Basecamp

Proposal Leads:

Muneeb Imtiaz Ahmad (FSE)

Julian Hough (FSE)

Federica Barbieri (FHSS)

Project Aim:

This project envisions establishing best practices for designing healthcare social robots with culturally sensitive AI, focusing on reducing communication bias and promoting efficient communication and engagement.   

Effective communication in healthcare settings depends on a healthcare staff’s ability to adapt to the local context and social nuances of the people they are speaking with. This includes being aware of and responsive to the diverse background of the patient or their attendant. Such daily interactions are often shaped by the social, regional, and ethnic norms that are prevalent to people or to a community.  Despite the significant progress in conversational technology, most artificial conversational systems still use a single, non-local communication style for all users and social settings and are insensitive to cultural norms of people or a community. The social barriers created by this communication bias in various forms have not been thoroughly researched in the healthcare settings, and the potential benefits of using a variety of inclusive communication styles to enhance user engagement have not been explored. This applies to all conversation-based systems, but it is particularly true for social robots. We will use our expertise in Human-Centred Computing, at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Natural language processing and Human-Computer Interaction, to deliver the following objectives:   

• conduct an online social media campaign to understand people’s lived experience of communication bias in the healthcare sector in the UK.
• investigate these experiences in cutting-edge conversational AI and understand its impact on user interactions in healthcare.

Proposal Leads:

Dr Emily Marchant, Department of Education and Childhood Studies (FHSS)

Dr Michaela James, Research Officer, Health Data Science (FMHLS)

Project Aim:

To conduct a feasibility study in collaboration with primary schools engaging with the national HAPPEN (Health and Attainment of Pupils in Primary Education) platform to explore the challenges and opportunities of renewed statutory focus on health and well-being curriculum design and potential to enhance the health literacy of current and future generations. Therefore, the focus of the proposed feasibility study is to explore how academia and schools can work together to transform and translate knowledge and education developed through the Health and Wellbeing AoLE into enhanced health literacy and behaviour change within the preventive health agenda. This project aims to: 

Work with teachers and pupils across 5 primary school settings in Swansea to identify effective practices and actions that support the embedding of the CfW in reference to the Wellbeing AoLE. This will be done through interviews and focus groups. This will include identifying good practice examples, challenges and overcoming barriers, and any resources/toolkits which have been implemented or generated

To identify health and wellbeing priority areas using data shared as a school-level report obtained from the HAPPEN Survey. This will enable schools to design and implement a Health and Wellbeing AoLE aligned to their pupils’ needs in line with the CfW proposals and framework.

Combined with HAPPEN, implementing workshops to co-produce recommendations of how to address gaps or promote good practice by working with teachers, pupils and wider stakeholders (i.e., Swansea City Council).

Proposal Leads:

Dr Aimee Grant, School of Health and Social Care (FMHLS)

Dr Leighton Evans, School of Culture and Communication (FHSS)

Project Aim:

This new research brings together researchers from two faculties into a new transdisciplinary team, to undertake novel and important research on a marginalised group of people who are underserved by existing research: Autistic adults.  In doing so, we utilise and build on existing strengths in Swansea University research in Autism and health research (Grant) and social media analysis (Evans and Matthews).

In this project, we will employ textual analysis and network analysis to explore the performativity of Autistic joy on social media, focusing on platforms including TikTok and Instagram. These platforms are essential havens for marginalised communities, providing spaces where Autistic individuals can express joy and build supportive networks.

Proposal Leads:

Dr Fernando Maestre Avila, Lecturer in Computer Science (FSE)

Professor Sarah Wydall, Department of Criminology (FHSS)

Professor Joanne Davies Director of Simulation Education (FMHLS)

Project Aim:

The project aims to engage with diverse stakeholders who have had previous lived experiences of sexual abuse to co-produce a prototype for an immersive virtual reality (VR) tool, creating an interactive scenario that would allow frontline practitioners to ‘see through the eyes of a victim’ of sexual assault. The VR tool will allow the trainee (FP) to choose ‘views’ or ‘perspectives’ to experience a sexual assault victim’s perspective (the discloser) or a FP’s perspective (the disclosure recipient). Within the immersive scenario the trainee will also be able to make choices as to how the story progresses. The storyline will branch out into two different possibilities based on the choices made leading to different outcomes. The VR tool will also allow trainees to select different personal traits of the story characters that would represent either the frontline practitioner or the sexual assault victim such as age, gender, ethnicity, and appearance. Thus, addressing the limitations of relying on a non-interactive video-based intervention. The prototype concept will be built using a ‘Wizard Of Oz’ technique using paper-based and video-based techniques deployed on VR headsets to assess and evaluate how this type of interactive intervention would be perceived and used by stakeholders prior to using interactive 3D animation which is outside of the scope of this project. 

Proposal Leads:

Dr Denise Hill (FSE)

Dr Andrew Thomas (FMHLS)

Dr Rachel Churm (FSE)

Dr Kim Dienes (FMHLS)

Phil Jones (SoFitGroup)

Project Aim:

This proposed pilot study will involve transdisciplinary and Cross-Faculty working, alongside an industry partner, and in collaboration with charity / community organisations. Its overall aim is to facilitate Resilient Futures for veterans diagnosed with PTSD. The team have established formal networks with a number of organisations who have an interest in, and have committed to support this proposal (i.e., NHS veterans Wales, Adferiad, Royal Marines Charity, ABF Soldiers Charity, VC gallery, Veterans Swansea, Veteran Awards, and the regional AFLO), particularly in regard to the recruitment of veterans who have been diagnosed with PTSD. It is through the completion of this proposed work, and with the proof of concept, that we would then be in a position to seek additional funding in order to deliver the necessary larger scale study (i.e., RCT), that may inform ‘real-world’ practice. Over time, there is the scope to extend the reach of this work, to non-veteran individuals who experience PTSD (e.g., blue light services childhood trauma etc.,).

Proposal Leads:

Dr Fernando Maestre Avila, Lecturer in Computer Science (FSE)

Professor Simon Dymond Professor of Psychology (FMHLS)

Dr Kim Dienes, Lecturer in Psychology (FMHLS)

Project Aim:

Most Health apps for Armed Forces Veterans (AFV) focus on treating mental health conditions and addictions and rely on national-wide government-based systems. There is scant research that investigates how technology could be designed in a way that builds upon and leverages what AFV have already in place in their local communities for exchange of information, resources, and social support. Thus, we propose to co-design a prototype of a technological intervention that will leverage the resources and assets already available in the AFV’s local community based on an assets-based design approach. We will co-create an online intervention (it could be app-based or web-based) that could help the AFV community address their needs and challenges. We envision that a co-created assets-based technology with AFV and stakeholders will allow AFV to find and access available local community-based resources in an easier and more effective way while minimizing barriers related to stigma and distrust between the AFV community and support providers.

Title: Co-developing a fitness app to meet women’s needs throughout the reproductive health cycle

Proposal Leads: 

• Dr Catrin Griffiths, Public Health (FMHLS)
• Prof Amy Brown, Centre for Lactation, Infant Feeding & Translation (FMHLS)
• Dr Natalie Brown, Welsh Institute of Performance Science (FSE)
• Dr Emily Marchant, Education (FHSS)
• Dr Sara Jones, Health and Social Care (FMHLS)
• Dr Michaela James, Centre of Population Health & Wellbeing Research (FMHLS)

Project Aim:

Fitness apps must be designed for active women’s reproductive physiology to ensure wellbeing, safety, and usability. Our proposal will explore how active women at different reproductive stages feel about activity trackers, exploring features they value and the changes they would like to see. We will use our findings to apply for funding to take our ideas to market development. We will:
a) Conduct a rapid scoping review of women and fitness apps, to identify appeffectiveness, harms and gaps, alongside behavioural change mechanisms suchas self-efficacy theory.
b) Use a participatory action research approach to explore, using surveys andsocial media discussions, the experiences of women at different reproductivestages of using fitness apps.

Title: Interpretable machine learning for energy demand forecasting

Proposal Leads:

• Hamid Eskandari, Early Career Researcher in Business (FHSS)
• Cinzia Giannetti, Professor in Manufacturing Engineering (FSE)

Project Aim:

The building sector is a major contributor to global energy consumption and carbon emissions. In 2020, it accounted for 36% of global energy consumption and 37% of global CO2 emissions.
Buildings are responsible for 59% of UK electricity consumption, equivalent to a further 31 MtCO2e of indirect emissions. This study will utilise a dataset of smart demand metering data, building characteristics, and weather data to develop an energy demand forecasting methodology that combines the high accuracy of machine learning (ML) models with the transparency of regression methods. For this reason, a couple of ML models will be used to forecast daily demands one day ahead for the active office building (AOB). Interpretable ML models will be used to quantify the influence of different explanatory variables (temporal, weather, and building characteristics) on energy consumption. The objectives of this project are:
• Develop a couple of Interpretable ML models to forecast daily demands one day ahead for the AOB.
• Assess the impact of different explanatory variables (temporal, weather, and building characteristics) on energy consumption and identify the influential variables.

Title: Pharmaceutical Household Waste

Proposal Leads:

• Julianna Faludi, Research and Development, Bevan Commission (FHSS)
• Amy Isham, Lecturer in Psychology (FMHLS)
• Jennifer Gatzemeier, Lecturer in Psychology (FMHLS)

Project Aim:
To design efficient policies for behavioural change (awareness-raising, systems of nudges), a clear understanding of the perception, attitudes and behaviour with regards to medicine among the population is needed. The research focuses on household pharmaceutical waste practices and aims to identify population groups – if and how vulnerabilities and demographics affect attitudes and practices. A UK-wide survey, and Wales-based qualitative enquiry will lead to a method applicable to understand other waste practices. The project will inform policy-recommendations on how to integrate people into low-carbon lifestyles.

Title: Using art to understand and visualise environments for optimal experience

Proposal Leads:

• Dr Amy Isham – Lecturer in Environmental Psychology (FMHLS)
• Megan Cumming – PhD student in Psychology (FMHLS)
• Dr Maggie Miller - Senior Lecturer in Tourism (FHSS)
• Prof Gareth Stratton - Chair in Paediatric Exercise Science (FSE)
• Dr Ed Lord – Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing (FMHLS)
• Dr Merryn Thomas – Senior Research Associate in Public Health (FMHLS)

Project Aim:
This project seeks to understand the physical environments that support ‘flow’, a state of optimal experience whereby an individual is totally immersed in an activity. It is highly enjoyable to be in flow and frequent flow experiences can deliver multiple benefits including greater life satisfaction (Tse et al., 2022), enhanced performance in work, school, and hobby contexts (Harris et al., 2021), and can even encourage more pro-social and pro-environmental worldviews (Isham & Jackson, 2023). To locate the environments that facilitate flow, an innovative and creative approach exploring participant-generated artwork will be used. Artwork can act as an ‘elicitation tool’, allowing participants to visualise their thoughts and enabling participants as well as researchers to make sense of complex ideas and phenomenon (Woodward, 2020). Creative approaches and artwork provide useful methods to examine nuanced meanings (in our case, what “my bedroom in the evening” or other environments look like), moving research away from its reliance on linguistic fluency (Boden et al., 2019).
Furthermore, this approach and the production of visual images considers wider audience engagement in the dissemination of research, specifically by creating a database of artwork that can facilitate public engagement through exhibitions. The act of creating the artwork also provides an opportunity for experiencing flow, as research into flow-conducive activities has identified art as one of the common activity elicitors of flow (Isham et al., 2023). In this way, the study is ambitious as it is not only intended to act as a means of data collection but can also be seen as a wellbeing intervention tool by providing opportunities for participants to experience flow.

Title: Sensor swarms to monitor honeybee in-hive BeeHaviour

Proposal Leads:

• Dr Pete Arnold, Senior Lecturer in Health Data Science (FMHLS)
• Professor Owen Guy, Head of Chemistry at Swansea and Director of the Centre for Nanohealth (FSE)
• Dr Matt Roach, Associate Professor in Computer Science (FSE)
• Professor Matt Carnie, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering (FSE)
• Dr Konstans Wells, Lecturer in Biosciences (FSE)

Project Aim:
We will make use of existing biosensor prototypes (individual sensors and sensor arrays) in a mutually beneficial collaborative undertaking to create an in-hive monitoring environment including miniature IR cameras and acoustic sensors with some localised intelligence. This modular proof of concept will later be augmented to explore sensor networks, co-ordination, mobility / sensor swarms and miniaturisation.
Graphene biosensors [11] will be developed with a honeybee (Apis mellifera) olfactory receptor (AMOR). All AMOR genes have been mapped, but the AMOR may need to be manufactured. An acoustic sensor will be sourced to explore through-comb and airborne vibrations. Appropriate computing technology will be incorporated to facilitate machine learning technologies especially spiking neural networks (SNNs) which mimic honeybee neural anatomy and may lead to insight into the functioning of the honeybee senses. Installation engineering will be addressed - modified side-access beehive boxes in apiary, a 4G cloud connection and battery (or, optimistically, solar) power will allow remote monitoring from the lab. Care will be taken with the power and signal distribution to avoid disturbing the bees with impact being assessed during regular bee-keeper examinations of the 1-2 test hives compared to 2-3 control hives which will provide non-intrusive observational behaviour data for calibration/validation.

Title: Achieving Agility: Transdisciplinary Postsecondary Education for Wales 

Proposal Leads:

• Dr Natalie Wint (Senior Lecturer, Engineering, Swansea University)
• Dr Wayne Thomas (Senior Lecturer, Economics, Swansea University)
• Dr Adam Mosley (Associate Professor, History, Swansea University)
• Rhys Jones (Senior Lecturer, Media, Swansea University)

Project aim:

This project takes a systems-based approach to understand the ways in which education shapes, and is shaped, by societal and cultural values. It brings together a team which transcends international borders and disciplinary boundaries to explore the value students place upon different disciplines during their development and the effect this has on ability to work across disciplines and develop a resilient, flexible workforce, able to contribute toward an equitable, sustainable, and innovative future. Findings will be used to provide recommendations on what is required to facilitate a systems approach to education, research, and innovation, and to create a life-long learning postsecondary curriculum for FE and HE.

Title: Creating Sustainable Futures through Game Design 

Proposal Leads: 

• Dr Geraldine Lublin (Associate Professor in Modern Languages, Swansea University)
• Dr Jennifer Rudd (Programme Manager & Senior Lecturer in Innovation and Engagement, Swansea University)
• Ms Marina Saez Lecue (Primary Practitioner at Abercynon Community Primary)
• Dr Sean Walton (Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, Swansea University)
• Dr Claire Williams (Associate Professor in Psychology, Swansea University)

Project Aim: 

The climate emergency is a key global challenge faced by the “ethical, informed citizens […] of Wales and the world” that the New Curriculum for Wales aims to develop.i Although “supporting sustainable behaviour” is a key step in the journey towards the “Globally Responsible Wales” envisaged by the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015,ii this imperative goes beyond Wales and is in keeping with the global needs set out in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Effective climate education requires “a shift away from more traditional learning and teaching approaches”.iii Using games for climate education is not new; research has shown they are “uniquely suited to communicating climate change science to young people” iv and “could contribute to learning, mitigation and adaptation in response to climate change”.v Rather than producing a ready-made game, however, our project aims to use game design in order to explore effective ways to encourage sustainable habits and raise awareness of the climate emergency among primary school-aged children.vi Existing NERC-funded cross-curricular educational resources focusing on the climate emergency will be used to inspire Key Stage 2 pupils to create their own educational games. We hypothesise that, by engaging in this design process, learners will gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of climate change, in addition to producing games which can be used as educational tools themselves.

Title: A Social Robot for Mental Wellbeing Codesigned with Older People 

Proposal Leads: 

• Dr Deepak Sahoo (Associate Professor in Computer Science, Swansea University)
• Dr Muneeb Ahmad (Lecturer in Computer Science, Swansea University)
• Dr Martin Hyde (Associate Professor in Gerontology, Swansea University)

Project Aim: 

We envision that social robots codesigned with technology experienced older people can support emotional, cognitive, social, and relational aspects of their lives, e.g., address issues of anxiety, motivation, and confidence in the COVID endemic era.

Recently, researchers in robotics for older people are primarily developing prototypes to assist with physical activities, e.g., preparing a meal or mobility. Equally, much research in the emotional, cognitive, social, and relational aspects of their lives is needed [5]. Most studies of social robots for mental wellbeing use existing expert-designed social robots, e.g., PARO and NAO, and largely focus on elderly dementia
patients [4]. HCI researchers have mainly used the codesign approach to explore use-cases and investigating usability and user experience of commercial social robots (e.g., Pepper) in clinics and care homes [6]. However, they require mediation by an expert, due to the anxiety of damaging the robot and lack of motivation and engagement – these issues are familiar in older people’s lives as mentioned above.
We propose a drastically different approach to address these limitations and create a resilient, equitable and sustainable future for common older people. We will codesign with technology experienced common (not vulnerable) older people in creating a social robot considering the anxiety of damaging a robot. We will codesign interactions that could make the robot engaging, and finally, some use-cases that will address issues of anxiety, motivation, and confidence for emotional, cognitive, social, and relational wellbeing.

Title: SUN-CHAT: SUN safety Conversations about Healthy Attitudes to Tanning: exploring perceptions of school children and their parents/carers [Stage 1] 

Proposal Leads:

• Dr Julie Peconi (Senior Research Officer, Health Data Science, Swansea University) & Dr Gisselle Tur Porres (Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies, Education, Swansea University):
• Dr Rachel Abbott (Consultant Dermatologist, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Skin Cancer Prevention Lead for Wales)
• Ms Kirsty Lanyon (Research Assistant, Health Data Science, Swansea University)
• Dr Helen Lewis (Associate Professor and Programme director of PGCE Primary Teaching, Swansea University)
• Dr Emily Marchant (Research Fellow, Child Health and Education Researcher, Swansea University)

Project Aim: 

The Curriculum for Wales with its designated area for Health and Well-being and autonomy for schools in designing curriculum content, presents an ideal way to facilitate this exploration. One way in which this is being undertaken is via child-led ‘healthy schools’ clubs. Focusing on understanding how different health dimensions, e.g., physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being play a role in children’s lives, the Health and Well-being curriculum area also supports children to incorporate healthy attitudes, some of which could include well-being practices to tanning and sun exposure.

To date, there has been no work in Wales exploring children and their parents’/carers’ perceptions of tanning and how healthier attitudes and behaviours can be encouraged and adopted from a young age. This MASI Basecamp project and new interdisciplinary collaboration between health and education researchers addresses this challenge and works towards the MASI vision of a resilient, joyful, and hopeful future for each child. Our research team have extensive experience of working in the school setting and have already successfully negotiated access to schools to undertake research.

We aim to gather data regarding perceptions of tanning and explore the perceived effects on health to inform the development and testing of an educational toolkit for integration within the new curriculum to encourage children’s healthy behaviours towards tanning and sun exposure.

Website: Click here

Survey English

Survey Welsh

Title: The Welsh language and improving dementia resilience: local action for global impact

Proposal Leads:

• Dr James T Murray (Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences, Swansea University)
• Dr Gwennan Higham (Senior Lecturer in Welsh, Swansea University)
• Professor Andrea Tales (Director of CIA, Awen Institute and CADR, Swansea University)

Project Aim: 

The Vision: Network capacity building for a national study lead by Swansea University ofbilingualism in Wales for improving cognitive reserve and reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Promotion of Welsh fluency and proficiency could have potential health locally.
Direct evidence of a health impact on improving cognitive reserve and clinical detection of dementi a-associated biomarkers. Determining whether this does have direct implications for the improvement in cognitive reserve and delaying dementia onset in Wales requires a transdisciplinary approach that brings together researchers in language studies, neuropsychology, and clinical biochemistry.

Dementia is a global problem. Dementia is a syndrome that results from a variety of diseases and injuries that primarily or secondarily affect the brain, such as Alzheimer's disease or stroke.
Dementia is currently the seventh leading cause of death among all diseases and one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people. By 2050, the number of people with dementia will almost triple to 139 million worldwide [1] [2].

There are no effective drug-based cures for dementia. Although there is enormous investment in pharmacological interventions for treating these diseases, no cure has been achieved. However, novel non-pharmacological approaches to postponing the onset of dementia may offer opportunities to treat people at a global level. Such interventions include, but are not limited to, cognitive stimulation, which can protect against the negative effects of cognitive decline caused by age-related neurogenerative diseases.
Bilingualism improves cognitive reserve and reduces the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Bilingualism is a form of cognitive stimulation that employs multiple aspects of brain function, with evidence that it can delay the onset of dementia symptoms in patients by approximately 4–5 years through improved cognitive reserve. Individual bi/multilingualism is increasingly viewed as a protective factor against cognitive decline in old age and is believed to contribute to neural and cognitive reserve [3]. The bi/multilingual benefit has been observed in children, adults, and seniors [4-8] suggesting that, given the right conditions, the benefit for the individual can be long-term.
The majority of claims stem from studies conducted with bilingual speakers, but in recent years evidence of differences between bilinguals (speakers of two languages) and multilinguals (speakers or three or more languages) has also begun to emerge [9]. Significantly for Welsh speakers, current bilingual tests can indicate wrongly that Welsh speakers have poorer cognition than expected for age so this needs immediate investigation.

Maintaining bilingualism in society is a problem. Globally, 50-70 % of the world’s population is bilingual, capable of speaking at least two languages fluently [10]. However, within the UK the numbers are very poor, with less than 8 % (2011 census), while in Wales Welsh-English bilingualism is a little better at 11 % (2015 statistics for Wales). These estimates do not consider that for improved cognitive reserves, bilingualism must be practiced routinely. However, most previous studies in other world regions, fluency and proficiency levels were rarely measured, neither are patterns of language use over time and amount of exposure to bi/multilingual living environments. All these factors are known to affect language acquisition, language maintenance and language development over time and are therefore central to our understanding of the association between language knowledge and cognitive decline. The efforts to increase the number of Welsh speakers and improve Welsh fluency in the population could provide an opportunity to conclusively analyse the impact of bilingualism in delaying dementia. This could have global impact and could influence adoption of similar strategies elsewhere.

Outcomes: The Basecamp award will facilitate development of a Welsh network that investigates Bilingualism and dementia resilience that will lead to further grant funding that will focus on identification of diagnostic/prognostic signatures. These signatures will have global impact, used to monitor ageing populations for efficacy of language retention across multiple regions where bilingualism is found. This will lead to language and cultural preservation, and dementia resilience strategies that improve human health span and life.

Title: Reframing agency in climate crisis narratives: empowering resilient youth in the Global South and the Global North

Proposal Leads:

• Dr Frederico Lopez-Terra (Associate Prof in Modern Languages, Swansea University)
• Dr Geraldine Lublin (Associate Prof in Modern Languages, Swansea University)
• Dr Alex Southern (Lecturer in Education, Swansea University)
• Dr Chris Pak (Lecturer in English Literature, Swansea University)
• Dr Anna Pigot (Lecturer in Geography, Swansea University)
• Prof Andrew Kemp (School research Lead in Psychology, Swansea University)
• Dr Panu Pihkala (Eco-anxiety specialist, Helsinki Institute of Sustainabilty Science, Finland)
• Prof Roxana Rugnitz (Institute of Higher Education (IPA))
• Prof Carolina Raimondo Aonso (Institute of Higher Education (IPA))

Project Aim: 

In recent decades, Environmental Sciences research has shown the ruinous consequences of the ways in which we inhabit our planet and alerted us to the pernicious effects of accumulation and growth. Unsurprisingly, more than 84% of people feel concerned about the outlook for the world,1 with climate-related conditions such as solastalgia, global dread or eco-anxiety on the rise.2 The pandemic has only worsened such perceptions3 and ‘climate action failure’ tops the list of global risks by severity over the next 10 years.4 However, despite mounting evidence that immediate action is needed, we are failing to keep pace with the deterioration of our planet. What is hampering action and threatening the survival of all living things on Earth?

Although the effects of crises can be very tangible and real, our perceptions and responses heavily rely on the way a crisis is communicated and represented; its ‘cultural life’.5 Storytelling is a powerful cognitive scheme for action with profound imaginative, ethical and political consequences. Research suggests that neoliberal epistemologies of growth are linked to representations of agency – or lack thereof – with detrimental effects in demobilising individuals6 and on their wellbeing.7 Notwithstanding its impact on ‘unequal exposure to risk and unequal access to resources’,8 the question of agency representation has been overlooked. Discursive practices which help individuals frame traumatic events differently have been shown to favour understandings that foster more proactive attitudes for action.9 Despite research in different disciplines converging, a truly interdisciplinary study exploring the connections between representations of climate crisis agency and wellbeing still awaits.

Research Programme – Activity: This project will fill the gap by bringing together 9 academics to develop an innovative transdisciplinary methodology drawing on narratology, cultural semiotics, media analysis, close-to-practice pedagogical enquiry and environmental psychology, including Pihkala’s taxonomy of climate emotions.10 This pilot study will aim to understand (i) how different portrayals of agency in narratives of climate-related crises foster different attitudes and emotions towards the environment, including the human (self and others) and the more-than-human (natural) worlds, (ii) how different narrative framings of a singular event can harness improved understandings and foster pro-environment attitudes and emotions, instead of de-mobilising, and (iii) which narrative structures and representations of agency may contribute to fostering wellbeing at individual and societal level.

We will co-create pedagogical tools to challenge certain narratives and develop collective forms of understanding that promote positive change. Younger generations can better embody alternative forms of agency and yet be more vulnerable to this crisis.11 As the pandemic has taught us, tackling planetary crises requires whole-of-society responses and collective action. Co-constructing knowledge across the generational and geopolitical divide and working with a diverse student population will fulfil the civic mission of the project; empowering youth for resilient greener futures, ‘collective wellbeing and sustainable development,’ in line with the OECD PISA ‘Global Competence’ framework.12

In the understanding that the so-called ‘new normal’ is in fact a world in permanent crises – crisis is now the rule rather than the exception — working on a new type of agency that is prepared for these challenges is more important than ever. The ‘new exceptional’ must provide opportunities for positive change and equip citizens with tools that foster different ontologies that are resilient, participatory, diverse and green.

Title: Victimisation and Justice in the Digital Society: A Cyber Clinic Prototype

Lead Proposer: Dr Sara Correia (Lecturer in Cyber Threats, School of Law, Swansea University) 

Co-Proposer/s:

• Dr Leigh Clark (Lecturer in Human Computer Interaction, Computer Science, Swansea University)
• Dr Martin Porcheron (Lecturer in Computer Science, Swansea University)
• Dr Nnenna Ifeanyi-Ajufo (Senior Lecturer of Law and Technology, School of Law, Swansea University)
• Mr Stuart Nicholson (Lecturer in Human Computer Interaction, Computer Science, Swansea Universty)

Project Aim: Digital technology is embedded into daily life and cannot be meaningfully separated from ‘real’ world experiences, including those of crime victims (Powell et al. 2018). ONS (2020) estimates that volumes of fraud and computer misuse (e.g. hacking) approximate all other crime combined. These crimes lead to financial losses and impacts on health and wellbeing (Button & Cross 2017). Additionally, tech now plays a role in gender-based violence (Harris & Vitis 2020) and hate crime (Perry & Olsson 2009, Williams et al. 2020). As such, crimes are increasingly ‘hybrid’, both on and offline. However, the victim response to online harms has been shown to be inconsistent, particularly with respect to identifying vulnerable victims (Skidmore et al. 2020) and addressing repeat victimisation (Correia 2020). In parallel, victim support services vary widely across geographical areas and the extent to which they are equipped to respond to the role of digital tech is ill understood.

We will create innovative solutions to these challenges, through co-design and a radically interdisciplinary approach. We aim to (1) explore the extent to which victim services are adequate in a ‘Digital Society’, and (2) develop a ‘Cyber Clinic’ prototype, offering a blend of face-to-face and digital support, to both increase and research individuals’ resilience to victimisation. By funding this project, MASI will contribute to critical understandings of the landscape of crime and harms in a digital world and, with it, help redefine notions of justice. Drawing on previous work and restorative justice principles (Braithwaite 2004; Karagiannopoulos et al. 2019, Zehr 2015), we will ask what online harms are suffered, by whom, how to repair them and who has the obligation/ability to do so

Title: Swansea-Sorbonne Postgraduate Migration Network

Lead Proposer: Mila Sanchez

Co-Proposer/s:

• Stephanie Barille (PhD Student, Swansea University)

Project Aim: Swansea-Sorbonne Postgraduate Migration Network is a transnational and interdisciplinary initiative designed for postgraduate students and early career researchers (ECRs) aiming to (1) facilitate discussion and knowledge exchange between researchers working on migration and (2) set up a research network to seek strategic funding and collaborative support for international migration research. The initiative builds on the existing joint work between Swansea University and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (joint PhD) to maximise collaboration between the established migration centres: Centre for Migration Policy Research (CMPR, Wales) and the Cluster of Excellence in Territorial and Spatial Dynamics (LabEx DynamiTe, France). The Swansea-Sorbonne network contributes to the development of Migration Research Wales, a new research network on migration within the Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods, supported by the Welsh Government.

This initiative will develop research capacity, starting with the monthly Migration Reading Group and followed by a conference and a workshop on innovative migration methodologies for PhD students and ECRs. Academic reading groups are not well-established in France and the network will offer PhD students and ECRs stimulating and inclusive opportunities to learn from and compare research strategies employed in the leading centres of migration research. A series of online sessions will be held to critically engage with the key migration issues affecting our world. This will be followed by a two-day postgraduate conference and knowledge exchange workshop, ‘Migration: Issues, Solutions and Policies’, to share experiences and prepare a publication of an edited Special Issue. The network will facilitate joint funding applications (Agence Nationale de Recherche and in the framework of the European Collaborative Research Projects) to support further development of methods, approaches and migration-focused research seminars.

Open Conference 24th & 25th May

Titled: Swansea-Sorbonne Migration Network: Postgraduate and Early Career Researcher Conference- Migration, Mobilities and Emerging Political Spaces

Please register here

Title: Quantum Imaging for Neurological Trauma (QUINT) - Non-invasive magnetic imaging for the diagnosis of current and historical brain trauma, enabled by novel molecular quantum sensors

Lead Proposer: John Hudson (PhD Student, Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering)

Co Proposer/s: 

• Freja Petrie (PhD Student, Sport Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering)
• Karol Szuba-Jablonski (PhD Student, Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering)
• Eleanor Bryant (PhD Student, Psychology, Human and Health Sciences)
• Benjamin Cooze (PhD Student, Medical School)
• Anthony Brennan (PhD Student, Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering)

Project Aim: In 2014, World Rugby introduced head impact protocols in response to a rising number of player concussions[1]. However, neurological damage from collisions may be asymptomatic, leaving players with subtle deficits in brain function. In the short term, this can affect skills such as balance, increasing the risk of additional injury. In the long term, this may lead to acquired neurodegeneration, greatly reducing athletes’ mental, physical and social health and thus their quality of life[2].

Whilst MRI technology can detect markers of severe brain trauma such as bleeding[3], it is unable to resolve subtle variations in brain physiology resulting from concussive injury and is limited in pitchside applications due to its cost and size. This delays rapid diagnosis and treatment, creating an urgent need to develop objective, pitch-side diagnostic tools to protect players from further harm.

QUINT will leverage research from the ReD Group into the control of magnetic states in radical molecules, applying it to produce quantum sensors for pitchside biomedical imaging – a topic far outside of the expertise of the group or department. QUINT will foster a network of postgraduate researchers with an interdisciplinary knowledge base to realise quantum imaging via an application focused and human-centered design process.

The subtle differences in the magnetic properties of various brain tissues will be detected with quantum sensors, capable of measuring femtotesla variations in magnetic field[4]. These magnetic variations will allow for imaging with greater precision and lower cost than MRI, providing an objective tool for game removal decisions and further treatment in both symptomatic and asymptomatic brain injury. The greater capability of quantum imaging will have multiple applications outside of sport, from the earlier detection of neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, to diagnosing the subtle physiological changes resulting from historical brain trauma.

Title: A pilot study to explore how women in prison remained connected to family and significant others during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lead Proposer: Dr Laura Broome (Research Officer, Psychology, Swansea University)

Co Proposer/s: 

• Dr Iduna Shah-Beckley (NEXUS Personaltiy Disorder Treatment Services, HMP Eastwood Park)

Project Aim: Engagement with MASI is an opportunity for responsive and applied research to consider how women in prison, who already face significant challenges in maintaining a full, connected and joyful life, can remain connected to family/significant others. Family ties and connectedness through visits, phone calls and letters are associated with reduced reoffending, improved wellbeing and reduced intergenerational criminal behaviours. However, the lockdown restrictions and physical distancing practices necessary to slow the spread of Covid-19, have led to further difficulties maintaining social connections. For example, at the height of the pandemic prisoners were on lockdown for up to 23 hours a day and face-to-face visitation was replaced with video-conferencing approaches. There is a need to understand the potential impacts, consequences and benefits of this on both prisoners and their family/significant others.

This is not only relevant in the context of Covid-19, but also in terms of supporting prisoners to remain connected in the long-term. Custodial sentences are often served out of area i.e., Welsh women are sent to England at all levels of custody including prison and their transition back into the community. There are no female prisons or Approved Premises in Wales, significantly impacting their ability to remain connected to family/significant others. The cost and time of travel for visits out of area is a substantial barrier to remaining connected, which is the most predominant criminogenic need for women. The proposed pilot will consider what we can learn from the lockdown response to prepare for future outbreak waves, facilitate recovery, promote resilience and foster connections. The joint MoJ and Welsh Government Female Offending Blueprint sets out an ambition to accelerate the transformation of services for women in Wales. Engagement with MASI can contribute to this transformation both locally and nationally.