What can film reviews tell us about gender bias in the movie industry? Dr Wael Khreich from the American University of Beirut explores this question with Genderly, a custom-built AI tool that analyses the language of 17,000 professional reviews. His findings reveal that female-led films are far more likely to be judged through a biased lens—subtly …

Communication shapes the mediation process, influencing trust, negotiation dynamics, and dispute resolution outcomes. Associate Professor Dorcas Quek Anderson from Singapore Management University explores how different communication modes – face-to-face meetings, video-conferencing, audio communication, and text messaging – affect mediation effecti…

What makes open societies more resilient in the face of global crises like climate change and artificial intelligence? Stefan Brunnhuber of the World Academy of Art and Science unpacks why open societies—rooted in critical thinking, civic freedom, and institutional balance—hold the key to thriving in the 21st century, while autocracies remain relia…

Heating and cooling our homes, workplaces and public spaces is a source of constant effort, and expense. What can new technologies offer to help hold warmth, or aid air circulation? What if one solution could do both? Dr Miren Juaristi Gutierrez from Eurac Research in Bolzano, Italy, joins us to discuss innovative architectural features that could …

What impact does artificial intelligence have on the evolution of consciousness, and could it mark the beginning of a new form of awareness beyond the human? Stefan Brunnhuber of the World Academy of Art and Science explores how AI, as a transformative technology, reshapes not only society but the filters through which we perceive modern life — bri…

Space is a key feature of social life. But does the digitalisation of society affect its spatial dimensions, and if so, how? In this podcast, Leverhulme Visiting Professor Theodore Schatzki discusses his work exploring digitality, different types of space and notions of virtual realities, such as cyber space. With Dale Southerton and Leverhulme Vis…

Economic forecasting is particularly challenging during global crises, with predictions often hampered by uncertainty and external factors. Hwee Kwan Chow and Keen Meng Choy from Singapore Management University examine Singapore’s GDP and inflation forecasts during the Global Financial Crisis and COVID-19 pandemic, uncovering the influence of gover…

The fourth podcast episode from the TRUUD programme explores public engagement in shaping healthier urban environments. Hosted by Andrew Kelly in conversation with Dr Andy Gibson, University of the West of England and Dr Miriam Khan, GP and member of the TRUUD Public Advisory Board, they explore the importance of involving communities and listening…

The third podcast episode from TRUUD explores the complexity of achieving long-term, lasting change within urban development to foster healthier lives. Host Andres Kelly discusses with Dr Krista Bondy, University of Stirling, and Dr Neil Carhart, University of Bristol, how current systems struggle to address interconnected challenges, often leaving…

The fifth and final TRUUD podcast explores the future of urban development and the necessary investments for creating healthier places. Host Andrew Kelly with experts Daniel Black, TRUUD Research Co-Director and Thomas Aubrey, Credit Capital Advisory, discuss the issue of short-termism in planning and the importance of long-term vision, drawing par…

The second podcast in the series from the TRUUD research programme explores the challenges of translating urban health research into effective government policy and action. Host Andrew Kelly is in conversation with Professor Sarah Ayres, University of Bristol, and Dr Geoff Bates, University of Bath, about their work on the TRUUD project, specifical…

The first podcast for the TRUUD (Tackling the Root Causes Upstream of Unhealthy Urban Development) research programme explores how we value health and the opportunities to shape urban environments for healthier lives. Host Andrew Kelly interviews Daniel Black, TRUUD Research Co-Director and Professor Jim McManus, Public Health Wales, about the TRUU…

Crowd management is key to evacuation safety. Yet, evacuation simulation programmes often lack experimental verification due to the inadequacy of benchmarks with real-world experiments. Ilias Panagiotopoulus, Jens Starke, and Wolfram Just from the University of Rostock, Germany, have developed a model-free approach to analyse field experiments. Thi…

In the late 1960s Cambridge PhD student Jocelyn Bell Burnell was studying quasars (very luminous active galactic nuclei) when she reported anomalous data which was later identified as pulsars (‘pulsating stars’). While she was controversially missed off the list for the Nobel Prize awarded in 1974 for this discovery, Bell Burnell continued to be a …

The COST COSY Action is redefining scientific collaboration by fostering diversity, equality, and inclusion across chemistry, physics, and materials science. Led by María Pilar de Lara-Castells, the network of 400+ researchers from 45 countries is breaking barriers in academia by supporting women in science, early-career researchers, and underrepre…

In this episode, we’re looking at research from an interdisciplinary network named COSY, funded by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) agency. Their workgroup researching ‘Confined systems in Astrochemistry’ is led by Professors Lauri Halonen from Helsinki University in Finland and Malgorzata Biczysko from Wroclaw University i…

Storage plays an important role in managing global resources, from energy and water to carbon and data, shaping landscapes, supply chains, and environmental systems. Sayd Randle from Singapore Management University investigates resource storage, examining its types—including stockpiling, warehousing, and containment—and their impacts on socio-econo…

The directions of Chinese politics and economics echo restrictive practices that may hinder China’s technological and economic competitiveness. Professor Yasheng Huang’s The Rise and Fall of the EAST has shaken perspectives outside academia. He focuses on how exams, autocracy, stability, and technology (EAST) have historically shaped China’s govern…

Comedian, performer, and writer Robin Ince has been asking questions about the world around him for as long as he can remember. Perhaps most famous for his radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage which he co-hosts on BBC Radio 4 with Professor Brian Cox, Ince has been bringing science to the masses in new and hilarious ways since the 90s. In this inter…

In this International Women’s Day episode, we chat to Professor Gene Feder OBE, Professor of Primary Care at the Centre for Academic Primary Care, Bristol Medical School, about the Healthcare Responding to Violence and Abuse (HERA) programme. For the past five years, HERA has been co-developing and testing women-centered and culturally-appropriate …

Humans are social creatures; we live in family groups, socialise with friends, and work with colleagues both in person and online. Yet, how many friends do you really have? Evolutionary psychologist Professor Robin Dunbar says it won’t be more than 150. Proposed in the 1990s, ‘Dunbar’s number’ puts a limit on the number of stable relationships huma…

Humanity is overwhelmed by planetary tragedies: climate crisis, widespread hunger, desertification, migrations, destruction of biodiversity, corruption and many more. They are out of control because they are too complex for common-sense approaches like analysis and committees. But now there are grounds for hope. Dr Alfredo del Valle’s method, ‘Part…

In Switzerland, young adults face major challenges when transitioning from school to the workplace—especially those with special educational needs. How can peer support help them navigate career choices and build resilience? Professors Claudia Schellenberg and Annette Krauss explore this question through the Empower Peers 4 Careers project, and exa…

In East Asia, high marriage rates coexist with some of the world’s lowest fertility rates. So, why are so few children born in these societies? And how is this related to the strongly embedded cultural and Confucianist influences? Professors Sunha Myong, Jungjae Park, and Junjian Yi investigate the cultural and socioeconomic factors shaping these t…

The knowledge gained during the COVID-19 pandemic and other health emergencies could prove invaluable for devising responses to and planning for future health crises. Dr Landry Ndriko Mayigane and Dr Stella Chungong from the Health Security Preparedness Department of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergency Programme recently devised the ‘N…