FACULTY OF ARTS & CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIES
THE ART OF MAKING AN IMPACT • Solo and group exhibitions explore the relationship between
man-made technology and the natural world
Staffordshire University Professor of Fine Art
• A pioneering collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens
at Kew is due to begin in September 2015
He explains: “My research is predominantly formed around the production of artefacts – artworks for the public realm – and I also curate exhibitions and take part in symposia. I produce my own artworks as an individual artist and researcher, but also work as part of the collaborative artists’ group Common Culture.” The fraught relationship between the natural and man-made world underpins much of his work – both as producer and curator. In 2009, he curated a touring exhibition, Trying To Cope With Things That Aren’t Human (Part One), which received financial backing from the British Council and Arts Council England. The critics’ response was excellent, with laudatory reviews in The Guardian, Art Monthly, and Artforum. Of Brown’s solo projects, his research into our relationship with natural and technological disasters has had the widest impact in recent years, with shows in London and Berlin. The works have spanned a range of different media, taking in objects, films, prints and audio works. Brown is currently collaborating with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, on an initiative that will put our relationship with plants under the microscope. An Incredible World of Beauty and Terror received financing from Higher Education Innovation Funding
Professor of Fine Art After completing a Masters in Fine Art at Staffordshire University, Ian developed a successful profile of exhibitions, lectures and part-time teaching, resulting in him becoming a permanent member of staff in 2005.
• Worldwide acclaim for works created by
Few academics have the privilege to lead as varied a working life as Ian Brown, Professor of Fine Art at Staffordshire University. His artworks include everything from short films dissecting the theme of tourism to wax-cylinder recordings of folk ballads, and have been exhibited across Britain, Europe and the United States.
Prof IAN BROWN
(HEIF), a fund that supports knowledge-based interactions between universities and the wider world that bring economic and social benefit to the nation. Beyond his solo endeavours, Brown has also been internationally recognised as part of Common Culture, a trio that also includes Professor David Campbell from Northumbria University and Professor Mark Durden at the University of South Wales. Common Culture has been instigating exhibitions since 1996, with an impressive roster of publications, lectures and conferences. To date, one of its highestprofile works has been The New El Dorado, which was selected for Manifesta 8, the 2010 European Biennial of Contemporary Art in Murcia, Spain. The film juxtaposed two ideas of cultural tourism: the world of ex-pats and holidaymakers, as seen in nearby resort towns such as Alicante, and the world of the art biennale itself, where artists are parachuted in from all over the world. To find out more about Professor Ian Brown and his artworks, read the case study in full at: www.staffs.ac.uk/impact-art
As an active practitioner, Ian’s work has been reviewed in Art Monthly, The Guardian and Artforum, where it was Critics’ Choice. He received critical acclaim for a touring exhibition that he curated in 2009 entitled Trying To Cope With Things That Aren’t Human (Part One). He is also one third of the collaborative artist’s group Common Culture, which has exhibited a range of interdisciplinary artworks across Europe, Asia and North America.
The project at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, entitled An Incredible World Of Beauty and Terror, seeks to question the human/plant relationship as depicted in popular culture
FACULTY OF ARTS & CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIES
TIME TO TALK ABOUT TERRORISM
Dr TONY CRAIG Associate Professor in Modern History Tony completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge and was also Irish Government Senior Scholar at Hertford College, Oxford. His research focuses primarily on the contemporary security history of Britain and Ireland. With expertise in Intelligence and Security Studies as well as Conflict Resolution, Tony chose to extend his area of study into political intelligence during the Northern Ireland Troubles and throughout Britain’s end of empire.
• Modern radicalisation and extremism could be calmed using an
of Government negotiations with Northern Ireland paramilitaries
If you can demonstrate to people that they can achieve their aims through other means, they don’t
• The work has attracted the attention of policymakers,
become radicalised
approach pioneered in the Northern Irish Troubles
• Staffordshire University research uncovers the secret history
the intelligence community and historians
Can paramilitary groups be brought back in to the democratic process? And can communities that feel marginalised and disempowered be persuaded away from taking up violence to achieve their ends? Tony Craig, Associate Professor in History at Staffordshire University, believes there are valuable lessons to be learnt from the hidden history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland – and that these insights could help in preventing present-day radicalisation. Dr Craig says, “My research is concerned with backchannel talks in Northern Ireland conducted in the 1970s, at Laneside outside Belfast.” This work has been gaining influence among historians in the UK and beyond, being well received at talks given in many universities, from Oxford and Cambridge to University College in Dublin and Meiji University in Tokyo. His research has also had an impact beyond academia, with Dr Craig frequently invited to contribute to the debate in the international media – including a feature in Time magazine, which has a circulation of more than 3 million in the United States. Along with mainstream coverage, policymakers and practitioners have been exposed to Dr Craig’s work through his articles in journals such as Jane’s Intelligence Review. The complex and often secret story of Laneside, he believes, has never been adequately told. He explains:
“Laneside was a suburban building near Belfast used by UK officials before the Northern Ireland Office was established. As early as 1971 the Government had people on the inside. Their job was to talk to people below the level of elected councillors or MPs. Everyone from priests to community workers. “Eventually they began talking to members of paramilitary groups: the Provisional IRA, the UVF, the Ulster Defence Association, various groups and terrorist organisations. They brought them in, asked them what they wanted and gave them examples of how politics could work to achieve their aims without using violence.” Today, many would consider Islamist groups to represent a similar threat to the internal security of the UK – particularly after the emergence of groups such as IS in Syria and Iraq, with a large number of British and EU citizens in their ranks. Domestically, the possibilities are promising. He says, “One of the men who worked on the Laneside programme in the 70s pointed out that if Britain could do this in places like Birmingham, Leeds or Bradford, it could help with ‘de-radicalisation’. To find out more about Dr Tony Craig and his Laneside research, read the case study in full at: www.staffs.ac.uk/terrorism
FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES
FACING UP TO THE CHALLENGES OF STRESS • Staffordshire University research shows cardiovascular testing can help
athletes cope with the intense pressure of competition
• The approach has been successfully used at Premier League football clubs,
by a Team GB squad and in first-class cricket
• Multinational companies including Sony now apply the research
in their workplace training schemes
In sport, the difference between winning and losing can often come down to the way athletes cope with psychological stress. Our researchers developed a groundbreaking method to help them react positively to the pressure of competition, and its potential reaches into sport, business and many other scenarios.
The research is impacting a wide range of sports. To date, more than 80 cricketers have benefited from this research, including players at Nottinghamshire Country Cricket Club, whilst 35 youth players at Stoke City Football Club were tested and given feedback and advice.
The approach, developed by Professor Marc Jones and his team, has been successfully applied in elite sports including professional football, international cricket, Futsal and equestrianism. Researchers are also currently working with a Team GB squad in the run-up to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Outside of sport, an increasing number of multinational companies and organisations are using the principles in staff training, including Sony Mobile and Sony Europe, who have used the research in their Senior Leadership Development Programmes.
Underpinning the approach is the Theory of Challenge and Threat States in Athletes. This proposes that psychological stress may be conceptualised by athletes in one of two ways – as a challenge (positive) or as a threat (negative). Each is indicated by a distinct cardiovascular response. Professor Jones says: “What we’ve observed is that when people respond well to pressure, there is an increase in cardiac output and a decrease in vascular resistance – meaning the blood vessels widen and blood flows through them more easily. This means blood can get to the muscles and the brain more quickly. When people have this response, they do well”. “However, when people have a threat response, the blood vessels constrict, meaning the blood can’t get to the muscles and the brain as quickly as we’d like.“
Professor Jones says, “It can give managers, coaches and leaders or anybody in a one-to-one interaction some guidance about how they can help the people they work with to respond well to challenges.” To find out more about Professor Marc Jones and his research on the Theory of Challenge and Threat States in Athletes, read the case study in full at: www.staffs.ac.uk/stress Or you can hear more from Professor Jones by finding him in our Expert Explains Series. www.staffs.ac.uk/expertexplains
MARC JONES Professor of Stress and Emotion Alongside his duties as a professor in Psychology, Marc also has a broader research role in the faculty, allowing him to investigate new areas of psychology. After gaining his PhD, he chose to specialise in Sports Psychology and has a great relationship with the Academy at Stoke City Football Club. Much of Marc’s scholarly work has centred on the causes, control and consequences of stress and emotion in sport, and it’s this research that has led to him being published in a number of different papers. In the wider field of Psychology, he was given the honour of being a keynote speaker at the annual British Psychological Society Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology Conference.
This research can give managers, coaches and leaders some guidance on how to help people respond well to challenges
FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES
CAN RESEARCH HALT A MILLION AMPUTATIONS A YEAR? • Diabetes complications are a leading cause of lower-limb
NACHIAPPAN CHOCKALINGAM
amputation worldwide
Professor of Clinical Biomechanics
• Led by Staffordshire University, international DiaBSmart project is
After completing his degree in Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering in India, Nachiappan went on to get his Masters in Biomedical Engineering Science in Dundee.
developing innovative approaches to protect the feet of diabetes patients
• Staffordshire University’s £30m Science and Technology Centre
is helping an EU-funded project to deliver world-class research
Every 30 seconds, the complications of diabetes result in a foot or lower limb amputation somewhere in the world. More than a million such operations take place each year, and the majority of them are preventable, with better-fitting footwear identified as one factor that could greatly reduce the risk of foot amputation. DiaBSmart, an international project headed by Staffordshire University, aims to create diabetic footwear that can be fitted to each patient using a newly developed assessment system. Co-ordinator Nachiappan Chockalingam, Professor of Clinical Biomechanics, says: “Many people have issues with the foot which cause ulceration, leading to amputation. If we prevent ulcers from happening, we’ll avoid amputations.” Addressing this issue could have a sizeable socioeconomic impact. As well as improving outcomes for diabetes sufferers, it could greatly reduce the financial burden on overstretched health services. The first stage of the project involved the development and testing of an integrated system of foot assessment for clinics, which will allow the needs of diabetes patients to be quickly and reliably diagnosed. Professor Chockalingam says: “At present, diabetes patients may be told by their GP to go and have their eyes checked every three months, but perhaps no one will regularly be checking their feet.” By contrast, the protocol developed by the DiaBSmart researchers can identify foot damage before it is visible to the human eye or detectable in a physical examination.
At Staffordshire University, the project was taken on by the Biomechanics team in the Faculty of Health Sciences, which has an excellent track record of achieving real-world impact through collaborative research projects. As one of the major partners in HEELLESS, another EU-funded project, it developed mathematical models to evaluate the cushioning properties of footwear, going on to inform the innovative design of a running shoe that reduces repetitive strain for athletes. Professor Chockalingham says, “At the moment we are working on insoles within shoes, but ultimately we’d want to develop the footwear itself. The aim is that someone could walk into a clinic, have a foot assessment and walk out with a prescription for the material and shape of the footwear needed.” He adds: “It’s important to stress that all of our other work in this area is about prevention, not treatment. We want to offer patients prognosis, and then the prevention of complications.” To find out more about Professor Nachiappan Chockalingham and the DiaBSmart project, read the case study in full at: www.staffs.ac.uk/amputations Or you can hear more from Professor Chockalingham by finding him in our Expert Explains Series. www.staffs.ac.uk/expertexplains
As well as being a Professor at the university, he is a Chartered Engineer, a Chartered Scientist and a member of various professional organisations, from the Institute for Physics and Engineering in Medicine to the International Society of Biomechanics. Specialising in musculo-skeletal biomechanics and gait analysis, his world-leading work has been published countless times in studies and journals, whilst he’s also known for his work in several commercially funded enterprises. To find out more about Nachiappan’s work, search for his profile at www.staffs.ac.uk/staff/profiles
Many people have issues with the foot which cause ulceration, leading to amputation. If we can prevent ulcers from happening, we’ll avoid amputations
FACULTY OF COMPUTING, ENGINEERING & SCIENCES
A VISIONARY APPROACH TO SECURITY • Groundbreaking Spectral-360© technology can analyse video in real time
to prevent crime, detect intruders and manage crowds
• Staffordshire University’s video analysis system proves superior to 25
comparable systems from around the world
• High-profile clients include UK police forces, the Ministry of Defence
and Transport for London
Video monitoring is vital to modern society. It keeps motorways moving, provides evidence in police investigations and ensures dangerous crowds are unable to form on public-transport networks. But until recently, a CCTV system was only as good as the operator doing the monitoring.
law-enforcement officers. In a case investigated by Police in 2012, officers would have needed to manually trawl through 4,032 hours of video footage without the technology. A three-and-a-half day analysis by the Spectral-360© software reduced this to just 30 hours of video – saving an estimated £24,000.
Staffordshire University’s Centre for Information, Intelligence and Security Systems is a world pioneer in automating this process. Spectral-360© technology, devised by Dr Mohamed Sedky and his team is able to track objects, analyse them and report anything suspicious – often outperforming human operators.
This revolutionary technology has been winning contracts from some of the biggest names in defence electronics like QinetiQ and BAe Systems, and the success shows no sign of slowing. A presence at last year’s Modernising Justice conference in Westminster brought a large amount of interest, leading to meetings with several UK Police Forces.
The system has already had an impact in many different fields, finding favour with Criminal Investigation Departments, Transport for London and the Ministry of Defence. But this degree of success is unsurprising. In rigorous testing conducted by the benchmarking website changedetection.net, Spectral-360© was rated the best video-monitoring system in the world, above 25 other competitors from top universities and privatesector tech companies. Built on a sophisticated physics model that can replicate the capabilities of the human eye, Spectral-360© has proved to be a valuable tool for
And this isn’t the end; the technology is under constant development. Spectral-360© is versatile enough to enter into everything from medical imaging to product control in manufacturing, and even facial recognition for biometric access systems. To find out more about Dr Mohamed Sedky and the Spectral-360© project, read the case study in full at: www.staffs.ac.uk/360
Dr MOHAMED SEDKY Lecturer in Computer Networks and Security Before finishing his Masters in Communications and Electronics in 2002, Mohamed founded SKM Communication Systems with two partners. He went on to gain his PhD here at Staffordshire University, and his research in physics-based image formation continues to add value to many projects delivered to private or public sector clients and partners. Since 2012, he has been the Technical Director of Adaptive Video Analytic (AVA) Technologies Ltd, which has produced solutions regarded as some of the best in the world. Clients using his work have included Police Forces throughout the UK.
In rigorous testing, Spectral-360© was rated the best video-monitoring system in the world, above 25 competitors from top universities and tech companies
FACULTY OF COMPUTING, ENGINEERING & SCIENCES
HARNESSING THE POWER OF WASTE
TARIK AL-SHEMMERI Professor of Renewable Energy Technology
• Our research has the potential to help Britain meet stringent new
Tariq is a hugely experienced professor at Staffordshire University, specialising in Thermo-fluids, renewable energy and power generation.
• Staffordshire University is leading the £6million Arbor project to advance
He graduated from the University of Manchester, formerly known as UMIST, in 1983 with a PhD in Computational Fluid Dynamics, and went on to work on the improvement of gas turbine cooling for Rolls Royce.
• Arbor funding has established the European Centre of Excellence for
As a Chartered Engineer and a vastly experienced consultant, Tariq has also worked as an advisor on BBC radio, giving radio interviews on his areas of expertise.
renewable energy targets
biomass energy technology
Biomass at Staffordshire University
Britain is in a race against time to meet its renewable energy targets. By 2020, a fifth of Europe’s energy consumption must be from sustainable sources. The UK is striving to reach its own goal of 14.2%. One energy source that shows great potential is biomass: organic material such as wood chippings and woodland waste that can be used as a fuel. Staffordshire University is gaining an international reputation in this emerging field, thanks to a research team led by Professor Tarik Al-Shemmeri. The group’s work has had an impact at a local, national and international level, and now our participation in the EUfunded Arbor project has placed the university at the forefront of biomass development in Europe. Since 2002, Professor Al-Shemmeri and his group have taken part in externally funded programmes worth more than £1.8million, producing biomass turbines and CHP (combined heat and power) systems – resulting in 29 publications. This unique experience led to Staffordshire University’s invitation to lead the Arbor project. With around £6million of European Regional Development Funding, Arbor brings together 13 partners from across Europe. Its ultimate aim is to accelerate the sustainable development and use of biomass energy throughout North West Europe. Professor Al-Shemmeri says, “Stoke-on-Trent City Council is one of the main beneficiaries, hosting one of six regional investments. It’s known as the Closed Loop Biomass System project, and we made a significant investment in it.”
Another of the six investments that make up Arbor is the establishment of a European Centre of Excellence for Biomass at Staffordshire University. This aims to implement innovative approaches to sustainability from all across Europe, focusing on biomass as a source of renewable energy. As well as facilitating research that’s of international significance, the Centre has a local impact, with free courses and student placements bringing much success. “We hosted three placements last year. One of them won a gold crest in a national competition based on their work with us during the placement,” says Al-Shemmeri. Outside the Arbor project, work conducted or supported by the research group has influenced a range of companies and public bodies. It has produced a comprehensive handbook for energy audits and has frequently been called upon to advise and train politicians. To find out more about Professor Tarik Al-Shemmeri and his work on the Arbour project, read the case study in full at: www.staffs.ac.uk/renewable-energy
Work by the renewable energy research team at Staffordshire University has had an impact at a local, national and international level, helping businesses and governmental bodies make sustainable energy production a reality
FACULTY OF BUSINESS, EDUCATION AND LAW
AN INCENTIVE TO SHARE AND PROSPER IRAJ HASHI MBE • Research shows the value of workers taking a role in their companies’
finances through share ownership and similar schemes
• Research team including Staffordshire University’s Iraj Hashi wins bids to
produce high-profile reports for multiple EU institutions
• Projects led by Staffordshire University are a major influence on EU support
for Employee Financial Participation
The time for Employee Financial Participation (EFP) has come. It’s the idea that if employees have a share in their companies’ results – in the form of share ownership, share options, profit sharing and other similar schemes – those companies will become more productive and competitive. Thanks to research lead by Iraj Hashi, Professor of Economics at Staffordshire University, it’s a concept that’s now high on the agenda of EU policymakers. Significantly, the European Parliament declared its confidence in the research in January 2014 by passing a resolution that pledged its firm support for EFP. And the team is set for even greater influence, with the European Commission currently setting up a Europewide Centre for Employee Ownership. Professor Hashi’s work in the area has spanned 20 years and has had a sizeable effect on several European Union institutions – including the European Economic and Social Committee, the European Commission and the European Parliament. His research started with employee ownership in Poland and Yugoslavia during their transition to a market economy. After this, Professor Hashi and his colleagues won competitive tenders to undertake research and prepare reports for the Commission. Between 2006 and 2009, the team produced two PEPPER Reports (Participation by Employed Persons in Profits and Enterprise Results), with one looking at the details of EFP in all EU-27 member states. He says: “These two reports reignited the debate on the role of employees and the impact of employee participation in EU institutions.”
Professor of Economics A well-travelled academic, Iraj completed his undergraduate education in Iran, his Masters in the United States, his Doctoral studies in the UK and has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit for his contribution to Kosovo society. He has always chosen to specialise in microeconomics, industrial economics and the economics of transition. Iraj has been an active researcher since 1992, and this has seen him work across much of Central and Eastern Europe. He has used his vast experience to publish a number of books, articles, journals and conference papers.
The impact of the Staffordshire University research spread throughout the academic and policymaking community. In 2010, the European Commission launched a project on “Promoting Employee Financial Participation in the EU-27”, and Professor Hashi was invited to speak at a conference in Brussels the following year. As part of the Action Plan on European Company Law and Corporate Governance, adopted in 2012, the European Commission sought a research team for its biggest EFP undertaking, titled “Implementation of the Pilot Project – Promotion of Employee Ownership and Participation”. In a competitive tender, Professor Hashi and his group were again chosen to complete the project. Their interim report was presented in Brussels in January 2014, shortly after the European Parliament resolution that asked the Commission to implement the proposals made in a study co-authored by Staffordshire University. To find out more about Professor Iraj Hashi and his work on EFP, read the case study in full at: www.staffs.ac.uk/prosper
The European Parliament said they and the Commission should encourage all member states to develop a system of employee financial participation