RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS - UCLan
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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
2019-2020
1
World-leading research at UCLan Our research is divided into six themes:
When you come to study at the University of Central Lancashire
you’ll have the privilege of working alongside, and being
taught by, academic staff who are leading experts in their fields.
Many of our academic staff are active researchers whose work
Arts, Culture
and Heritage 4
is leading to new discoveries and making a positive impact on
Citizenship, Society
6
people’s lives all over the world.
UCLan research staff work collaboratively with major international and Justice
organisations, from the United Nations and the World Health Organisation
to the European Space Agency and NASA. As well as contributing to policy
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and practice, they are often sought out by the world’s media for their expertise. Lifelong Health
This brochure provides a snapshot of some of the most exciting, innovative and and Wellbeing
life-changing research projects our academics have been engaged in recently.
You’ll see that our University’s longstanding mission to transform lives now
People, Place
10
extends to every corner of the globe - from educating deaf students in India to
solving crime and improving maternity care worldwide.
and Environment
At UCLan we offer a wide range of postgraduate research-based degrees which
are ideal if you are aspiring to pursue an academic career, contribute to the
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advancement of human knowledge and make a positive difference to the world. Sustainability, Business
Find out more about our life-changing research at and Enterprise
uclan.ac.uk/research
Cover image: Red Bird flight simulator, used by academics and students on our
Aerospace Engineering courses.
Transformative Sciences
and Technology 14
2
UCLan professor in deep space discovery
UCLan was recently involved in a remarkable worldwide collaboration
which resulted in scientists capturing the first ever image of a black
hole, located in the distant reaches of space.
The supermassive black hole captured in the image resides 55 million light years from
Earth in the distant galaxy Messier 87 and has a mass 6.5 billion times that of our Sun.
Eight telescopes in remote locations around the world were synchronised to create one
Earth-sized virtual telescope, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), enabling unprecedented
sensitivity and resolution. One of these, the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, located near
the summit of the dormant Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii, is partially financed by UCLan.
Derek Ward-Thompson, Professor of Astrophysics and Head of the School of Physical
Sciences and Computing, was involved in analysing data from the telescope to help
confirm the ground-breaking astronomical breakthrough, which made headlines around
the world.
In September 2019, Derek and the other scientists involved in the international EHT
collaboration were awarded the 2020 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics,
regarded as the ‘Oscars of Science.’
Image credit: EHT Collaboration
800+ Annual total
research income of 800+ 100+
research or readers and
knowledge transfer- £6.9 research
students currently
professors currently
active members of
staff at UCLan million enrolled
working at the
University
3
ARTS, CULTURE AND
HERITAGE
Celebrating black art and
highlighting discrimination
The Turner Prize winning artist Lubaina Himid CBE is
Professor of Contemporary Art at UCLan. Acclaimed as a
pioneer of the British black art movement of the 1980s,
her works and research celebrate the contribution made
to society by the black diaspora. Lubaina describes herself
as “a political strategist who uses a visual language to
encourage conversation, argument and change.” Her
works give voice to the oppressed and highlight the trade
in enslaved people.
Lubaina co-leads the Making Histories Visible project at UCLan, working
with major museums and cultural organisations to connect artists
and communities with their local and international heritage through
exhibitions, archive interventions and public art projects.
Her Turner Prize win in 2017 followed her career-spanning exhibitions
which brought together paintings, sculpture and ceramics. Her works
have been exhibited at leading institutions including Tate Britain and
Modern Art Oxford. She regularly works with museums and galleries to
enhance the visibility and recognition of black artists.
Professor Lubaina Himid CBE
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Capturing rare sounds Documenting life in Britain through photography
of the world Craig Atkinson, Lecturer in Fine Art, has masterminded the widespread
Global Sound Movement is an award- publication of thousands of photographs depicting everyday life in post-
winning arts project which sees war Britain. Before this, no accessible collection of British documentary
researchers travelling to remote parts photography existed, and millions of images taken by photographers,
of the world to capture the sounds celebrated and amateur, lingered in private collections, invisible to the public.
of rare musical instruments which are He has since curated and made available over 500 bodies of work by more than 300
unique to a remote indigenous tribe, international photographers through the release of almost 500 titles via his publishing house,
community or geographic location. Café Royal Books. Each one is a carefully curated selection of themed images.
The recordings are then digitised and added Crucially, these books are inexpensive for collectors to acquire. As a result, more than
to online sample libraries. These are made 100,000 of Craig’s books are now in circulation. Many have been purchased by major
available for sale to musicians, producers and international galleries and libraries including Tate, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
artists worldwide, with proceeds generated USA, and Victoria & Albert London. His research has been used in leading universities,
to the communities involved. Researchers including Oxford and Harvard. In collecting, archiving and curating these images, Café Royal
have recently travelled to Uganda, Bali, China, Books has prevented these important time capsules documenting everyday
Croatia, Morocco, Cyprus, Turkey and other British life from being lost forever.
locations all over the globe. ‘Environmental
sounds’ from all of these locations have
also been recorded, preserving not just their
instruments but also sounds from their
acoustic environment.
This unique project, led by Phil Holmes,
Senior Lecturer in Music Production, and
Paresh Parmar, Senior Lecturer in Brand
Management, won the Excellence and
Innovation in the Arts prize at the Times
Higher Education Awards in 2016.
5
CITIZENSHIP, SOCIETY
AND JUSTICE
Fighting crime with digital
technology
Police forces worldwide are using advanced
digital technology co-developed at UCLan to
help in the fight against serious crime.
The Police work with witnesses and victims of crime
to construct computer-generated facial composites of
offenders. These images can be crucial in helping to
identify criminals and bring them to justice.
Charlie Frowd, Professor of Forensic Psychology, has co-
designed the pioneering EvoFIT software, a facial composite
system which substantially outperforms previous ‘photofit’
methods used to construct the face. His collaborative work
has led to the successful identification of many serious
criminals, including murder suspects and rapists.
EvoFIT has already been used by 26 police forces in the UK
and overseas (from Israel to the USA) and has played a role
in over 5,000 investigations worldwide.
Professor Charlie Frowd
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Using DNA to identify human remains following international conflict
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) called on the expertise of Dr Will Goodwin, Reader in the School
of Forensic and Applied Sciences, to improve the usage of forensic analysis to identify the remains of people killed in
conflicts and disasters.
Will helped to draft their current guidelines on the use of DNA analysis and these have since been applied all over the world, from Argentina to
Egypt, Indonesia and Ukraine. In 2017 he was an expert adviser on an ICRC initiative which led to the identification of around 100 Argentine
soldiers who were killed in the Falklands War in 1982 and buried in the island’s Darwin Cemetery.
Will’s expertise in forensics has been sought out by other international agencies, including the United Nations, aiding their work in other
former war zones. Reuniting families with the bodies of their loved ones can help ensure that the deceased receive a proper burial, as well as
bringing a sense of closure to the bereaved.
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LIFELONG HEALTH
AND WELLBEING
Stroke experts saving lives
When someone is experiencing the symptoms of a stroke, it’s vital
that they get immediate access to specialist treatment to save their
life and prevent long-term disability.
The Stroke Research Team at UCLan is delivering improvements in diagnosis and
treatment, working with national and international partners including the NHS,
Public Health England and the George Institute for Global Health in India.
The team is the only nurse-led stroke research unit in the UK and is led by Professor
Caroline Watkins, who was made a dame for her services to stroke and nursing
care in 2017.
Research carried out by members of the Stroke Research Team has helped to
ensure that people with suspected stroke get the quickest ambulance response
times possible, and that when they arrive at emergency departments they get
rapid access to specialist stroke treatment and care.
Key projects have included informing the content of the national stroke awareness
FAST campaign, which helps people to identify the most common signs of
a stroke (Face, Arm, Speech problems) and emphasises the need to call 999
immediately.
Through the Emergency Stroke Calls: Obtaining Rapid Telephone Triage (ESCORTT)
project, 999 call handlers undertook training which resulted in more patients with
stroke being identified and rapidly transported to hospital. Members of the team
also led the international HeadPost trial in the UK which explored whether the
head position of stroke patients made a difference to their chances of survival.
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Improving mental health care
for people with cystic fibrosis
Research by Janice Abbott, Professor of Health
Psychology, has been instrumental in improving
the care of people with cystic fibrosis, a genetic,
life-limiting condition with an immense
treatment burden.
Improving global experiences
of childbirth
Janice co-led the UK arm of a large international study
spanning nine European countries and the USA. The Research led by Soo Downe, Professor of Midwifery, is
UK-based research, involving over 2,700 participants improving standards of maternity care worldwide, with
from 39 UK Cystic Fibrosis Centres, revealed that a a view to ensuring that all pregnant women, babies and
significant proportion of people living with cystic fibrosis families have a positive experience of childbirth.
experience depression and anxiety. It highlighted the need
to measure and treat mental health issues in patients, In 2013 the team published a world-leading study revealing that
families and care givers, sparking an aspiration within the some women in low income settings globally don’t use antenatal
cystic fibrosis community to improve mental health. care because it doesn’t fit with their cultural norms, or because they
experience lack of respect and compassion from maternity care staff,
The research recommended that screening and treatment which could possibly increase mortality and morbidity. Findings have
for depression and anxiety should become a routine directly shaped recent World Health Organisation antenatal and
aspect of cystic fibrosis care (in the same way that intrapartum guidelines for positive, respectful maternity care, and
measuring lung function and weight already are). This has influenced global initiatives around appropriate use of caesarean
been widely implemented. section, and a key global Lancet Series on stillbirth. The team’s
Janice is a core member of an international committee studies have also been used for professional educational modules
which has published guidelines for practitioners designed designed to improve practice around stillbirth and how parents can
to improve the mental health of people with cystic best be helped through this traumatic experience, and their research
fibrosis. Her research has sparked changes in international has provided input to government policy for personalisation of
policy and clinical practice. maternity care as well as improved safety, through Soo’s membership
of the NHS England Better Births Stakeholder Group.
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PEOPLE, PLACE AND
ENVIRONMENT
Reconnecting Native Americans
with their heritage
Dr David Robinson, Reader in Archaeology, has been
assisting Native American communities to reconnect
with their heritage.
Processes of colonialism, nation building and urbanisation have
disconnected many Native Americans from the deep prehistory,
especially for indigenous Californians. David has carried out research
at two culturally important sites on the spectacular lands of the
Wind Wolves Preserve: Pleito (one of the most elaborately painted
rock-art sites in the world) and Cache Cave, which features elaborately
hand-woven baskets and other objects created by their ancestors.
Despite their cultural importance, these remote locations are difficult
to access for tribal members and the objects inside them are fragile.
David’s research has led to the development of innovative virtual
reality technology. This has enabled tribal members to explore these
culturally important sites and fragile basketry and other objects
through an immersive virtual experience. Additionally, training
events on film making (via UCLan led Storylab) and rock-art
stewardship has helped to empower members of the Native
community to experience these places and develop new skills to
reconnect with their ancestry in creative ways.
Dr David Robinson
Image credit: Devlin Gandy and Josh Roth
10Transforming the prospects of
deaf students worldwide
A project led by UCLan’s International Institute for Sign
Languages and Deaf Studies (iSLanDS) is transforming
the lives and future prospects of deaf young people
aged 16-25 in India, Ghana and Uganda.
Many of the youngsters had been marginalised since their school
days, with institutions lacking the resources needed to teach
children using sign language. By giving them the opportunity to
learn through sign language as the language of communication
in the classroom, they have been able to radically develop
their reading, writing and other literacy skills. The project, led
by Ulrike Zeshan OBE, Professor of Sign Language Linguistics,
has changed people’s lives, improving their educational
attainment, independence and self-confidence.
Another facet of this work involves training and employing deaf
research assistants and peer tutors for teaching and research
roles. Between 2009 and 2015, 70 deaf individuals from 10
developing countries studied UCLan’s groundbreaking BA in
Applied Sign Languages Studies in New Delhi, taught using
Indian Sign Language. This has resulted in a substantial number
of skilled deaf graduates who have gone on to teach language
and literacy skills to deaf students in their home countries.
Deaf graduates are now working to improve the lives of deaf
people around the world, including in Mexico, China, Burundi,
and Nepal.
Professor Ulrike Zeshan OBE
11SUSTAINABILITY, BUSINESS AND ENTERPRISE
Game-changing recycling solution wins industry award
An award-winning partnership between UCLan and result, Recycling Lives is on the verge of implementing a ‘closed loop
Preston-based enterprise Recycling Lives has been recycling solution’, where 100% of waste gets processed into useful
generating literally tonnes of benefits for the environment, materials with no detrimental impact on the environment. It has enabled
the company to meet government and EU targets regarding the recycling
local communities and the regional economy.
of end-of-life vehicles. Recycling Lives has gone on to invest more than
Recycling Lives are experts in total waste management – processing and £7 million in two new plants in order to commercialise the process,
recycling industrial waste, including vehicles. They divert the profits from generating jobs in the region. The University and Recycling Lives have also
their work into life-changing community projects. invested £750,000 in a joint research and demonstrator plant which will
enable the exploitation of thermal recycling processes, further building
Professor Karl Williams, Director for the Centre of Waste Management
bridges between academia and industry.
at UCLan, worked in partnership with Recycling Lives to develop an
innovative new thermal process which converts the residue left over from The project won the Most Innovative Contribution to Business-University
the shredding process into oil and gas which can be used to generate Collaboration Award at the Times Higher Education Awards in
energy. This residue would otherwise have ended up as landfill. As a November 2018.
Professor Karl Williams and Dr Ala Khodier of Recycling Lives
12Transforming Preston’s
economy
Research led by Dr Julian Manley, Social
Innovation Manager, has been instrumental in
transforming the economic fortunes of Preston.
Working alongside Preston City Council (PCC) and
the Mondragón Co-operative Corporation in Spain,
his research on communities and co-operative values
has directly inspired the city-wide adoption of the
‘Preston Model’ as a catalyst for generating wealth
and creating jobs.
The Model involves local ‘anchor’ institutions (such as
the University and the hospital trust) adapting their
procurement policies in order to retain wealth within
the city, as well as launching new enterprises which
adhere to co-operative principles and operate ethically.
Since adopting the Preston Model, the city has been
named as the most rapidly improving urban area in the
UK.* Its success has inspired political action nationally
and internationally. At least 40 councils across the UK
are developing socio-economic policies which emulate
the Preston Model and it has attracted international
media attention.
*In research by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the think tank Demos, 2018.
Outside the Harris Museum, Art Gallery & Library in Preston
13TRANSFORMATIVE
SCIENCES AND
TECHNOLOGY
World-leading fire research
ignites positive change
The expertise of Richard Hull, Professor of Chemistry
and Fire Science, and Anna Stec, Professor of Fire
Chemistry and Toxicity, has been called on by
architects, constructors and politicians in the
aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, which
caused the deaths of 72 people in June 2017.
The majority of fatalities in a fire are caused by people inhaling
toxic fumes emitted by combustible materials. Surprisingly, the
toxicity of this smoke is not regulated in the UK, meaning that
building materials, such as insulation and cables, and furniture are
often constructed out of materials which produce deadly smoke
when they burn.
Richard has worked with the European Commission (EC) and
the UK’s Ministry of Housing to develop regulations in this area,
and they are urging manufacturers to declare the smoke toxicity of
their products. In 2016 Richard was the only academic appointed
to the steering committee overseeing the EC Smoke Toxicity study.
14After the Grenfell fire, which sent
shockwaves around the world, Richard
appeared on national TV and in the press
to provide expert insight into the causes
and rapid spread of the fire. In particular,
combustible cladding materials used on
the building were shown to be highly
toxic when burning.
Anna and Richard’s research on the fire
behaviour of polythene-filled panels and
insulation foams helped to bring about a
major review of building fire safety and
a government ban on the use of such
materials on tall residential buildings. Anna
was appointed as an Expert Witness to the
Grenfell Tower Inquiry in June 2018.
Anna has identified high levels of
potentially cancer-causing residues that
firefighters are regularly exposed to, in
order to explain their higher incidence
of many cancers. She also discovered
high levels of contamination of the area
surrounding Grenfell Tower which threaten
the long-term health of local residents.
Professor Anna Stec
15Improving horse safety in elite sporting competitions
Dr Sarah Hobbs, Reader in Equine and Human Biomechanics, worked on the world’s largest study into the effect of
arena surfaces on the health of horses in sporting competitions.
She was the lead author of The Equine Surfaces White Paper, published by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), which reviewed the
effects of surfaces on horses’ welfare, performance and orthopaedic health. It outlined a framework for testing equestrian arena surfaces. Its
recommendations were piloted at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the World Equestrian Games in 2018.
Research at UCLan has built on the White Paper’s recommendations, leading to the development of a certification process which is expected
to be a mandatory requirement for elite events from 2021. This will help to deliver enhanced horse and rider welfare, improve performance,
reduce injury and extend their careers.
16Improving emergency
water rescues
Potentially life-saving research led by Dr Loel
Collins, Senior Lecturer in the Institute of
Coaching and Performance, has improved the
safety and effectiveness of equipment used in
water-based emergency rescue operations.
Working alongside Rescue 3 Europe (the largest trainer of
technical rescue for water, air and land emergencies) and
Palm Equipment International, the research has improved
the performance of key buoyancy and rescue equipment,
enabling rescuers to enter the water to perform rescues
with greater security.
Across a number of linked ongoing studies, the research
has enhanced the training of rescuers, advanced the
design and manufacture of rescuer equipment, and
developed a greater understanding of the techniques in
rescue operations.
Loel’s recommendations have been adopted by British
Canoeing and Rescue 3’s 2,000+ instructors in Europe
who have trained a further 21,000 rescuers in the
emergency services.
Image credit: Karl Midlane, Plas y Brenin National Outdoor Centre
17Life as a research student
is out of this world
Simon Ebo had always wanted to reach
for the stars and pursue a dream career in
Astrophysics. His prospects rocketed after
he completed a Foundation Year at UCLan
and now he is undertaking a PhD exploring
planets beyond our solar system and looking
ahead to a thriving career in research...
He explains: “I was accepted onto the first ever intake
of Foundation Year students at UCLan. After achieving a
first-class grade, I progressed to the Astrophysics degree.
I was enrolled on the MPhys course, achieving a 2:1,
and graduated in summer 2018 before starting my PhD
the following October.
During my degree I completed two summer internships
studying Asteroseismology with Professor Don Kurtz
in the School of Physical Sciences and Computing. The
first of these led to a publication in a notable scientific
journal, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical
Society (MNRAS), and I was sent to the University of
North Carolina Asheville (UNCA) in the USA to present
our work at an international conference of Physics and
Astronomy students.”
18After graduation, Simon spent a number of months doing research during a Our research degrees
summer internship at Leiden University in The Netherlands and the European
Space Agency (ESA)’s Research and Technology Centre. You can study the following postgraduate
research degrees at UCLan:
He is now undertaking a PhD in Astrophysics at UCLan’s Jeremiah Horrocks
Institute, where the focus of his research is exoplanets – planets which are • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
orbiting stars other than the Sun. He explains:
• Doctor of Medicine (MD [Res])
“I am currently writing a program that will study every star we observe with our
own telescope, the Moses Holden Telescope (MHT) at Alston Observatory, before • Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
applying it to observations made by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
(TESS), the latest generation exoplanet space mission. I will hopefully detect, or • Master of Surgery (MCh)
confirm, new exoplanets and describe their parameters and characteristics.“
• MA (by Research)
• MSc (by Research)
Simon has been impressed by the standard of
• LLM (by Research)
UCLan’s facilities. He says: “It even has its own
observatory site in a dark sky area, with the largest • PhD (by Published Work) is
available to graduates and staff
working teaching telescope in the UK.” of the University
• Professional Doctorates are
Simon has ambitions to continue his career in academia after completing his PhD. available in a variety of fields
He has the following advice for anyone who wants to follow in his footsteps and
reach for the stars: “If you are passionate about something you will succeed.” Find out more at uclan.ac.uk/research/study
19uclan.ac.uk/research
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