University of Surrey

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-03

Romantic couple relationships are critical for wellbeing but face challenges and instability, especially in the current climate of economic strain, COVID-19, and for those separated for work, illness, or military service. Hence, finding ways for couples to support and maintain their relationship quality is essential and timely. We propose that an untapped resource couples can use is sharing the emotion of nostalgia. A "sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past," nostalgia is now well-established as a psychological resource for personal wellbeing. By drawing on fond memories that people carry around with them, nostalgia has the benefit of being accessible to almost everyone, any place and any time. Nostalgia is also inherently social (focusing on remembered social occasions or relationships) and has interpersonal benefits (increasing feelings of connectedness and empathy, motivating prosocial behaviour). However, nostalgia has never been examined as a shared or dyadic emotion. This project will establish a new concept—dyadic nostalgia—by examining its experience, links to relationship quality, and ability to buffer threats in general and vulnerable populations. We define dyadic nostalgia as sentimental longing or wistful affection for the relationship's past that is shared or communicated within a couple. For example, partners might reflect on shared fond memories of first dates, listen to "their song", or browse old photos. Based on the personal nostalgia literature, we expect dyadic nostalgia to be bittersweet: mostly positive (e.g., joyful, tender) with a wistful tone (e.g., longing for irretrievable good times). Importantly, we expect it to confer relational benefits. Specifically, we propose that dyadic nostalgia acts as a resource for couples with two key functions. First, it enhances and enriches the relationship by fostering positive perceptions (e.g., security, value) and motivating pro-relationship behaviour (e.g., caregiving, sacrifice). Second, it buffers and shields the relationship from threats by building resilience in difficult times (e.g., lower stress appraisals) and motivating constructive behaviour (e.g., support, conflict resolution). None of these proposals have been tested before. Informed by theory and our charity and practitioner-based Project Partners, we propose 7 studies across 3 Work-Packages (WPs). Overall, we aim to establish the construct of dyadic nostalgia and examine its benefits for enhancing and buffering couple relationship quality. WP1 focuses on naturalistic experiences and effects of dyadic nostalgia in three studies (qualitative, daily-diary, longitudinal). The longitudinal study will recruit couples who face specific threats to test nostalgia's buffer function: (a) military service-personnel and their partners, and (b) dissatisfied couples considering relationship support. WP2 examines the power of induced nostalgia in two experiments (online and in the lab while couples discuss a current stressor). WP3 will use our prior findings to design and test a dyadic nostalgia intervention for enhancing healthy relationships, and to test the acceptability of dyadic nostalgia in a counselling session. Our Project Partners will support us in producing freely-accessible resources for couples and practitioners. Overall, this project has potential to benefit couples in the general public, those facing separation or other stressors, and those seeking relationship support. We aim to provide a new way of enhancing or restoring the quality of their relationship by drawing on shared memories—a resource that even troubled couples can often access. Dyadic nostalgia could also provide a tool that professionals who work with couples can integrate into their practice, increasing the efficacy of interventions.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-03

Accelerated Compute is revolutionising many fields where the UK has strategic interests and comparative strength. The UK government and industry have invested over £1.8 billion in Accelerated Compute infrastructure with expected national economic benefits exceeding £23.7 billion by 2034. As an essential part of the Accelerated Compute ecosystem, the Research Technology Professional (RTP) community have collectively contributed over £53.3 million value to the UKRI research activities by providing high standard services in infrastructure development, operation, and research support. But while the recognition of Research Software Engineers has improved significantly over the last decade, there is a chronic lack of support and nationwide coordination to develop the RTPs across the UK who build and maintain the Accelerated Compute platforms that underpin the AI and Big Data digital economy. Our proposed Accelerated Compute Infrastructure Training Hub (ACIT-Hub) draws on the experience of the Research Infrastructure Engineers (RIEs) across the successful UKRI Tier 2 JADE consortium, to address this gap in the knowledge sharing and skills development arena. Proposing an efficient ‘Hub + Spokes’ approach the ACIT-Hub will be hosted at Surrey, a driving force in AI through its Institute in People-Centred AI (PAI) and the Centre for Vision Speech and Signal Processing (CVSSP). Together these have a world-leading track record of providing training, guiding people to reach their potential and hosting compute infrastructure for Computer Vision for over 3 decades, with CVSSP currently ranked 1st in the UK for Computer Vision and 3rd for Computer Vision and AI. The ACIT-Hub will develop efficient and sustainable training solutions, to future proof the skills development of RIEs such as SysOps, Infrastructure Engineers, DevOps, System Administrators and Technical Support, who underpin large-scale Accelerated Compute. By providing bespoke training courses and events covering accelerators, networking, storage, and orchestration and management software, highlighting both the fundamental and applied applications of the latest Accelerated Compute technologies, including when to ‘burst to cloud’. This comprehensive and agile training will be co-designed and developed by expert RTPs to ensure that it is relevant, and accessible to all. The sustainability of the Hub will be balanced with the need to make training open and accessible; the final business model will reflect this to ensure that cost is not a barrier to entry for good research practice. This ‘One-Stop’ training service will reduce 45% training cost and 30% training time compared to a traditional multiple-supplier solution. The hub recognises the diversity of backgrounds present in the RIE community and will offer translational training in essential skills and work with universities and existing accrediting bodies to provide a professionally recognised talent pool that can drive uptake in research and industry of efficient methodologies for deploying, maintaining and using accelerated compute infrastructure. It will reflect this diversity across all training and CPD events, and embed sustainability awareness at all levels. The Hub will work closely with existing UKRI DRI initiatives (the Software Sustainability Institute, STEP-UP), national bodies (BCS, HPC-Sig, N8), national infrastructure (Isambard-AI, Bede and Co-STAR), industry partners (Nvidia, AMD, Graphcore, HPE, Dell, Weka) and international initiatives (EU’s PRACE), to establish long-term collaborations, and maximise resource sharing in education and research. The Hub will enable RIEs to attend national and international conferences (CIUK, RSECon, Supercomputing and NvidiaGTC) to maximise the impact of the Hub’s training and skill development outcomes.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-03

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a chronic, life-threatening disease characterised by high blood pressure (hypertension) in the vessels that bring blood from the heart to the lungs, leading to heart failure. The 5-year mortality rate is 50-65% and the average patient's survival time from diagnosis is less than 3 years. No cure exists for PAH, the treatment being limited to drugs that decrease hypertension. Ultimately, lung transplantation is needed. PAH is a relatively rare disease (4-55 cases/million people), but since it is difficult to diagnose, many more people may be affected. PAH severity and lack of therapeutic interventions cause massive distress to the patients and their relatives/friends. Costs associated to PAH management represent a significant burden to the NHS (£43.2M for the period of 2013-2017). It is therefore critical to develop agents able to halt or slow down its progression. A hallmark of PAH is the accumulation of proteins within the cardiac tissue, also called fibrosis, that severely impairs the ability of the organ to contract and work. Recently, a protein called ADAMTS8 has been identified as a detrimental factor in the progression of PAH: 1) ADAMTS8 levels are significantly increased in the lungs of PAH patients; 2) mice genetically modified to lack ADAMTS8 showed less cardiac and vascular fibrosis which ensured protection from severe PAH. ADAMTS8 belongs to a class of proteins called extracellular proteases, molecular scissors that cut other proteins in the space surrounding the cells, the extracellular matrix (ECM). Our preliminary data suggest that ADAMTS8 drives deleterious, profibrotic changes in the ECM, similar to the ones observed in PAH patients, and that ADAMTS8 must be proteolytically active to exert this effect. Therefore, targeting ADAMTS8 activity may be a novel approach to treat PAH. Unfortunately, no molecules able to block ADAMTS8 activity are currently available. Here, we propose to use the diversity of the AstraZeneca collection (library) of compounds to isolate molecules able to block ADAMTS8 activity. We will achieve this by testing 500,000 compounds in our assay where cleavage of a small synthetic substrate by ADAMTS8 generates a fluorescent signal. Inhibitors will be identified by their ability to block ADAMTS8 activity at least by 50%. The hits will be subsequently validated and tested in a number of assays involving use of natural substrates, direct binding to ADAMTS8, and their ability to decrease fibrosis in cultured human cardiac fibroblasts. We aim to end up with 5-10 molecules that can be subsequently optimised or directly tested in preclinical models of PAH to assess their antifibrotic effect. Given the lack of drugs for PAH, our project addresses a major gap in our ability to manage this severe, lethal disease by exploring a novel therapeutic target.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-03

The Ion Beam Facilities at the Universities of Surrey and Manchester are part of the UK National Ion Beam Centre (UKNIBC) which is an EPSRC sponsored National Research Facility. The main aim of the UKNIBC is to provide state of the art ion beam equipment for academic and industrial researchers in the UK to enable them to gain access easily and simply to this type of equipment. The UKNIBC has supported over £150M of EPSRC grants over the past 5 years and provides ion beam facilities to more than 50 companies and organisations in the UK. More than 70 EPSRC sponsored PhD students have gained access to these facilities in the past 5 years. This proposal will upgrade several components within the Facility, helping to keep it at the forefront of Ion Beam capability and will increase the access to this key equipment and technology for UK academic and industrial users.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-03

Our position within the Milky Way and the advent of several cutting-edge Milky Way surveys, e.g. Gaia, SDSS, WEAVE, 4MOST provides us a unique laboratory for studying galactic dynamics and chemistry "up close" in six dimensions, and on the scale of individual stars. One of the most important discoveries from the Gaia mission has been to highlight significant departures from equilibrium in the Milky Way. Most traditional modelling techniques rely on assumptions of symmetry and/or that the system is in equilibrium, neither of which are the case, and it is important for us to build new modelling methods and new data analysis techniques to fully exploit the next generation of Galactic survey data. I have designed my research program to sit at the intersection of observation, simulation and dynamical theory, to answer four fundamental questions about Galactic dynamics and evolution: How does Galactic structure form and evolve? What is the chemodynamical structure of our Galaxy? What is the distribution of dark matter in our Galaxy? How do non-equilibrium processes shape disc galaxy evolution? High resolution N-body models naturally capture such non-equilibrium dynamics, but there are two primary challenges: 1) it is difficult to tailor such a model to a specific system such as the Milky Way, and 2) it is challenging to fully understand the rich dynamical processes which occur within such models over the span of several Gyr. Thus, to answer 1) I have developed an original galaxy simulation code, PRIMAL, which I have shown can tailor an existing N-body galaxy simulation to match observational data with the quality and coverage of Gaia's fourth data release. As an ERF I will develop and apply PRIMAL to DR4 (which will be released during the period of the ERF) to produce a fully self-consistent and data driven chemodynamical model of the Milky Way. To answer 2) I am co-I within the 'Beyond BFE' collaboration, whose goal is to leverage Basis Function Expansion (BFE) to model and quantify the time evolution of disequilibrium galactic dynamics. I will produce a suite of high-resolution Milky Way-like simulations and we will use BFE to recover a functional representation of the evolving galaxies (without assumption of a parametric model). I will quantify the formation and evolution of bars, spiral arms and the interaction of the galactic disc and halo. Finally, I will combine PRIMAL and BFE to directly constrain the Milky Way's dark matter halo shape and density profile. I will use the M2M machinery within PRIMAL to constrain the basis function coefficients to produce the dark matter halo profile which best fits Milky Way observables, namely the stellar kinematics, stellar streams, and H1 rotation curve information. In summary, I will create the next chemodynamical model of the Milky Way from data from Gaia and complementary ground based surveys. I will also pioneer techniques to fully understand and quantify dynamical evolution in such large particle based simulations. With the support of an ERF and the University of Surrey, I will unveil the links between galactic structure, kinematics and chemistry. Combining this with models of current and past interactions between the Milky Way and its satellites, and confronting them with cutting edge data sets, I will discover how the Milky Way formed and evolved, furthering our understanding of the Galaxy we live in, and the wider universe.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-03

In the cell, RNA messages called mRNAs are made from genes and translated into proteins. A vital step in controlling the balance of proteins is the co-ordinated turnover, or decay, of these mRNAs, with key factors in decay localising to specific accumulations termed RNA granules. This balance of proteins keeps the cell healthy, and therefore understanding how these processes are regulated or dysregulated from these granules is vital for advancing knowledge of fundamental biology. Moreover, because mRNA decay plays an important role in areas as diverse as cell growth, developmental disorders, neurodegeneration, cancer and mRNA vaccine stability, advances made in this fundamental area will impact human health more widely. Viruses infect cells and exploit a wide range of cellular pathways, including mRNA turnover, in their replication strategies, with many virus proteins performing equivalent activities to their cellular counterparts. As such, these virus proteins can act as excellent models to help unravel complex pathways in the cell. A number of viruses including herpesviruses, coronaviruses and influenza viruses produce proteins called endoribonucleases, key proteins that cut multiple mRNAs and push them into the cellular decay pathway. This proposal concerns an endoribonuclease from herpes simplex virus called vhs. We have recently found that this single virus protein has the ability to not only cut mRNAs, but also to dysregulate the dynamics of cellular RNA granules and mRNA turnover, revealing key cellular players in the process. Here we aim to exploit the ability of vhs to unleash a wave of mRNA decay to unravel the intimately intertwined cellular processes involved in RNA turnover. Bringing together a team with cross-disciplinary expertise in RNA decay, high resolution imaging and virus-cell interactions, we will determine how vhs engages with the components of the cellular mRNA machinery to alter the composition and balance of RNA granules. In particular, we will use advanced technology and computing to define how vhs binds and cuts mRNAs, and establish which cellular proteins it exploits in the process. We will use state-of-the-art imaging technology, including high-resolution and live cell, time-lapse imaging to investigate the dynamics of RNA granules and how vhs alters this. Finally, we will compare how vhs works inside the cell to other virus endoribonucleases from influenza virus, SARS-CoV2 and poxviruses, to determine if vhs activity is conserved across diverse virus families. This work will advance current understanding of the control of RNA dynamics in the regulation of protein production in both healthy and virus-infected cells. Moreover, it will benefit work on diseases where these processes have been found to be defective, thereby impacting both fundamental and translational science.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-03

Drug treatments for dementia remain limited, but non-pharmacological interventions can make life better, if not longer. Post-pandemic access to in-person non-pharma interventions remains critically low because of funding shortfalls and a 45% increase in isolation among people living with dementia. This isolation is a potent accelerant of symptoms and hence of care burden and costs. CREATION (a Dementia-friendly AI Creativity Solution) responds to this challenge with a digital tool for creative self-expression, socialization and engagement for diverse dementia communities. The CREATION concept has already been enthusiastically approved by two key user groups. In my recent Digital Tools for Wellbeing with Dementia (DoWell) user-requirement study, the participants (all of whom are living with dementia) strongly supported the proposal to co-design an on-demand tool for creative expression activities to enable autonomous access to all their proven health and wellbeing benefits. Responding to this, CREATION will work with these and other beneficiary, user and customer groups to co-create a dementia-friendly and human-in-the-loop AI creativity solution to prompt daily creative activities, reduce isolation, boost wellbeing and thus slow disease progression and the related primary and secondary care needs and costs.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-02

This proposal addresses a demonstrable requirement to enhance the core-equipment in catalysis, materials research and sustainable materials processing at Surrey. The equipment requested will provide underpinning support to researchers at all career stages and is aligned with the University of Surrey’s Research Strategy and the pan-university Institute for Sustainability objectives which seek to effect significant change through world-class research. The selected items of core equipment that we would like to fund through this award are as follows: Single crystal X-ray diffractometer Circular material digital manufacturing unit The proposed equipment will strengthen the doctoral and post-doc training at Surrey to equip students and PDRAs with essential research skills that will lead to long-term interdisciplinary collaborations across faculties, broaden Surrey’s leading research capability in diverse engineering sectors and accelerate short-term transformative impacts in science research and beyond.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-02

Noise – unwanted sound – has a major impact on public health, society and wildlife. Noise has a profound effect on human health and wellbeing, causing heart disease, high annoyance and sleep disturbance. Road noise in England alone is estimated to cause £7-10bn of health costs, with 130,000 healthy life years lost each year. Noise pollution affects wildlife, including birds and marine mammals, damaging wildlife health and reproduction. Noise also affects AI systems and sensors, including sonar echo sounders and underwater acoustic modems. As well as existing sources of human-made noise, such as road, rail, and air transport, new technologies such as drones and air taxis could introduce new sources of noise. The transition to Net Zero, through more sustainable energy sources, may also introduce new noise challenges from onshore wind turbines or air source heat pumps. We must ensure that noise does not become a barrier to the wider adoption of these important technologies. However, as the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee reported in 2023, noise is a “neglected pollutant”. It is also largely neglected across the UK engineering community. Outside of the acoustical engineering community and the Institute of Acoustics, noise is almost invisible in the work of professional engineering institutions. Noise is not included in teaching of sustainability in engineering degrees. Hence noise is often neglected until late in the engineering design process, resulting in products, systems and buildings that may create or transmit unnecessary noise. Reducing noise and its impacts is a complex, systemic, and interconnected problem, requiring insights from many perspectives and creative ways of working. It is exactly the type of problem identified in the EPSRC Tomorrow’s Engineering Research Challenges (TERC) report. To address this, our vision is to re-engineer the discipline of engineering so that noise is considered in all stages of the design process. We will create a mission-oriented inter-organizational research and innovation network, “Noise Network Plus”, as a catalyst to bring together diverse, dynamic teams from across disciplines, promote dialogue, co-design missions, form lasting and inclusive collaborations, and build unprecedented noise research capabilities. With noise being such an important concern for many people, we will undertake public engagement from the outset, to involve as wide a community as possible in our research agenda and the co-design of our missions. To test new research ideas, gather missing evidence and carry out feasibility studies, we will fund a set of pilot projects, and support the development of full-scale future multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research projects to tackle the challenge of noise.  We will also reimagine the education and training of engineers, across all engineering disciplines, and work with universities and the professional engineering institutions to including systems thinking in general, and sound and noise in particular, across engineering education. To ensure that the activities of the network are sustained beyond the funded period, we will plan for its legacy from the start, working with universities, industry, and engineering institutions to embed the network connections and missions across the discipline. By taking a “systems thinking” approach to understand the complex systems that build noise into the world, we will begin a long-lasting inter- and multi-disciplinary programme of research and engagement to reduce noise and its impact on people, the environment, and the economy: engineering a quieter future.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-02

VISION: Our vision is to demonstrate a novel hybrid technology combining high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) (sono) and microorganisms (bio) for the treatment of persistent organic pollutants. A new synergy is proposed from simultaneous microbial and HFUS action, created through complementary degradation methods and enhanced microbial metabolism in HFUS fields. BACKGROUND: The sono-bio process will be demonstrated on per-and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS don't fully degrade naturally so they persist in the environment and can be toxic to animals and humans. Biological mineralisation i.e. breakdown PFAS to fluoride ions, carbon dioxide and water has not been realised. Rather, microbial degradation tends to be efficient for a subset of PFAS, known as poly-FAS and result in production of per-FAS. Sonolysis, via HFUS, (100-1000 kHz) is one of few technologies able to fully mineralise PFAS. However, sonolysis is most effective for per-FAS rather than poly-FAS. We hypothesise that a combination of ultrasonic and microbial treatments working in synergy, will deliver sustainable and efficient treatment for complete PFAS remediation. INTERDISCIPLINARY AIMS: At the University of Surrey (UoS) we will research HFUS parameters and the composition and function of microbial communities to identify a system that will work synergistically to simultaneously i) enhance microbial breakdown poly-FAS to per-FAS, and ii) mineralise per-FAS via HFUS. Resource and energy recovery will be achieved by combination of the sono-bio process with a bioelectrochemical cell. New analytical tools will be used to provide mechanistic understanding and novel insight into HFUS in solutions that contain microbes and microbial metabolism in HFUS. Concurrent elucidation of mechanisms is required to fully capitalise on potential synergy from combining treatments from two different disciplines. Objectives (O) include: O1: Research interaction of HFUS, microbial growth and PFAS degradation. O2: Research the sono-bio process in real waste samples using microbial communities. O3: Engineer a platform combining sono-bio-(electro) processing for resource/energy recovery. O4: Apply new analytical tools to research PFAS degradation and microbial mechanisms. POTENTIAL APPLICATION AND BENEFITS: The sono-bio-(electro) process has potential IP generation and subsequent translation for wider remediation (e.g. persistent pollutants, soil regeneration) and bioprocessing (e.g. fermentation, biosynthesis). New mass spectrometry (MS) tools resulting from the interdisciplinary approach, will be researched. These new analytical tools will translate to other complex PFAS mixtures, environmental contaminations, and single-cell analysis for bacteria.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-02

Context: The ICON project is a cutting-edge research initiative focusing on Intelligent Spectrum Innovation for resilient Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) networks. This project responds to the growing need for advanced network technologies that integrate real-time environmental sensing with robust communication systems. As we move towards the 6G era, there is an urgent demand for resilient networks seamlessly integrating communications and sensing capabilities in the face of the challenges detailed in the proposal. Challenge: The ICON project addresses three major challenges in ISAC networks: Cost-Efficiency: Traditional cost-efficiency models used for the operational mobile networks cannot be adopted for including sensing capabilities, since the latter complicates spectrum management and increases energy dissipation. Our aim is to significantly reduce the cost-per-bit for RF sensing services, making them more affordable and scalable. Network Resilience: Ensuring both communication reliability and sensing accuracy in ISAC networks is complex. These networks must adapt to environmental changes, protect against threats, and recover swiftly from disruptions. We aim to develop strategies that ensure 99.99% operational uptime and halve the recovery time. Optimum Use of THz Spectrum: The THz band is capable of high-resolution sensing, given its abundance of bandwidth, but suffers from high propagation losses, hence eroding the power efficiency. Our goal is to identify the best THz bands and technologies to enhance performance and cost-efficiency. Advanced solutions will be researched on using novel and realistic ISAC channel propagation models at different frequencies and different operating environments. We plan to contribute our solutions to standard bodies such as ETSI through ISG (Industry Specification Groups) that we are already engaged with such as ISG ISAC, ISG RIS and ISG THz. Aims and Objectives: Accordingly, the ICON project has three core objectives: Minimize Cost-Per-Bit: Develop innovative solutions to reduce the cost of RF sensing services, achieving at least a tenfold improvement over current 5G benchmarks. Enhance Network Resilience: Improve the network’s resilience in support of flawless operation and prompt recovery even under adverse operating conditions. Optimize THz Spectrum Use: Identify and harness the most beneficial THz spectrum bands and conceive solutions for improving the sensing and communication performance. Potential Applications and Benefits: The advances delivered by this project will have significant impact across various domains: Smart Cities: Enhanced networking capabilities will support a smart infrastructure and public safety applications, contributing to safer and more efficient urban environments. Autonomous Systems: Improved sensing and communication will be crucial for the development of autonomous vehicles and drones. Critical Infrastructure: Robust ISAC networks will ensure reliable communication and sensing for critical sectors like energy, transportation, and emergency services. Economic Growth: The project will drive digital transformation, create new job opportunities, and foster innovation in next-generation technologies. By addressing these challenges with the aid of advanced technologies like Cell-Free MIMO, Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS), and AI-driven system-level optimization, the ICON project will pave the way for more resilient and cost-efficient ISAC networks. This UK-India collaboration leverages the strengths of both countries in order to advance global leadership in wireless technologies and contribute to sustainable technological development.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2025 · 2025-01

The growing presence of hazardous compounds in the environment such as persistent organic pollutants compromises the health of ecosystems and humans worldwide. The spontaneous ecological recovery of contaminated sites is possible due to the action of biological agents, including plants and microorganisms. The exploitation of the capability of the latter to transform toxic contaminants into harmless end-products can lead to cheap and sustainable bioremediation alternatives. However, the significant knowledge gap on the molecular mechanisms and microbial species responsible for an efficient detoxification of specific pollutants in determined environmental conditions is a burden slowing down the development of efficient microbial assisted bioremediation technologies. BIOREM is an integrated action conformed by experts in microbial systems biology, artificial intelligence tools and environmental sciences that will work together to gain knowledge in the identification of responsible microbial metabolic routes within natural and synthetic consortia for the degradation of target contaminants. The project through inter-sectorial and multidisciplinary training and collaboration will investigate the synergetic effect of different and combined bioremediation strategies, such as bioaugmentation, bioestimulation and microbial-assisted phytoremediation, stablishing links between effective pollutants removal and the responsible microbial pathways. Predictive models for TPHs and PAH remediation will be developed using High-Perfomance Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence to enhance the efficiency of bioremediation strategies by enabling the analysis of vast amounts of environmental data. The integration of the project information (key microbial players and environmental conditions) into mathematical models will allow the establishment of tailored and efficient removal strategies based on the chemical composition and natural microbiome presence in polluted sites.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-12

The FAIR Guiding Principles were established in 2016 to address challenges posed by the volume of data being produced by the scientific research community. Transparency and accessibility of data are key to these principles, which require that data should be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. Published research, however, often falls short of these principles. A common issue is data only being available ‘on reasonable request’, rather than being deposited in an open-access repository, or publications not providing a data availability statement at all. Even for repository-based data, metadata and data are not always sufficiently well-described to enable interoperability and reusability in different settings. Lack of reusable data creates a clear challenge for research integrity, which relies upon open data to enable reproducible results. This in turn hinders the translation of research, by slowing the identification and validation of clinically useful biomarkers for different conditions, and therefore increases costs to funders and society. This problem is particularly acute in metabolomics, the quantitative study of metabolites. Metabolomics studies generate large datasets that are expensive to produce and difficult to replicate. Existing protocols such as the Metabolomics Standards Initiative set out requirements for long-term data storage and accessibility, but these are not always adhered to. This makes validation of published works or meta-analyses challenging and increases the risks of false discovery or failure to identify biomarkers. The aim of this work is to quantitatively identify trends in findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability of data in metabolomics through the systematic identification of compliance with the FAIR Guiding Principles, and to provide insight to policymakers in how best to address deficiencies. The objectives to achieve this aim are threefold. First, to assess FAIR compliance by constructing a systematic evidence map (SEM) of metabolomics repository-based data, gaps in data availability and FAIR compliance over the past twelve years in the field of metabolomics research. This will allow for comparison of data behaviours before and after the publication of the FAIR Guiding Principles in 2016. The goal of an SEM is to identify, catalogue and describe the evidence base, selecting those studies that meet specified criteria, and compile the results in a searchable database. In this way, SEMs can identify gaps in knowledge and encourage debate around future research policy and needs. SEMs differ from systematic reviews, with the latter being more focused on answering a specific question, rather than documenting the evidence across a broad question of scientific interest. This SEM will allow for analysis of longitudinal trends and cross-sectional patterns in FAIR compliance over the twelve year period analysed. Second, to use this SEM to analyse the rate of data availability loss in metabolomics, for those papers where data are available ‘on reasonable request’, by contacting authors to test whether data are still accessible. The SEM will also identify ‘grey data’ that is available from authors but not easily found by existing search resources. Third, to  identify those funders and / or journals that have had the most success in encouraging FAIR compliance in published research, and to thematically identify the policies, guidelines or protocols operated by those stakeholders. This will provide a case study in how to accelerate the FAIRification of data resources, and will aim to inform policymakers more broadly on how to improve bioinformatics data management.  

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-12

1. Impact project. I will collaborate with North Yorkshire Council practitioners and policymakers to develop policy and principles on complexity, informed by factors my research suggests are associated with the quality of complex decision-making (e.g., information, legal principles, working hypotheses). Alexander Ruck Keene, Barrister, King's Counsel (Honorary) will provide legal expertise on the interaction between professional judgement and the law. 2. New research. I will collaborate with cognitive psychologists from King's College London, University College London and the University of Surrey to investigate how clearly promoting care users' autonomy reflects the characteristics of a protected value (i.e., is non-negotiable) in adult social care and how this shapes practitioners' decision-making. The need for this research arose in my PhD research (Lilly, 2023). I will engage with academic and practitioner audiences to disseminate findings. 3. Knowledge-exchange activities. I plan to hold knowledge-exchange events with National and Regional Principal Social Worker Networks and Surrey County Council. I will disseminate my research findings about the factors (e.g., information, legal principles, working hypotheses) associated with the quality of complex decision-making with a view to influencing practice and policy. 4. Academic-policy engagement training. I will participate in training, masterclasses and conferences on making research count for social work practice and policy change (e.g., Policy Engagement Training Programme, UKRI). I will prepare policy briefings on the impact and knowledge-exchange activities and new research for the Chief Social Worker, Adults, England and Principal Social Workers. 5. Developing research funding proposals. I will participate in training and masterclasses (e.g., UKRI, ESRC, University of Surrey, King's College London) on writing competitive funding proposals informed by practitioner and policymaker priorities. I will develop funding applications for impact-generating activity (e.g., ESRC) and related research (e.g., NIHR, ESRC). 6. Writing academic publications and policy briefings. I will engage in training and mentoring on writing for academic publication (e.g., Writing 4-star Publications, University of Surrey) and policymakers (e.g., Writing for Policy, Universities Policy Engagement Network). I will produce academic papers and policy briefings. 7. Providing doctoral supervision. I will provide academic supervision, under the guidance of the primary supervisor, for the Co-Chair of the National Principal Social Worker Network, who is undertaking a professional doctorate. My primary mentor will be Dr Adrian Banks, University of Surrey, a psychologist with expertise in researching the cognitive mechanisms underpinning decision-making and applying this knowledge to improve decision-making (e.g., health, military). My secondary mentor will be Dr Tim Rakow, King's College London, a psychologist with expertise in researching decision processes and strategies for multiple-cue decision-making (e.g., health, medicine).

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-11

The world is waking up to the problem of plastic pollution. The threat it poses to ecosystems and human health is global but not all communities are equally affected or equally culpable, with developed countries producing most waste and developing nations suffering the worst consequences (Xanthos and Walker, 2018; Nielsen, 2021). The challenges of plastic pollution and climate justice are therefore inextricably linked. In March 2022 UNEA, Resolution 5/14 mandated an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) produce a Global Plastics Treaty by the end of 2024, with implementation to begin in 2025. Their negotiations have been characterised by conflict between stakeholder groups with competing interests, from powerful coalitions of plastic-producing nations to representatives of marginalised communities already affected by the plastic crisis. Whatever treaty emerges from this crucible, its success will hinge on the ability of individual nations to turn it into effective, enforceable regulations capable of protecting not just the climate but also climate justice. Brazil, for example, produces much of Latin America's plastic waste and is home to marginalised communities and vital ocean and forest ecosystems already threatened by the rising tide of pollution. Here, as in the treaty negotiations, the governance of plastic is a contested topic, with diverse stakeholders defending disparate interests. THE CHALLENGE Realising the UN treaty's potential to enable Brazil to free its economy, people and globally-significant ecosystems from the menace of plastic pollution is a challenge that must be addressed now, while the opportunity still exists to guide the interpretation and codification of the treaty into national law and governance. AIMS To learn from the conflicts of interests between key stakeholder groups in the negotiation of the UN plastic treaty and use those lessons to help reconcile the needs of multistakeholders working on treaty implementation in Brazil with the goal of ensuring the resultant laws respect the needs of marginalised stakeholder groups and climate justice. To develop and empower early career researchers (ECRs) from the University of Surrey (UoS) and the University of São Paulo (USP), helping them develop collaborative skills and networks for addressing complex environmental challenges, whilst furthering their career goals.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-11

The successful implementation of CO2 capture and valorization technologies is a key step within the European Green Deal, and requires the joint development of innovative processes and materials (possibly non-CRMs) to comply with the EU decarbonization  timeline (55% less net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030). Nowadays, this goal can only be achieved by a collaborative effort of researchers belonging to different disciplines and bringing together different expertise. Aim of the C-NET proposal is to build a network of experts working in complementary scientific areas in order to promote advancements in the wide “net zero carbon” field.  C-NET is conceived as a nurturing environment where researchers can take advantage of facilities and know-how of the partner units, involving both thermochemical and electrochemical CO2 conversion processes. The synergistic collaboration will triangulate people, materials and knowledge between UniUD (green, solvent-free mechanochemical synthesis of non-CRM catalysts and electrocatalysts),  Surrey (combined capture and catalytic conversion processes), Sevilla (structured catalytic reactors development for process intensification), Treibacher (materials design, development and scale-up) and China (electro-conversion of CO2). The joint research efforts will be supported and fostered by process modeling (VirtualMech) and advanced material characterization carried out by operando synchrotron light-based techniques (NTNU-ESRF) and in-situ DRIFT experiments (Sabana, Bogota, COL). C-NET, exploiting the planned secondments and the organization of workshops and conferences to promote knowledge-sharing and new skills acquisition, will provide an exhaustive toolkit aimed at overcoming the current state-of-the-art in the field of CO2 valorization processes.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

Patterns which are stationary, and spatially localised in the two-dimensional plane, such as solitons and hexagonal patches have been observed in numerous continuum models which model real world problems in optics, ferrofluids, neural fields and soft matter. While much is known about these patten structures, very little is known about the dynamics which occur when these localised patches interact. In the case of solitons, which decay from their peak central value to a quiescent state exponentially fast in space, the nonlinear interaction with another soliton occurs in this small tail region. Hence, the dynamic interactions are weak and so are challenging to predict numerically, as numerical round-off from the algorithms used often contaminates the calculation. Therefore, uncovering and comprehending these intricate dynamic interactions continues to be a complex and computationally demanding endeavor. In the case of one spatial dimensional, two solitons are known to interact in a quasi-periodic manner, but mathematically predicting their long time evolution (i.e. do they collide, do they evolve into a steady state, do they evolve into a periodic state or do they behave in a chaotic manner) was impossible until the derivation of a novel numerical scheme by Rossides et. al. (SIAM J. Appl. Dyn. Syst, 22(3) 2023). The scheme uses the existence of a centre-manifold of  solutions from mathematical analysis. The scheme expresses the solution to the problem as a sum of the original non-interacting solutions plus a remainder function. Projecting the solution onto the centre-manifold derives a two-tier scheme comprising a set of ordinary differential equations for the positions and phase of the solitons and a partial differential equation for the remainder function. These two problems can now be solved separately, bypassing the problem of numerical round-off contaminating the calculation. For two solitons the scheme is able to show that well-separated solitons always evolve into a periodic state, and never collide, numerically proving the existence of a limit cycle in the problem. This project aims to improve this numerical scheme to upgrade its speed and efficiency and to include additional spatial dimensions. The ultimate aim of this project is to devise a method which can predict the interaction dynamics of three-dimensional solitons, but the majority of the focus will be on the two-dimensional problem as it is clear we can make progress in this direction even if the three-dimensional problem is still unattainable. Such a novel scheme will allow for the  investigation into the interaction of multiple solitons in the plane. The main objectives are: (1) Construct a fast and efficient numerical algorithm based upon the centre-manifold projection scheme of Rossides et al (2023) which can accurately and robustly calculate the dynamics of weakly interacting solitons in two-spacial dimensions. (2) Use this algorithm to identify a suite of steady bound states or periodic-limit cycles for N soliton systems in two-dimensions. (3) Identify how to further extend this efficient algorithm to three-space dimensions. The advances in knowledge arising from this project will be of interest to the academic community, as it involves a range of ideas from pattern formation, analysis and novel numerical techniques. Such advances include the production of a robust and reliable numerical scheme as well as the identification of new localised patterns in the two-dimensional quintic Ginzburg-Landau equation.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

The proposed research aims to delve into the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying mathematical development, particularly focusing on facilitative mechanisms and diminishing factors. Facilitating mechanisms such as executive functions (EF; working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility) and self-regulation might be diminished by factors such as mathematics anxiety (MA). MA, characterized by strong negative emotions compromises EF and becomes detrimental to mathematical processing and learning. Despite its impact, the developmental mechanisms modulating regulatory and cognitive processes to mitigate its effects remain poorly understood in children. Consequently, it is unknown whether the maths failure begins first or the anxiety. Addressing this gap is crucial for early mathematical development, educational and economic progress, given the essential role of mathematics in today's job market and day to day decision making using basic reasoning ability and cost-benefit analysis. All research data pertaining to this project have already been collected. This project comprises six main goals: analysing and writing up three manuscripts from completed PhD data, producing a fourth manuscript using electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG) from a parallel project, learning functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), obtaining teacher training and certification, fostering collaborations between research, education, and policy, and preparing future fellowship applications. The manuscripts will investigate the development of physiological regulation mechanisms related to MA in children, filling gaps in methodological procedures and understanding developmental trajectories. Additionally, they will explore on-task regulation during mathematical tasks to unveil state-level variability across children. Utilizing Bayesian statistics, the project aims to tease apart small effects and address sample size challenges often observed in developmental populations. This will produce an impactful understanding of anxiety onset during learning and performance in mathematics to better direct educators on avoiding anxiety during mathematics. Further, a completed study on neurocognitive markers related to arousal and regulation during symbolic learning, utilising mixed measures such as EEG and ECG will be written up ready for publishing. This fellowship, in collaboration with Dr. Mojtaba Soltanlou and Professor Roi Cohen Kadosh's labs, will contribute to understanding neural pathways influencing mathematical operations, paving the way for future research exploring brain-body connections in mathematical education. Moreover, it will set foundations for crucial future interventions targeting specified mechanisms, similar to a previous collaboration (Scerif et al., 2023; Scerif et al., 2024), however, including regulatory mechanisms. The fellowship will also involve learning fNIRS techniques, attending workshops and conferences, and obtaining teaching certification. Dr. Soltanlou's expertise in mathematical cognition and anxiety, coupled with Professor Roi Cohen Kadosh's knowledge in mathematical cognition, attention and learning, will guide the scientific progress and facilitate significant advancements both in the educational neuroscience field, and my own academic career. Through this, I aim to build a foundation for understanding the development of an anxiety disorder from its earliest stages and provide avenues to circumvent its later development. Overall, I hope to deepen our understanding of mathematical development from an embodied approach, considering the brain-body question, and inform educators, educational policies, and bridge the gap between research and practice, ultimately driving progress in education and societal development.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

For a hundred years, atomic nuclei have been probed more or less exclusively by studying collisions between stable beams and stable targets. This restricted the nuclei that could be studied to just a just a small fraction of those that are thought to exist. Most of the nuclei important to making all of the elements (in various stellar processes) have for example been inaccessible to experiment. The major thrust in nuclear physics worldwide, and a key priority in the UK's programme, is to reach out and study these exotic nuclei by using beams produced from short-lived radioactive isotopes. This in turn reveals that nuclear structure is not always like it seems to be for the stable nuclei, and nuclei are found to have surprising trends in stability and to have different shapes that will affect reaction rates inside stars and supernovae. At Surrey we take the UK priorities and the new opportunities very much to heart, and we seek out and lead programmes at the world's best facilities for making radioactive beams. These facilities - as well as the research effort - are international in scale. Surrey builds and runs innovative experimental equipment at these facilities. The present grant request is focused on the exploitation of the best capabilities at the best laboratories, with Surrey taking the leading role. Experimental progress is intimately linked with theory, and the development of novel and better theoretical approaches are a hallmark of the Surrey group. An outstanding feature of the group as a whole, which is key to our research plans and acknowledged as a rare and valuable strength, is our powerful blend of theoretical and experimental capability. Our science goals are aligned with current STFC strategy for nuclear physics as expressed in the STFC Nuclear Physics Advisory Panel's road map. We wish to understand the boundaries of nuclear existence, i.e. the limiting conditions that enable neutrons and protons to bind together to form nuclei. This limit is very sensitive to the properties of the nuclear force. It is unknown whether, and to what extent, the neutrons and protons can show different collective behaviour (driving to non-spherical shapes) or even how many neutrons can bind to a given number of protons. These features contribute to deciding how stars explode. To tackle these issues, we need to develop a more sophisticated understanding of the nuclear force, then we need more powerful theories that can build this understanding into the calculations, and we need experimental information about nuclei with unusual numbers of neutrons relative to protons so that we can test our theoretical ideas. Therefore, theory and experiment go hand-in-hand as we push forward towards the nuclear limits. An overview of nuclear binding reveals that about one half of predicted nuclei have never been observed, and the vast majority of this unknown territory involves nuclei with an excess of neutrons. Much of our activity addresses this "neutron rich" territory, exploiting the new capabilities made possible with radioactive beams and exploiting advances in computational power and analytical theories to bring superior new theoretical tools to bear on the latest observations. Our principal motivation is the basic science and the STFC "big questions", and we contribute strongly to the world sum of knowledge. The radiation-detector advances that our work drives can be incorporated in medical diagnosis and in environmental management. We engage strongly with the National Physical Laboratory on these topics. Our work also relates to national nuclear security and we have strong links in this area with AWE. We share staff and students with the NPL and with AWE. We provide excellent training for our research students and staff, many of whom go on to work in the nuclear power industry, helping to fill the current skills gap. Furthermore, we are enthusiastic about sharing our research, and actively pursue a public engagement agenda.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

The nucleus, consisting of protons and neutrons and lying at the center of the atom, is the lynchpin of all elements on Earth. Knowing how those protons and neutrons arrange themselves is important in order to understand our origins. One of the most powerful tests of nuclear physics is how the organization of the protons and neutrons changes as their numbers become imbalanced: when there are many more protons than neutrons (or the opposite). In order to understand this, world-class experimental facilities are being developed around the world. My work will focus on two new facilities based in North America: ARIEL in Canada, and FRIB in the United States. At these facilities "exotic" nuclei will be produced, with large differences in the numbers of protons and neutrons. This will be done by smashing together common nuclei, such as isotopes of calcium and xenon, causing them to break apart into the very rare nuclei which I will study. My research will have two primary focuses: how the shapes of exotic nuclei change, and how protons and neutrons behave relative to one another deep inside a nucleus. The nucleus can contain many tens or even hundreds of protons and neutrons. These "nucleons" can arrange themselves into many shapes, from footballs, to rugby-balls, disks, or even pears. Because these shapes require all of the nucleons to act as one they are incredibly powerful tests of our understanding - we need to know what every single proton and neutron is doing in order to understand the shape. I will measure these shapes for exotic nuclei, helping us understand how the protons and neutrons behave when they are very imbalanced in number. The question of how the proton and neutron behave relative to one another inside a nucleus is something else I will investigate. As nuclear physicists we have found historically that the proton and neutron actually behave very similarly inside the nucleus. This means that a nucleus with five protons and four neutrons behaves very similarly to a nucleus with four protons and five neutrons, which is a remarkable result. What I will investigate is how well this behaviour holds up as we add more and more protons and neutrons to the nucleus. This is a very significant question for a number of reasons, with implications for our understanding of how elements evolve when stars explode. Nuclear physics is a very exciting field, with a number of open questions. The incredibly powerful next-generation facilities that I will be using will shed light on a number of these questions and, in all likelihood, open up a number of new exciting ones in the process.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

In this proposal we aim to develop photonic materials in which novel types of structuring are exploited as a resource to control light absorption and thermal emission. This will deliver future generations of solar-thermal absorbers, with ultra-high optical absorption, low-thermal losses and high-temperature stability. World demand for energy is projected to more than double by the end of the century and identifying adequate supplies of non-polluting energy is set to become one of humanity's top priorities. Solar energy provides a persuasive approach to the challenge of identifying clean, abundant sources which are readily available energy for the future, however, still, the cumulative solar photovoltaic capacity is currently only a small fraction the global power output. Recent advances in theoretical, computational, and nano-fabrication capabilities have allowed unprecedented manipulation of the nanoscale structures controlling solar capture, conversion, and storage. we are no longer restricted to well-defined periodic structures. Instead, we plan to exploit complex systems made of apparently random patterns, which when suitably designed, can lead to performances superior to those offered by conventional photonic systems. The proposed project will focus on the development of hyperuniform disordered metasurfaces, a novel class of photonic structures in which structural correlations are accurately controlled. Discovered in 2009, these new materials have already attracted considerable attention as they combine the robust properties of periodic systems with the flexibility of disordered ones. We will explore the properties of hyperuniform media with the aim of achieving ultimate control over the absorption of solar radiation and emission of thermal radiation, with the goal to create highly efficient frequency-selective solar-thermal absorbing materials. This research proposed will enhance UK's capabilities in disordered photonic materials and high temperature solar absorbers and will have direct impact on more efficient and cost-effective solar power generation. The advanced optical capabilities to be enabled by our research will support the constant exponential growth of novel photonic technologies in the UK.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-08

Our changing environment, political unrest and the threat of further pandemics all place risk on how we ensure continued access to high quality nutritious food. Vertical farming (VF) is a means of producing food in a totally controlled environment utilising soilless technology and artificial lighting. This innovative approach to agriculture offers an additional tool to increase UK food system resilience, through higher yields, greater land- and resource-use efficiency, year-round production and a decoupling from weather systems. This project will use a whole-system approach to quantify how VF can address key vulnerabilities in the UK food system, whilst co-creating a pathway for innovators to fulfil this potential. DEFRA have concluded that climate change impacts are the biggest medium- to long-term risk for UK domestic food production. These are not limited to the UK, but also affect global food supply chains, upon which we are heavily reliant. Relying on imports brings associated risks from volatilities in energy prices, global conflict or civil unrest, all impacting both food supply and prices. There is fierce debate about the future of food and farming policy: how do we strike a balance between biodiversity, food security and Net Zero goals, in the face of competition for land from renewable energy, land-based greenhouse gas removal, and urbanisation/development. With the UK at its highest ever level of risk, and a food system which is precariously balanced, there is a pressing need to understand how to sustainably increase domestic production on land which suffers the impacts of climate change and is in competition with other uses. VF can help overcome such challenges. The project focuses on the supply of nutritious leafy greens, essential for a healthy diet and the main foodstuff currently cultivated in VF. We will also look to the future, to understand how VF can supply local, diverse and culturally appropriate foodstuffs given the technical ability to cultivate a much wider range of crops. To date, there has not been such detailed mapping of the cascading risks facing the supply of leafy greens in the UK, nor a detailed interrogation of the benefits/trade-offs VF can offer to the UK food system, nor a roadmap to exploit this potential at scale. To meet the aims of this call, the outputs will be co-created with farmers, industry, government and the community to ensure a focus on real-life and immediate benefits. The research objectives are: To map and quantify current and future risks in the UK food system, and how VF can address these (WP1) To develop an open access, spatially explicit decision-making tool to quantify the impacts of VF expansion on food supply, land sparing potential, environmental impacts and socio-economic benefits/trade-offs, and to optimise the expansion of VF through a whole-systems approach (WP2/3) To create a comprehensive framework of social conditions under which transition towards VF can be achieved (WP4) To co-create a resilience framework, along with a policy and industry-relevant roadmap to support VF expansion in the UK (WP5). Our core interdisciplinary team, made up of whole-system, environmental and social scientists, UK Urban AgriTech (industry association) and five farm partners (FlexFarming, Innovation Agritech Group, Farm Urban, GrowPura, LettUs Grow), will provide concrete evidence for the role VF has to play in future UK food systems, and provide a visionary co-created roadmap to resilience for a more sustainable future.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-08

This project will maximise the impact of recently completed InnovateUK funded research ('Harnessing court data using NLP and spoken language technology' REF:10022430) by embedding its research outcomes in the development of bespoke Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) services for interpreters and providing training in using ASR. The focus will be on supporting public service interpreters (e.g. interpreters working in healthcare, legal, local government settings), who, in contrast to conference interpreters, currently benefit much less from the latest developments in artificial intelligence (AI). Once our solution is market-ready, we will offer bespoke ASR engines for interpreters, as well as training in customising and using ASR engines. We will also explore how to extend the project to language service providers (LSPs) and users of interpreting services (UIS) in the future. As a result of recent developments in AI, the field of ASR has advanced rapidly, leading to more accurate rendering of speech for general domains and easier access to ASR for everyday users. Research conducted at the Centre for Translation Studies (CTS) showed that interpreters, including public service interpreters, could benefit from integrating ASR in their work. However, many interpreters do not have the expertise to use ASR, to access ASR services and to customise them to obtain better accuracy in well-defined domains. In our previous research, we showed how Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques can be used to improve the accuracy of ASR engines for the legal domain. The goal of this project is to validate and deliver a sustainable solution for developing and accessing customised ASR engines for interpreters. To achieve this, we will streamline the process of ASR customisation for a specific domain and language by preparing a suite of easy-to-use programs for collecting domain-specific data, customising and using ASR engines like Amazon Transcribe. The tools will then be offered to interpreters. In addition, the project will develop a training course focusing on ASR literacy for interpreters. It will educate them on how ASR works, how interpreters can benefit from this technology and when it is appropriate to use it. The course will also include a practical part where participants will learn how to use our services to customise an ASR engine. In parallel, the project will identify the most appropriate business model to build a sustainable service that meets the needs of individual interpreters and, in the future, LSPs and UIS, ensuring commercial activity in the medium and long term. The project team delivering this work comprises researchers, commercial projects officers, and educators, and will be supported by a wider academic environment at the University of Surrey that is ideal for research commercialisation. Just:access, the company that was involved in the original project will provide advice regarding the potential commercialisation avenues. The Institute for Translation and Interpreting (ITI) and the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIoL) will support this project by helping to reach out to interpreters, LSPs and UIS, enabling us to better understand the market landscape. They will also be involved in shaping of the training materials.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-08

Democracy is a Living Lab collaborative project about democratic citizen participation, empowerment, and new modes of governance in tourism. The project is relevant to any destination that wishes to empower its local communities in the future of tourism and that values the shift from tourism as an end in itself to tourism as a means to build better societies and communities, enhancing the quality of life for the residents who live there. This project will: a) Develop cooperative values, awareness, and shared objectives between DMOs and citizens, b) Improve citizens' engagement in tourism planning and their democratic participation in decision-making, and c) Enhance the commitment of DMOs to empower citizens and protect natural resources. This project aims to bolster the capacity of European DMOs to augment citizens' participatory democracy, promoting green and resilient tourism in line with EU cohesion policies. Its objectives are to evaluate citizen participation in tourism for democratic governance; to experiment with enhancing citizen participation in tourism; and to evaluate the transition towards data-driven tourism governance. Methodologically, it will be developed by applying a gender perspective, incorporating in-depth interviews, and creating a virtual Living Lab for experimentation. This will aid in capturing live data to provide a more nuanced understanding of citizens' engagement and participation in policymaking resulting from the Living Lab. It will also support the co-creation, experimentation, and evaluation of various citizen-driven initiatives for more sustainable and inclusive tourism development. Furthermore, it will contribute to refining the design and interpretation of data collection and analysis utilised by European DMOs to evaluate resident sentiments towards tourism and, finally, explore the gender dimension of citizen democratic participation in tourism.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-08

Lithium-ion battery (LIB) plays a key role towards creating a carbon-neutral economy in the EU. However, under thermal/mechanical/ electric abuse, the electrolyte solvents of LIBs evaporate and boil, leading to internal pressure and temperature rise to release toxic gases, followed by decomposition of other cell components, releasing flammable gases and sparks leading to thermal runaway (TR) and fire. Insight is, however, lacking about the emissions of toxic gases and sparks, which can help development of mitigation measures to improve LIB safety. The project aims to develop and validate a robust model within the frame of open-source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code OpenFOAM for the whole process of TR evolution and the propagation of TR in closed clusters/packs. The specific objectives include: 1. Develop a robust modelling approach for the generation of flammable gases and the accompanying cell internal pressure rise during TR and validate the model with published and emerging literature data. 2. Use the validated model to fill the experimental gaps about the whole process of TR evolution and predict the gas composition and temperature at the time of ejections. 3. Develop a viable approach to obtain particle size distribution and composition from the published measurements. 4. Extend the model to address the tribo-electric charging, electric arcing and heating effects of the sparks. 5. Simulate ejections of gases and particles as well as the resulting fire in the open. 6. Simulate closed cell clusters to examine the effects of sparks on TR propagation and validate with literature data. 7. Propose and evaluate potential protection and mitigation measures. The objectives can be measured by the success of validation at different stages of the development. The development will be verified by another researcher of the host running simulations independently.