Newsroom University of 51��

51�� climbs in the global ARWU Subject Rankings results for 2024 and ranked top in UK for 4 subject areas

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 09:29:35 +0000

In the latest Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) Subjects Rankings 2024, 51�� is placed among the top 25 worldwide in seven subject areas. The University is also ranked first in the UK for four subjects and has moved up in 21 subjects thanks to research excellence and impact.

The University is ranked in the top 25 globally for a broad including; Business Administration (5th), Geography (9th), Physics (10th), Sociology (11th), Dentistry & Oral Sciences (15th), Textile Science and Engineering (19th), and Metallurgical Engineering (23rd). Two other subject areas leapt into the top 50: Biotechnology (36th) and Political Sciences (48th).

The University is top among UK institutions for Business Administration, Metallurgical Engineering, Biotechnology and textile Science and Engineering.

The University’s subject ranking has improved on its position in 2023. The University is now ranked in 46 of the 55 subject areas covered by the AWRU, which encompass fields within Natural Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Medical Sciences, and Social Sciences. The University moved up the rankings in 21 subject areas, held its 2023 position in 9 and entered the rankings in two other subject areas for the first time (Library and Information Management in the 51-75 band, Communication in the 151-200 band).

Professor Colette Fagan, Vice-President for Research, said: “I am delighted that we are among the top 25 in seven subjects and have improved or maintained our standing in the majority of the subject areas which are evaluated in the AWRU. These results have been achieved thanks to the calibre of our researchers and the excellence of their research, research impact and international collaborations.”

The rankings are determined by metrics for five categories: World-Class Faculty (newly introduced this year), World-Class Output, High Quality Research, Research Impact, and International Collaboration. To be included universities must meet minimum publication thresholds for each subject between 2019 and 2023. For more information, please visit the Shanghai Rankings .

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Duncan Ivison said: “The results in the latest ARWU Subject Rankings demonstrate our dedication to research excellence and global impact across a broad spectrum of disciplines. Leading the UK in Business Administration, Metallurgical Engineering, and Biotechnology is an outstanding result, and is testament to our commitment to innovation and the talent we have in our academic community. We’re proud to see our research recognised not only nationally but globally, which speaks volumes about the collaborative, world-class environment here at 51��. Now our challenge is to build on this momentum, and continue to show the world that we are an institution on the move.”

These results underscore 51��’s research quality and impact, highlighting subject areas of strength in this global ranking. It follows the earlier announcement that 51�� was ranked 52nd overall in the world out of more than 2500 of the leading higher education institutions in the 2024 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

51�� celebrates launch of Global Humanities Alliance

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 10:03:57 +0100

51�� is proud to announce the launch of the Global Humanities Alliance (GHA), an initiative forged by eight international universities to raise the profile of humanities and social sciences across the globe.

Launched on 11 October 2024 in 51��, academics from partner institutions gathered in person and online to mark the beginning of this collaborative effort at an inaugural meeting. Academics from the member institutions joined a panel discussion on sustainability and climate change – one of the key focus areas of the Alliance.

GHA members include: 51��, Ashoka University in India, Mahidol University in Thailand, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia, The University of Melbourne in Australia, University of Nairobi in Kenya and University of Toronto in Canada.

The mission of the GHA is to raise the social and political impact of the humanities and social sciences through an emphasis on a programme of research and teaching that takes up global issues, incorporates diverse global perspectives and brings scholars and students together for critical conversations.

Underpinning the Alliance is a core value that by combining complementary and distinctive strengths, it can better address key global challenges and showcase the difference humanities, social sciences and the liberal arts makes to the world.

Professor Angelia Wilson, Faculty of Humanities Associate Dean for Internationalisation at 51��, commented: “The Global Humanities Alliance brings together academics and higher education institutions from around the world to celebrate and to enrich the important contribution made by humanities and social science research to understanding and navigating the challenges we face in our local communities and in wider society. The member institutions are firmly committed to working together to ensure our students are fit to be engaged, value-driven, and knowledgeable citizens of the world.”

The GHA brings together thousands of humanities and social scientists from around the globe. Alliance collaborations will centre initially around four core themes: public humanities, sustainability and climate change, decolonising knowledge and digital transformations.

The GHA is working towards a range of joint research initiatives and enhanced staff mobility between Alliance member institutions through a programme of visiting fellowships.

And for students, the GHA expands opportunities for an international learning experience with Global Classrooms. Offering virtual guest lectures and international discussion boards, students will get a more diverse learning experience and options to learn from their peers around the world.

Professor Fiona Devine, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, said: “The Global Humanities Alliance will greatly enhance the staff and student experience, not just here at 51�� but for all our partner institutions across the globe. Working with our partners in the Alliance will facilitate the co-production of knowledge, new ways of innovating teaching, and research collaboration to tackle global challenges.”

Global University Alliance delivers results, one year on

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Three globally-renowned institutions are this month celebrating the first anniversary of an alliance that’s delivering teaching and research on some of the world’s most urgent challenges.

The Universities of 51��, Melbourne and Toronto (MMT) Alliance draws on the expertise of 45,000 staff and faculty and 187,000 students across the three institutions to develop further learning and research initiatives. These include ‘global classrooms’ offering students the opportunity to engage through joint classrooms with students from other universities and share their diverse global perspectives, exchange programmes, joint PhD and research programmes and trans-continental links to industry research.

While the MMT Alliance is only a year old, it can already count multiple tangible outcomes that are advancing global study and research:

A trilateral research fund that’s fostered additional bilateral and three-way links, bringing over 50 researchers together
The launch of the International Centre for Translational Digital Health
Creating ‘global classroom’ experiences for students including in areas such as Indigenous studies, history, and sustainability
In addition to the Melbourne-51�� PhD programme, and Melbourne-Toronto programme, a joint Toronto-51�� agreement to support joint PhD supervision will welcome its first entrants in 2023.

The Alliance’s International Centre for Translational Digital Health advances the field of digital health in Canada, the UK and Australia by developing, implementing and translating new technologies, policies and service delivery models. Initially a partnership between the Universities of Toronto and 51��, the University of Melbourne will formally become a partner of the Centre on .

51�� President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, said: “We are thrilled with the many successes the MMT Alliance has realised in its first year which are a sign of great things to come. The importance of international collaborations in academia are well-documented, but we’ve never been at a more critical inflexion point as the world faces now, grappling not just with recovery from a devastating pandemic but the threat of the climate crisis and unprecedented challenges to health and our social fabric.

“MMT demonstrates and will continue to demonstrate how international academic collaboration can help the world solve some of its biggest challenges. The Alliance set out to navigate the post-COVID landscape, but I think it will realise success for a great many years ahead.”

University of Toronto President, Professor Meric Gertler, said: “The MMT Alliance is a superb example of international collaborations. In the face of extreme global challenges, an alliance that stretches across three continents could not be more appropriate. Each partner is able to contribute unique and invaluable expertise. We are delighted by the progress the Alliance has made in a single year, deepening networks and paving the way for world-class research and education outcomes. ”

University of Melbourne Pro Vice-Chancellor for Graduate and International Research Professor Justin Zobel said: “The Alliance is already showing how the three universities can work together to achieve major outcomes. It provides our researchers with access to resources and facilities beyond that available at any one institution, and is creating new educational opportunities, particularly for PhD candidates. The MMT collaboration demonstrates that we can jointly address the severe global challenges of our time.”

Dr Amani Abou-Zeid awarded honorary doctorate

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 13:57:24 +0100

Below is the citation of Dr Amani Abou-Zeid by .

Chancellor, distinguished guests and colleagues I am privileged and honoured to present Dr Amani Abou-Zeid to you today.

To cover all of Dr Abou-Zeid’s achievements would take many hours but I’ll cram them into a nutshell. Dr Abou-Zeid graduated from the University of 51�� with a PhD in Socio-economic Development in 2001. She had great intellectual ability and great energy – successfully studying for a Masters degree at Harvard University while writing up her doctoral thesis. Over the 30 years of her distinguished career she has become one of the University’s leading alumni in the sphere of international development. Her links with 51�� continue - Amani chairs the Global Development Institute’s International Advisory Board for the African Cities Research Centre.

Dr Abou-Zeid, who is from Egypt, has served in leadership roles at international organisations including the United Nations Development Programme. Her early career focus on poverty reduction has broadened into infrastructure and energy programmes. In 2017, she was elected as Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union, the multilateral body which promotes cooperation and development in its 55 member states. Amani was re-elected for a second term in February 2021. She has advanced many programmes at the AU including the Single African Air Transport Market and the Broadband Commission for Africa.

Previously, Dr Abou-Zeid was Director of the African Natural Resources Centre at the African Development Bank. This innovative Centre supports African governments in the effective and inclusive governance of natural resources. Alongside this she forged deep links between the African Development Bank and Morocco and successfully contributed to the Bank's mobilization of concessional finance for low-income African countries.

Dr Abou-Zeid has received numerous international awards for her leadership and professional excellence. Accolades include being selected as one of Africa’s 100 Most Influential Women, being decorated by HM King Mohamed VI of Morocco, and being recognised as a World Young Leader by the European Union. In her spare time Amani competes regularly at desert car rallies.

Three aspects of Dr Abou-Zeid’s distinguished career stand out. First, her personal commitment to seeking to make the world a better place. The programmes she has run pursue the goal of social inclusion and not just economic growth: this is the contemporary challenge for the African continent. Second, Amani has shown the benefit of inter-disciplinary approaches to real-world problem solving. Her BSc is in Electrical Engineering, she has an MBA in Project Management and her PhD research focussed on the socio-economic analysis of poverty-reduction programmes. Third, Dr Abou-Zeid sets an example for women in high-level leadership positions. Her career has been in male-dominated institutions, but she has successfully broken through glass ceilings and championed gender equality. She provides an outstanding role model for the next generation.

Chancellor, I am very pleased to present Dr Amani Abou-Zeid to you for the Degree of Doctor of Social Science honoris causa.

GDI recognised at Making a Difference Awards

Thu, 19 May 2022 12:23:13 +0100

Colleagues and alumni were recognised in the and categories.

The work of the Global Development Institutes researchers and alumni was recognised at 51��’s .

The ‘Ageing Well In Place’ project won the Outstanding Contribution to Local and Civic Engagement Award. Professor Diana Mitlin and Whitney Banyai-Becker are working with Sophie King and residents of Hopton Court, a tower block, based near 51��. The project brings together tenants, their housing provider, the 51�� Local Care Organisation, local voluntary and community sector organisations and two universities to co-produce solutions for elderly and vulnerable tower block tenants. It aims to generate the evidence and impetus to have the flats classified as a ‘Naturally Occurring Retirement Community’, gaining additional support for older residents.

The project stems from Diana’s longer-term support of the initiative, modelled on the Shack Dwellers International approach to community organising.

Sophie and Hopton Court organiser Tina Cribbin recently .

Our alumna was also recognised at the awards, receiving a highly commended in the category. Her project, ‘Musical Agriculture: A Song for Climate Change’, seeks to address challenges such as deforestation, climate change and environmental injustices, by using music and food to initiate a variety of educational programs for key groups such as women and children.

Rita commented: “Our world is facing many challenges, such as poverty, hunger, resource shortage, environmental degradation, climate change, and increased inequalities and conflicts. To address such challenges, The project Musical Agriculture (IWA-ANEM): A Song for Climate Change is directly related to five of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and in helping to create a better world. Through the catalytic power of music, we confront environmental disaster and climate change. Our project uses music and food to initiate a variety of education focusing on women and children on topics such as sustainable agriculture, recycling, food security, Agroecology and environmental degradation. On behalf of People Environment and Sustainability (PEAS) Foundation, we want to say a big thank you to the University of 51�� for highly commending our projects for the Making a Difference (MAD) Awards, 2022. We want to thank our Sponsors and Partners; IFOAM Organics International, Semek Farms, Beau Haven Farms, Dr Unenobong Udoka (Paediatrician) and my other colleagues for their support towards the success of this project. A special thank you message to all the rural women farmers and children in Nigeria for their support and encouragement. We are grateful. A fight for Climate Change is everyone’s responsibility. Act Now!!!”

University bags global citizenship award for healthcare initiative

Thu, 27 May 2021 07:56:47 +0100

A University of 51�� initiative which engages its students’ healthcare improvement work in hard to reach communities in the UK and beyond has come third in a prestigious international prize for global citizenship.

The Humanising Healthcare programme gives dentistry, pharmacy and optometry students the chance to deliver healthcare and healthcare education to poorer communities as part of the curriculum.

The MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship, launched in 2009, recognizes exemplary university student civic engagement programs around the world and is a key element in the MacJannet Foundation’s work to build a community of global citizens.

The prize is sponsored jointly by the MacJannet Foundation and , a global association of 388 universities in 77 countries on six continents, all committed to developing student leaders who are actively engaged with society.

The Selection Committee said they were impressed by the initiative and wished to recognize and support the continued civic and community engagement work.

The scheme built on the success of a dentistry Service-Learning programme called ’, established in 2012 by Dr Senathirajah (Raj) Ariyaratnam and shortlisted for the 2018 MacJannet prize for Global Citizenship.

The work extended to pharmacy and optometry education to create the ‘Humanising Healthcare’ programme.

Dr Ariyaratnam said: “Humanising Healthcare is based on the premise that we cannot create excellent healthcare professionals of tomorrow without creating engaged ones.

“Our goal is therefore to support students to deliver essential healthcare and healthcare education to different communities as part of the curriculum.

“But it’s also about encouraging global volunteering while creating a workforce characterised by civic values and skills that have direct community benefit in meeting health challenges.”

Up to 2019, when COVID-19 struck, around 1,000 dental students treated 38,720 paediatric and 140,800 adult patients respectively over 10 years as a core part of the curriculum.

And 150 students volunteered in 15 countries across the world to provide oral health care and education to thousands of people under the supervision of the local dentists.

Working with students to co-design bespoke healthcare services in the UK, they helped refugees and asylum seekers, LGBTQ+ community members and native non-English speakers.

During the pandemic, dental students provided online support to Chinese and Tamil speaking 51�� communities which was extended to provide quality COVID information for hard-to-reach communities North Sri Lanka.

In 2019 the University hosted the UK’s first national Service Learning in Healthcare conference; as a result, a UK healthcare Service-Learning framework is now being developed.

Students organise an annual ‘DentMan’ conference to share their community experience with peers and to inspire future generation. The 2021 conference strengthened links with students and teachers at the University of Ghana.

The year three pharmacy curriculum was transformed to deliver healthcare awareness raising workshops to local 14 and 15-year-old school pupils.

Since 2017, over 400 pharmacy students have delivered 100 workshops to over 3000 pupils as part of the assessed core curriculum.

Topics include antibiotic resistance, mental health, wellbeing, diabetes, obesity and alcohol awareness. The workshops were well received by both high school pupils, teachers and the students delivering them.

Dr David Allison a Reader in Pharmacy Education at the University said: “We aim to help improve the health of the population by raising awareness of healthcare issues that start in adolescence

“It also gave our students an opportunity to give something back to society, and enhance their community engagement skills and sense of civic responsibility.

“ This is a unique, beneficial and enjoyable learning experience for our students; it is the first example of Service–Learning as a core curriculum activity in any UK School of Pharmacy”

An optometry clinic within the University has been running in 51�� as part of the optometry programme since 1913.

The clinic is a service learning centre that provides community eye care services to the local population while allowing students to gain valuable experience through providing the service.

Students and staff regularly engage with local schools and public through a series of activities. And more than 400 students have engaged with international and national charities to help raise eye health awareness.

Global Development Institute secures £32 million for African Cities research

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 08:54:56 +0100

Researchers from the have been awarded a new research contract of £32 million to establish the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC), funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) as part of UK Aid.

Led by , ACRC and its international partners will tackle complex problems in some of Africa’s fastest growing urban areas. Over 6 years, research will generate new evidence to catalyse integrated, sustainable, inclusive approaches to urban development.

African Cities will approach urban areas as complex systems, undertaking engaged political analysis, in order to address large scale development challenges. A ‘city as a system’ approach aims to move beyond the sectoral silos of research and interventions by treating each city as a complex system. It builds upon the political settlements analysis establish by our research centre, and will integrate political and technical analysis undertaken alongside key players on the ground.

The African Cities Research Consortium brings together engaged partners including the UK-based , , and , African-based groups such as , and , as well as international organisations, such as the and the . Closer to home, it will utilise expertise from across 51��, particularly within the and the Global Inequalities research beacon.

CEO Diana Mitlin said, “The long term prospects for much of Africa will hinge on creating more sustainable, equitable and inclusive cities. The African Cities Research Consortium will enable us to tease out the complexities and highlight potential solutions to improve urban centres across the continent.”

ACRC has the ambitious aim of generating new evidence to catalyse integrated, sustainable, inclusive approaches to urban development challenges. An initial focus on 13 cities - Accra (Ghana), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Bukavu (DRC), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Harare (Zimbabwe), Kampala (Uganda), Khartoum (Sudan), Lagos (Nigeria), Lilongwe (Malawi), Maiduguri (Nigeria), Mogadishu (Somalia), and Nairobi (Kenya) - will allow us to undertake focused, interconnected research that delivers real insights for local authorities, civil society and donors.

Tade Akin Aina, Executive director of the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR), based in Kenya will be the Uptake Director for the Consortium. He said, “Covid-19 is highlighting structural inequalities within cities across Africa. By taking a holistic approach and bringing together communities with local authorities and donors, I’m confident the African Cities Research Consortium will play a vital role in improving urban areas.”

New figures show 138 million women suffer from recurrent thrush

Fri, 03 Aug 2018 09:00:00 +0100

Around 138 million women are affected by a distressing but treatable fungal infection world-wide, according to a research review by University of 51�� scientists.

And the incidence of recurrent thrush, warns lead researcher , is set to rise to an estimated 158 million people by 2030.

The team from 51�� - one of the leading centres in the world for fungal infection research - are publishing their findings in The Lancet Infectious Diseases today

Vulvovaginal candidiasis infection - caused by the overgrowth of the fungus Candida - causes itching, irritation, discharge, soreness and damage to the skin. For many women it is a taboo subject.

Previous research has shown that 75% of women develop thrush at least once in their lifetime and over 6% of women suffer from recurrent episodes.

Also from studies reviewed by the research team, thrush is a risk associated with menopausal women aged 55 and over, and women taking hormone replacement therapy and antibiotics.

Chinese, Indian and American women are the world’s most numerous sufferers of thrush at 29.1 million and 23.6 million and 9 million respectively, they find.

Ghana, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, are the countries where the condition is the least prevalent from the data they harvested.

And a significant 1.2 million women in the UK suffer from the condition.

Dr Rautemaa-Richardson said: “Recurrent vulvovaginal thrush is common, debilitating and complex.

“Myths, unnecessary worry and stigma are associated with it as medical professionals struggle to understand it.

“Though Thrush is treatable, it often reoccurs and there are often additional causes for the symptoms which all need to be addressed. Antifungal treatment is often only part of the solution.

“Thrush is often thought of as an embarrassing problem woman should accept, rather than a medical problem which needs to be dealt with.

“But for millions of women, it can have a massive impact on quality of life.”

She added: “For many, thrush is treatable, and patients are able to regain their quality of life. But much work needs to be done to educate both healthcare professionals and patients about the best way to do that.

“We hope this research will give more women the confidence talk more openly about a problem which is distressing and painful.”

The paper a systematic review is published in Lancet Infectious Diseases

Newsroom University of 51������

51������ climbs in the global ARWU Subject Rankings results for 2024 and ranked top in UK for 4 subject areas

51������ celebrates launch of Global Humanities Alliance