Loughborough Institute of Advanced Studies Podcast

Assoc. Prof. Cecilia González Tokman - A Journey into Random Dynamical Systems and Multiplicative Ergodic Theory

IAS Residential Fellow Associate Professor Cecilia González Tokman delivers a seminar on their research -
Random and non-autonomous dynamical systems are flexible mathematical models for the study of complicated systems whose evolution is affected by external factors, such as seasonal influences and random effects. Multiplicative ergodic theory provides fundamental information for the study of transport phenomena in such systems, including long-term behaviour, mixing rates and coherent structures. In this talk, we will take a journey into random dynamical systems and multiplicative ergodic theory, guided in part by questions arising from the investigation of oceanic and atmospheric flows.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias

Dr Jens Martin Turowski - When rivers kiss the valley walls...

IAS Visiting Fellow Dr Jens Martin Turowski delivers a seminar on their research -
The width of channel belts and fluvial valleys and its temporal evolution is important for the hydraulics, hydrology, and ecology of landscapes, and for human activities such as farming, protecting infrastructure, and natural hazard mitigation. The width of a fluvial valley is set by the river undercutting valley walls and evacuating the resulting sediment. We have recently developed a model for the temporal evolution and steady-state valley width on the assumption of a non-standard one-dimensional random walk of channel migration. The model connects valley evolution to reach-scale hydraulic parameters. Here, I introduce the model and summarize some key results and compare model predictions to observations of natural and experimental rivers.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias
 

Professor Bruno Charbonneau - Future-making Politics: Planning for Low-Carbon Warfare

IAS Visiting Fellow Professor Bruno Charbonneau delivers a seminar on their research -
Discussions about the consequences of climate change for security have so far emphasized how the climate crisis multiplies security threats or how it might lead to instability and war. They do not consider how war and military operations themselves might change or must change, given the socio-technological transformations that also come with climate change. The strengthening of net-zero emissions targets and the energy transition to renewables in response to the deepening climate crisis is forcing militaries to find answers to the question of how to wield force effectively within the constraints of a future low-carbon world. The prospect is one of significant changes to how militaries operate in the years ahead as the global energy transition unfolds. In other words, the consequences of climate change on security is not only about the geo- and biophysical impacts on human affairs and geopolitics—to which the military must adapt and prepare for. Planning the future of warfare must also consider how societies and the international system transform in response to climate change—and what the consequences of such transformations are for the future of the military and warfare. It is these socio-technological transformations that we aim and propose to study, in order to imagine, prepare, and plan for the future of war. This paper will do so by emphasizing the transformation of time; i.e. the specificity of the temporal politics under climate change conditions.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias

Ms Ananya Bhattacharya - Storytelling for Inclusion and Development

IAS Visiting Fellow Ms Ananya Bhattacharya (UNESCO Global Network of Facilitators) delivers a seminar on their research -
Traditional knowledge systems, shaped by generations of ecological coexistence, offer critical insights into sustainability, ethical living, and sustainable resource management. Transmitted through oral traditions, rituals, crafts, and performances, these systems embody values and practices essential for ecological resilience. As global discourse delves into the post-2030 development agenda, integrating living heritage into sustainability frameworks is increasingly urgent. Storytelling, both live and digital, emerges as a vital tool in this process—preserving cultural memory, fostering intergenerational learning, and enabling communities, especially youth, to reinterpret heritage on their own terms. Digital storytelling enhances reach, democratises narrative authority, and connects local wisdom to global audiences. Cultural tourism, when shaped by community-led interpretation, becomes a platform of mutual learning and sustainability education. Drawing on case studies from India, this presentation highlights storytelling’s transformative potential for community empowerment, sustainability education, and inclusive, culturally rooted development pathways.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias
 

Dr Carmen Pérez González - Leveraging the playing field: harnessing sport as a tool to ensure compliance with international law

IAS Visiting Fellow Dr Carmen Pérez González (UNESCO Chair in Educational Linkage Through International Sports) delivers a seminar on their research - 
Traditionally, the international community has not fully recognized the capacity of sports as an enforcement tool within the realm of international law. Despite sporadic instances of sports-related boycotts and sanctions, its complete potential remains largely unrealized. However, the traditional notion of sports as apolitical has been challenged by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In response, sports organizations and public authorities have adopted a variety of coercive measures whose legal basis is complex and contested. Ultimately, this reaction illustrates that sports can serve as an effective instrument not only for diplomacy, peace, and the safeguarding of human rights, but also for compelling adherence to international obligations. This study scrutinizes various normative and institutional examples from both public and sporting authorities, with the ultimate objective of contributing to the debate on the possible redefinition of the concept of political neutrality in sport and, with it, the relationship between the sports movement and international law.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias
 

Dr Yolandi Burger - Urban Places as Narrative Spaces

Returning IAS Alumni Fellow from the 2023-24 academic year, Dr Yolandi Burger, organises a panel discussion featuring esteemed colleagues Professor Mike Wilson, Dr Robert Harland, Dr Taimaz Larimian, and Melinda Swift.
This panel examines the intricate relationship between urban places and the narratives through which they are experienced, remembered, and reimagined. It explores how cities are not only physical environments but also repositories of collective memory, identity, and meaning. Discussion will focus on the ways in which spatial structures, visual communication, storytelling practices, and data representation contribute to shaping the narratives of urban life. Attention will be given to the intersection of heritage, sustainability, community engagement, and urban morphology, considering how narratives can both reveal and obscure the complexities of metropolitan regions. The panel interrogates how participatory approaches and graphic representations can democratise urban storytelling, fostering more inclusive and dynamic understandings of place. Through critical reflection, it aims to highlight new pathways for connecting urban design, research, and community voices, ultimately rethinking the role of narrative in sustaining and transforming contemporary urban environments.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias

Professor Peng Zhang - Dynamics of Droplet-Droplet Collision - Advancing Predictive Spray Combustion Models for a Net-Zero Future

IAS Visiting Fellow Professor Peng Zhang delivers a seminar on their research - 
Droplet-droplet collision is a fundamental process in both natural phenomena and industrial applications, serving as a microcosm of multi-scale fluid dynamics. This talk unravels the intricate physics governing collision outcomes—coalescence, bouncing, and separation—beginning with the canonical case of identical droplets. We highlight the interplay between macroscopic droplet kinematics, internal flow dynamics, and microscale interfacial interactions (e.g., rarefied gas films and van der Waals forces), which collectively define the system’s multi-physics behaviour. Expanding beyond symmetric collisions, we explore complex scenarios involving unequal-sized droplets, non-Newtonian fluids, and dissimilar droplets, alongside analogous jet-jet collisions. By synthesizing these insights, we bridge fundamental fluid dynamics with predictive spray combustion modeling, emphasizing how microscale collision physics can constrain macroscale combustion efficiency and emissions—particularly for low-carbon fuels. This work provides a framework to improve the accuracy of spray combustion simulations, supporting the development of cleaner combustion technologies.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias
 

Dr Andrey V. Ivanov - Birth of an Empire: Feofan Prokopovych and the Metamorphosis of Petrine Russia

IAS Residential Fellow Dr Andrey V. Ivanov delivers a seminar on their research -
What is an empire? Prior to 1721, the Latin title of “imperator” belonged exclusively to the  Western, Eastern or Holy Roman political entities  This monopoly ended with the Petrine proclamation of the world’s first non-Roman imperium, and later, with similar proclamations by Napoleonic France, Iturbide’s Mexico, Braganza Brazil, and Wilhelmine Germany. “Empire” lost its narrow legal connotation, acquiring broader multivalent meanings. But it was Ukrainian archbishop Feofan Prokopovych (1677-1736), who initiated the concepts that got us to this point. An erudite polymath, Feofan served as the chief ideologist of first, Ukrainian Hetman Ivan Mazepa, and then, Peter I. As the seminar will demonstrate, forging the new empire was a direct product of the archbishop’s versatile scholarly breadth. Prokopovych godfathered the empire’s birth through an interdisciplinary endeavor that engaged with the political theories of the early European Enlightenment, Boylean physics, Holy Roman imperial  jurisprudence, and Lutheran theology.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias

Professor Jeffrey A Nittrouer - Geomorphic Evolution of Peatland Streams: Uniquely Boring but Ecologically Critical Landscape Systems

IAS Residential Fellow Professor Jeffrey A. Nittrouer delivers a seminar on their research - 
Peatland environments cover 3% of the planet’s land surface, yet possess 30% of its terrestrial organic carbon. The hydrology of peatlands is critical to establishing carbon-storage capabilities. The surface-water system consists of lakes and bogs connected by low-sloping streams that transport minimal amounts of inorganic sediment. Over time, peatland streams aggrade due to accumulation of organic matter, thereby filling their valleys. We use remote-sensing techniques and field observations to quantify rates of lateral mobility, and these data inform a numerical modeling framework that evaluates migration habit. A fundamental control on peat stream mobility is inorganic sediment content: Where unconsolidated material is added to the system the stream bed and floodplain aggrade rapidly, driving changes in channel morphology and increasing lateral migration rates. How such dynamics adjust to scenarios of altered hydrological regimes is discussed; in particular, how changing water and sediment runoff could liberate sequestered organic carbon, leading to respiration.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias
 

Dr Alberto Doretto - Siltation in rivers: Causes, impacts, and new approaches for biomonitoring

IAS Visiting Fellow Dr Alberto Doretto delivers a seminar on their research -
Siltation (i.e. the excessive accumulation of fine sediment on the riverbed) is globally recognized as one of the greatest impacts in lotic ecosystems due to the intensification of hydro-morphological (i.e. sediment flushing from dams) and land-use (i.e. deforestation, agriculture, urbanization) pressures. However, the ability to identify general cause-effect mechanisms of biological and morphological impairment are often limited by the context-dependency of individual studies. This seminar will consider a range of different studies and experimental approaches dealing with the response of stream benthic macroinvertebrate communities to fine sediment deposition. The examples include Alpine streams in Northen Italy as well as lowland rivers in UK, thus highlighting parallels and contrasts in the response of macroinvertebrate communities to fine sediment pressure within two different geographical settings. These findings provide valuable insights into biomonitoring approaches including how to monitor the effects of anthropogenically induced siltation in streams.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias