Category: Research

Welcoming our first cohort of Global Fellows

The Global Fellowship Scheme provides prestigious awards to enable world-leading researchers and scholars from around the globe to spend between one and three months at the University of Brighton. During this time, they will be able to engage in productive research and build lasting collaborations.

Global Fellows will work in partnerships with University of Brighton colleagues on a joint grant application, produce a co-authored output or co-produced artefact, and share research skills and experience with researchers within our Centres of Research and Knowledge Exchange Excellence and postgraduate students.

We are looking forward to welcoming Professor Alexies Dagnino, University of Valparaiso, Chile in June, who will be collaborating with Dr Melanie Flint.

Continue reading “Welcoming our first cohort of Global Fellows” →

Stephanie ThomsonLeave a comment
A hedgehog in the grass next to some apples

Garden scraps: British wildlife clash over leftover food

Badgers, hedgehogs, foxes and cats are becoming embroiled in fights and stand-offs over food left in British gardens, a study has revealed.

Wildlife conservation experts at the University of Brighton and Nottingham Trent University analysed hundreds of videos supplied by members of the public to investigate interactions within and between different species.

The researchers found that while food left by people in urban gardens – leftovers or commercially bought for this purpose – can provide benefits for wild animals, it can also bring competitors and predators into close proximity.

Continue reading “Garden scraps: British wildlife clash over leftover food” →

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Profile of Dr Raymond Ward

Meet Dr Raymond Ward

I am a Reader in Marine Sciences within Geography, Earth and Environment, an active member of the Centre for Aquatic Environments and Programme Lead for the suite of MRes courses in Environment and Geosciences. I mainly research the impacts of global change (climate change, pollution, anthropogenic degradation) on coastal ecosystems.

My journey to teaching

I had been working for 10 years as an Arctic wilderness guide and was increasingly working in environmental education – I decided that I wanted to study the environment.

During my environmental Masters in Spain, I was offered the chance to do a PhD between Brighton and Estonia, I left my Masters and have been teaching at Brighton ever since.

I love seeing the development of students from when they first arrive to their graduation and beyond, it amazing to be a part of that journey.

Continue reading “Meet Dr Raymond Ward” →

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Cattle walking in the Andes mountains

New research documents how the Andes has uplifted through time

New research by Dr Laura Evenstar has documented how the Andean Mountain chain in South America has uplifted through time.

The paper, written in collaboration with Prof. Adrian Hartley from the University of Aberdeen and Prof. Anne Mather from the University of Plymouth, unravels the roles of both tectonics and climate in forming the highest mountain chain in the world, after the Himalayas. Previous models for its uplift have been contradictory, ranging from long, slow uplift over the last 50 million years through to short, rapid uplift in the last 10 million years. This paper is the first study to utilise the datasets from all previous models and reconcile them onto a single unifying theory explaining the rise of the Andes.

You can find out more in the article Orogenic-orographic feedback and the rise of the Central Andes in Earth and Planetary Science Letters journal.

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Meet Professor James Ebdon

I am an Environmental Microbiologist interested in the role of water in the spread and control of water-related diseases. I’m particularly interested in how we can protect human health and aquatic environments.

What drew you to teaching your subject?

I first became interested in water pollution during my undergraduate degree at the University of Brighton, nearly 30 years ago. I was fortunate to be taught by an inspirational lecturer (Prof Huw Taylor) who got us investigating the impact of agriculture on local river water quality. This involved fieldwork at a nearby agricultural college and laboratory testing back on campus. From this moment I never looked back, and to this day I thoroughly enjoy the combination of fieldwork and lab-work. Only now I get to lead fieldwork activities and lecture about the joys of conducting environmental research in a range of challenging settings. 

How do you combine teaching with your professional life/work in the field?

Throughout my teaching career I have been heavily involved with international research projects, conducting fieldwork in Malawi, India, Nepal, Brazil, Vietnam, and Hawaii (funded by UNICEF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, British Council). This has allowed me to bring in contemporary, real-world case material into my teaching on modules such as Global Environmental Challenges, Water, Sanitation and Health and to develop dissertations with my students focussed on addressing pressing environmental challenges. This way students get to engage with and benefit from cutting-edge applied research, long before it has even been reported in leading international scientific journals.   

Continue reading “Meet Professor James Ebdon” →

Laura RubyLeave a comment
Micrscope image of phages attacking bacteria

MPs back inquiry into powerful new weapon against antibiotic resistance

A University of Brighton researcher has gained Parliamentary support to investigate an ancient foe of bacteria as a weapon against antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic resistance is a global threat of huge proportions. A 2019 study published in the Lancet estimated that drug resistant infections contribute to 4.95 million deaths per year on average (12,000 of those in the UK) – with the global figure expected to rise to 10 million by 2050. Continue reading “MPs back inquiry into powerful new weapon against antibiotic resistance” →

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crabs and lobster baskets at the beach

Study probes sharp fall in Sussex crab and lobster catch

University of Brighton experts are investigating a steep decline in the catch of crab and lobster in key fishing waters off Selsey in West Sussex.

Three female researchers at the beachDr Heidi Burgess is working alongside University of Brighton students as part of the CHASM (Crustaceans, Habitat And Sediment Movement) Project, in partnership with Chichester District Council, the Channel Coastal Observatory, and University of Southampton. The project is also supported by over 20 national, regional, and local environmental organisations with interests in the marine environment. Continue reading “Study probes sharp fall in Sussex crab and lobster catch” →

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Dr Corina Ciocan at the harbour

Brighton research on microplastic marine pollution raises primetime alarm

Research by University of Brighton on an overlooked cause of potentially health-damaging marine pollution has been highlighted on BBC1’s The One Show.

The programme on 6 September featured University of Brighton’s marine biologist Dr. Corina Ciocan, whose research team has found alarming evidence of tiny shards of fibreglass shed from ageing or discarded boats being taken up by marine organisms – including those we eat. Continue reading “Brighton research on microplastic marine pollution raises primetime alarm” →

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Dr Sarah Pitt Media Fellow 2022 promo

Media fellowship puts biomedical expert behind the scenes at the BBC

University of Brighton’s Dr Sarah Pitt will team up with the BBC Science Unit as part of a Media Fellowship from the Association of British Science Writers.

As a virologist, Dr Pitt has made regular appearances on TV, radio and in print since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing expert insights on the disease itself, as well as infection rates, new variants and vaccinations. More recently, she has been called upon to comment on other topics such as the discovery of polio in London water and the ongoing monkeypox outbreak. Continue reading “Media fellowship puts biomedical expert behind the scenes at the BBC” →

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