A postcard-sized photograph from the 1870s held far more detail than first met the eye. The challenge was finding a way to bring those details, and the people within them, into view.
When the team behind Bristol Dockyards began developing a new exhibition, they wanted visitors to connect with the people and stories behind the SS Great Britain, not just the ship itself.
The photograph, taken in Melbourne in the 1870s, shows the dock where the SS Great Britain arrived with its passengers and cargo. The museum wanted visitors to experience the detail within the image at a much larger scale.
But with no original negative available, the team needed to understand what was possible while preserving the authenticity and historical quality of the photograph.
Together, the museum team, community researchers, community groups and CFPR explored how the photograph could be enlarged while staying true to the original image.
The potential use of AI was part of those early conversations. For the museum, however, preserving the authenticity of the historic photograph was particularly important. With CFPR’s guidance, the team explored what could be enhanced while retaining the character and quality of the original.
From postcard-sized to life-sized
Rather than using AI, CFPR used a technique known as localised visual saliency, selectively enhancing details rather than applying changes across the whole image. Different levels of enhancement were tested for individual faces, with the final approach balancing greater definition with the character of the original photograph.
The result allowed features such as eyebrows, noses and jawlines to become more distinct, helping individual faces stand out without completely changing their appearance.
A second photograph, showing the crew on the deck of the ship, was also digitised at high resolution and could be reproduced without further alteration.
Bringing people and stories to the foreground
As the first photograph was enlarged, details that has been difficult to see suddenly came into view. Faces became clearer. Clothing, cargo and even a railway carriage running along the pier could be seen in much greater detail.
“Suddenly it was all there, life-size, and that was quite a special moment.”
Most importantly, the people within the photograph came to the foreground, including white, black and Aboriginal people.
The photograph became the focus of a workshop with the museum’s community group, creating an opportunity to talk about the people represented in the image and why it was so important,
Visitors have already commented on how the large-scale imagery brings the history of the SS Great Britain to life. Instead of looking closely at a small photograph to make out its details, they can see the scene at life-size scale and imagine themselves standing within it.
The collaboration has also influenced how the museum thinks about using its historic photography collection in future exhibitions.
The Bristol Dockyards team reflected:
“It was just so lovely to have those conversations and have a sounding board fordifferent ideas and different approaches. As a team at the museum, we learnt anawful lot through that whole process.
It’s reinforced how we would approach images in the future for new exhibitionsand how we can make use of our historic collection and photography collectionsgoing forward. So [working with UWE] unlocked that.”
What started with the challenge of enlarging a small historic photograph became an opportunity to see the collection differently. The collaboration brought overlooked details and stories into view, while opening up new possibilities for how the museum can use its historic photography in the future.
Could UWE Bristol expertise help with your next challenge?
Whether you have a technical challenge to solve, an idea to develop or simply need a fresh perspective, UWE Bristol consultancy can connect your organisation with specialist knowledge and expertise.
Guest blog by Susannah Deane, Research and Development Bid Writer (Social Sciences) at UWE Bristol
On 30th September 2026, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) held a virtual town hall to discuss changes to their funding schemes. With the closure of the current applicant-led schemes (Responsive Mode, New Investigator, and Secondary Data Analysis) on 4th November 2026, ESRC has recently announced a suite of new grants with two – Connect and React – already launching earlier this year. In the webinar, ESRC Executive Chair Stian Westlake and Executive Director of Research Jen Gold gave more details on the three new schemes opening over the next six months: Grow and Explore (opening 5th November) and Challenge (opening spring 2027).
Headline takeaways
More flexibility in terms of budget and the types of activities that researchers can undertake under the new schemes
Retained commitment to supporting early career researchers (ECRs)
Focus on novelty, pushing boundaries, and responsible risk-taking
Reduced emphasis on short-term impact
Decreased assessment time
ESRC have stressed that UKRI’s new strategic framework continues to have curiosity-driven research at its heart, and they hope that the new schemes will provide more freedom for applicants to propose the kind of approaches that they see fit. ESRC are keen to avoid inadvertently concentrating funding in certain areas, and there is a greater emphasis on supporting work that is at the knowledge frontier, even if the impact is more distant. They are also experimenting with ways of speeding up funding processes and making the process simpler for both applicants and reviewers.
New schemes Grow, Explore, and Challenge will be launched on an always-open basis with rolling assessment.
Grow (18mths-5yrs; £100-500k)
The Grow award will be focused on researcher development, whether at an early or later career stage. It is intended to support a dynamic, flexible, and internationally competitive social science research base that can anticipate and respond to emerging priorities, technologies, and opportunities, by supporting researcher development at key career points.
A core component of this scheme is to support those starting their careers to gain experience in leading and managing a research project. Grow will also support established researchers to develop in new directions, either by applying their expertise in a different social science discipline, or by gaining and using advanced skills to drive innovation in their own field (e.g. training in data analytics techniques; using new AI technologies). With this in mind, Westlake emphasised that applications will be assessed on their own merits, rather than being compared with one another across different career stages.
Explore (up to 5yrs; £300k-2M)
Explore is being launched in recognition of the important role that small teams play in driving growth through research. This scheme focuses on supporting innovative and disruptive ideas, and encourages ambitious ideas that push disciplinary, methodological, and conceptual boundaries. Research evidence – especially from the Metascience Unit – points to the important role that small teams often play in fostering new directions in research across many different disciplines. ESRC have stressed that there is still space to have a diversity of expertise in a small central research team, and there are specific other roles which may also be included in the proposal. Projects can include international co-leads, or collaborations with business, government, or third sector in different ways.
Challenge (up to 5yrs; £2-10M)
The Challenge award will launch in spring 2027, supporting ambitious programmes of research, innovation, or infrastructure that require experienced leadership and vision to deliver tangible impactful outcomes on complex challenges facing the economy, society, and the research system. The scheme will focus on bringing together diverse expertise to build capability, and will welcome applications from large teams. While this fund will take on some of the aspects of the previous research centre grants, it will also be open to fund different types of endeavours including large research programmes, networking schemes, and field-building at scale. With this fund, ESRC are looking to fund large projects that are making an ongoing contribution, and they will be looking for specific standalone, time-bound projects. More details on this scheme will be released in later 2026.
ESRC’s commitment to early career researchers remains pivotal: note that opportunities for ECRs are not limited to the Grow awards; ESRC are keen for ECRs to be part of teams in the Explore and Challenge funds too.
Assessment & grant processing times
While the Connect pilot used distributed peer review in the assessment process, the three new awards will be based on expert peer review and moderating panels, with the opportunity to respond to peer reviews as under the current schemes, and ESRC making final funding decisions. Westlake noted that they will be taking a portfolio-based approach to final funding decisions to ensure a diverse range of funded projects, and to enable a balance of ECR and more experienced researchers to receive funding.
In addition, ESRC are working to deliver on UKRI commitments to reduce grant processing times; with that in mind, decisions for Grow and Explore awards will start to be made in spring 2027. [There is currently no demand management planned for these schemes.]
Intellectual novelty & impact
Recognising the limitations of overly focusing on short-term impact, ESRC will move away from selecting only projects that are both high short-term impact and score highly on curiosity-driven research and intellectual novelty. Instead, they aim to provide a space for projects that are primarily about pushing the knowledge frontier, where the contribution to impact may be some way down the road and not achieved within the project itself, in addition to continuing to fund good projects that are highly impact-driven. Remember that it is still extremely important to discuss the impact of your research, even if the timeline for this is longer.
Connect & React pilot awards update
With Connect and React awards having already launched earlier this year, ESRC will be reviewing these pilot schemes through to spring 2027. The expectation is that these schemes will be relaunched in 2027, but we may see some adjustments following the review period.
Keep an eye out for webinar announcements, as ESRC will be giving updates on the schemes in due course.
More confident leaders, stronger and more inclusive teams, and measurable business impact: over the past two years, the Leadership Fundamentals Programme has helped SMEs across the West of England region embed better leadership practices, improve resilience and turn learning into positive workplace change.
Delivered by UWE Bristol through a West of England Mayoral Combined Authority initiative, the 10-week ILM accredited leadership programme gave emerging and established SME leaders focused, practical support to understand their leadership style and develop skills they could apply immediately in their organisations.
Where the leadership journey began
For many managers in small and medium-sized organisations, leadership development has to compete with the immediate demands of running a team and growing a business. The programme created dedicated space for them to step back, understand their leadership style and build practices that support diverse teams, encourages innovation and improves performance. Drawing on the Good Employment Charter and UWE Bristol’s expertise and networks, participants strengthened their leadership, coaching and business development capabilities while growing in confidence.
Over 10 weeks, participants tested new ideas in workshops, applied them through workplace-based assignments and reflected with peers facing similar leadership challenges. Working towards an ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management gave structure to the journey, but the real value came from taking learning back to their organisations: strengthening productivity and resilience while laying foundations for sustained growth.
A growing community of confident leaders
Across 10 cohorts, 143 participants from 112 organisations came together, representing charities, digital businesses, professional services, manufacturing, health, education and sustainability. The breadth of experience in each group became part of the learning, showing that while leadership challenges may look different across sectors, many of the underlying questions about confidence, communication and team culture are shared.
That sense of connection continued through our nine peer-networking events, where participants and their employers could meet alongside the programme and reconnect after it had ended. These sessions opened up honest conversations about wider leadership experiences, from imposter syndrome and the power of self-belief to setting expectations for a stronger team culture and using emotional intelligence to foster team cohesion. Participants were not simply attending additional events; they were building a supportive cross-sector community in which experiences, challenges and ideas could be shared openly.
The conversations gave participants space to reflect, solve problems together and return to work with renewed confidence. Just as importantly, the relationships did not have to end with the formal course. Ongoing peer support and new professional connections helped participants maintain momentum and continue developing strong, inclusive leadership practices within their organisations.
Again and again, the most powerful change was confidence: the confidence to address performance challenges, shape more sustainable workplace strategies and support employee wellbeing through positive, inclusive management. Evaluation findings reinforced what participants described in practice: leadership learning was changing not only how they saw themselves, but how they showed up for their teams.
Leadership learning with real workplace impact
The change became visible in everyday leadership. Participants described taking more time to reflect, approaching constructive conversations with greater confidence and adapting their style to the needs of different people and situations. Coaching, listening and delegation became practical tools for creating teams that felt more open, supported and able to contribute.
Employers saw the effects ripple through their organisations: one-to-ones and team meetings became more structured, delegation and communication grew clearer, and approaches to induction, training, wellbeing and performance improved. For some participants, that growth opened the door to new responsibilities or promotion; others helped shape policy or led changes that strengthened their teams.
“The programme increased my confidence, helping me build trust within the team. I’m already seeing a difference in team communication.”
Programme Participant, Josh, Senior-Economics Consultant at Hardisty Jones
“The programme offers a great way to obtain an ILM Level 3 qualification, but goes beyond this to provide a rounded experience that helps validate your existing skills and experience.”
Programme Participant,Heidi, Business Engagement Executive at Business West
Watch our film to hear directly from participants and employers about the confidence gained through the programme and the difference it has made in their workplaces.
Thank you
Every participant, employer, facilitator, project team member and partner helped shape this story. Together, they have shown what becomes possible when practical leadership development is accessible to SMEs, grounded in local needs and supported by a community that continues learning from one another. The programme may have reached its final cohorts, but its impact continues through more confident leaders, stronger teams and organisations across our region better equipped for the future.
Reflecting on the programme’s impact on leaders, businesses and the wider region, Simon Flenley, Assistant Director of Research & External Engagement (Skills), said:
“It’s a huge privilege to see the impact of the Leadership Fundamentals Programme. Good leadership is the foundation of any effective business, of any size, especially in more challenging times. For UWE Bristol to be a part of helping to develop individual leadership skills but also seeing the impact that has on businesses and economic growth in the region, is truly powerful.
We are excited to see how those who benefited from the programme continue to grow, and see their businesses thrive in our region.”
From L-R: Dr Jo Buring (GP, Bristol, NIHR Doctoral Fellow, University of Bristol); Ruby Osunsola (Nilaari); Dr Naabil Khan (Foundation doctor, Kent); Dr Tabinda Rashid-Fadel (Accure Health); Dr Reem Kayyali (UWE Bristol); Dr Faatihah Niyi-Odumosu (UWE Bristol); Francesa Arrigoni (Kingston University, London); Dr Praveen Kumar (Founder and Chair of Ethnic Inequality Research Network)
This is a guest blog by Dr Praveen Kumar, Associate Professor in Stroke Rehabilitation at UWE Bristol.
Health inequalities are rarely the result of a single issue. Gender, ethnicity, culture, mental health, trust in services and wider structural inequalities can all shape people’s experiences of healthcare. These interconnected challenges were at the heart of the Ethnic Health Inequalities Conference 2026, held on 8 October 2026 at EP1 Frenchay Campus, UWE Bristol, bringing academic, healthcare, community and lived-experience perspectives created opportunities to discuss inequalities and consider practical and holistic ways of addressing them and creating more equitable healthcare and research.
With World Menopause Day on 18 October, menopause and women’s health provided a particularly timely focus for the conference. The conference focus was also based on the release of the Renewed Women’s Health strategy for England.
Menopause: addressing inequalities in awareness, access and treatment
Dr Jo Buring (GP) practicing in Bristol explored inequalities in menopause awareness, access to care and treatment. Drawing on Patient and Public Involvement Engagement work with Somali, Afro-Caribbean and White communities in Bristol, alongside qualitative research exploring mental health issues during perimenopause phase, her session highlighted how women’s experiences of menopause can be shaped by wider social, cultural and health inequalities. The discussion emphasised the importance of ensuring that menopause research is genuinely inclusive and representative. Understanding the experiences of women from different communities is essential if we are to identify barriers to care and develop services that respond to the needs of women across the UK.
This focus was complemented by an insightful workshop led by Nathalie Sherring, CEO of Bristol Women’s Voice, exploring medical misogyny experienced by post-menopausal women. By placing lived experience at the centre of the discussion, the workshop moved beyond identifying problems towards practical action, with participants contributing to the development of a checklist designed to help women advocate for themselves within healthcare settings.
Dr Naabil Khan (Foundation doctor in Kent) further broadened the conversation around inequalities in women’s health, including maternity care and menopause, and challenged the limitations of approaches sometimes described as “Bikini Medicine” (refers to the outdated conceptualisation of women’s health as primarily focused on breast and reproductive health rather than whole-person health). The workshop highlighted diverse lived experiences and the importance of culturally responsive care, community engagement and practical action to address inequalities and inform research, service redesign and policy.
Connecting menopause and mental health
An important message from the conference was the need to recognise the connections between physical health, mental health and wider inequalities.
The relationship between perimenopause and mental health featured within the menopause discussions, while Dr Miriam Khan (GP) and Ruby Osunsola from Nilaari explored inequalities in Severe Mental Illness care and access to physical health checks among Global Majority communities in Bristol. Their PPIE work highlighted barriers relating to understanding, communication, trust and access to services. It also reinforced the importance of healthcare services working alongside community organisations and people with lived experience, rather than developing solutions in isolation. Their interactive workshop took this principle further by asking what meaningful community involvement in health research should look like. Drawing on Nilaari’s experience, the session explored trust, intersectionality and community expertise, encouraging a move beyond consultation towards shared ownership, influence and genuinely community-led research.
Anti-racism and institutional commitment
These conversations took place within a wider discussion about racial inequality and organisational responsibility.
As keynote speaker, Professor Sir Steve West, UWE Bristol Vice-Chancellor, shared UWE Bristol’s Anti-Racism Strategy. His contribution provided a meaningful context for the conference, highlighting the importance of creating a more inclusive and equitable university community and reinforcing the need for sustained institutional commitment to addressing racial inequalities, representing diverse voices and embedding anti-racist principles within organisational culture and practice.
This was particularly significant during Black History Month (October), providing an opportunity not only to reflect on inequality but also to consider the role institutions, researchers, healthcare professionals and communities can collectively play in creating meaningful and sustainable change for Global majority Groups.
Moving from consultation to partnership
A consistent message emerged across the conference:
Communities should not simply be consulted about health inequalities. They need to be partners in understanding and addressing them.
Bringing academic, healthcare, community and lived-experience perspectives together created opportunities not only to discuss inequalities but also to consider practical ways of addressing them.
Whether discussing menopause, mental health, women’s health or racial inequality, one message was clear:
Reducing health inequalities requires trust, accessibility, representation and genuine partnerships with communities.
By listening to diverse voices, recognising lived experience as expertise and moving from consultation towards shared ownership, universities, healthcare services and community organisations can work together to create research, services and policies that are more inclusive, equitable and responsive to the communities they serve.
Our sincere thanks to Dr Alice Berry, Dr Faatihah Niyi-Odumosu and Dr Vincent Singh for abstract reviewing; Dr Tabinda Rashid-Fadel and Dr Faatihah Niyi-Odumosu for chairing sessions; and Emma Thomas, Abi Price, Abi Goddard, Emma Dent and Charlie Buckfield for event management. We also thank Professor Marc Griffiths, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, and Professor Fiona Cramp, Director of CHCR, for generously supporting the venue and refreshments. A special thanks to Poppy Shields for her excellent behind-the-scenes administrative support throughout. Your collective contributions were greatly appreciated and helped make the conference a success.
Organising committee
Dr Tabinda Rashid-Fadel (Accure Health); Zehra Haq (CEO, Dhek Bhal), who worked for almost 40 years to support the South Asian community in Bristol), Dr Vincent Singh (Senior Lecturer, UWE) and Dr Praveen Kumar (Associate Professor in Stroke Rehabilitation, founder and Chair of the Ethnic Inequality Research Network, UWE Bristol).
For Black History Month this year’s theme, Honouring Communities, recognises those whose contributions create meaningful change. Newly promoted UWE Bristol professors Tinkuma Edafioghor, Mwidimi Ndosi, Faatihah Niyi-Odumosu and Ifeoma Elizabeth Dan-Ogosi share how their work connects academic excellence with community knowledge to improve health outcomes, strengthen organisations and create opportunities for others.
Dr Tinkuma Edafioghor
Strengthening enterprises through people and practice
Dr Tinkuma Edafioghor is an Associate Professor in Human Resource Management at UWE Bristol, with a particular interest in organisational resilience and how small and medium-sized businesses survive, adapt and grow through challenging times.
Published in leading international journals, including Human Resource Management, her research explores how people and HR practices build organisational resilience.
Additionally, Tinkuma leads a project funded by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Caucus (EDICa), with UKRI and British Academy support through Heriot-Watt University, examining how hybrid working affects Black women academics’ productivity, visibility and career progression. She also founded the Black Business Leadership & Growth Partnership for the West of England, which gives Black-led small businesses practical, research-informed support in leadership, resilience and growth. For Bristol’s Black Small Business Show, Tinkuma delivered the webinar “Understanding Business Resilience: Why Some Businesses Survive and Others Don’t”, sharing practical insights with local Black business owners. Her guiding principle:
For me, research should not just sit in journals. It should make a real difference to people, organisations and communities.
Mentoring, faith and community support
Through the Network for Black Women Leaders (NBWL) and the alta mentoring platform, Tinkuma supports women’s leadership and career progression. As an alta steering-group member, she helps expand the platform across aviation, aerospace and space. She also co-founded the Safe Space Initiative for Black Women in Higher Education, a national network launched at UWE Bristol in September 2026 where Black women in academia can connect, share experiences and support one another, with plans to reach more people across the sector.
In Bristol, Tinkuma serves the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Glory of God Parish, as Assistant Pastor, Sunday School teacher and Minister in Charge of Evangelism, Community Outreach and house caring fellowships. She mentors young people and emerging church leaders, and coordinates support for vulnerable community members through activities including coffee mornings and food donations. She also helps international students adapt to UK study through informal sessions on the academic system, essay writing, critical thinking and note-taking, recognising their varied educational backgrounds. Across her research, mentoring, church and community work, she creates opportunities and helps others thrive.
I am guided by the African philosophy of Ubuntu, the idea that our humanity is connected and that when we lift others, we all rise together.
Prof Mwidimi Ndosi
Putting patient priorities at the heart of care
As Professor of Rheumatology and Health Outcomes, Mwidimi Ndosi connects clinical research with patients’ priorities. He develops and validates patient-reported outcome measures and supports self-management for people with long-term rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions.
I am interested in ensuring that patients’ perspectives are incorporated into the development and evaluation of healthcare interventions, and that research findings can be translated into meaningful improvements in clinical practice and outcomes that matter to patients.
Mwdimi recently completed a four-year term as Chair of the Health Professionals Committee of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology, contributing to European work on education, standards of care and advocacy. The role reinforced his commitment to multidisciplinary working and to ensuring accessible, evidence-based and person-centred care for people living with rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions.
Opening doors through knowledge and representation
For Mwdimi, honouring community means contributing through service, mentorship and making health knowledge accessible beyond academia. He supports rheumatology education and capacity-building where specialist services and learning opportunities are limited. In Tanzania, he helps educate health professionals, provides information to patient groups and, with local colleagues, highlights the need for stronger professional education, patient support, research and rheumatology services. This work reduces barriers to knowledge and builds sustainable local capacity.
For me, academic citizenship means using my experience and position to help create opportunities for others.
Mwidimi also shares research and health information through mainstream and digital media, including BBC Swahili, helping to make evidence more accessible to diverse audiences. In addition he volunteers with parkrun to encourage physical activity and wellbeing across different ages and abilities. Within higher education and research, he mentors early-career researchers, clinicians and aspiring academics, helping them gain the confidence, skills and opportunities to progress. His own path from nursing to professorship was not straightforward. As a Black academic and nurse, he has seen the value of representation, opportunity and encouragement, strengthening his commitment to those underrepresented in senior roles.
Prof Faatihah Niyi-Odumosu
Expanding participation in active, healthy lives
Faatihah Niyi-Odumosu is a medical doctor and Professor of Physical Activity, Ageing and Community Health at UWE Bristol, as well as a Distinguished Professor of Public Health at MIVA University, Nigeria.
Her research develops physical activity interventions with underserved groups, including older adults, global majority Black and Asian communities, Muslim women and people with long-term conditions such as chronic kidney disease (CKD), in an effort to tackle health inequalities.
My work is participatory and co-designed, and it advocates for greater inclusion in health research and clinical trials.
Faatihah has secured about £3 million in Research and Knowledge Exchange funding from the Medical Research Council, Medical Research Foundation and Innovate UK. Her projects include Fitbees, a digital service helping South Asian older adults and adults with learning difficulties stay active and connected, and Family Backyard Cricket, which promotes intergenerational activity and social cohesion in South Asian and Black families. She is currently working on C2REST, a longitudinal study of the effects of climate change and air pollution on respiratory health in urban and rural Nigeria. Faatihah is also Associate Editor of the Journal of Physical Activity and Health and Secretary of the low- and middle-income country International Society of Physical Activity and Health Research Counciln (LMICISPAH).
From evidence to everyday impact
Faatihah founded Ageing Lifestyle in Blacks and Asians (ALIBSA), a global knowledge-exchange and research-engagement programme that improves health literacy and confidence in accessing services among ageing Black and Asian communities. Since 2023, it has offered free monthly webinars on ageing and healthy living across several continents.
She also established FaithFit, which equips multifaith leaders to promote physical activity, and the Renal Health Initiative, which supports CKD awareness, prevention and treatment through faith-led outreach in Nigeria, where one in ten adults is affected. In 2025, the initiative screened more than 200 people and referred 30 for further investigation. She later led the CoolKidney workshop with stakeholders and outdoor workers on heat stress and kidney health, alongside a related UK study funded through BNSSG ICB research capability funding with UWE Bristol colleagues in Architecture and Built Environment and Engineering.
I believe research has its greatest value when it improves lives, so much of my work extends beyond the university into communities locally and globally.
Mentoring is central to Faatihah’s work through the Royal Society Career Development Fellowship, Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and UWE Bristol Women Researchers’ Mentoring Scheme. She hosted a grant-writing workshop for Breaking Barriers for Black Academia and runs “Dragons’ Den: Nurturing Research”, where early-career researchers in the Global South pitch ideas and receive feedback and mentorship through her ISPAH role.
At UWE Bristol, she co-leads the Black Professoriate Group, coordinates the Africa Staff Network and serves as EDI co-lead for the School of Applied Sciences. Her work has received the UWE Bristol Community Impact Staff Award and Black Hall of Fame Award.
Dr Ifeoma Elizabeth Dan-Ogosi
Creating inclusive classrooms where students thrive
Ifeoma Elizabeth Dan-Ogosi is an Associate Professor in Public Health and Social Justice in UWE Bristol’s School of Health and Social Wellbeing, where she leads the MSc Leadership for Public Health and the Public Health Leadership and Management apprenticeship module.
After training in microbiology and working in sales in Nigeria, Ifeoma rebuilt her career in the UK through health research and higher education, completing her PhD in 2023 while working full-time. This journey informs her commitment to creating classrooms where every student can belong and succeed.
In May 2026 I gave the closing keynote at the Global Empowerment and Inclusion Summit at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. In September I gave a TEDx talk in Abuja. The title was: The Girl They Silenced, Built the Room Anyway. Neither of those stages was on anyone’s plan for me – including mine. This is the story of what I built when the system said no.
Across sixteen years of teaching and research at four UK universities, Ifeoma developed the Transformative Multicultural Classroom (TMC) model, drawing on Freire, bell hooks and Patricia Hill Collins to embed cultural and psychological safety in everyday practice. Modules taught through TMC achieve first-sit pass rates of 98.8–100%, with students from Global Majority backgrounds making up 60% of high performers. These results are proof that when belonging is embedded into the structure of education, outcomes improve for everyone. The University of Southampton has adopted the model within its Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice, and it is also being implemented at the University of Gloucestershire, University Centre Weston and UWE Bristol. Ifeoma is now writing a book on TMC and co-editing Public Health Leadership: Learning from Experience in the UK for Policy Press.
Building networks and widening opportunity
Ifeoma co-chairs the Steering Board of 100 Black Women Professors Now, run by WHEN Equality, and brought the programme to UWE Bristol, where it has secured funding for a further three years. Four UWE Bristol participants have since been promoted: three to Associate Professor and one to Professor. Alongside Tinkuma, Ifeoma co-founded the Safe Space Initiative for Black Women in Academia, with the motto “Connected, supported, thriving”. She also leads InspireHerNow, a women’s empowerment initiative, and a Black and Menopausal group supporting Black women experiencing menopause.
I describe myself as a Positive Disruptor and a Relentless People Connector. I challenge what holds people back, and I never stop bringing people together, because I believe progress happens when people are connected, championed and lifted up.
Since 2018, Ifeoma has mentored more than 50 early-career academics and PhD students across six universities and serves on the steering board of PhD Beyond 50s, where she also contributes her qualitative research expertise to its seminars.
At UWE Bristol, Ifeoma contributed to the anti-racism strategy and champions student success, disability access and widening participation. She also initiated and co-led the African Cultural Showcase, (with Dr Chizoba Esio-Bassey, Diana Peprah and Chinedum Ekene Samuel, supported by Dr Eugie Ntekor, Isaac Anaquador, Bea Payne, Mo Ebengo and Olabimpe Adegbuyi) which brought together more than 170 staff, students and members of the wider community. She received five awards in 2025 – three for equality, diversity and inclusion, and two recognising her community service, teaching and learning, and research. Subsequently she has been named a Role Model Future Leader in the INvolve People Awards.
What connects all of this is a single conviction: the system changes when the people it excluded come back and build the room anyway. That is what I am doing. And I am just getting started.
Together Professors Edafioghor, Ndosi, Niyi-Odumosu and Dan-Ogosi exhibit how research, leadership and service can create lasting change when communities are placed at the heart of these endeavors. By sharing knowledge, widening opportunities and supporting others to thrive, they embody the essence of Honouring Communities and are helping to build a more inclusive future.
This is a guest blog written by Dr Laura Hobbs, Senior Research Fellow in Science Communication and lead for Science Hunters.
In August, UWE Bristol’s Science Hunters team travelled to Rutherford Appleton Laboratory’s Summer Stargazing event, where families gathered to witness a near-total solar eclipse. Alongside the excitement of the astronomical event, children had the chance to discover the science and engineering behind the UK’s national space laboratory.
Based in the Science Communication Unit (SCU), the Science Hunters team develop practice and research in engaging children and young people with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects through interactive topic exploration and constructive play in Minecraft. Supported by a Spark Award from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the Science Hunters: Space Missions in Minecraft project brings together specialists from UWE Bristol and RAL Space to create, deliver and evaluate activities introducing real-world space science, testing facilities and Earth observation.
The Summer Stargazing event at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus offered visitors a packed programme of talks, tours, demonstrations and practical activities meeting the needs of the broad age ranges attending. Alongside opportunities such as creating and coding light sensors, recreating the solar system using fluffy planets and trying ice cream made using liquid nitrogen, visitors could join the Space Missions in Minecraft team to explore the most complex telescope ever flown: the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
The session introduced children to the telescope and how it helps explore the history of the universe. Using RAL’s JWST Lego model and an infrared camera display, participants learned why the telescope needs to remain extremely cold to detect infrared light from space to allow study of distant galaxies, the first stars, forming planets and more.
They then put this knowledge into practice by designing their own space telescopes in Minecraft. Like real engineers, they had to think about where their telescope would be located, how it would be shielded from heat, and how it would be powered to communicate with Earth.
As the eclipse began, activities paused and visitors headed outside. Equipped with eclipse glasses and gathered around solar telescopes, families and event staff fell silent as the Moon moved between the Earth and the Sun. Afterwards, visitors returned to the activities full of questions and enthusiasm. The Space Missions in Minecraft team spoke with families about the JWST, space science and how Minecraft can be used to explore complex scientific ideas and admired some excellent telescope designs created by participants.
The Summer Stargazing event was highly rated for inspiration and relevance to their lives by participants, demonstrating the power of combining cutting-edge research with creative public engagement. Through the partnership between UWE Bristol and RAL Space, young people were able to connect with real-world science, develop their problem-solving skills and perhaps even imagine themselves as the scientists and engineers of the future.
“We had the most amazing experience. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole evening from the lecture to all the stands in the visitor centre and were very impressed how well everything was pitched to engage all levels of scientific background.”
Event participant feedback, courtesy of STFC.
The Science Hunters team are continuing their collaboration with RAL Space at recent and future events at the campus, including Space Explorers Day and Jamboree on the Internet, and the ESA-ECSAT Open Day with support from the European Space Agency.
What happens when acting students, engineers, designers and researchers share a stage with a robot?
At The Bridge Studios, our collaboration with the Robots, Art, People and Performance (RAPP) Lab gave us the opportunity to explore exactly that, and to consider how technology can bring people together through creativity, curiosity and play.
We welcomed the RAPP team from the University of Canberra for a three-day workshop exploring physical theatre and human–robot interaction. Working alongside students and practitioners, we used a collaborative robot, or ‘cobot’, powered by embodied artificial intelligence to explore movement, improvisation and storytelling.
The technology gave everyone something to investigate together. Each participant brought a different perspective, and the workshop created opportunities for those perspectives to meet. How do you respond to a robot’s movement? What might that movement communicate? How do you create a performance when one member of the ensemble behaves in unfamiliar ways?
We began with physical theatre exercises, building a shared language of movement before introducing the robot. This gave participants a common starting point, whatever their background. From there, groups experimented with the cobot and developed short performances that brought their different skills into a shared creative process.
Game design and software engineering students also worked with activity from within the robot’s AI system, translating it into live visuals on the studio’s LED wall. Alongside the performers and robot, these visuals added another dimension to the work, opening up questions about how we understand and interpret the technology we interact with.
For me, the value of this collaboration lies in the connections it made possible. Students had the opportunity to work alongside researchers and practitioners, contribute to an experimental project and encounter approaches beyond their own disciplines. Their knowledge and ideas became part of something they could develop and present together.
That experience matters. Working across disciplines asks us to explain our thinking, listen carefully and make room for different ways of approaching a problem. A shared creative task provides a practical setting for that exchange. Here, robotics became a meeting point for people whose paths might otherwise rarely cross.
We are still examining the participant feedback, so there is more to learn about the workshop’s impact. What we can already point to is the work the groups produced together, and the opportunities the collaboration created for hands-on engagement with emerging technology.
This is the kind of activity we want to support at The Bridge. Our facilities bring robotics, immersive technologies and making into one space, supported by people who can help turn an initial question into an experiment. The RAPP collaboration shows how that combination can support both research and learning.
It also offers a positive way to think about technology’s role in our lives. We can use it to invite participation, support creative expression and explore questions together. In this workshop, a robot helped create a space for human collaboration.
We are keen to build on that experience and welcome conversations with researchers and partners who are curious about what we could explore together.
Many stroke survivors become less active after discharge from formal rehabilitation despite evidence that ongoing exercise improves mobility, independence, fitness, and reduces the risk of further stroke. Interviews with participants from the Bristol After Stroke (BAS) Next Steps programme revealed a strong desire for continued rehabilitation support, while carers reported feelings of abandonment and uncertainty about how to support recovery at home. The project was developed to address this gap by providing accessible, long-term rehabilitation opportunities within the community.
Rehabilitation Exercise Videos (REVs)
The programme builds on UWE Bristol and BAS’s established Next Steps rehabilitation classes and uses therapist-developed rehabilitation exercise videos (REVs) that have been co-designed with stroke survivors. Trained BAS group leaders and support workers deliver structured exercise sessions within community stroke groups, supported by guidance from a physiotherapist. The programme includes chair-based and functional exercises, written resources, safety guidance, and home-based exercise materials to encourage ongoing participation in rehabilitation beyond formal services.
Fostering Community
Unlike traditional therapist-led programmes, this model empowers trained support workers, volunteers, stroke survivors and community group leaders to facilitate exercise sessions within existing stroke support groups. The approach combines rehabilitation, peer support, social interaction, and education in familiar community settings. It encourages stroke survivors to remain active, learn from others with shared experiences, and access ongoing support without relying solely on NHS services, making rehabilitation more sustainable and accessible.
“Working alongside a stroke survivor facilitator created a supportive and inspiring environment. Participants became more confident, active, and engaged, demonstrating the potential of community-led approaches to support long-term recovery after stroke.”
Stella Fisher – Group coordinator, Bristol After Stroke
What’s the Impact?
Feedback from stroke survivors and carers has informed programme refinement and resource development. Participants reported that community exercise sessions increased motivation, confidence, social interaction, and engagement in physical activity. The project has also strengthened collaboration between UWE Bristol and BAS, created opportunities for student involvement, and generated a scalable model that could improve long-term rehabilitation outcomes while supporting NHS priorities for community stroke care.
“Facilitating the sessions was a hugely positive experience. It boosted my confidence, physical activity, and social connections, and it was wonderful to see so many participants enjoying themselves and supporting one another.”
The programme is being refined through participant, carer, volunteer, and group leader feedback, with plans for wider implementation across BAS stroke groups. Discussions are underway with the Stroke Association to distribute the programme’s resources nationally, creating the potential to extend the model beyond Bristol. Future work will evaluate effectiveness, optimise delivery, and explore opportunities for broader adoption across community stroke services, helping more stroke survivors access ongoing rehabilitation and support closer to home.
Bio
This year Praveen Kumar, Associate Professor in Stroke Rehabilitation at UWE Bristol and the Project Lead of the programme, was nominated for the JustGiving Awards. Over the years he has witnessed the number of annual referrals received by BAS rise from 180 in 2016, to now approximately 900 referrals each year. Remarkably, Praveen has helped the badminton community to raise nearly £38,000 for Bristol After Stroke.
How to get involved
2026 marks the 9th Badminton Annual Charity Tournament for Bristol After Stroke on 21st November at UWE Bristol Centre for Sports. This year’s tournament is dedicated to the memory of Steve Miller (Occupational Therapist at UWE Bristol), and will celebrate the values he embodied: friendship, resilience, kindness, and community spirit.
This year aims to be the biggest tournament to date with 90 teams competing across four categories: Women’s Doubles, Men’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles and Children’s Doubles. The tournament will also be receiving support from the staff and students of the UWE Bristol Sports Rehabilitation team.
If you are interested in taking part in the event Praveen would love to hear from you! The tournament is designed for players who are comfortable competing at an intermediate to advanced level, so is ideal for any experienced badminton players looking for a fun but competitive day of badminton. Not a keen to play ball? The event is aiming to raise £6,500 and you can show your support by donating through the JustGiving page
Top row L – R: Mahmoda Ali, Enterprise Team Manger; Mark Corderoy, Enterprise and Incubation Manager; Leanne Newton, Enterprise and Incubation Mangager; Nick Powell, Enterprise Programmes Manager.
Bottom row L – R: Daniel Nyambutora, Student Enterprise Co-ordinator; Nhi Ho, Student Enterprise Co-ordinator; Jo Portis, Enterprise and Incubation Co-ordinator
Guest blog post: Mahmoda Ali, Enterprise Team Manager
Over the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time talking to founders, students, academics, colleagues and partners about entrepreneurship at UWE Bristol and across the West of England.
One thing has come through strongly: there is no shortage of ideas or ambition here.
What often makes the difference is what surrounds those ideas- the people you meet, the expertise you can access, the confidence to take the next step and, sometimes, simply knowing where to start.
That thinking has shaped something we’re really excited to launch this September: the UWE Bristol Enterprise Engine.
The Enterprise Engine brings together our support for students, graduates, staff, researchers and regional founders. However, it’s more than putting existing activity under one roof. Instead of a single programme with a fixed starting point, we’re creating different ways into enterprise depending on where you are and what you need. Whether you’re exploring entrepreneurship for the first time, developing an idea, commercialising research or already building a venture, the aim is to help you find the right support, connections and next step, and stay connected to the wider ecosystem as you progress.
But for me, the most exciting part isn’t simply bringing our support together.
It’s what we can build around it.
The West of England is full of entrepreneurial talent, research, creativity and innovation. UWE is part of that ecosystem, and we want to play an even bigger role in connecting its different parts.
That means opening up more opportunities for people inside and outside the University to meet, share expertise, test ideas and build relationships. It means helping promising ideas find their next connection. And it means creating an enterprise community that people want to stay part of as they progress.
Because the best ecosystems keep giving back.
Students become founders. Researchers turn ideas into ventures. Founders become mentors, advisers and investors. Experience and connections flow back to the people just starting out.
That’s the kind of community we want the Enterprise Engine to help grow.
And this is just the beginning.
Over the coming months, we’ll be opening up new ways to get involved through our events, programmes and growing community.
Whether you have an idea, experience to share, connections to make or are simply curious about what’s happening, we’d love you to be part of it.
We will share more details in time, but get in touch to find out more: Enterprise@uwe.ac.uk
Manufacturers are under increasing pressure to improve productivity, address skills shortages and remain competitive. While robotics, automation and AI offer significant opportunities, many organisations lack the capability to adopt these technologies effectively.
To help address this, UWE Bristol is launching the AI-Ready Robotics Workforce Programme, delivered through the world-renowned Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) in partnership with the United Strategic Planning Centre (USPC). Designed specifically for organisations operating within manufacturing and production, this fully funded programme will help participants build practical robotics skills and understand how AI can enhance industrial applications.
What participants will learn
Participants will gain practical, hands-on experience in:
Operating and programming industrial and collaborative robots
Working with sensors, communication interfaces and machine vision systems
Integrating robotics within manufacturing environments
Using AI tools to support programming, diagnostics and process monitoring
Applying robotics and automation skills to workplace challenges
Understanding responsible AI use and human oversight in industrial settings
The programme will run over 6 weeks, with participants attending one full day per week at Bristol Robotics Laboratory.
This intensive 6 week programme provides a practical introduction to AI and robotics for modern manufacturing, combining technical learning with hands-on experience using industrial robotics technologies.
Throughout the programme, you’ll develop skills in industrial and collaborative robotics, beginning with robotics fundamentals, safe operation and programming before progressing into areas such as robot communication, sensors, machine vision and multi-robot systems.
You’ll gain practical experience working with UR5e and KUKA iiwa collaborative robots, exploring robot programming and control, movement sequences and pick-and-place applications. You’ll also investigate how robots communicate with external systems, access and interpret live robot data, and explore technologies including ROS2, RTDE and OPC-UA.
The programme will introduce sensors and machine vision, including force-torque sensors, cameras and environmental sensors, and explore how these technologies can be used for inspection, monitoring and other manufacturing applications. You’ll also consider how different robotics platforms can work together and how robots, sensors, machine vision and communications technologies can be integrated within a manufacturing cell.
Alongside robotics, you’ll explore the growing role of AI in robotics engineering and manufacturing. This includes an introduction to agentic AI and the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and how AI tools can support technical documentation, robot programming, diagnostics and process monitoring.
Through practical activities, you’ll explore using natural-language instructions to generate robot code, reviewing and validating AI-generated outputs against technical and safety requirements, and connecting AI tools with robot and sensor data. You’ll also investigate how AI can support the identification of production issues, diagnostics, maintenance and operational decision-making.
Throughout the intensive programme, you’ll have opportunities to bring these technologies together through practical manufacturing scenarios, combining robotics, AI, sensors, machine vision, communications and system integration. You’ll consider how AI-enhanced robotic systems can be programmed, monitored and diagnosed, while exploring responsible deployment and identifying opportunities for applying these technologies within your own organisation.
Cohort dates
Intensive – Day 1
Monday 11 January, 09:30-16:30
Intensive – Day 2
Monday 18 January, 09:30-16:30
Intensive – Day 3
Monday 25 January, 09:30-16:30
Intensive – Day 4
Monday 1 February, 09:30-16:30
Intensive – Day 5
Monday 8 February, 09:30-16:30
Intensive – Day 6
Monday 15 February, 09:30-16:30
Benefits for employers
By investing in workforce development, employers can:
Build confidence in robotics and automation projects
Develop in-house capability rather than relying solely on external expertise
Improve productivity and operational resilience
Strengthen understanding of both robotics hardware and software workflows
Support future investment decisions around automation and advanced manufacturing technologies
Who can apply?
The programme is open to organisations that have been operating for at least one year and work within manufacturing, engineering, production, automation or related industrial sectors. Participating organisations must be able to attend training at Bristol Robotics Laboratory on UWE Bristol’s Frenchay Campus.
