Loughborough Institute of Advanced Studies Podcast

Emerita Professor Marsha Meskimmon - From the Star of Bethlehem to a Cool Yule...

Emerita Professor Marsha Meskimmon, Former Director of the IAS, delivers our Inaugural IAS Festive Lecture, fully titled "From the Star of Bethlehem to a Cool Yule: Christmas Really Does Come But Once a Year"
Having rashly agreed to deliver the first IAS Festive Lecture in the heady months of the summer, I found myself at the start of November wondering where the time had gone. More to the point, I found myself wondering what Christmas has to do with time...
In this talk, I will share some of my ruminations on the origins and traditional celebrations associated with this annual festival to ask what it might teach us about time and tide, light and darkness, joy and renewal. Oh, and for those who know me, why having hundreds of lights on a tree in your house is an eminently sensible thing to do, but once a year.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias
 

Dr Christopher Todd Minson - "Get Out!" Breaking Out of Our Comfort Zone to Improve Human Health

IAS Visiting Fellow Dr Christopher Todd Minson delivers a seminar on their research -
We are now in the “urban century” in which humans are more disconnected from the natural world than previously in human existence. This is having a profound negative impact on our physical and mental health. How do we counter the demands and distractions of a plugged-in life with our mental and physical health? The answer may be to get outside our comfort zone through exposure to the world we evolved in: to be surrounded by nature, to be hot, to be cold, to be out of breath. There is a growing interest in how environmental exposures can improve health and well-being, with many people seeking out ways to get back to our core experiences. Research is now demonstrating that these exposures can create a more stress-resistant phenotype to counter inflammation and oxidative stress, which underlie physiological changes with aging, chronic disease, and a sedentary lifestyle.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias

Dr Andrea Pérez Fernández - Intergenerational genealogies: Feminist Art History and the legacy of the avant-garde

IAS Residential Fellow Dr Andrea Pérez Fernández delivers a seminar on their research -
This seminar explores three intersections between the normative contributions of 1980s British feminist art historiography and the insights of interwar avant-garde women artists and thinkers in Germany. The focus is on the work of Hannah Höch and Lu Märten. The first intersection concerns the critique of the genius, while the second addresses how the distinction between art and crafts can result in the precariousness (both metaphysical and economic) of creative activities more commonly undertaken by women. The third intersection concerns the social function of the arts and how art can expand the political imagination. This approach is based on Rosa Luxemburg's reflections on culture and considers how the emancipatory potential of the arts is defined more by their status as a social practice than by the creator’s intention. Drawing on recently recovered or untranslated primary sources, the seminar will facilitate discussion on the relevance of these insights in the context of contemporary debates in feminist theory and visual culture.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias

Professor Sébastien Tutenges - The Pursuit of Collective Effervescence in Nightlife Settings

IAS Visiting Fellow Professor Sébastien Tutenges delivers a seminar on their research -
For two decades, Sébastien Tutenges has conducted ethnographic research in bars, nightclubs, festivals, drug dens, nightlife resorts, and underground dance parties in a quest to answer a fundamental question: Why do people across cultures gather regularly to intoxicate themselves? In this talk, he argues that the primary aim of group intoxication is the religious experience that Durkheim calls collective effervescence, the essence of which is a sense of connecting with other people and being part of a larger whole. This experience is empowering and emboldening and may lead to crime and deviance, but it is at the same time vital to our humanity because it strengthens social bonds and solidarity. In developing this argument, Sébastien will present a new definition of collective effervescence, propose a typology of its varieties, and discuss the ways commercial forces amplify and capitalize on this universal human drive.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias

Dr Vinícius Teixeira Pinto - Democracy on the pitch...

National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) Fellow Dr Vinícius Teixeira Pinto delivers a seminar on their research, fully titled "Democracy on the pitch: an anthropological approach to the politics and activism of Brazilian football supporters." -
Brazilian football has undergone significant shifts in its gameplay and its politics in a few years: from its new stadiums, passing through social and urban change, until the recent laws that allowed the conversion of its football clubs into Public Limited Football Companies. Aside the sporting angle, not least important were the political demonstrations that had football as target or background—such as the 2014 FIFA WC protests, or the wearing of Brazilian National Team shirts by the far-right rallies, or lately the anti-fascist football fans activism against ‘Bolsonarism’. Based on ethnographic fieldwork undertaken in Southern Brazil during the Bolsonaro Government (2019-2023), this seminar revisits some of Brazil’s recent political events, offering an anthropological approach to the modalities of political participation and activism that emerged in sport and that in certain cases resonated beyond it, even inspiring the demand for democracy both on and off the football pitch.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias
 

Dr Mrinal Bachute - AI-Driven Innovations for Smart and Sustainable Urban Mobility

IAS Visiting Fellow Dr Mrinal Bachute delivers a seminar on their research -
Urban mobility systems are at a critical inflection point, driven by rapid urbanization, climate imperatives, and the need for equitable access. This talk explores how advanced Artificial Intelligence—particularly Generative AI, Agentic AI, and Graph Neural Networks—can transform urban transport into intelligent, adaptive, and sustainable ecosystems. Drawing from real-world deployments in global smart cities, the session showcases AI applications in real-time traffic optimization, demand-responsive transit, and active mobility planning. Emphasis is placed on practical AI architectures using digital twins, federated learning, and edge computing to ensure scalability and data privacy. The talk further outlines how autonomous AI agents can make real-time policy-aligned decisions to support net-zero and inclusive mobility outcomes.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias

Dr David Braithwaite - The role of examples in logical reasoning with mathematical content

IAS Residential Fellow Dr David Braithwaite delivers a seminar on their research -
Mathematical reasoning often involves general statements, such as “The sum of any two even numbers is even.” Psychological theory implies that such reasoning should depend critically on knowledge of examples. This hypothesis was tested in a series of studies with university students (not specialized in maths). Students spontaneously referred to examples when engaged in logical reasoning about maths (Study 1), knowledge of relevant examples predicted accuracy in logical reasoning (Study 2), and a manipulation designed to increase knowledge of examples led to more accurate logical reasoning (Study 3). Ongoing work explores how examples affect individuals’ evaluations of general mathematical statements. Initial findings (Study 4) indicate that apparently confirming examples increase belief in true statements without affecting belief in false statements. I will discuss implications of this work for psychological theories and educational practice in maths.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias
 

Dr Changsheng Wu - Accessible Wireless Wearables Toward Pervasive Healthcare

IAS Visiting Fellow Dr Changsheng Wu delivers a seminar on their research -
The rapid aging of populations and COVID-19 pandemic have exposed critical healthcare shortcomings. Traditional healthcare remains offline and reactive, with intermittent clinical monitoring. Recent advancements in smart materials, wearables, AI, and IoT enable continuous, personalized digital health solutions. However, challenges persist in achieving advanced monitoring modalities and accessibility. This talk presents our progress in developing cost-effective, accessible sensing technologies for ambulatory monitoring of deep-tissue signals. I will introduce wireless, flexible near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) devices for measuring local hemodynamics and tissue oxygenation, mechano-acoustic sensors to decode tissue mechanics, and radio-frequency metamaterial sensors for non-contact vital sign detection. These accessible devices, powered by advanced signal processing, enable unique capabilities including ambulatory monitoring of hemodynamics and tissue stiffness alongside non-contact physiological assessment, offering promising directions toward pervasive healthcare.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias
 

Dr Bibiana Serpa - Visual Storytelling for Reproductive Justice: Learning from Feminist Struggles

IAS Residential Fellow Dr Bibiana Oliveira Serpa delivers a seminar on their research -
This seminar explores how feminist movements mobilize visual storytelling to advance reproductive justice and build transnational solidarities. Drawing on grassroots activism in Latin America and visual archives from the UK and beyond, the session examines how everyday objects, like pañuelos, protest signs, and hangers, become tools of memory, resistance, and feminist pedagogy. Rather than focusing on representation, we approach visual culture as a site of situated knowledge, rooted in bodies, territories, and collective struggle. Through this lens, we will reflect on how visual narratives challenge stigma, sustain political imaginaries, and foster cross-border connections. By centering feminist creativity and material practices often overlooked in academic discourse, the talk invites a dialogue on how design and visual culture can be reimagined toward an embodied practice of knowledge.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias

Professor Oleksandr Dluhopolskyi - Integrating NEETs into economic and social life: challenges and opportunities

IAS visiting Fellow Professor Oleksandr Dluhopolskyi delivers a seminar on their research -
In today’s world, grounded in the principles of inclusion, sustainability, and democracy, increasing attention is being paid to the issue of young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEETs). This social group is particularly vulnerable to social isolation, poverty, and marginalisation, posing significant challenges to sustainable societal development, economic growth, and long-term prosperity. The seminar will examine how the rising proportion of NEETs across various countries reveals deeper systemic problems within education systems, labour markets, and social protection frameworks. Drawing on international examples such as the UK government’s “Back to Work Plan”, the seminar highlights how flexible, regionally attuned public measures can promote inclusion and opportunity for marginalised youth. This paper investigates the structural and policy-based factors contributing to the NEETs challenge and proposes strategies for regional and national governments to support meaningful integration. The goal is to imagine, prepare, and plan for a more inclusive socio-economic future – one where no young person is left behind.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias