Ideas fizz at School Research Day

Around 25 academics outlined their current or recent activity at the annual School Research Day this month.

The day-long event included presentations from nine of the school’s 15 research centres which explained how colleagues can become involved in their work. The University Research & Enterprise Office also explored the range of funding routes available for research and the support it can offer during the application process.

Professor Feng Li, the school’s Associate Dean for Research & Innovation, began the event by urging colleagues to use both the presentations and networking time to think about innovative funding opportunities and research partnerships.

Breaking down silos

“This is a chance to build new partnerships and collaborations following the disruption of the covid pandemic. We want people to come together and talk – and not just from your own faculty. That why there are plenty of breaks and we have taken all the rooms so people can take discussions offline. We have funding available for culture building activities and for research centre-led initiatives.

“Have fun and continue the conversation.”

He said that while the School continues to support individual research excellence, research is increasingly tied to one of four strategic themes, which can overlap.

They are:

• Societal challenges
• Future of finance and insurance (intellectual hub for the city of London
• Technology & Innovation (particularly AI but other techs as well)
• Understanding the transforming world.

The event, Feng explained, was just the start of a push on research that will include sessions on effective funding applications, strategic themes, a paper writing “retreats” and a “research buddy” programme.

Individual academics outlined their current or recent research project, with topics ranging from optimal pricing in service standards (Professor Laura Ballotta) to the effects of diversity in social media advertising (Dr Yusuf Oc) and start-ups putting hypergrowth over productivity (Ruben van Werven).

Dean Professor Andre Spicer said: “It was great that so many colleagues were able to hear about the varied and interesting research being done in the School and to think about how colleagues from different faculties and research centres can work together. I’m sure the creative thinking sparked by the event will bear fruit by fostering interesting joint projects.”