, following the global journey of a wool fibre from the farm through to garment manufacture and disposal, looking at the social and environmental costs. She then produced garments to explain it, believing in visualising research for complex information dissemination. A UK Industrial fashion retailer used her PhD model to design a new method of transparent manufacture and global sourcing. The sustainability element which underpins her work has led her to research smart and interactive materials for clothing and wellbeing.

Transdisciplinarity is a major factor in Joan’s work, with projects such as Barrier Solutions: melanoma prevention using design for behavioural change and smart textiles that change colour as an early warning system and smart conductive materials for earthquake regions. Joan is alsoworking on PONToon – Partnership Opportunities using New Technologies fostering sOcial and ecOnomic inclusioN, looking at female social inclusion underpinned by tools and methods from the digital economy and has recently achieved funding with EU partners for DERMA ‘design for enabling regenerative materials’.

‘She is stellar’ remarked Professor Catherine Harper in her closing statement, and after a journey through her life most agree #joanrocks.

Inaugurals update

Professor Humphrey Southall

From left – Professor Pal Ahluwalia, Professor Joan Farrer and Professor Catherine Harper

http://www.port.ac.uk/department-of-geography/staff/humphrey-southall.html

http://www.port.ac.uk/faculty-of-creative-and-cultural-industries/staff/joan-farrer.html


Inaugurals update

Professor Alessio IshizakaProfessor Alessio Ishizaka – The science of better decisions

Making decisions is something that everybody has to do, and most people would agree that a process to make finding the right answer to decisions would make life a lot easier. Alessio’s research looks at these processes. In his augural lecture on the 25 May 2016, he described how the cycle of basic decision making works – a four step process – and that if you make decisions with transparency, communicate the process clearly, then the decision outcome will be more readily accepted by everybody involved.

Alessio then described some of the projects that he has been working on from deciding the location of where to place a casino in London, to helping map the locations of Wolves in Italy meaning that authorities can make decisions to protect and educate people, as well as a project involving looking at controlling the sea border and how to decide which suspicious vehicles to investigate and has developed a way to aid simulate scenarios.

His latest project looks at participative involvement in health decisions, this is an area he would like to work more in the future and his current project is looking at participative involvement in the decision of whether to have tonsils removed or not.

Professor Liz TwiggFrom whooping cough to cigarettes: a journey in health geography

It’s inevitable that we will face health issues either directly or indirectly through our loved ones at some point in our lives. Professor Liz Twigg delivered a fascinating inaugural lecture on 8 June 2016 about how geography can help improve our understanding of health-related behaviours such as smoking and mental illness.

Liz discussed the social inequalities in health and highlighted the difficulties of working with health data. It was intriguing to learn how both she and her team produced local details which enabled the public health workers to see the geography of smoking for the local area for the first time. The team achieved this by using the multi-level synthetic estimation technique which has been subsequently used for producing health information for other health conditions such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and smoking cessation services.

In addition to talking about her current work, which focuses on looking at the geographies of mental health, Liz highlighted some of the qualitative research carried out by other colleagues on youth smoking. As the lecture drew to a close, Liz shared the exciting news that she has written a book about the influence of big tobacco on the industry, and that it is due to be published very shortly.

Professor Alessio Ishizaka

Professor Liz Twigg

Professor Becky MilneLet them be heard: enabling communication and recall of forensic intervieweesAn inaugural lecture by Becky Milne, Professor of Forensic Psychology

On 22 June 2016, Professor Becky Milne gave an entertaining and informative inaugural lecture. Becky said that there is a ‘media driven stereotype’ of the glamourous, intelligent detective. Some detectives may indeed be glamorous and intelligent, but it is meticulous attention to detail and excellent communication skills that make them a good detective.

An investigation requires the answering of two key questions:’What happened?’ and ‘Who dunnit?’. While there are many laws and regulations surrounding the protection of physical evidence at a crime scene, the memories or victims, witnesses and suspects play a vital part in understanding any crime and these also need to be protected.

Becky specialises in the ‘cognitive interview’, a series of techniques for extracting information. In the lab, these techniques produce 25 per cent to 35 per cent more accurate information. Unfortunately, this has not yet translated to the field; application of these techniques is part of Becky’s current research.

Becky ended her lecture by saying that the techniques she develops are – ‘about allowing someone a voice in society’ – and through this, achieving justice for all.

Professor Becky Milne

http://www.port.ac.uk/operations-and-systems-management/staff/alessio-ishizaka.html

http://www.port.ac.uk/department-of-geography/staff/liz-twigg.html

http://www.port.ac.uk/institute-of-criminal-justice-studies/staff/professor-becky-milne.html


Carlos Zepeda and the Development Studies Group (DSG)Why has the Development Studies Group been formed?The Development Studies Group (DSG) emerges from the realisation that many researchers at the University of Portsmouth were doing incredible research projects in the field of development studies, but were scattered across different disciplines and faculties and often not knowing about each other’s work. We needed a cross-faculty/cross-disciplinary initiative to weave together these researchers and showcase how this rich community of academics are working in development-related issues for poor and vulnerable communities in the developing world. Our research hotspots include regions in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and beyond.

As leader of the group, how do you see it working? Our group works as a participatory network run for and by researchers. The network springs into life inspired by our researchers’ ethos concerned with finding ways to improve the lives of poor and vulnerable people in the developing world. Our researchers stem from a variety of disciplines which include, but are not limited to: anthropology, computing, economics, engineering, environmental research, geography, marketing, medicine, operations research, political science and sociology. The DSG is like a live jigsaw puzzle of researchers who connect together conscious that only in concert can we generate better ideas, knowledge and skills capable of lifting people out of the depths of poverty and social exclusion and/or helping them face threats to their security, to their sustainable livelihoods and their environment.

What are the benefits of cross-study working?Blending together our different forms of knowledge at the Development Studies Group improves the overall effectiveness and impact of our research. Burning issues like poverty, social exclusion, social insecurity or climate change cry out loud for more multidimensional, systemic and sustainable solutions. The only way to do this is by breaking the traditional disciplinary silos in which universities have usually worked and go beyond them. Part of the DSG’s agenda is reaching out to non-academic communities, policy-makers and organisations to increase the real impact of our research into practice.

How does the group link in with the research themes?Our DSG researchers produce knowledge tightly linked to our University’s four cross-disciplinary research themes: democratic citizenship, future and emerging technologies, health and wellbeing, security and risk and sustainability and the environment. This is due to the very nature of the DSG: it is oriented towards exploring burning issues that affect developing countries. Our research pillars include: Just Society, Health and Wellbeing, Water and Aquatic Resources, and Infrastructure and Technology. As a whole, these research pillars add value, flex and extend our research muscle on a global scale, making the University of Portsmouth stand out as a unique player in development issues.

What has been achieved so far?The Development Studies Group has developed into a dynamic and recognisable network of more than eighty researchers at the University of Portsmouth. We have expanded our web of academics with like-minded academics, organisations and

people from developing countries and have begun to also link researchers to development practitioners. This way we aim to foster more multidisciplinary collaborative projects with real impacts in the developing world connecting researchers to opportunities that would have been impossible to apply as individual academics. Furthermore, we are also pleased to have helped organised development studies events, workshops and seminars at our university which have sparked growing interest in development themes. Thanks to the DSG’s efforts, we are bridging the communication gap that isolated many of our researchers and anchored their ideas in restrictive disciplinary silos. The evolving DSG website, blog, newsletters and lively events illustrate some of our efforts in this area.

What do you perceive as the biggest challenge going forward?I think the biggest challenge for our Development Studies Group in the present context is facing as a community of researchers the changing landscape of research funding, especially in a post-Brexit world. We need to empower our academic teams to become more effective and resilient collaborative leaders to adapt to increasing competition in a brave new world of diminishing sources of funding.

How can people get in touch with you?We invite all our academic community working or interested in research related to development issues to join us. So please contact me by email: [email protected] or at my office 023 9284 4158. I am always happy to meet up face-to-face and exchange ideas and suggestions with our researchers.

Dr Carlos Zepeda


Forthcoming events

Writing a Scientific Journal PaperWednesday 19 October 2016Time: 10.00am–4.00pm

*Recommended for staff beginning to establish a research profile*

This course is designed to help you write a paper for a journal and get it published in the most effective way. The course will be provided by Anna Sharman, who has been a Biology postdoctoral researcher, an in-house journal editor and a scientific publishing consultant and who now runs Cofactor, a scientific editing and training company.

The course is suitable for researchers in science, technology and engineering. It will include time to work on an abstract for your own research paper.

To book your place, please visit Eventbrite.

Processes and Support for Submitting Research Funding BidsWednesday 16 November 2016Time: 2.00pm–3.00pm

*Recommended for staff with an established research profile*

Every Research organisation has processes in place to support and approve funding applications to external funders. These processes can differ markedly between organisations. At this workshop the steps involved in making a funding application at the University of Portsmouth will be outlined and participants will be sign-posted to the support and expertise that is available to assist researchers in preparing high quality bids.


Getting the Most out of MentoringThursday 17 November 2016Time: 2.30pm–4.30pm

More than 50 per cent of research and academic staff at the University of Portsmouth have a mentor and mentoring is increasingly being used as a tool to develop research leaders and support researchers at all stages of their careers. This workshop is for members of research and academic staff who are currently either a mentor or a mentee, or are interested in getting involved in a mentoring partnership. The workshop will cover the advantages and responsibilities of being a mentor or a mentee, as well as the practical issues of establishing and setting the expectations of a mentoring partnership. There will be an introduction to models such as GROW, that can be used to structure mentoring conversations. Some of the common pitfalls of mentoring and how to handle them will be addressed using case study approaches. There will be time available to discuss individual issues and ask questions.


Small Grants WorkshopWednesday 30 November 2016Time: 2.00pm–3.00pm

Although many research funders have streamlined their funding streams to focus on large multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional funding calls, many still offer small grants and starter grants which new academics can apply for and use to begin to build a funding track record. Members of the Research Grants Team in Research and Innovation Services will provide you with an overview of what small grants are available and also provide you with some tips when writing these types of funding applications.


Researcher Development Programme

September saw the release of the 2016–2017 Researcher Development Programme, organised by Research and Innovation Services.

University of Portsmouth

Researcher Development Programme 2016–2017

September 2016Tuesday 20 12pm–1.30pm Researchers' Network lunch

Wednesday 21 2pm–3pm Open Access Publishing and REF

Wednesday 28 2pm–3pm Becoming a Professor at the University of Portsmouth

October 2016Wednesday 5 2pm–4pm Becoming a Reader at the University

of Portsmouth

Wednesday 12 2pm–3pm How to Search for Research Funding

Thursday 13 3pm–4pm Research Funding Drop-in

Tuesday 18 2pm–4pm Introduction to Innovate UK Funding

Wednesday 19 10am–4pm Writing a Scientific Journal Paper

Wednesday 26 2pm–3.30pm Introduction to the Research Funding Landscape

November 2016Wednesday 2 1.30pm–4.30pm Establishing Yourself as a Researcher

Thursday 3 1pm–2pm Managing your Research Profile with PURE

Tuesday 8 9am–12.30pm Confident Networking

Tuesday 8 1.30pm–5pm Difficult Conversations

Tuesday 15 12pm–1pm Open Access Publishing and REF

Wednesday 16 2pm–3pm Processes and Support for Submitting Research Funding Bids

Thursday 17 2.30pm–4.30pm Getting the Most out of Mentoring

Monday 21 2pm–4pm Impact and Engagement

Tuesday 22 10am–11am Research Funding Drop-in

Wednesday 30 2pm–3pm Small Grants Workshop

January 2017Wednesday 11 2pm–3pm How to Search for Research Funding

Thursday 12 3pm–4pm Open Access Publishing and REF

Wednesday 18 2pm–4pm Career Planning for Researchers

Thursday 19 12pm–1.30pm Researchers' Network lunch

Wednesday 25 2pm–3pm Research Funding Drop-in

February 2017Wednesday 1 2pm–3.30pm Understanding Bibliometric Data

Wednesday 8 2pm–4pm Opportunities for International Collaboration

Wednesday 15 2pm–4pm Building and Evidencing Impact for REF

Thursday 16 2pm–3pm Research Data Management

Thursday 16 3pm–4.30pm Research Data and Information Governance

Thursday 23 2pm–3pm Open Access Publishing and REF

Thursday 23 3pm–4pm Managing your Research Profile with PURE

Tuesday 28 10am–12pm Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

March 2017Wednesday 1 2pm–4.30pm How to Peer Review Manuscripts for

Science Journals

Wednesday 8 2pm–3.30pm Introduction to the Research Funding Landscape

Tuesday 14 2pm–3pm Research Funding Drop-in

Wednesday 15 1.30pm–4.30pm Strategies for Research Success

Wednesday 29 12pm–1.30pm Researchers' Network lunch

April 2017Tuesday 4 9.30am–4pm Writing Research Funding Proposals

Thursday 6 2pm–4pm Introduction to Innovate UK Funding

Tuesday 25 2pm–3pm Open Access Publishing and REF

Wednesday 26 1.30pm–4.30pm Impact and Engagement

May 2017Thursday 4 12pm–1pm Research Funding Drop-in

Wednesday 10 2pm–3pm Processes and Support for Submitting Research Funding Bids

Thursday 11 1pm–4pm Advancing in Academia

Tuesday 16 2pm–4pm Research Integrity Workshop

Thursday 18 9am–5pm In the Spotlight

Monday 22 10am–4pm Writing Journal Articles in the Humanities and Social Sciences

Tuesday 23 12pm–1pm Managing your Research Profile with PURE

June 2017Wednesday 14 2pm–3pm How to Search for Research Funding

Thursday 15 2pm–3pm Small Grants Workshop

Monday 19 12pm–1.30pm Researchers' Network lunch

Tuesday 20 12pm–1pm Research Funding Drop-in

Wednesday 21 12pm–1pm Open Access Publishing and REF

Wednesday 21– Thursday 22

9am–5pm Research Team Leadership

Tuesday 27– Wednesday 28

9am–5pm Preparing for Leadership

Booking and information for all workshops is available at http://researcher-development.eventbrite.co.uk

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Designed especially for research and academic staffEmail: [email protected]

Download the full Researcher Development Programme [here]

View a summary guide of the 2016–2017 Programme [here]

You can reserve your place on events at Researcher Development Programme

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/writing-a-scientific-journal-paper-registration-26073884691

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/processes-and-support-for-submitting-research-funding-bids-at-uop-registration-26073978973

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/getting-the-most-out-of-mentoring-registration-26073990006

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/small-grants-workshop-registration-26074041159

http://www.port.ac.uk/media/research/researcher-support/Researcher-Development-Programme-2016-17.pdf

http://www.port.ac.uk/media/Reseacher-Development-Programme-summary-2016-17.pdf

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/university-of-portsmouth-researcher-development-programme-6793003481

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/university-of-portsmouth-researcher-development-programme-6793003481


Forthcoming events

Other public eventsBrexit: What don’t we know?Wednesday 26 October 2016Time: 6.00pm–7.00pm Venue: Portland Building

A public lecture by Susan Hitch, Visiting Professor of Public Policy, King’s College, London.

Brexit is a political earthquake. The referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union exposed deep national divisions and produced a clear but small majority for leaving. What can we now know about that vote and its consequences? And what do we not yet know?


Skunks, Shield and Systems – The Future of Media CommunicationWednesday 2 November 2016Time: 6.00pm–7.00pmVenue: Portland Building

A public lecture by Karen Blackett OBE, Chairwoman of MediaCom.

Whenever we try to predict the future we get it wrong, so the only way to be ready for the future is to be ready for anything. In this lecture, Karen Blackett OBE, Chairwoman of MediaCom, UK’s largest media agency, explains the guiding principles that ensure her company is ready for the future – principles that any individual or organisation can apply to their own situation.


Innovation Space events programmeInnovation Space is a University of Portsmouth initiative that helps entrepreneurs and innovation start-ups, to turn clever ideas into brilliant businesses by moving them into a professional, creative environment without distractions and with the right connections, advice and support. Innovation Space runs an events programme for entrepreneurs, start-ups, small businesses and academics interested in business engagement. Their upcoming events are free to attend and will be held at Innovation Space, 1 Hampshire Terrace, Portsmouth, and include:

The Power of a Marketing StrategyWednesday 26 OctoberTime: 5.30pm–6.30pm

Here is a unique opportunity, designed for business owners, partners and directors, to critique your marketing strategy in a short, no-nonsense and interactive workshop.

Speaker Lizz Clarke from LCM has worked with around 700 growth companies on marketing strategy, implementation and measurement over the longer term, and will share current examples. She will be joined by fellow LCM director Nick Burgoyne, who has an impressive track record in a variety of markets including healthcare and property.


How to write a successful business planWednesday 2 November 2016Time: 5.30pm–6.30pm

Understanding what goes into a successful Business plan can not only help get your business off the ground and satisfy the bank manager, but could also help to identify areas of weakness that need to be plugged and prompt thoughts of other areas opportunities. Lee Scott of Addo Accounting , who is a local accountant and lecturer at Portsmouth Business School, will help guide you through the basic requirements a successful business will need and show why this could be the most important document you write for your business!


Productivity!Wednesday 7 December 2016Time: 5.30pm–6.30pm

The aim of the session is to help people manage their time better and get back on track by busting their procrastination blues!During this session Laura Keward from OfficeAsset will cover five key topics:• Using Apps & Tech• Outsourcing• Importance of using your strengths (& how to build on your

weaknesses)• Building your resource network• Finding out what works for you


Female Entrepreneurs NetworkThursday 19 January and Thursday 16 MarchTime: 6.00pm–8.00pm

Starting your own business can be daunting, but it is important to know that you are not alone!

The Female Entrepreneurs Network celebrates and supports female entrepreneurs across the south coast. Our free networking events are aimed at women who already run their own business or those who are considering doing so. They offer an opportunity to hear from guest speakers who have already started their own businesses, as well as the change to ask questions, discuss ideas and gain support from other women in similar situation.

To book for our January event, please visit Eventbrite.

Save the date for our One Big Networking Night!Tuesday 15 NovemberTime: TBCVenue: Richmond Building

The One Big Networking Night is a chance for entrepreneurs and business owners from across the city to come together, make new contacts, get advice and network. Our guest speaker for the evening is award-winning entrepreneur, Rachel Lowe MBE. Whether you are an aspiring business owner, a new start-up or an established small business, we would love to see you at this event so save the date. More details to follow soon!

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/brexit-what-dont-we-know-tickets-26839959040

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/skunks-shield-systems-the-future-of-media-communication-tickets-26825686350

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-power-of-a-marketing-strategy-tickets-26917698561

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-to-write-a-successful-business-plan-tickets-27256383577?aff=es2

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/productivity-tickets-27150532975

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/female-entrepreneurs-network-january-2017-tickets-27674354740

Focus on a researcherRoger DraheimSenior Lecturer in Microbiology and Member of the Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Science (IBBS) research group

Research area The research group focuses on Synthetic Microbiology, which is when microbes are precisely engineered to solve industrial or biotechnological problems. Our current implementation is to engineer the ordinary the laboratory E. coli bacterium into a screening platform for novel antibiotics.

Why did you become a researcher?Realistically, anyone working in a biological science can work nearly anywhere on the planet, as English is spoken by nearly all life scientists. After finishing a PhD in the United States, I was looking to move to Europe, and becoming a researcher opened a lot of doors for me.

Describe a typical day at workNo two days are the same. The diversity is quite fun. I like having a lot of activity around me. Currently, ten to fifteen people are in the lab. This summer there have been several Erasmus+ (foreign exchange) students in the lab so there’s been a nice mix of English, French and German being spoken. My poor German can’t compete! Some days, I might be teaching, which is fun as I have a chance to interact with students, from ten in a small seminar to 250 in large lecture theatre. I really enjoy the challenge and pressure of delivering both top-quality research and teaching. If the students have the ability to learn from researchers at the forefront of their discipline, then they really benefit. There’s also a lot of travelling, which is quite nice.

What do you perceive to have been the biggest challenge you have ever undertaken?It might sound strange, but I found the personal issues associated with a scientific career much more challenging and rewarding than the scientific issues. My career is far from linear. For example, I was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the ‘new’ one, not the original, and wanted a change of pace, so, I moved to Texas for a PhD. On defending my thesis, I accepted a position in Sweden, without knowing a single word of Swedish, then Germany without any German language knowledge. On my first morning at work in Stockholm, I made the mistake of opening a Tetra-Pak of milk like the school milk we get in the US, and essentially the container flattened itself instantly and a litre of milk spilt all over the table and floor in the break room. My colleagues found that quite humorous. Also, don’t even get me started on the absence of a rental housing market in Stockholm or the fact that most German flats require one to bring their own kitchen!

What is your greatest achievement?I was very excited to receive funding from the National Institutes of Health (USA) to join Gunnar von Heijne’s group for three years. He was Chair of the Nobel Committee in Chemistry at that time. The environment, both scientifically and socially, was exceptional. The members of the group from that time have dispersed around the globe, usually for faculty positions, and I try to maintain contact with them.

Who has influenced you most in life and why?Realistically, probably my high school Cross Country coach, Bob Winn, who allowed me to understand the direct connection between improved performance and hard work. Those lessons have been quite useful after moving on to university. It was a very tangible experience that built my confidence. I try to allow students that work in my research group to see tangible results that will inspire them.

What are your interests outside of work?I really enjoy travelling. Over the term break last winter, I spent a month backpacking around Myanmar right after the election. The vibe was great and tourism hasn’t really developed yet.

If you could invite any three people to dinner (past or present) who would it be?Jacques Monod: responsible for the birth of microbial genetics, excellent sailor, politically very active especially during the student uprisings in the sixties in France.

Le Corbusier: artist, architect, furniture designer, urban planner. Understood how to use newly available materials within the context of humans interacting with their environment. Was very controversial, but I’ve always loved the lines of an LC2 armchair.

Garry Kasparov: I’ve been playing a lot of correspondence chess so I could use a few pointers from one of the best. He was also the first World Champion to lose to a computer (IBM Deep Blue in 1997) and remains politically active in Russia.

Pick five words that you associate the most with your research:Exciting, intense, important, difficult and risky.

Dr Roger Draheim


Research & Innovation News - University of Portsmouth · Research & Innovation News The conference was opened by Professor Graham Galbraith who ... Barry Cleasby from

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