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Life-changing research: shortlist announced for Research Engagement and Impact Awards 2018

Research that is helping to save children’s lives in rural India, protecting endangered species in Africa, and opening children’s eyes to science in the UK are among those shortlisted for the University of Reading’s Research Engagement and Impact Awards 2018.

Two of last year’s Impact and Engagement Award finalists, Dr Teresa Murjas and Dr Kate Allen.

The awards, which are in their second year, aim to recognise staff at the University of Reading who have achieved extraordinary things by interacting with people in the real world to drive better understanding of research and bring about change.

This year, seventeen awards have been shortlisted across five categories, for work that aims to:

  • INFORM the public about research and make it more accessible
  • INFLUENCE policy or professional audiences and their work
  • INSPIRE children and young people with research
  • INVOLVE the public directly in research projects and partnerships
  • EMBARK on engagement and impact work early in their careers.

Professor Steve Mithen, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research & Engagement, was chairman of the shortlisting panel. He said:

“Our researchers are engaging with schools, community groups, charities and NGOs, with policymakers and policy shapers, and with filmmakers, museums and cultural groups.

“I would like to congratulate all the researchers and research partners involved in these projects. I hope that the engagement activities highlighted here will inspire every researcher within the University to think about how their own research can be shared beyond academia to maximise opportunities to bring about positive change to our society.”

The shortlisted projects and researchers are:

Inform

  • The Museum of English Rural Life for Our Country Lives: Health, Nutrition and Rural England
  • Patrick Lewis, from Pharmacy, for The James Parkinson Bicentennial
  • Jacqui Turner, History, for Vote 100

Influence

  • Peter Cooper and Lynne Murray, from Psychology, for Supporting Parenting to Promote Early Child Development
  • Neil Crosby and colleagues from Real Estate & Planning, for Development Viability within Planning
  • Graham Holloway, from Biological Sciences, for African Vulture Conservation
  • Anna Horwood, from Psychology, for Influencing Children’s Eye-care Professionals
  • Simon Potts, Tom Breeze and Deepa Senapathi, in Agriculture and Biological Sciences, for Driving National and International Policy to Safeguard Pollination Services
  • Paul Williams, in Meteorology, Turbulence Research Leads to Smoother and Safer Flights

Inspire

  • Sally Lloyd-Evans (Geography/Global Development) and Whitley Young Researchers, for Whitley for Real
  • Sakthivel Vaiyapuri, (Pharmacy) for Novel Strategies for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Snakebites
  • Ioannis Zoulias, Slawomir J. Nasuto and colleagues in Biomedical Engineering, for Mind Control: Explaining the Brain’s Mechanisms using Interactive Demos

Involve

  • Tim Dixon, from Built Environment, for the Reading 2050 Vision
  • Ed Hawkins and Stephen Burt, from Metoerology, for Weather Rescue
  • Rachel McCrindle (Biomedical Engineering) for Motor and Language Therapy: A New Multi-modal Therapy for Neurological Rehabilitation

Embark

  • Marjorie Gehrhardt, from Modern Languages, for Monsters and the Monstrous: Health Humanities research events
  • Stefan Solomon, from Film, Theatre and Television, for Tropicália and Beyond: Dialogues in Brazilian Film History
  • Sakthivel Vaiyapuri (Pharmacy) for Novel Strategies for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Snakebites
  • Ioannis Zoulias (Biomedical Engineering), for Mind Control: Explaining the Brain’s Mechanisms using Interactive Demos

The awards will be announced at a ceremony and reception on Tuesday, June 19 from 6pm.

For more information, contact Caroline Knowles, Head of Research Communications & Engagement: c.l.knowles@reading.ac.uk