Loughborough Institute of Advanced Studies Podcast

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
 

Innovation Road Map: Co-Creating the Future of Women’s Sport and Health

A roundtable discussion as part of the IAS Spotlight 'Women in Sport' -
Discussants: Dr Verity Postlethwaite, Dr Rebecca Grant, Dr Samantha Rowland, Dr Hannah Dugdale
This closing session brings together the insights, provocations, and priorities emerging from the IAS Spotlight series to co-create a shared vision and actionable next steps. Drawing on themes of governance, leadership, innovation, and interdisciplinary research, this session will guide participants through a collaborative process to shape an actionable innovation roadmap. Framed by the expertise of contributors across the IAS Spotlight activities, including views from those working on breast health, return to movement, and cross-sport collaboration—this session will explore how to build a thriving, inclusive ecosystem for innovation around women’s sport and health research and practice.
Participants will:
Reflect on key insights from the roundtables on governance, events, and innovation in women’s sport.
Engage with a draft Innovation Road Map structured around research, design, policy, and practice.
Identify shared priorities, gaps, and opportunities for collaboration.
Contribute to the co-creation of next steps, including research partnerships, funding pathways, and future convenings.
This session will close with a collective commitment to action and an invitation to shape the next phase of activities, focusing on the 2026 Women in Sport, Exercise and Academic Network conference which will be hosted by Loughborough in July 2026.

Designed to Adapt: Breast Health, Innovation, and Return to Movement for Women

A roundtable discussion as part of the IAS Spotlight 'Women in Sport' -
Key Speaker: IAS Visiting Fellow Professor Deidre McGhee
Discussants: Dr Rebecca Grant, Dr Aimee Mears, Dr Kelsie Johnson
This session explores the critical intersection of breast health, sports bras, and protective innovation, highlighting how medicine and engineering are coming together to support women and girls in sport. From biomechanical research and clinical insights to cutting-edge design and material science, the conversation will delve into how tailored support solutions are being developed to enhance performance, reduce injury risk, and empower women of all ages. Special attention will be given to pregnancy and postpartum populations, addressing the unique physiological changes and support needs during these life stages, and how thoughtful design and evidence-based approaches can facilitate a safe and confident return to sport and physical activity. By bridging disciplines and centring female physiology, this work is redefining what it means to be truly supported in movement.
Discussion Areas Will Include:
How biomechanical and clinical research is informing the next generation of breast support technologies.
How sports bra design can be reimagined through user-centred, evidence-based, and inclusive approaches.
How pregnancy and postpartum transitions challenge conventional support paradigms—and what innovation looks like in response.
How interdisciplinary collaboration can accelerate the translation of research into real-world products, policies, and practices.
This session will highlight the importance of centring female physiology in sport science and design, and will explore how thoughtful, adaptive solutions can empower women to move with confidence, comfort, and safety—at every stage of life.

The Collaborative Ecosystem of Women’s Sport: A Roundtable Discussion on the Conceptualization, Research and Innovation Agenda

A roundtable discussion as part of the IAS Spotlight 'Women in Sport', fully titled "The Collaborative Ecosystem of Women’s Sport: A Roundtable Discussion on the Conceptualization, Research and Innovation Agenda" -
Key Speakers: IAS Visiting Fellows - Dr Becca Leopkey, Dr Dana Lee Ellis, Dr Lucy Piggott
Discussants: Dr Verity Postlethwaite 
As women’s sport continues to grow in scale, visibility, and influence, there is a timely opportunity to explore how governance, leadership, and major events can shape its future. This academic roundtable brings together scholars, practitioners, and policy leaders to examine the evolving ecosystem of women’s sport and to co-develop a forward-looking research and innovation agenda. Building on the work of scholars such as Dr. Rebecca Leopkey (sport event governance and legacy), Dr. Dana Lee Ellis (strategic alliances and sport development), and Dr. Lucy Piggott (gender equity in sport leadership), this session will critically engage with the systems, structures, and power relations that underpin the development of women’s sport across disciplines and contexts.
Discussion Areas Will Include:
How governance and leadership models can evolve to reflect the values, needs, and ambitions of women’s sport.
How major events can be leveraged not only for performance and commercial success, but also for cultural and structural transformation.
How interdisciplinary research can support the sustainable growth of women’s sport, from grassroots to elite levels.
How collaboration across sports, sectors, and institutions can accelerate innovation and amplify collective impact.
This roundtable aims to spark dialogue, identify shared priorities, and lay the groundwork for a collaborative research ecosystem that supports the continued evolution of women’s sport in the UK and beyond.

Dr Sara Shaker - Drawing the Unseen: Graphic Reportage of Silencing during the Arab Spring

IAS Residential Fellow Dr Sara Shaker delivers a seminar on their research -
This seminar examines the role of comic journalism in archiving the Arab Revolutions/Uprisings, with a particular focus on the graphic narratives of Arabic artists like Deena Mohammed, Yazan Al Saadi, Hamid Suleiman, and Rawand Issa. By focusing on the visual artworks of What Factors Make You Insecure?, Lebanon is Burning, An Uprising in Sudan, Freedom Hospital, and Aasiya (The Insubordinate)—the seminar explores how these visual narratives operate as counter-archives that contest the official accounts disseminated/circulated Arab state regimes. These artists act as ethical witnesses who challenge prevailing dominant political narratives and uncover state-sanctioned violence and trauma by adopting the tools of comic journalism. The seminar showcases how Arab comic artists deploy the visual-verbal power of comics to document atrocity, foreground marginalized voices, and present unfiltered testimonies. It argues that the comic platform provides an unmediated form of history witnessing-one that combines activism, resistance, and documentation.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias

Dr Eefje Hendriks - Rebuilding Lives: Understanding Decision-Making and Impacts through Post-Disaster Housing Assistance

IAS Residential Fellow Dr Eefje Hendriks delivers a seminar on their research -
Curious about when, where, and how assistance can truly strengthen disaster resilience in the Global South? Eefje Hendriks’ research addresses the urgent need for evidence on reconstruction decisions by vulnerable groups and the wider impact of reconstruction assistance. Reconstruction is often challenged by factors such as limited resources and technical knowledge. Eefje explores both generic and individual decision-making systems, measuring the impact of various types of assistance across diverse contexts. Her goal is to guide more effective, personalized humanitarian and governmental aid. Through case studies in Nepal and the Philippines, she reveals the complex choices disaster-affected households face. Her transdisciplinary approach bridges technical and social dimensions of post-disaster recovery. By using mixed methods and diverse analysis techniques, her work enhances understanding and ensures more people receive targeted, impactful support.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias

Former Director of the IAS, Emeritus Professor Marsha Meskimmon, honoured with University Medal

Joining Loughborough in 1998, Marsha has been a driving force behind many of the University’s initiatives, including the incredible Institute of Advanced Studies, which she became the Director for in 2018.  
The Institute sits at the heart of our research, innovation, and internationalisation strategies, and its evolution and impact are direct reflections of Marsha’s leadership, creativity, and unrelenting commitment to excellence. In less than a decade, the facility has welcomed more than 420 Fellows from over 45 countries.   
Last year, Masha’s dedication was honoured when she was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor. This University Medal adds to her list of prestigious accolades by honouring her visionary leadership and lasting impact on the University.  
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias