Loughborough Institute of Advanced Studies Podcast

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

Dr Vickie Shim - When is the Brain Most at Risk? Predicting Vulnerability After Head Impacts Using..

IAS Visiting Fellow Dr Vickie Shim delivers a seminar on their research, fully titled "When is the Brain Most at Risk? Predicting Vulnerability After Head Impacts Using Multimodal MRI and Mouthguard Sensors" -
How long does the brain remain vulnerable after a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)? This critical question remains largely unanswered. The current 23-day stand-down period for clinically diagnosed concussions is under scrutiny, as it's unclear if this duration is truly sufficient for recovery. Furthermore, individuals experiencing repetitive subconcussive head impacts, such as contact sport players, face risks of long-term neurological damage, yet clear guidelines for their rest and recovery are lacking. mTBI is a widespread issue, affecting millions annually, especially in sports and military settings, with recovery complicated by varied symptoms and potential underreporting.
Our four-year longitudinal study with high school rugby players aims to shed light on this. By measuring brain changes with advanced MRI and monitoring head impacts via instrumented mouthguards, we've developed a novel AI-based pipeline to detect microstructural brain alterations. In this seminar, I will present our findings, which contribute to developing a clinical tool for the early diagnosis and prognosis of mTBI, ultimately helping to determine appropriate recovery timelines.
For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias 

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