ISSUE NINE FEBRUARY 2015 IN THIS ISSUE Dean of The Graduate School appointed Meet Professor Margaret Topping, the new Dean of The Graduate School. Full Story on page 06 03 07 12 REF 2014 Queen’s is now a UK top ten researchintensive university NI SCIENCE FESTIVAL The positive impact of our work celebrated at inaugural Festival ROYAL HONOURS FOR STAFF Three members of staff named in New Year Honours 02 – 15 WELCOME TO THE FEBRUARY EDITION OF QUEEN’S NOW This month’s edition takes a closer look at the University’s REF results and features some of our world-leading research and the researchers behind it. QUEEN’S NOW 02 – 15 Queen’s Now is a Queen’s University publication, compiled and published by the Communications and External Affairs Office. The Editor Claire Patterson Communications and External Affairs Office, Lanyon South, Queen’s University, Belfast, BT7 1NN T: 028 9097 5355 E: qneditor@qub.ac.uk 02 Professor Patrick Johnston President and Vice-Chancellor Welcome to the first edition of Queen’s Now for 2015 and what a start to the New Year it has been. We have just announced our partnership with Dubai Healthcare City to jointly develop a new University of Medicine and Health Sciences. It’s an exciting and important project and one that will allow us to make a major contribution in addressing the healthcare needs of Dubai and the rest of the Middle East. If you have any comments you would like to make about Queen’s Now, please send them to qneditor@qub.ac.uk WELCOME The announcement came just weeks after we received our fantastic REF results which placed us 8th in the UK for research intensity. Our REF performance has underlined the breadth and depth of the research taking place at Queen’s and there are so many world-leading examples from across the University. One of our many success stories, ECIT, recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of research and innovation. Among ECIT’s most outstanding researchers is Professor Máire O’Neill, one of Europe’s leading digital security experts. She’s among five names nominated for the Semta Engineering Hall of Fame which celebrates the most inspiring and innovative British engineers. The results will be announced at the end of February and we wish Máire every success. The start of 2015 also brought the news that additional funds have been made available to the Department for Employment and Learning. While it remains to be seen what the final settlement will be for higher education, our objective is to close the significant funding gap between ourselves and the rest of the UK universities. We have also reached an exciting milestone in the implementation of Vision 2020. In this edition of Queen’s Now you’ll hear from Professor Margaret Topping who has been appointed as the new Dean of the Graduate School. I would like to congratulate Margaret on her appointment, which is another step forward in the creation of an inspiring and rewarding postgraduate and postdoctoral culture across the University. More appointments are set to follow with the beginning of the recruitment process for the three Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellors in February. So, it’s been a busy and exciting start to 2015 and there is more to come. Later this month, Queen’s will be taking part in the inaugural Northern Ireland Science Festival which runs from 19 February until 1 March. This is going to be a fantastic event, taking place throughout Northern Ireland, and we’re providing many of the highlights. A festival like this opens doors, opens minds and opens up opportunities. That’s what we do here at Queen’s every day. I hope you enjoy it. QUEEN’S NOW 02 – I5 REF 2014 Queen’s is a UK top ten research-intensive university. Our position was confirmed with the publication of the eagerly-awaited REF Results in December 2014. Here are our REF highlights: 03 QUEEN’S NOW 02 – 15 REF 2014 Making an impact Our performance in REF 2014 has underlined the breadth and depth of research excellence at Queen’s. Here are just three examples: Things you need to know about REF REF stands for ‘Research Excellence Framework’. It is a peer review process that assesses the quality and impact of UK higher education institutions’ research. Professor Keith Jeffery Professor Carmel Hughes Professor Roy Douglas Keith was the historian chosen to write the Official History of MI6. From 2005 he was seconded to the Cabinet Office and his book, MI6: The History of the Secret Intelligence Service, 1909–1949, has been hailed as a triumph. Carmel’s research has led to major changes in how medicines are prescribed in nursing homes in Northern Ireland. Roy’s expertise in engine research and development has led to huge success for the Ballymena company, Wrightbus. Carmel’s research focuses on the use of medicines in older people, and she has a particular interest in the quality of care provided in nursing and residential homes. One study, known as the Fleetwood Project, demonstrated how pharmacists, working with general practitioners, could improve the prescribing of medicines for nursing home residents. This has led to a new service, based on the research, being commissioned by the Health and Social Care Board for all nursing homes in Northern Ireland. A collaboration between Roy and Wrightbus drove the development of the advanced eco-friendly hybrid diesel-electric bus and won the company the ‘New Bus For London’ contract worth £230m, replacing the traditional Routemaster. History and Anthropology More recently Keith has returned to work on the First World War and has just delivered the text of A Global History of 1916, which explores the wider context of what was in many ways the most crucial year of the war. As well as pursuing the academic study of the period, Keith is speaking to local audiences, helping community group projects, consulting with museums and doing media interviews. Pharmacy Mechanical and Aerospace The “New Routemaster” bus has brought global recognition for innovation and enterprise to Wrightbus and Queen’s, and is a continuing boost to the Northern Ireland economy. Find out more about Keith, Carmel and Roy on the REF 2014 site: http://www.qub.ac.uk/home/ResearchandEnterprise/OurResearch/REF2014/ The quality of research is graded on a 5-point scale, ranging from work recognised as worldleading in terms of originality, significance and rigour (4*) to that which falls below national standards (unclassified). REF outcomes can be assessed in a number of ways: • Grade Point Average (GPA) • Research Power • Research Intensity REF 2014 was undertaken by the four UK higher education funding bodies. The results from REF are also used to allocate approximately £2 billion in research funding across the UK. 04 QUEEN’S NOW 02 – I5 NEWS 05 Redevelopment of Computer Science gets underway CAPTION: Rebecca and Rebekah pictured with the young stars of the film, Riley Hamilton and Aaron Lynch. Queen’s celebrates BAFTA success Queen’s alumni and students are celebrating after their latest movie won a BAFTA. The film – Boogaloo and Graham – which is set in 1970s Belfast, won the British Short Film category at the British Academy Awards. Directed by Michael Lennox, it is about two young boys who discover the facts of life with the help of their pet chickens. The film’s producer, Brian J Falconer, screenwriter Ronan Blaney and actors Martin McCann and Jonathan Harden are all Queen’s alumni, while two third-year film studies undergraduates in the School of Creative Arts – Rebecca Kelly and Rebekah Davis – worked on the film as assistant producer and runner respectively. The film has also been nominated in the Short Film (Live Action) category at this year’s Academy Awards which will take place on Sunday 22 February 2015. Northern Ireland has enjoyed success in this category in recent years. Belfast man Terry George won an Oscar for his short film The Shore in 2012 and received an Honorary Degree from Queen’s the following year. Work has started on the major redevelopment and expansion of the computer science teaching facilities at the Bernard Crossland Building. It follows the announcement by the Employment and Learning Minister, Dr Stephen Farry, that £7.49m in funding has been allocated for the project. The project will cost £14.98m to complete, with DEL and Queen’s contributing 50 per cent each. Minister Farry said: “With the number of Computer Science students attending Queen’s having almost doubled in the past two years to 1,350, this major investment in infrastructure and teaching represents a major boost for our economy and higher education sector.” The expansion of Computer Science is an institutional priority for the University and is closely aligned with the priorities set out in the Northern Ireland Programme for Government and the Department for Employment and Learning’s Higher Education and Skills Strategies. The new state-of-the-art facility, which will be available to students for the start of the 2016-17 academic year, will contribute to the vision of the ICT Industry in Northern Ireland to be a world class centre of ICT excellence. For a preview of how the new building will look, visit www.qub.ac.uk/investinginthefuture CAPTION: Minister for Employment and Learning Dr Stephen Farry and Vice-Chancellor Professor Patrick Johnston QUEEN’S NOW 02 – 15 REALISING THE VISION SPOTLIGHT Professor Margaret Topping has been appointed Dean of The Graduate School – marking an exciting milestone in the implementation of Vision 2020. She took up her new post on 1 February. 06 COVER STORY We meet Professor Topping to find out more about her new role. What will your new role entail? A key part of my role will be to develop a vibrant, university-wide postgraduate culture at Queen’s, a culture built on a unified strategy, ethos, and brand which articulates what it means to be a Queen’s postgraduate intellectually, socially and ethically. My goal is that this should be a culture which complements, but also transcends, disciplinary affiliations. I’ll also be driving strategies to diversify provision, modes of delivery, and sources of funding for postgraduate study in order to enhance Queen’s reputation as a distinctive, internationally-recognised, premium provider of postgraduate research and education opportunities. Why is the creation of The Graduate School an important part of Vision 2020? The Graduate School is such an exciting part of Vision 2020. It’s key to increasing significantly the proportion of postgraduates we have in the University, but I see it also as creating the conditions in which we can nurture Queen’s postgraduates to have the edge in a globally competitive market. The Graduate School will be an environment in which postgraduates discover the new possibilities of transdisciplinary perspectives, in which they are encouraged to reflect critically on what the university sector is for, and in which they are trained as future leaders and innovators. My ambition is that it will become an inclusive space for accessing peer and pastoral support, for developing local/ global connections, allowing ideas to develop organically, thinking outside the box, discovering new affinities, even having the odd eureka moment. What are your future plans for The Graduate School? My broad strategy is centred on: making Queen’s the global choice for postgraduate education and research on global challenges; creating a postgraduate community built on excellence, intellectual challenge and inclusiveness that will transform lives and inspire futures; and developing the Queen’s postgraduate to be a future leader. Above all, my goal is to make the Graduate School into a dynamic intellectual hub which creates a community based on challenge between disciplines and between the HEI and non-HEI sectors. What are you most looking forward to about your new role? What excites me most about the role is the opportunity to work across, and to facilitate working across, all of the disciplinary fields represented in the University. I genuinely believe that we have more to learn from one another than current structures allow, so the Graduate School will create a forum in which those unexpected conversations can take place and new research perspectives can emerge. Can you tell us something about yourself that people might not know? I have a (now not-so-secret) ambition to sing in a choir, but that would require an awful lot of singing lessons from a very skilled teacher! The Graduate School will open in the refurbished Lynn Library building in Spring 2015. QUEEN’S NOW 02 – I5 NEWS QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY AT THE NI SCIENCE FESTIVAL Do you want to discover what real DNA looks like, be part of a laptop orchestra or experience what it’s like to be inside a video game? Well, you can later this month thanks to the NI Science Festival. A special ‘Celebrating Science at Queen’s’ event will take place as part of the Festival at Riddel Hall, giving the public a taste of the world-leading research taking place at Queen’s and demonstrating its impact. Queen’s is a partner in the Festival which runs from 19 February – 1 March. The 11-day extravaganza will focus on the wonders of science, technology, engineering and mathematics with over 100 entertaining and informative events for all ages taking place at various venues, including Queen’s. Find out what’s on at the Festival at http://www.nisciencefestival.com/ Over the 11 days, Queen’s staff will be engaging with the public at various events, highlighting the positive impact of their work and getting them involved in hands-on experiments, activities and even a bit of comedy. 07 Community impact made by students celebrated at Queen’s A postgraduate student who has made a positive impact on the local community has clinched the top prize at the annual Science Shop Awards. Geoff Newall, a postgraduate biology student, who worked with the Belfast Hills Partnership to identify the range of solitary bees in the Belfast Hills, was runner-up. Alison Toogood, who is studying childhood adversity in the School of Psychology, won the Queen’s Science Shop Award for her project with Newry and Mourne Young Carers Group to help young people caring for their family members feel more in control of their situation. The Science Shop, which is a joint initiative between Queen’s and Ulster University, gives students the opportunity to use the knowledge they have gained during their degrees to carry out a research project for a community group. Over the past 26 years, the Science Shop has delivered over 2,500 projects and worked with nearly 700 community groups including sports clubs, youth groups and recycling centres. CAPTION: Students Alison Toogood and Geoff Newall receiving their awards from Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Tony Gallagher QUEEN’S NOW 02 – I5 NEWS Queen’s in partnership to develop new university in Middle East Queen’s has announced a partnership with Dubai Healthcare City to develop a new university in the Middle East. Queen’s will assist in the development of the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBR-UMHS) and its College of Medicine, including curriculum development, recruitment and selection of staff, and student selection and admissions. Dubai Healthcare City will work closely with Queen’s to devise and implement a strategy that addresses the healthcare education, training ECIT celebrates 10th anniversary The University’s Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT) has reached a major milestone – a decade of remarkable growth and sustained innovation. A £40m flagship development in the Northern Ireland Science Park, it was established to commercialise world class research in the areas of electronics, communications and information technology. Set up in 2004 under the leadership of Professor John McCanny, ECIT is one of the most successful research programmes ever in Queen’s. Ten years on, it now has over 175 staff, has created ten spin-out companies, supported 25 spin-in companies, attracted £60m in funding and made a huge Professor Sakir Sezer Professor William Scanlon Professor Máire O’Neill Improving our online data security and helping to reduce cyber attack threats Pioneering wearable communication Created the high-speed security chip now used in more than 100m TV set-top boxes economic impact on Northern Ireland. ECIT’s research has also made a considerable impact on society. Here are just a few examples of its research projects and the people behind them: and research needs of Dubai and other regional communities. The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Patrick Johnston, and the Registrar and Project Lead, James O’Kane, were in Dubai along with Arlene Foster, Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, to make the announcement. The College of Medicine is expected to open for applications in Autumn 2015 with the first cohort of medical students to be welcomed in September 2016. 08 QUEEN’S NOW 02 – I5 RESEARCH Queen’s leads pioneering research into cyber security Researchers from two centres of excellence at Queen’s have teamed up for a major new initiative to explore the knockon effects of cyber security on society – legal, ethical and cultural. The Leverhulme Interdisciplinary Network on Cybersecurity and Society (LINCS) will bring together researchers from the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) and the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation and Social Justice (ISCTSJ). A grant of over £1 million from the Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships scheme, matched by funding from Queen’s, will provide 30 doctoral students with three-year scholarships for LINCS, over the next eight years. The first cohort of researchers will look at ten different areas of study; for example, how increasingly stringent border controls and information-sharing between different jurisdictions may impact on people’s mobility. Other areas of focus will include the use of surveillance such as drones and how it affects an individual’s right to privacy and the trust and authentication threats posed by the ‘internet of things’. CSIT, which is housed within ECIT, is the UK’s Innovation and Knowledge Centre for secure information technologies. The work of CSIT and ISCTSJ is multi awardwinning and was instrumental in Queen’s being placed in the top ten in the UK for research intensity in REF 2014. The first cohort of LINCS researchers will begin work in September. CAPTION: Director of ISCTSJ, Professor Hastings Donnan FBA 09 Astrophysics hosts international School for research students Graduate students from the UK, Ireland, Mexico and Japan were at Queen’s recently to attend a Winter School hosted by the Astrophysics Research Centre (ARC) in the School of Mathematics and Physics. The School was run by Professor Gary Ferland, a world-leading authority on astrophysical plasma modelling and creator of the Cloudy code. Professor Ferland is a faculty staff member at the University of Kentucky, but is working in ARC for a one-year period funded by a prestigious Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorship. The major purpose of the Fellowship is to undertake a research project in collaboration with Professor Francis Keenan, a member of ARC and also Head of the School of Mathematics and Physics. The Fellowship also provides the holder with the opportunity to undertake some research-led teaching. Professor Ferland runs an annual Summer School in Kentucky on the Cloudy code, and used his presence at Queen’s to run the School here in Summer 2014 - the first time it had been held outside the USA. This was so successful it was decided to run it again in January 2015. RCH RESEA FACT , y 2015 Januar d 44 g in r u e D iv ’s rece lling Queen awards tota h c resear 8.2m. over £ QUEEN’S NOW 02 – 15 STAFF WELLBEING 10 Staff Mediation Service In this regular feature, we take a look at some of the Staff Wellbeing initiatives taking place in the University. This month the focus is the Staff Mediation Service. An Internal Staff Mediation Service has been introduced within Queen’s to provide an informal way of quickly and effectively resolving conflict within the workplace and to further embed a positive organisational culture. What is mediation? Mediation offers participants a safe and confidential process to communicate openly and to explore issues and concerns. It seeks to problem solve with the aim of rebuilding damaged workplace relationships. It is a joint and collaborative process where communication is encouraged and the negativity associated with the issue is directed in a positive way to come up with a solution and agreement that suits both parties. The mediators are there to facilitate the process of engagement between the two parties - they will not provide the solution. Who are the mediators? The mediators are Queen’s employees drawn from across the University with representation from the main staff categories. The mediators have completed an accredited training course which has equipped them with mediation skills and strategies they need to successfully mediate in the workplace. How do I access the scheme? To request mediation, email mediation@qub.ac.uk including your name and contact details. Is the process confidential? Every individual involved will keep information about the mediation confidential and not disclose it to any other party or third party, nor use it for any other purpose other than the mediation. Full details on the service and how to access it are available in the Internal Staff Mediation Guidelines. www.qub.ac.uk/wellbeing Staff take on the £ for lb challenge 106 members of staff are currently taking part in the Business in the Community £ for Ib 12 Week Challenge. Queen’s is one of 30 organisations across Northern Ireland to sign up to the Challenge which encourages participants to lose between 12-24 lbs in 12 weeks. At the same time as losing weight, staff are donating £1 for each lb lost to the University’s chosen local charity, Cancer Focus. Queen’s staff are being supported by six Staff Champions who have volunteered to co-ordinate and deliver the challenge. We’ll keep you updated on their progress over the coming weeks. CAPTIONS: Some of the Staff Champions: Barbara Lynagh (Education), Eoin Treanor (Cancer Focus), Buffie Higgins (Purchasing), Margaret Howell (Law), Clare Carson (Personnel) and Joan Grieve (Research and Enterprise) If you have any ideas for new events / themes that you like included in the Staff Wellbeing schedule, email wellbeing@qub.ac.uk QUEEN’S NOW 02 – 15 Green at Queen s In this regular feature, find out about some of the environmental activity taking place around the campus and meet some of the people making it happen. ENVIRONMENTAL 11 Pledge for Nature Dates for your Diary Queen’s is one of 11 organisations to sign up to the RSPB Northern Ireland’s Pledge for Nature to protect and enhance urban biodiversity. Over the coming months, the University will work with RSPB to implement naturefriendly measures across the campus. It’s going to be a busy couple of months for environmental activity across campus. Here are some dates for your diary: Staff have already shown their support for the pledge. As part of a RSPB workshop, organised by the Estates Directorate, staff made bird feeders and hedgehog homes for their own gardens. Queen’s is committed to enhancing biodiversity and we were recently named by BBC’s Discover Wildlife Magazine as one of the seven great places to see wildlife in Belfast. Travel to Work survey: 16 – 27 February Fair Trade Fortnight: 23 February – 8 March Climate Week: 2 – 6 March Green Impact Workbook Deadline: 10 March Green Impact Audit: 23 March Find out more on www.qub.ac.uk/carbon QUEEN’S NOW 02 – I5 Lo’ Lo’ Lo’ winners announced Congratulations to the School of Law and the Human Resources Directorate who are the winners of the Lo’ Lo’ Lo’ Christmas Switch Off campaign. The campaign saw Schools and Directorates compete against each other to see who could reduce their electricity consumption the most on Christmas Day. HR managed to reduce theirs by 96 per cent with the School of Law saving 59 per cent. LO’ LO’ LO’ The overall reduction for the University was 27 per cent. If this was maintained throughout the year, it would result in a cost saving of around £174k and an environmental saving of 770 tonnes. The winning areas both received £250 to be spent on a staff event. CAPTION: Margaret Howell (L) from the School of Law and Deborah Morgan (R) from Personnel with Environmental Manager Sara Lynch ENVIRONMENTAL 12 Meet... Zoe Hunter Zoe is the Administrative Manager and Environmental Co-ordinator for the Centre for Infection and Immunity. The Centre, which carries out translational research in infectious and inflammatory diseases, is the latest team to sign up to the Green Impact Scheme. Why did your Centre get involved in the Green Impact scheme? We wanted to try and do our bit to help the University reach its green targets. We know that our Centre is an energy intensive operation, so even if we can make a small difference to people’s behaviour, it will help reduce our impact on our environment. We have a few strong supporters in the Centre, including respiratory consultants who see the impact of environmental factors on our health in their clinics every day and would Who is on your Green Impact Team? I am joined by Adrien Kissenpfennig (Academic & deputy director, keen cyclist), Bettina Schock (Academic), Mervyn McCaigue (Chief Technician) and Dawn Wylie (PA to Director). What changes have your team already made? We have put up switch off signage and have started a monthly environmental newsletter. We are also supporting the Centre for Biomedical Sciences Education in their unwanted food drive and encourage staff and students to use environmental sustainable travel. What is the top environmental issue for your School and what are the challenges in addressing it? Energy use, and getting people to switch things off when they are not using them. Our labs work 24/7, so it can be difficult to know when everyone has gone home, and some bits of kit take a long time to switch on, so tend to be left on. What things do you do on a daily basis to reduce your own carbon footprint? I’ve been a long time holder of a rail travel pass, courtesy of the Queen’s Travel to Work Loan, and have recently received a new bicycle through the Cycle+ scheme. My daughter is a Queen’s student (Midwifery) and she also joins me on the train to work. encourage us all to cycle and walk, and use the car less. CAPTION: Zoe Hunter and Paul Crowe, a technician in the Centre who cycles to work QUEEN’S NOW 02 – 15 PEOPLE New Year Honours for staff It was a good start to the year for three members of staff who were named in the New Year Honours list. Nominations invited for Pro-Chancellor Staff are being invited to submit nominations for the position of Pro-Chancellor. Professor Ken Seddon QUILL, and Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Professor Ken Seddon has been awarded an OBE for services to chemistry. Ken is the UK’s top green chemist and is ranked in the world’s top 50. He is CoDirector of Queen’s University Ionic Liquid Laboratories (QUILL). The Centre’s research on ionic liquids, named the ‘Most Important British Innovation of the 21st Century’, is helping industry to reduce chemical wastage and environmental pollution. Ken said: “It was a complete, but pleasant, shock to receive this honour from the Queen, and I regard it as recognition of, and an award to, the entire QUILL team (past and present) for their remarkable work.” Dr Mary Flynn Len Totton Dr Mary Flynn, who is Head of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and Business Networks, has been awarded an MBE for her services to Higher Education in Northern Ireland. Queen’s is number 1 in the UK for its participation in KTPs which enhance the profitability of businesses as well as creating graduate jobs, and have a major impact on the NI economy. Porter Len Totton, who recently retired after 40 years at the University, has been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to Higher Education in Northern Ireland. Research and Enterprise Mary said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been appointed an MBE and see it as an endorsement of the great work the KTP & Business Networks team I lead at Queen’s does in facilitating the engagement of local companies with our researchers.” Estates Directorate Reintroduced in 2012, the BEM rewards a sustained, local contribution or innovative, highimpact work of a relatively short duration. Len, who spent most of his working life in the Mail Room, retired from the University at the end of December. 13 The University currently has two Pro-Chancellors – Rotha Johnston and Stephen Prenter. Rotha is due to stand down as Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Senate on 31 December 2015 and steps have been initiated to appoint a third Pro-Chancellor, with effect from 1 May 2015. Nominations will be particularly welcome in respect of individuals of significant standing within the local community, who have strong leadership qualities, a sound understanding of corporate governance and a successful track record, at a senior level, in the private/public/third sector. An interest in/knowledge of Higher Education, within a local, national and international context, is also desirable. Nominations should be submitted to the Registrar’s Office by 4.00pm on Friday 27 February 2015, using the approved pro forma. Further information is available here. For further details, please contact Clare Jamison in the Registrar’s Office on 028 9097 2505. QUEEN’S NOW 02 – 15 PEOPLE 14 Meet... Suzie Leech Suzie Leech is a Laboratory Technician in the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences. She is a participant in Queen’s Inclusive Employment Scheme – a unique placement programme for people with a disability which is supported by the Department for Employment and Learning. What does your job entail? As a Laboratory Technician, I help with research and laboratory work related to Multiple Sclerosis. What attracted you to apply for the placement at Queen’s? The reputation of Queen’s as a centre of research excellence and the opportunity to work with a research group within the University. What do you enjoy most about your placement? I enjoy working and interacting with colleagues and students of our research group. The atmosphere is energetic and friendly. What do you hope to get out of the placement? The opportunity to contribute to original research on Multiple Sclerosis, which will be submitted and published in peer reviewed papers. The placement will provide me with recent experience of working in the research environment which will help me to secure future jobs at Queen’s or elsewhere. The placement has given me the confidence to apply for jobs in science in the future and has given me further experience with research techniques. Staff meet Party Leader Members of staff recently met the leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband MP, at an event hosted by the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Cooperation Ireland. Dolores Vischer from Research and Enterprise and Denise Falls and Anne Clydesdale from the William J Clinton Leadership Institute attended the event at which Mr Miliband addressed local business leaders on the support they could expect from a Labour Government, should they gain power in the forthcoming 2015 general elections. CAPTION: Dolores Vischer (R) and Denise Falls pictured with Ed Miliband MP QUEEN’S NOW 02 – 15 Join The Conversation Over 40 members of academic staff have now had articles published in The Conversation. Here are some of the recent publications: Black flags and balaclavas: how jihadists dress for imaginary war Michael Semple, Visiting Research Professor, Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation and Social Justice Ched Evans: the legality and ethics of hiring a convicted rapist Professor Jack Law, School of Law This article was republished by BBC News website and The Guardian Online Test-driving the brain could reveal early signs of Alzheimer’s Dr Brian Murphy, School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Domestic violence is now out in the open but the figures show just how endemic it is Anne Lazenbatt, NSPCC Reader in Childhood Studies, and John Devaney, School of Sociology, Social Work and Social Policy Arts in Northern Ireland may not survive the latest round of cuts by Dr Victoria Durrer, School of Creative Arts. If you are interested in writing for The Conversation, please contact the Communications Office on comms.office@qub.ac.uk PEOPLE MAKING THE HEADLINES News that Queen’s has partnered with Dubai Healthcare City to develop the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRUMHS) and its College of Medicine received widespread international coverage particularly in the Middle East, including Gulf Today, Arabian Business News, and the Dubai Informer. Research by Professor Adrian Long in the School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering, which has resulted in the development of the world’s longest ‘flat pack’ arch bridge, received considerable local, national and international coverage. Outlets included BBC News Online, e! Science News and The News Letter as well as in industry publications. News that researchers from the Astrophysics Research Centre are involved in a European-wide project searching for new planets made the headlines locally and nationally. The story was carried by the Irish Times, Daily Mirror and BBC Radio Ulster. Dr Christopher Watson, said: “This is a truly exciting time and a major coup for Queen’s. Next-Generation Transit Survey will not only discover a whole host of new planets, including ‘super-Earths’ a little larger than our own planet, but some of these will be amongst the best planets with which to perform more detailed investigations.” Dr Andriana Margariti from the Centre for Experimental Medicine made the headlines this month for her research which is aiding in the global fight to prevent cardiovascular disease, one of the biggest causes of heart disease and strokes worldwide. Dr Margariti has established an innovative method of generating stem cells and using them to rebuild damaged blood vessels in the human body that can lead to strokes or heart attacks. The story was featured in the Daily Mirror, Irish Times and various UK websites. Expert comment from Dr Neil Jarman from the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation and Social Justice on forced labour received coverage in media across Ireland, including The Irish Examiner, Belfast Telegraph and Farming Life. Dr Jarman said rogue employers who operate modern forms of slavery in Northern Ireland to increase profits should be tackled, stating that up to 150 people may be victims of forced labour. 15 QUEEN’S NOW 02 – 15 PEOPLE Obituary: Philip Clarke 16 Welcome to new staff Over 50 new members of staff joined Queen’s during January Daniel Barrios-O’Neil Biological Sciences Luke Blades Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering Dr Colm Burns Management Darryl Callaghan Queen’s Sport Philip Clarke was born in England on 31 January 1961. He studied Social Policy and Administration at the University of Kent and then a Diploma in Careers Guidance at Bristol Polytechnic (now UWE). Phil worked for 12 years as a Careers Officer with VT Southern Careers before joining Queen’s in January 1999 as a Careers Adviser. In October 2005 he was promoted to the role of Senior Careers Adviser. During his 16 years at Queen’s, Phil worked with the full range of discipline areas across a broad spectrum from undergraduates and postgraduates to contract researchers. He was a member of the Irish Association of Higher Education Careers Services Executive Committee from 2010-2014. In 2014, he became a member of Queen’s Coaching group, delivering a coaching service to members of Queen’s staff. Phil was a respected colleague, noted for his calm, reflective and measured approach to work. He was most admired for his ability to be a good listener, to reflect and to guide. This was highly valued by his students and Phil received many acknowledgements for his professional approach and quality guidance. Phil enjoyed a broad range of interests including painting, writing poetry, music, literature and travel, and was renowned for his passion for the Beatles. Phil died on 30 December 2014 and is survived by his wife Noelle, his sisters, and brother. Dr Marco Carradore Centre for Medical Education Dr Young Jin Chun Wireless Communication Systems Dr Sandra Collins Modern Languages Dr Kieran Connell History Lisa Copeland Environmental Planning Dr Daniel Corbett Pharmacy Dr Aglaia De Angeli History Peter Deegan Civil Engineering Katy Doolan Centre for Public Health Deborah Duffy School Office (Elect, Elect Eng & Comp Sci) Patrick Elliott Library Services and Research Support Jenny Evans KTP and Business Networks Dr Viviana Fiorentino Biological Sciences Aine Gallagher Management Anne Grant Nursing and Midwifery Jim Harty Library Services and Research Support Alan Hughes Estates Development Tom Hughes Marketing, Recruitment and Admissions Dr Aaron Hunter Creative Arts Kamil Kanas Psychology Dr Georgios Karakonstantis High Performance & Distributed Computing Dr Neil Kennedy Centre for Medical Education Raymond King Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology Dr Brendan McLaughlin Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Dr Diego Ramon Rodriguez-Lojo Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Dr Paul Mensink Biological Sciences Janet Scott Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Umar Minhas Wireless Communication Systems Eileen Morgan Centre for Public Health Dr Oliver Kinnane Architecture Professor M Therese Murphy Law Mark Lunney Students’ Union Rory O’Neill Financial Services Dr Alison MacKenzie Education General Dr Sarah Osman Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology James McClelland KTP and Business Networks Sharon McEvoy Pharmacy Fergus McGrath The Leadership Institute Mathew McLaren Mathematics and Physics Emma Louise Reel Centre for Biomedical Sciences Education Professor Peter Robertson Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Andrea Smyth Institute for Global Food Security Michael Stevenson Financial Services Dr Tristan Sturm Geography Dr Laura Taylor Psychology Heather Taylor Marketing, Recruitment and Admissions Chhaya Trehan High Performance & Distributed Computing Dr Ewa Wielogorska Institute for Global Food Security Dr Xiaolei Zhang Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering QUEEN’S NOW 02 – 15 SOCIAL WIN £25 For the chance to win a £25 Amazon voucher, send us your answers to the following questions For the chance to win a £25 Amazon voucher this month, send us your answers to the following questions. The questions are all based on REF 2014 and the answers can be found in Queen’s Now! 1 What position are we in the UK for Research Intensity? Thanks for sharing your tweets and posts over the past month. Everyone loves a good photograph and this one, taken by Sharon Cuatriz and sent to us by Barra Best, was no exception. The atmospheric pic of the Lanyon received over 4,770 likes on Facebook and 90 comments! 2 How many subjects do we have in the UK Top 20? 3 What percentage of Queen’s research activity was rated as internationally excellent or world-leading? Email your answers to: qneditor@qub.ac.uk by Friday 27 February. CONGRATULATIONS The winner of last month’s competition was Lynn Cairns from Pharmacy. For all the news about Queen's follow @QueensUBelfast For staff news follow @BiteofQueens 17
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