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Wednesday 18 December 2024
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Welcome to this first edition of Research at Sussex, a new fortnightly round-up of the latest research news, insights and discoveries at the University of Sussex.
As a Sussex member of staff, you will receive the first few editions of this newsletter directly to your inbox. To continue receiving Research at Sussex on an ongoing basis, you can subscribe here.
This newsletter is also open to anyone outside the University, so feel free to share it with friends, colleagues, and collaborators who might be interested in keeping up with our latest research highlights.
In this first edition: |
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Sussex academics amongst the most influential in the world |
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Five University of Sussex academics have topped the prestigious Clarivate list of most influential researchers from across the globe: Professor Dave Goulson (Biology), Professor Felix Creutzig (Innovation and Policy Acceleration), Professor Anil Seth (Cognitive & Computational Neuroscience), Professor Benjamin K. Sovacool (Energy Policy), and Dr Florian Kern, former Associate Faculty at SPRU and Head of Ecological Economics at the Institute for Ecological Economy Research.
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Each researcher has made a significant impact in their field and beyond, authoring multiple research papers ranked in the top 1%, measured by the times they are referenced in other researchers' published work.
Professor Keith Jones, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation), said: “The University of Sussex is home to some of the world’s foremost researchers, providing new ideas that transform current thinking. We believe in doing impactful research and I am delighted to see the wonderful influence Sussex academics have on their peers by being cited and so recognised for the importance of their research.”
The Clarivate Highly Cited list features 6,636 researchers from over 1,200 institutions worldwide. For more information, visit the Clarivate website. |
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£8.3m to explore how digital tech is changing work |
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The aim is to provide insights into the vital partnerships between government, businesses, trade unions, and civil society communities that are necessary to ensure a thriving digital work ecosystem.
Professor Jacqueline O'Reilly, Digit Co-Director, University of Sussex Business School, said:
"Digital technologies are profoundly restructuring work, but the consequences are still uncertain. The challenge is to successfully navigate this transition, building an inclusive digital work ecosystem that supports improved economic performance, wellbeing, and job quality."
The centre will continue to be led by Sussex and Leeds, with partners at the University of Cambridge, University of Manchester, and Monash University in Australia, together with the Institute for the Future of Work, FutureDotNow, and the Institute of Development Studies.
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Driving Change: Sustainability from the South Coast to South America |
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On 14 November, the Sussex Sustainability Research Programme (SSRP) put on a vibrant day of talks, showcasing cutting-edge sustainability research projects from the South Coast to South America and beyond.
SSRP Director Professor Joseph Alcamo kicked off the symposium with the rallying call that research and collective action were much needed in a world of ‘conflict and division’. |
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First, the Ecosystems, Rights and Justice panel profiled research around human rights and rights of nature in South America, particularly Ecuador and Brazil.
The Sustainability Frontiers and South Coast Sustainability panel included discussion on coastal biodiversity and river pollution in Sussex waterways. It also highlighted projects on sustainable menstrual health for young people and waste management in South Africa and Lesotho.
Lastly, the Sustainable Climate and Food Systems panel spotlighted projects on early warning systems for drought in the Greater Horn of Africa, climate policy in Northern Nigeria, and sustainable agriculture in Northwest Syria.
The symposium was rounded off with a screening of the short film ‘Voices of the Paraecologists’, which documents SSRP-supported work on biodiversity conservation in Ecuador.
Catch highlights from the symposium in our blog. |
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Comment: what is behind Trump’s corruption clean-up campaign? |
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By Matthew Price
“Campaigns to ‘clean up’ corruption are a common feature in elections. The recent US Presidential race was no different. Donald Trump routinely called political elites ‘corrupt’ and promised to prosecute them.
Project 2025, the blueprint for the incoming administration, likewise claims politicians are ‘discredited by wholesale dishonesty and corruption’. |
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It even goes on to declare entire sections of the US federal government equally ‘corrupt’ and says they must first be dismantled in order to be reformed.
These claims of corruption are rarely backed by evidence. But that has not stopped Trump and his supporters, who see ‘corruption’ everywhere – among the politicians who opposed him, the bureaucrats who failed to support him, and the courts that indicted him. Trump’s vilifying of his opponents with serious, albeit often unfounded, accusations are likely to continue once he is sworn in.
The real question is, will this rhetoric translate into action? Will the Department of Justice become a tool for turning Trump’s accusations into indictments and prosecutions? If so, how much pressure will Trump and his team apply to direct the investigations against their chosen political opponents?
And what changes await the federal government in the name of ‘corruption’? Regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are already on Trump’s ‘corruption’ chopping block. The preparatory work behind Project 2025 means action against these agencies will likely start on day one. But where will it stop?
The fight against corruption can be a powerful force for improving people’s lives, but it can also be usurped by unscrupulous political actors as a cover to attack their opposition. As we prepare for four years of a Trump presidency, it will be essential to scrutinise all incoming corruption charges from the new administration, and to remain vigilant about their potential misuse for political opportunism and revenge.”
Matthew Price is a doctoral researcher at the Centre for the Study of Corruption, which is within the School of Law, Politics and Sociology. |
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The Centre for Inclusive Trade Policy's ‘Trump tariff analysis’ gained widespread traction across international and national media, including on BBC News, Forbes, and the Financial Times.
Similarly, Professor Fiona Mathews’ Andean bear research, linked to the new Paddington in Peru movie, received a lot of local and national media coverage including, BBC Radio Sussex, The Times, and the Daily Mirror.
BBC Radio 4 featured both Professor Julia Simner and Professor Jamie Ward from Sussex on ‘The Taste of Words’ focus on synaesthesia.
And finally, The Guardian’s Science Weekly podcast featured Professor Winfried Hensinger discussing Google’s new Willow quantum computing chip. |
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Read Boundless, the newly relaunched research magazine from our Business School. View issue 1 of Boundless to explore topics such as climate change, the gender pay gap, modern slavery, and the impact of AI on global security. Learn how interdisciplinary research is shaping a fairer, more sustainable future.
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| We hope you’ve enjoyed this first edition of Research at Sussex. We’d love for you to share it with your friends, colleagues, and collaborators – so please feel free to forward it on. Don’t forget to subscribe to continue receiving our fortnightly updates.
Help us shape future editions. We’d love your feedback or ideas for content you’d like to see. Send your thoughts to Campaigns@sussex.ac.uk. |
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