Connecting Research

Pop Up Geology Museum
2024-06-05 14:00 - 18:00 (Europe/London) | Russell Building
g Mineral resources are used in many aspects of modern life and may also hold the key to a more sustainable future. This event showcases some of our amazing collections , their geology, uses and impacts.
For further information, contact Dr Hazel J. McGoff 0118 378 6743 h.j.mcgoff@reading.ac.uk
All welcome on:
Wednesday 5th June 14.00 – 18.00
Thursday 6th June 09.30 – 13.00
Russell Building, Whiteknights Campus, RG6 6UR (Building 70 on campus maps)

From Local To Global | In Conversation with Professor Ed Hawkins MBE
2024-06-21 19:00 - 20:30 | RG1 1QH, Concert Hall, Blagrave Street, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 1QH, United Kingdom
From local to global: how the climate stripes spread a message around the world
Join us in conversation with Professor Ed Hawkins MBE, climate scientist and IPCC author, and creator of the famous climate warming stripes.

The Future of National Poetry Archives | 2-day workshop
2024-06-27 08:00 - 2024-06-28 17:00 | Museum of English Rural Life (The MERL), Redlands Road, Reading, RG1 5EX, United Kingdom
The University of Reading will be hosting a two-day workshop on the theme of “The Future of National Poetry Archives” from 27th-28th June 2024. The workshop will be held at the Museum of English Rural Life, Redlands Road, Reading RG1 5EX. It is free to attend.

View the programme for the event. It seeks to cover the various ‘constituencies’ involved with our poetry archives: the archivists themselves; academic researchers; those involved in creative responses to archives; those charged with raising public awareness and creating public events with the archives. The ambition is to begin a conversation which will evolve through future events and links that will foreground the archival presence within our understanding of recent poetries across the UK.

If you would like to register for the event, please email Prof Steven Matthews (s.matthews@reading.ac.uk).

Please note that there will be no parking spaces available at the venue during the event.

Global Book Cultures: Materialities, Collaborations, Access | SHARP Conference 2024
2024-07-01 08:00 - 2024-07-05 17:00 | University of Reading, RG6 6UR
SHARP 2024 will explore how books and texts are produced, distributed, and read in global contexts today and in the past. The conference will address how access to book cultures is uneven on many different levels. Taking inspiration from recent work in critical bibliography (Maruca and Ozment, 2022) and transnational print activism (Noorda, Norrick-Rühl, le Roux, 2022) we are seeking papers that will interrogate how book cultures across time can and have been used to resist, question, or otherwise support or reinstate various systems of power and/or oppression.

My Climate Risk seminar
2024-07-08 13:00 - 14:00 | Berkshire
For the last summer session of the “My Climate Risk Interdisciplinary Learning Group” (MCRILG), we are delighted to be joined by Dr Masilin Gudoshava, Climate Modeling Expert at the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) in Nairobi, Kenya.
Masilin’s work focuses on sub-seasonal to seasonal forecasting, and her interest is in producing tailored forecasts that cater to the specific needs of various climate-sensitive sectors, such as agriculture, health and disaster management. Her role also involves collaborating with stakeholders to ensure that the forecasts are practical, relevant, and effectively utilized
Masilin will discuss with us the importance of understanding the behaviour of rainy seasons, especially onset, for informed decision-making. She will introduce us to the behaviour and change of “Kiremt” rainy season in drought-prone Ethiopia, through the paper “Characterization and variability of Kiremt rainy season over Ethiopia”. Masilin’s extensive experience in producing forecasts and communicating them to countries and communities provides a great opportunity to ask her questions also on her work more generally.
We look forward to seeing you on Monday 8th July at 1pm BST (GMT+1) to learn more about this! You can find detailed information and the Zoom link to attend the session on our website. If you want to register to MCRILG and receive calendar invitations the Friday prior to the Monday session, you can also enrol in our MCRILG list.

Climate and Finance Conference 2024
2024-09-20 | Henley Business School
We are excited to announce the third edition of the Climate and Finance Conference, which will take place at the ICMA Centre – Henley Business School on 20 September 2024. The conference aims to bring together researchers, practitioners, and experts in the intersection of climate change and finance. We invite submissions of papers or abstracts on a wide range of topics related to climate and finance.
Conference Details:

Date: 20 September 2024
Venue: ICMA Centre – Henley Business School, University of Reading
Format: One-day conference with plenary sessions and a panel discussion
Attendance: Both in-person and online participation are available. However, we require conference speakers to attend in person.

Topics of Interest (but not limited to):

Climate adaptation and resilience
Nature finance and biodiversity
Extreme weather hazards and finance
Transition risk and transition planning
Scope 3 emission measurement and disclosure
Accelerating the green economy
Sustainable investing
Carbon pricing and emissions trading
Climate finance policy and regulation
Emerging trends in climate science and climate finance
Climate finance challenges in emerging economies

Submission Guidelines:

Submission Deadline: 15 August 2024
Please send your papers or abstracts to s.varotto@icmacentre.ac.uk with the subject line “Climate and Finance Conference Submission.”

Authors of accepted papers will be notified by 28 August 2024.
Scientific Committee:

Professor Len Shaffrey, NCAS and Meteorology Department, University of Reading
Professor Simone Varotto, ICMA Centre – Henley Business School, University of Reading

Registration: The conference is free of charge, but registration is required. Please register online at https://forms.office.com/e/A9yX8Cghxv by 9 September 2024. We look forward to receiving your submissions and seeing you at the conference!

Start of Year Message from PVC (Research and Innovation) Professor Parveen Yaqoob
2024-09-25 08:00 - 17:00 | Berkshire
Dear colleagues,
As we begin another new academic year, there is a lot that feels different. The positive tone and language about higher education coming from the new government is welcome, even though the challenges we face are pressing. Financial sustainability is the number one topic of conversation in almost every university in the country, but we have yet to see whether there are plans to address the underfunding of research, calculated as a deficit of £5bn, which is in addition to the deficit of £1.7bn for teaching, and which contributes significantly to institutional financial shortfalls. Over the last few months I’ve been asked to contribute to a number of discussions about how universities should be making the case for their vital contribution to research to ensure that it remains high on the national agenda. In a Universities UK event in July I set out how we should be engaging public and political stakeholders to demonstrate our critical contribution to health research and at the annual Universities UK conference, held here in Reading this month, I was asked to make the case for longer-term research funding cycles. Both events highlighted the fact that we can’t take for granted that our stakeholders understand the importance of a stable and properly funded research base, so we need to make sure that we communicate the real-world relevance of the research we do at Reading at every opportunity. This is even more important in the current financial environment, where we must remain resolute in holding our ground as a research-intensive university.
Looking ahead, we’ve reached a milestone on a number of projects and initiatives that you will be hearing about over the next few months, including:

Development of a new research strategy; the current strategy was published in 2019, when Dominik and I had just been appointed to our post. We’ve achieved a lot since then and the strategy doesn’t reflect how far we’ve come in developing strategic partnerships, understanding the importance of a positive research culture and the huge strides we’ve made on sustainability. I will be putting out a call for individuals to take part in focus groups as part of the consultation process for the new strategy, as well as consulting with key stakeholders, such as RDLs, IDRC Directors and HoS.

REF planning; the next months will see UoA leads completing SWOT analyses of each element of the REF submission to help shape our preparation.

Implementation of the Agrifood Futures strategy; the final report of the scoping exercise was presented to Council in July and the project now moves to implementation. Now that the strategy is live (e mail agrifoodscoping@reading.ac.uk for a copy), we need to use it actively; this is especially important for those disciplines most closely connected with agrifood, but applies to all disciplines. Please use the above e mail address if you’d like to discuss the strategy.

And finally, there are three important reviews to complete over the next year: (i) a deep-dive review of our strategic partnership with the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation to understand what has worked well (or not) and whether there are opportunities that we haven’t yet considered; (ii) a review of the University’s infrastructure and how we manage it, with the aim of better long-term planning, and (iii) a review of the Interdisciplinary Research Centres as they reach the end of their 5-year term, which will also include a broad examination of how we approach interdisciplinary research at Reading.

As ever, do get in touch if there is anything you would like to discuss and keep in regular contact with your RDL and Associate PVC (APVC) Research for the latest updates. And if you’re wondering what on earth an APVC Research is, you’ve probably missed the announcement that there has been a change of name from Research Dean to APVC Research (with the equivalent change for T&L Deans). This is entirely due to sector precedence and lack of understanding of the Dean role as it was applied at Reading- the job is exactly the same, it’s just more of a mouthful to say. And on the topic of APVCs, I will soon be announcing the new APVC for the Environment theme (replacing Rowan Sutton, who now heads the Met Office Hadley Centre).
Wishing you a productive term,
Parveen
Professor Parveen Yaqoob
Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation

Participate in the Festival of Tomorrow 2025
2024-09-25 08:00 - 2024-10-06 17:00 | Berkshire
menmen The 2025 Swindon Festival of Tomorrow will be held from 10 to 22 February. Last year, the event drew around 23,000 visitors, including people of all ages and backgrounds. It was especially popular with families who don’t usually take part in science-related activities.
Find out more about the Swindon Festival of Tomorrow on their website.

These are the opportunities to participate:

Schools Programme (10-14 February): Engaging online shows with science communicators for EYFS, KS1, and KS2 students, complemented by virtual and in-school workshops. Proposals with interactive elements or follow-up activities for teachers are welcome.
About Town Programme (15-22 February): Events and activities that attract audiences who typically don’t engage with science, research, tech, or innovation. Interactive and participatory activities such as workshops, tours, art installations, or performances are particularly welcome. Family-friendly events are especially relevant for the February half-term, though evening events for adults are also of interest.
Hybrid Talks and Panels (15-22 February): In-person and hybrid discussions, interviews, and presentations for adults and teens interested in science and technology. Proposals that highlight new research, offer fresh perspectives, or engage audiences in discussions about relevant cultural and societal issues are sought.

The deadline for these is 6 October. Therefore, if interested, please let us know before you contact the festival organisers. For more information click here.

Finale Event (21-22 February)
This two-day family-focused event features hands-on exhibits, workshops, art installations, shows, and panels. They invite applications for exhibitions, shows, performances, and interactive activities. (Deadline 1 November)

We have funding available to support one stand at the Finale Festival. If you are interested, please submit a 300-word proposal outlining your planned activity.
The proposal should include the following:

Title: Provide a clear and engaging title
Your research: One or two sentences describing your research (50 words max.)
Proposed activity: Explain what your activity entails and how you will make it engaging for your intended audience. Please include what you expect the key message, learning or ‘take-away’ for the audience will be.
Resources: Outline the materials and support you will need to effectively present your activity.

Please email your proposal to c.magotra@reading.ac.uk by 5 pm on 1 November.

Health Innovation Partnership (HIP) Collaboration Innovation Fund Call
2024-10-14 09:00 - 17:00 | Berkshire
Health Innovation Partnership (HIP) Collaboration Innovation Fund Call (7th) Launch – DEADLINE 14 October 2024 5pm
The Health Innovation Partnership (HIP), a partnership between the University of Reading (UoR) and the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust (RBFT), has launched the next Collaboration Innovation Fund (CIF) Competition.
This call is open to all staff members at RBFT and the University of Reading, both clinical and non-clinical, regardless of grade. We are seeking innovative ideas in the areas of Professional Services engagement, Education, and Research. Applications must include at least one collaborator from each institution, demonstrating an existing or potential partnership between the RBFT and UoR. We particularly encourage applications from new teams and professionals, as well as those who have not previously received funding. The deadline for applications is Monday 14 October 2024 at 5pm.
For more information about HIP and the programmes we run, please visit readingHIP.co.uk. Further details on this event, as well as instructions on how to apply for the CIF competition, can be found using the links below.
Useful links (on the HIP website):

CIF Information
Application and Useful Documents

If you require additional information or support related to the upcoming CIF competition or the collaboration event, please contact us at HIP@reading.ac.uk or reach out to the HIP Facilitator via sohail.akhtar@royalberkshire.nhs.uk.

'The Many Faces of Oxford Road, Reading' - Book Launch
2024-10-16 12:00 - 14:00 | Lifespring Church, 143 Oxford Road, RG1 7UY

Back to campus networking event
2024-10-23 13:00 - 14:30 | Berkshire
More details to follow!

Public Lecture | 'Deepfakes and AI in Film and Media: Seeing is not Believing'
2024-10-30 19:30 - 21:00 | Berkshire
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Event Information

This event is now fully booked. Please register to watch it live online.
Dr Dominic Lees (Film, Theatre & Television)
Can you believe anything that you see online anymore? AI technology is increasingly widely used in film and television, meaning audiences must look out for fakery wherever they see or hear recorded media.
This public lecture will trace the development of ‘generative AI’ and discuss its potential cultural and social impacts as it becomes integrated into everyday life. The talk will explore the newest ways in which AI is used to generate images, video and voices, from online content to big-budget Hollywood movies. It will also discuss the disruptive nature of AI for audiences, its damaging effect on public trust, and the implications of deepfakes for democracy.
Admission free. Booking essential

For more information contact: email events@reading.ac.uk or call 0118 378 6718

WATCH HERE
This event has now passed but you can watch the recording here:

Caring in migrant families: Key messages and film screening
2024-11-05 11:00 - 14:00 | Reading International Solidarity Centre, Reading, 35-39 London Street, Reading, RG1 4PS, United Kingdom
Please join us for this event to hear about the key messages from our project on Care, Inequalities and Wellbeing among Transnational Families in the UK, Spain, France and Sweden.
Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Families with children are welcome. We will share the key messages from our research and launch the final report and recommendations. We will also show short films about the experiences of families involved in the research and the changes they want to see. The films were co-produced with family participants and Rank and File theatre.
Themes include:

language barriers in accessing healthcare
young caregiving and language brokering in transnational families
challenges of accessing English for Speakers of Other Language courses
barriers to family visits and family reunification.

There will be an opportunity to ask questions and discuss the project with team members from the University of Reading, partner organisations and community researchers.
Everyone is welcome, just turn up – there is no need to register for this event.
If you have any access or dietary requirements, or questions about the event, please do not hesitate to contact Ruth Evans by email (r.evans@reading.ac.uk) or by phone 0118 378 7755
For more information about the project please visit Transnational Families in Europe

Humanities Data
2024-11-20 13:00 - 14:30 | Berkshire

H&C Showcase: Creative Entrepreneur
2024-12-10 17:00 - 19:00 | Bulmershe Theatre, Minghella Studios, Bulmershe Theatre, Minghella Studios, University of Reading, Shinfield Road, Reading, RG6 6BT, United Kingdom
To share findings from the innovative and exciting work in arts and humanities at the University of Reading, the Heritage & Creativity research theme is launching a series of Showcase events, one each semester. We are delighted to welcome you to the first H&C Showcase on 10th December, 5-7pm, Bulmershe Theatre, Minghella Studios.
The Showcase will feature presentations and discussions around the projects developed by H&C Creative Entrepreneurs with external partners during the Creative Entrepreneur in Residence Programme led by Tim Powell.
Projects include VR experiences, digital exhibitions, immersive performances, interactive experiences and novel approaches to translation and language learning. Presentations from the H&C Creative Entrepreneurs cohort will include:

Forget What You Know: Dr Ellen Pilsworth (Languages and Cultures) and Prof. David Brauner (English Literature)
The Polish Nissen Hut: Prof. Teresa Murjas (Film, Theatre & Television)
The Digital Dig – Building a Subscription Model for the Cookham Excavations: Dr. Gabor Thomas (Archaeology)
A virtual ‘World of Stonehenge’: Prof. Duncan Garrow (Archaeology)
Stories on the Move – Playing with Translation: Dr. Sophie Heywood (Languages and Cultures)

Alongside Tim Powell (Creative Entrepreneur in Residence) and Prof. John Gibbs and Prof. Roberta Gilchrist (H&C Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellors for Research), the cohort will also reflect on perspectives gained across the three years of the CEiR programme and consider next steps.
Prof. Lisa Purse will introduce ImmerseLab, a new production, testing and research training facility to enable colleagues across UoR’s interdisciplinary Digital Humanities (DH) community to investigate the latest developments in virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality and their real-world applications.

Agrifood - Systems and Futures College of Experts - Seminar
2025-01-08 | Berkshire
if you are interested to hear about the broad aims for the College of Experts and some case studies of application of systems and futures approaches, there will be a seminar on Wed 8th Jan. Sign up here for an Outlook invitation.
Agenda
Wed 8th Jan 2025, 1-2:30pm, Room TBC in calendar appointment
Part 1. What are systems and futures approaches?

Systems approaches to inform environmental policy- case studies from an academic perspective (Tom Oliver, aPVC Research – Environment, UoR)
Futures approaches in Government 1- perspectives from Defra (Phil Tovey, Head of Futures, Defra)
Futures approaches in Government 2- perspectives from GCHQ (Matthew Pritchard, Former Head of Strategy and Futures, GCHQ; Former Director of Sustainability, Baringa)

Part 2. Agrifood Systems and Futures College of Experts

The Agrifood Futures Strategy and opportunities for staff across the University

Metaphors that matter – how figurative language influences perceptions of promotability of women and men.
2025-01-09 13:00 - 14:00 | Berkshire
This event is part of the 2024-2025 webinar series run by researchers from Accommodating Diversity in the Workplace. Sign up for the webinar series to receive the joining link.

Metaphors that matter – how figurative language influences perceptions of
promotability of women and men.
Presenter: Professor Sylvia Jaworska, University of Reading
This study examines the influence of metaphorical language in performance evaluations on perceptions of promotability for women and men in white-collar workplaces. Through a quasi-experimental online survey with 280 participants, the research investigated six metaphorical personas: athlete, soldier, master, confidant, diver, and driver. Findings show that metaphorical language significantly enhances perceptions of promotability compared to non-metaphorical descriptions. The master persona received the highest promotability ratings, while confidant received the lowest. However, the study also exposes a strong gender bias. All personas were rated higher for male candidates, indicating that metaphors amplify existing gender biases and reinforce a male-dominated business view. While metaphors from traditionally masculine domains boost promotability perceptions for men, their effect is less pronounced for women. The study recommends raising awareness of metaphors’ persuasive power and monitoring their use in performance reviews and other forms of evaluations to mitigate unintended bias in organizational decision-making regarding promotion and pay.

Videographic Research Summer School - Closing Date for Applications
2025-01-15 | Berkshire
The H&C Research Theme and the Screen Work Group are pleased to announce our fourth Videographic Research Summer School at the University of Reading, July 7th – 11th 2025. After successful workshops in previous years – which have included participants from Pharmacy, History, Archaeology, Theatre, Museums and Collections, Modern Languages and English Literature – we welcome expressions of interest from UoR colleagues working in all discipline areas who would like to develop their skills in making video essays.
Applications
If you are interested in taking part, please complete this EOI before the 15th January.
The form confirms your availability for the dates and duration of the workshop (July 7th – 11th 2025), provides us with information about your research context and proposed object of study, and addresses the potential for working with audiovisual approaches in this area.
Context
The digital reworking of sound and image is an exciting and rapidly developing research practice. This summer school is designed to make these methods available to colleagues at Reading across a variety of disciplines and research areas. Our ambition is to develop the videographic skills of researchers beyond film and television studies, where these approaches are now firmly established. We believe there are significant and underexplored opportunities in applying videographic approaches to research projects in every discipline, including collections-based research.

The Summer School
The workshop will take place in Minghella Studios, July 7th – 11th 2025. It will involve:

basic technical training in non-linear editing and related technologies
producing and sharing feedback on a series of exercises in response to briefs designed to engage with different aspects of video essay form
discussion of existing video essays and debates in the wider field of videographic scholarship
reflection on videographic analysis and archival material
planning a longer audiovisual essay, with opportunities for feedback later in the year

Participants will nominate and work with an item of audiovisual material or material object relevant to their research, as a means of ‘testing out’ how to develop critical ideas through editing. No prior experience or equipment is required (computers with appropriate software will be available at the workshop).
The workshop will be led by H&C APVC Research John Gibbs, an award-winning video essayist with extensive experience of teaching videographic criticism and FTT Lecturer in Filmmaking Andrew Philip, a documentary maker with 20 years of experience working in postproduction. It will also draw on expertise from colleagues in the wider videographic field, including Screen Working Group Director Adam O’Brien.

Testimonials
“The workshop exceeded my expectations! It was one of the best weeks of my professional life. I enjoyed every minute of it.”
“The workshop has opened up avenues to rethink project design, and project delivery. The videographic method allows also for a wider dissemination, and I like that a lot. In this sense, the workshop has extended my perception of reach and research design.”
“This was the most productive skills event I have encountered during my almost 15 years of working at the University. Its tight focus, collegiality, mix of academic and practical expertise, and its lecturer-centered approach were especially welcome.”
“The workshop surpassed my expectations and enabled me to develop new skills which will be useful in both teaching/research. The atmosphere was very supportive, constructive and encouraging. It was also beneficial to be able to engage with colleagues beyond my department and breakdown the silos that can characterize research at a university.”
“I had already heard from colleagues that the workshop was awesome. I have to say that the workshop went well above my already high expectations. It has been one of the most transformative and elevating intellectual experiences of the last few years.”
“I had been slightly worried that it might be beyond my technical capabilities and that the theoretical frames of such work might be too grounded in film theory and in disciplines beyond my area of expertise, but I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that the approach has a much broader range of applications and breadth of relevance. I would encourage people from any disciplinary background to try these approaches.”

Explore videographic methods…
If you are not yet familiar with video essays, these examples may help to illustrate the exciting potential and variety of the approach:
The Elephant Man’s Sound, Tracked (Liz Greene): A deep archival dive into sound design, David Lynch and creative-labour politics.
Creative Geography, Creative Connections: Candyman (John Gibbs): Explores the two films’ (1992, 2021) engagement with their location and the politics of urban space.
Restituting Evidence: Genocide and Reparations in German colonial Namibia (Forensic Architecture): this extraordinary video work by the Goldsmiths team and their partners in the Ovaherero/Ovambanderu Genocide Foundation indicates some of the potential of videographic approaches in different fields.
Nerdwriter on The Night Watch. We have significant reservations about this one – feeling it’s too pleased with itself and its claims to knowledge – but it does illustrate some of the kinds of analysis one might offer on an object / work / material in another medium.
xena’s body (a menstrual auto-investigation using an iphone) Watch this on your phone! An embodied investigation of the politics of menstrual tracking apps, among other things.

UoR - Natural History Museum - Evolution Day
2025-02-04 | Berkshire
You are invited to a day of in-person talks and discussions with colleagues from the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Division, and the NHM’s Evolution of Life Theme – and the broader Science Group.
The aim of this event is to help us all learn more about our shared interests and expertise in the evolution of life, with the goal of initiating new collaborative projects between the NHM and Reading.
This event will be held on the Whiteknights Campus at the University of Reading on Tuesday 4 February 2025.
Please see here for more information and to register interest.

Where Context Matters: Multi-factor Research to optimise Resource Protection | My Climate Risk Interdisciplinary Learning Group
2025-02-10 13:00 - 14:00 | Berkshire
Managing protection areas efficiently and effectively to ensure resource protection is a difficult task. This session will highlight the different factors that play into developing these protection strategies. By understanding how distance costs affect both extractors and enforcement strategies, managers can enhance the efficiency of their protection measures. The work discussed serves to ultimately inform policies on buffer and no-take zones, promoting a balance between resource dependence and conservation efforts, highlighting the importance of context in empirical economic research.

Link:

https://walker.reading.ac.uk/my-climate-risk/interdisciplinary-reading-group/mcrilg-elizabeth-j-z-robinson/

Speaker note:

Professor Elizabeth Robinson is Director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at LSE. She is an environmental economist with over twenty-five years’ experience undertaking applied policy-relevant research, particularly in lower-income countries, including six while living in Tanzania and Ghana. Her research addresses the design of policies and institutions to reduce climate change emissions, protect the environment, and improve the livelihoods of resource-dependent communities. Her recent focus includes climate change and systemic risk; and tracking the co-benefits of climate change mitigation and health, oriented particularly around food security and food systems. From 2004-09 she was coordinating lead author for the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development, sub-Saharan Africa; and a Member of the global and sub-Saharan Africa design teams. She was on the UK Defra Economic Advisory Panel for five years; and in 2019-20, Specialist Advisor to the UK House of Lords Select Committee on Food, Poverty, Health, and Environment. She was Working Group 1 lead for the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change (2016-2024), that addresses climate change impacts, exposures, and vulnerability. Before joining the Grantham Research Institute, Elizabeth worked at the University of Reading for ten years, and prior to that she has variously worked at the Boston Consulting Group, the World Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, Natural Resources Institute, and as a tutorial fellow in economics at the University of Oxford. She has a first class degree in Engineering, Economics, and Management from Oxford University, and a PhD in Applied Economics from Stanford University.

Translations’ copyright/translators’ copyright: a history of power imbalance in the Italian book trade
2025-02-13 17:00 - 18:00 | Edith Morley, 124
Speaker: Anna Lanfranchi – Teaching Fellow in Translation & Transcultural Studies & Italian at the University of Warwick

This research seminar is a hybrid event and is free & open to all.

To join us in person come along to Room 124, Edith Morley building, University of Reading (Whiteknights campus)
To join via MS Teams, please register here

Seminar topic:
In the second half of the 19th century, international legal frameworks gave to the authors of literary works a new level control over the translation and publication of texts across national borders. While recognising the status of translations as original works in their own merit, authors and translators faced different challenges in the rapidly changing transnational landscape. Drawing on research on the post-Unification Italian publishing industry, the paper discusses the different treatment of translations’ and translators’ copyright in the first half of the 20th century, and explores the consequences of such power imbalance for the structural and professional development of the Italian book trade.
About our speaker:
Anna Lanfranchi is a Teaching Fellow in Translation and Transcultural Studies and Italian at the University of Warwick (UK). Her research focuses on transnational book history from the 19th century to the present day. She has published on Italian translation and publishing history, wartime book programmes, and intellectuals in the book trade. Her first monograph, Translations and Copyright in the Italian Book Trade: Publishers, Agents, and the State (1900-1947) (Palgrave 2024) explores the legal frameworks and the professional networks informing the negotiation of translation rights to British and US works in Italy in the first half of the 20th century.

Details

Date:
February 13
Time:

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Venue

Room 124, Edith Morley building, University of Reading (Whiteknights campus), RG6 6EL

Richard Bradley Lecture - The Past in the Present by Professor Laurent Olivier
2025-02-13 18:00 - 20:00 | Henley Business School, Room G11, Henley Business School, Whiteknights Campus, Reading, RG6 6UR, United Kingdom
The Department of Archaeology is excited to welcome Professor Laurent Olivier of the French National Museum of Archaeology to deliver our inaugural Richard Bradley Lecture. The archaeological past continues to occupy the present, even though its time has long since passed. This talk will explore the idea of ‘transformission’, whereby the archaeological past is transformed as it is transmitted. It will also consider how the ‘Great Acceleration’ – the rapid increase in human activity which began in the mid-twentieth century – is crushing both past and future into a dead-end present.
Can archaeology, which restores the memory of people and places, become a tool of resistance the age of devastation introduced by the advent of the Anthropocene? This lecture will be held in honour of Richard Bradley, Professor Emeritus of Archaeology, whose work has transformed our vision of the archaeological past. We hope to see many of you there!
For more information contact: d.j.garrow@reading.ac.uk

Digital Humanities Reading Group
2025-02-17 13:00 - 14:00 | Edith Morley, 181
For this session, we invite you to read and bring your thoughts on one or both of ‘Bias in Big Data, Machine Learning and AI: What Lessons for the Digital Humanities?’ (a journal article by Andrew Prescott) and Klara and the Sun (a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro). You are very welcome to join us for a chat, even if you haven’t yet had the chance to read/finish the material. We would love to hear your thoughts on the theme of Artificial Intelligence, to hear about what you have been reading recently, and to know what you would like to read next or to see from the group in future. Please feel free to also bring your lunch!

The role of public engagement with research in REF2029
2025-02-20 10:00 - 11:00 | Palmer Building, Room 102, Palmer Building, Whiteknights Campus, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6UR, United Kingdom
Join the first Public Engagement with Research Community of Practice meeting for 2025!
We’re thrilled to welcome Sophie Duncan, Co-Director of the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE), for an interactive presentation on “The role of public engagement with research in REF2029”.
📅 Date: 20 February 2025
⏰ Time: 10:00 – 10:50
📍 Venue: Room 102, Palmer Building, Whiteknights Campus (and on Teams)
This session will explore:

UKRI policy and funding council priorities for Public Engagement with Research.
How PER will be integrated into REF2029 (People, Culture & Environment and Engagement & Impact elements).
Insights on fostering high-quality, impactful engagement activities.

The presentation will be followed by a Q&A/discussion session chaired by Academic Champion for PER, Teresa Murjas.
Whether you’re a researcher passionate about PER, an academic with responsibility for REF, or a professional services colleague, this is a fantastic opportunity to gain insights from one of the UK’s leading experts in public engagement.

International Mother Language Day 2025: Linguistic Diversity in Reading
2025-02-21 18:00 - 19:15 | L22, G01, London Road campus
Find out more about which languages are most commonly spoken at the university and in Reading.
The Centre for Literacy and Multilingualism invites you to celebrate International Mother Language Day at a public lecture on 21 February 2025, where we will showcase and celebrate language diversity in Reading.
The event will start at 6pm and take place on the University’s London Road campus. We will share the results of our survey capturing the languages that Reading residents and University staff and students speak. We will also showcase our research projects and staff and student “linguistic journeys”, and do a linguistic bodymapping activity that everyone will be invited to take part in.
Attendance is free and everyone is welcome. If you wish to attend please register here.

Last year the centre collaborated with our community researchers to mark the day and brought together local people to celebrate Reading’s linguistic and cultural diversity through song, dance, poetry and other activities.

DIGITAL SPACE WORKSHOP - Digital Humanities Community of Practice
2025-02-26 11:00 - 14:00 | Whiteknights campus, University of Reading, Whiteknights Campus, Reading, RG6 6AH, United Kingdom
DIGITAL SPACE WORKSHOP – Wednesday 26 February 2025
Exploring Digital Space – Fostering Interdisciplinary Collaborations and Grant Preparation
The Digital Humanities CoP and Hub are hosting an upcoming event centred around the theme of Digital Space which aims to serve as a platform for developing strategic partnerships, encourage innovative ideas, and lay the groundwork for future grant applications. We invite interested colleagues from all disciplines to attend the event to discuss their work, to foster interdisciplinary collaborations and cultivate synergies between academics and our museum partners.
What is Digital Space?
Digital spaces may represent, interact with, or perform similar functions to, physical spaces. They may be virtual environments, and/or platforms for interaction, communication and collaboration. These spaces include digital repositories and archives, online communities and social media platforms, digital (re)constructions and virtual worlds, e-learning and collaborative working environments, and more. Digital spaces play a crucial role in social interactions, knowledge exchange, and cultural expression, while also raising important questions related to privacy, security, ethics, and governance.
The following examples indicate the type of thematic areas that could be considered under the Digital Space theme.
· Theoretical frameworks for understanding digital spaces
· The impact of digital spaces on social interactions, community building, and networks
· The design, architecture, and user experience of virtual environments
· Ethical considerations and privacy challenges in digital spaces
· The role of digital spaces in education, learning, and public engagement
· Artistic expression and the cultural significance of digital environments
· The intersection and blending of physical and digital spaces in museums, heritage, and the arts
· Policy-making, governance, and regulation of digital spaces
· Case studies involving museums and cultural institutions’ use of digital space
· Digital political space
· Threats posed to and by digital spaces
· Relationships between digital and physical spaces (replication, preservation, augmentation, competition…)
· Language for, and in, digital spaces
How to respond
We are inviting all attendees to do a short presentation to introduce themselves and address the following points:
1. What ‘Digital Space’ means to you.
2. An outline of any research, publications, collaborations (etc.) that you have already done in this field.
3. Your ideas for future activity in this area, including collaborations, expertise and knowledge that you need to find or identify.
If you would like to attend the workshop, please send a brief outline (up to 100 words) to cover the points above to Dr Mara Oliva (m.oliva@reading.ac.uk) by 1st February 2025.
Event Details:
Date: 26 February 2025, from 11.00 to 14.00 (coffee/ tea and lunch included)
Location: Whiteknights Campus
Format: Flash presentations followed by breakout sessions designed to facilitate networking and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Future Collaboration Opportunity: This event will be followed by a one-day Action Lab in June 2025, where participants will have the opportunity to further develop collaborative projects and prepare for upcoming grant proposals.
We look forward to hearing from you and sharing ideas at this workshop!
The DH CoP and Hub

'Since Yesterday - the Untold Story of Scotland's Girl Bands' Screening | Women@Reading
2025-03-06 13:00 - 15:30 | Minghella Building, Minghella Cinema, Whiteknights Campus, RG6 6UR, United Kingdom
FTT colleagues Simon Knox and Trish Reid, together with the Women@Reading Network are hosting a special screening of a film of ‘Since Yesterday – the Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands‘ a 2024 documentary that tells the story of Scottish pop music from the 1960s onwards, via interviews with the visionary women who got on stage and made music together.
Join us in Minghella Cinema for a screening of the film, plus a Q&A panel with one of those visionary women, Prof. Trish Reid, Head of School, for Art and Communication Design, followed by tea/coffee. The Q&A will include Matt Worley. Robert is funding the refreshments. Press Team will be doing something to promote wider to the local community.

Watch this small trailer to find out more about the challenges faced by these women when working in the music industry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOYYmM7e0sw&t=7s
You can book your ticket here – for the showing on Whiteknights Campus
Women@Reading: Since Yesterday – The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands Tickets, Thu, Mar 6, 2025 at 1:00 PM | Eventbrite

Open Research and Digital Humanities
2025-03-12 13:00 - 14:30 | Palmer 103
This is a hybrid event.

The Digital Humanities CoP and Hub, in collaboration with the Open and Robust Research at Reading (ORRR) network, invite you to a lunchtime event on the theme of Open Research and Digital Humanities. The event will include a guest talk by Dr Christopher Ohge (Senior Lecturer in Digital Approaches to Literature at the School of Advanced Study, member of the University of London’s Open Research Group and School of Advanced Study’s Digital Humanities Research Hub) and a Q&A session. Tea/coffee will be available for those attending in person.

Digital Humanities and Artificial Intelligence | Community of Practices joint event
2025-03-12 13:00 - 14:30 | Berkshire

Through a decolonising lens? Exploring the connections between 'bereavement and grief' and the climate and ecological emergencies
2025-03-13 13:00 - 13:50 | Online event
You are warmly invited to an online Human Geography Research Cluster seminar on Thursday 13th March, 1pm- 1.50pm (Teams link for joining below).
Through a decolonising lens? Exploring the connections between ‘bereavement and grief’ and the climate and ecological emergencies.
Jane McCarthy, Honorary Associate, The Open University; Visiting Professor, Centre for Death and Society, Bath University; Visiting Fellow, University of Reading.
Abstract
The impact of the climate and ecological emergency creates a central threat regarding the polycrisis currently unfolding across the globe, rooted in colonial, capitalist, white, modernity. While many peoples across the world already experience catastrophic ‘losses’ of many kinds, the polycrisis gives rise to global issues of collective and individualised deaths, profound losses and endings of many kinds, raising existential threats to all life on earth. These are ’human’-made crises, though not made equally by all ‘humans’, requiring a sustained focus and concern, of and for the living, in both the anticipation and the aftermath of these deaths, losses, and endings. Yet, while death and bereavement studies as constructed in affluent Minority worlds has claimed an arrogant universality, the narrative and rhetoric of modernity is most profoundly challenged by human mortality. The Open University programme on Existential Dis/Connections aims to bring currently disparate bodies of work into connection, centring on our three core themes of death and loss, the CEE, and decolonisation. We seek to create new spaces for nurturing and embracing both epistemic and ontological justice, to enable a pluriverse of cosmologies, and ways of being and living alongside death, to be valued and heard through a decolonising lens that starts from ‘elsewhere’. Can death studies decentre the current dominant approaches rooted in modernity, to contribute towards an existential climate justice for the benefit all life and entities on earth?
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