University of Nottingham

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

Doctoral Training Partnerships: a range of postgraduate training is funded by the Research Councils. For information on current funding routes, see the common terminology at https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/how-we-fund-studentships/. Training grants may be to one organisation or to a consortia of research organisations. This portal will show the lead organisation only.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

This proposal centres on the exploitation of a wheat line generated at Nottingham containing a wild relative chromosome segment (introgression), that will enable the development of a robust hybrid wheat system. Hybrid varieties, proven to yield significantly more than inbred varieties, exhibit enhanced resilience to adverse climate conditions and disease resistance (BBRSC's current responsive mode spotlight) ensuring more predictable yields. Global food production faces a critical challenge due to rapid global population growth exacerbated by the negative effects of the changing environment. Over the next 50 years, the total grain production of wheat, a primary global food source and vital for the UK, must exceed that produced over the last 10,000 years since agriculture began, just to sustain current nutrition levels. In many in-breeding crops, a switch to hybrid breeding has substantially increased production, resilience, environmental sustainability, and quality of crops, e.g., 65% of maize production is now from hybrids. Hybrid seed production requires the inter-crossing of two genetically different genotypes: a female parent which is male-sterile, so that self-pollination is not possible, and a fertile male parent. The hybrid seed generated is more productive than both parents because of hybrid vigour and is harvested solely from the female parent to be sold directly to the farmer. A key requirement for hybrid production in in-breeding crops is the development of a system that enables the continuous production of female-fertile but male-sterile plants to be used as the female parent of the hybrid seed. While this has been achieved in crop species such as maize and rice, it has proved to be a major hindrance for hybrid production in wheat, a bottleneck this proposal seeks to address. This proposal outlines the development of such a system in wheat, exploiting a wheat-Aegilops mutica introgression line, carrying genes for restoring male fertility and blue grain colour. When crossed with the 'Probus' male-sterile ms1 deletion wheat line (used as the female parent of hybrid seeds), it confers a characteristic blue coloration to seed in the segregating progeny. The male-sterile female parent line is thus maintained by physically separating the seeds generated by colour sorting. However, for the system to function, a gene in the Ae. mutica introgression must be knocked out. This gene is of significant interest as it confers its own preferential transmission through both male and female gametes. The phenomenon of preferential transmission is widespread throughout wheat's wild relatives and has also been observed within wheat itself. However, the gene(s) responsible, its mode of action and evolutionary consequences still need to be determined. The proposed work will result in: 1) development of a robust system for hybrid wheat production, 2) identification of the gene(s) responsible for preferential transmission. The development of higher yielding, more resilient, hybrid wheat varieties that are adapted to the changing environment would transform global wheat production (aligns with essential components of BBSRC's Strategic Delivery Plan, Forward Look for UK Bioscience and the UK Plant Science Research Strategy). Furthermore, identifying the gene(s) responsible for preferential transmission will provide a springboard for understanding its mode of action and the impact it has had during the evolution of the Triticeae, allowing it to be used as an important tool for breeding wheat and other cereals.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

Doctoral Training Partnerships: a range of postgraduate training is funded by the Research Councils. For information on current funding routes, see the common terminology at https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/how-we-fund-studentships/. Training grants may be to one organisation or to a consortia of research organisations. This portal will show the lead organisation only.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

Doctoral Training Partnerships: a range of postgraduate training is funded by the Research Councils. For information on current funding routes, see the common terminology at https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/how-we-fund-studentships/. Training grants may be to one organisation or to a consortia of research organisations. This portal will show the lead organisation only.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

The proposed fellowship aims to train a talented early-career researcher while contributing to scientific excellence in the EU by developing a novel thermochemical heat storage (THS) system for storing solar energy (Sola-TES). Heat storage is a strategic field for decarbonizing building heating, increasing the utilization of intermittent renewables, and providing building energy flexibility. Among the available heat storage methods, THS offers promising advantages, such as higher energy storage density and long-term (i.e. seasonal) heat storage potential, which motivate the applicant to pursue the Sola-TES design. The proposed system employs a novel closed-loop configuration by incorporating a polymeric fiber heat exchanger-based thermochemical reactor, inspired by fibrous plant roots, and a multi-functional plate heat exchanger that switches between condenser and evaporator functions during charging and discharging cycles. The proposed design overcomes the limitations of low efficiency and poor durability of existing THS systems while providing improved process control. Sola-TES will represent a significant step forward in the field of heat storage, offering technological, economic, and social benefits to the EU while supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals. To achieve this beneficial technology, during this fellowship, the applicant will design, fabricate, test, and optimize a lab-scale prototype Sola-TES system. Furthermore, novel composite THS materials will be synthesized for use in the proposed system. The project has been carefully designed to align with Dr. Aydin's expertise and the strengths of the host team in THS materials/processes, solar technologies, and low-carbon buildings, facilitating a two-way knowledge transfer and training. The successful completion of this fellowship will contribute to European excellence in

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

In 2021 the Trades Union Congress estimated that 4.4 million people were working for gig economy platforms at least once a week in England and Wales. Since Uber first arrived in London in 2012, it has become synonymous with platform gig-work. As multiple gig-work platforms have emerged since Uber's arrival, their mode of algorithmic management has received considerable scholarly attention. There is a small but growing field of research concentrating on platform workers' resistance, alongside the emergence of new forms of trade unionism. Research on precarious gig-work has also signalled towards the role that racism and anti-migrant hostility has played in workers' exploitation. In this regard, private hire drivers, as a group of racialised workers in the gig economy, appear to be at a critical node of contemporary struggles, yet their experiences of work and union organisation have received limited attention in academia. My PhD examined private hire drivers' class-based mobilisations, and sought to understand how these workers' relation to capital, the labour process, and position within society, influenced their form of collective organisation. This research was undertaken through a participatory method of inquiry, embedded within processes of collective organisation, alongside organisers and drivers in the United Private Hire Drivers branch of the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (UPHD-IWGB). It found that the emergence of UPHD had produced some of the largest anti-racist trade union mobilisations among precarious migrant workers in the gig-economy. This was not the result of strategic intervention from existent labour movement institutions. Instead, private hire drivers' grasp of their exploitation and their consequent tactics of resistance, developed through a process of collective self-organisation giving rise to new tactics and organisational forms. The aim of the fellowship is to develop this unique contribution, which thus far has primarily engaged with scholarly literature in sociology of work, industrial relations, race and migration studies. The next step will be to focus explicitly on the uneven geographies and spatial specificity of the app-based private hire industry, as well as drivers' collective organisation, a significant gap in the existing literature. It would therefore represent a clear route for high-impact publications, engagement with new audiences, and help me to develop as a researcher, building an interdisciplinary network nationally and internationally. It would also provide me with the opportunity to engage with practitioners, organisers, and trade unions in the field, to facilitate knowledge exchange and skill sharing. This would be achieved as follows: Produce a series of high-impact publications in leading geographical and labour journals. Engage with a range of practice and policy focused audiences by organising a workshop with community organisations and trade unions, co-producing a series of practice focused online articles with workers/organisers in the field. Build networks to develop impact opportunities and inform and support further development by attending and presenting at internationally recognised conferences in labour studies and human geography. Engage in training programmes at the University of Nottingham focused on policy engagement and research communication. Develop a funding proposal for the ESRC New Investigator Grant in order to work on a comparative study of platform gig work within different cities across the UK. Carry out additional research to further explore the geographical aspects of the project. Engage in research-led teaching within the School of Geography at the University of Nottingham.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

Doctoral Training Partnerships: a range of postgraduate training is funded by the Research Councils. For information on current funding routes, see the common terminology at https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/how-we-fund-studentships/. Training grants may be to one organisation or to a consortia of research organisations. This portal will show the lead organisation only.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

Heritage science sits at the interface between humanities and science disciplines. It has the potential to inform contemporary societies of the impacts and implications of decision-making in the past, exploring the lives and deep time experiences of past human groups. It can also help us understand challenges of the future, such as legacy pollutants and climate change. As researchers in a naturally interdisciplinary field, Heritage Scientists are often dispersed, and opportunities can be limited. The Nottingham Heritage Science Gateway (NHSG) will be a centre of expertise in sample preparation and scientific analysis for a range of heritage materials, focussing on best practice workflows, new standards and innovative capabilities, and making these widely accessible. The range and complexities of heritage materials, recovery conditions, methods of investigation and potential harms and contaminants mean that sampling and analysis for heritage science require specialist skills, expert knowledge, a variety of dedicated equipment and sometimes highly controlled environmental conditions. Sampling can be intricate, time consuming and require variable methodologies depending on materials and preservation conditions. The dispersed nature of current expertise and the costs associated with analysis means that access is often prohibitive for many organisations and groups, and outcomes may be disappointing or problematic if analyses are attempted without the correct procedures in place. The NHSG will offer access to a range of facilities as part of an existing and developing interdisciplinary network of heritage science capabilities and capacities across the University of Nottingham, known as the N-MESH labs: the Nottingham Materials and Environment Science and Heritage Laboratories. As part of this development, the NHSG will allow the creation of a new clean lab facility, specifically designed to limit airborne contaminants and control environmental conditions and employ a Technician that is dedicated to developing and providing access to heritage science capabilities across the University of Nottingham.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

The European Union is committed to combatting climate change by reducing CO2 emissions, aiming for climate neutrality by 2050. To achieve this, they've set a target of at least a 55% net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. A crucial aspect is the use of renewable energy, particularly for heating and cooling buildings. However, renewable energy sources are intermittent, posing a challenge to continuous availability. Therefore, Thermal Energy Storage (TES) technology plays a pivotal role in storing energy during periods of low demand and releasing it when needed, effectively shifting energy loads from peak to off-peak hours. One emerging field within TES research is the use of latent heat storage using phase change materials (PCM) which offer the potential to synchronize energy demand and supply over short to long-term periods. While PCMs have shown promising performance due to their high energy density, conventional PCM systems suffer from heat losses, even when not in use. "SuperThermalBattery" concept, utilizes a novel approach involving solar-powered hybrid supercooled PCMs. This system stores latent heat entirely using solar PV/ Thermal powered heat pumps even at ambient temperature, and release it only when triggered for crystallization, effectively turning the supercooling disadvantage of conventional PCMs into an asset. This research seeks to explore the potential of innovative hybrid supercooled PCMs, aiming to enhance their thermal properties and crystallization kinetics. This comprehensive approach promises reliable supercooled PCM materials for both short-term and long-term thermal storage applications. This system has the potential to reduce fossil fuel usage and CO2 emissions in the EU, enhance energy security, address challenges in heat storage applications, and increase the use of solar-assisted heat pumps for domestic heating.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

Research funded via the QTFP programme has already brought new, groundbreaking findings in fundamental physics, together with the development of fast-evolving quantum technologies. For example, new ultra-sensitive sensors based on light-matter interaction have been developed across the research consortia. Two of them, QI (based at the Cardiff University) and QSimFP (University of Nottingham) are exploring the power of light interference, i.e. the constructive or destructive addition of light waves, for the detection of gravitational (Cardiff) and gravity (Nottingham) waves as parts of their respective scientific programmes. In line with the objectives of UKRI's public engagement strategy, we identify young people as the next workforce in quantum technologies. To unlock the full potential of this field, we feel the need to extensively communicate our research with younger generations, and to engage the public in recent scientific development in the world of quantum. Our project proposal comes in hand with the recognition of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology by UNESCO and the UN, as well as the 100th anniversary since Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Schrödinger developed the first versions of quantum mechanics that remain a firm foundation of modern quantum science. Celebrations across different sectors will bring attention not only to the industry (now focused on quantum computing), but will also present an opportunity to communicate the excitement and importance of fundamental research, usually carried out in laboratories locked away from the public view. Our mission is to revolutionise engagement by crafting two unique interferometer kits. One kit, designed for primary and secondary students, embraces a hands-on approach with LEGO bricks suitable for use in classrooms. The other, tailored for A-level students and beyond, delves into the quantum realm of light. Both kits will feature prominently in the dynamic Science-Art exhibition Cosmic Titans: Journey into Black Holes and the Universe's Genesis at the Djanogly Art Gallery in Nottingham. This captivating event will run from January to April 2025, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in the wonders of science and art.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

The Parliamentary Thematic Research Lead on Arts and Humanities, will be embedded in the UK Parliament, working alongside parliamentary staff. This lead role will bring the research perspective to work carried out by select committees, libraries and Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST). The role will include leading horizon scanning and futures work and supporting parliamentary staff to take a strategic approach to planning their work programmes, including supporting the development of committee Areas of Research Interest. The Thematic Research Lead will identify upcoming needs for Parliamentary Academic Fellows and opportunities for co-production of briefings between academics and Parliamentary staff. They will connect and expand their networks (including research, learned societies and industry) to support parliamentary activities and will liaise with those in the Government CSA Network team. This will enhance engagement with those working in research to policy, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange. The Thematic Research Lead will liaise with UKRI and its research councils to enable increased parliamentary impact of UKRI investments. They will share insights from Parliament back to the research councils and UKRI; by doing so, they will contribute to the development of the research-policy ecosystem. The Thematic Research Lead will support with identifying the skills and experience needs of members of the parliamentary thematic team and relevant development and training opportunities. They will also help to identify opportunities for secondments, placements or people-exchanges both into and out of Parliament. Beyond working in their policy area, the Thematic Research Lead will work as part of a network with the other Thematic Research Leads to identify cross-cutting opportunities or issues and develop strategic responses, share information, learning, insights and best practice.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-09

This project takes an interdisciplinary and participatory approach to bring Indonesian cultural heritage to the fore in the fight to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Indonesia is in a particularly fragile position: its reliance on fossil fuel energy as well as its continued deforestation position the country as one of the major carbon emitting markets. Yet, Indonesia's peculiar geography - it is the largest archipelago in the world - also render it extremely vulnerable to climate change, by means of rising sea levels and increased rates of flooding. These elements suggest that there is a strong need to work towards alternative solutions for Indonesia to embark on a transition that is both just, inclusive, and locally effective. This project contributes to that aim by considering how cultural heritage can be meaningfully embedded in educational resources for Indonesian primary schools. Presently, climate change, sustainability and environmental education are in the process of being included in the national curriculum. To support this, the Ministry of Education is working to produce a policy that would offer guidance around how to do so. However, most of the educational resources available globally tend to originate from Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) countries. Although valid forms of introducing climate change scientifically, they present limitations in how they encourage individual lifestyle change, and collective climate actions. As a result, there may be a disconnect between what these resources aim to achieve, and uptake from a population that is culturally distinct from the West. Addressing this disconnect, this project brings cultural heritage organisations into the equation by identifying, (re)reading, and embedding cultural resources into/for climate change education effectively. With more than 1,300 ethnic groups, 700 languages, and the interweaving of culture and religion in everyday life, Indonesia's religious-cultural heritage is both rich and contemporarily relevant, and can offer discursive resources for effective climate policy, mitigation, adaptation, and education. With this in mind, this project brings together local cultural heritage organizations and primary schools to collaborate towards shaping a climate change education that is: (a) place-responsive and locally relevant, drawing upon contemporary ecological (re)reading of local religious-cultural heritage to address local climate impacts; (b) co-designed and co-produced with relevant stakeholders (i.e., cultural sectors and schools) from different parts of Indonesia; and (c) contributing to international humanities and educational research at the intersection of cultural heritage, climate change, and education. The findings developed will be turned into policy-ready insights and into a collection of resources for practice. This way we will ensure that the important role played by cultural heritage can inform both policy making and educational practitioners, aligning top-down and bottom-up approaches to climate change education in Indonesia.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-08

Overview There are three core elements to decision making: judgment, preference, and choice (Fischhoff & Broomell, 2020). Judgments represent how people come to understand the outcomes associated with choices along with their probabilities of occurrence. This proposal focuses on how people form judgments by aggregating multiple pieces of evidence gathered from different information sources. Much of the literature on judgment has relied on linear models as the prominent theoretical basis for understanding such judgments (e.g., Broomell & Budescu, 2009; Dawes, 1971; Karelaia & Hogarth, 2008). We propose a new theory of ordered judgment that fuses psychological theory with operational and theoretical advances from computer science in the areas of data aggregation and artificial intelligence. Intellectual Merit We propose to advance psychological theory beyond linear models by (1) leveraging computationally simple ordering processes with statistically desirable properties for information aggregation, (2) mimicking the relative nature of perception in judgment, and (3) seamlessly integrating this approach with linear theories previously used. Researchers have implicated ordering as a potential component of cognition but to date, lack the ability to empirically test for its presence. Our theory of ordered judgment will provide the first operational framework for empirical tests of the role of ordering in judgment and beyond. We will develop and test this novel theory through three research objectives. The first objective is to develop a predictive model of judgment based on preliminary work (Broomell & Wagner, 2023). Such a model will facilitate targeted experimentation to detect whether ordered judgment processes can account for human behavior. The second objective is to use lab experiments to understand the degree to which order-based processes naturally fit with judgment processes and can predict human behavior. These studies will reveal systematic and predictable behavior in how judgments react to momentary changes in context. The third objective is to develop methods for estimating the free parameters of the ordered judgment model from observed judgments. The development of such an estimation procedure will allow for a more detailed decomposition of judgments into stable and dynamic priorities that drive judgment. Additionally, such an estimation procedure would have implications for model fitting broadly in psychological and computer science work. Broader Impacts We anticipate that this theory integration will have impacts for both psychological and computer science research that go well beyond the intellectual merits. For psychology, our theory of ordered judgment has many implications for how to display data to facilitate accurate processing that will be useful for decision-support and human factors work in contexts ranging from graphical user interfaces to operating machinery. For computer science, we anticipate that this work will contribute to the crucial area of explainable artificial intelligence by articulating direct links between pervasive linear and non-linear aggregation processes and human reasoning. This can afford mechanisms to understand, evaluate and validate machine-learning driven decision-making approaches in critical applications such as security and defense, energy, and healthcare. Further, algorithmic implementations of the proposed theory hold the potential to offer efficient means of aggregating information in machine learning including neural networks, as alluded to in Kreinovich (2022). The work in this proposal will also serve to train doctoral students and postdoctoral reasearchers in interdisciplinary and internationally collaborative research leveraging mathematical, computational, and empirical methods. The results of this work will complement the PI and co-PI's teaching and instrunction at undergraduate and graduate levels in the US and the UK.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-08

BullNet, consisting of 8 beneficiaries and 13 associated partner organisations, will build a multi-disciplinary and inter-sectorial research programme designed to unravel the complex underlying biology of compromised fertility of individual bulls. Cutting-edge basic, applied and machine-learning approaches will be used to deliver a robust, flexible semen product from young, appropriately reared and managed, first-season elite sires that can be used successfully for artificial insemination (AI) with predictable and consistent fertility, so as to provide the industry with key tools to meet current emissions and animal welfare demands. BullNet will also lead to the advancement of knowledge in how bull management strategies and semen processing affect the functional and molecular characteristics of sperm, thus opening scientific horizons for new applications in the area of assisted reproduction. The overall aim of this programme is to train a new generation of creative, entrepreneurial and innovative doctoral candidates (DCs) in the area of bull fertility. BullNet will expose DCs to different sectors and they will acquire a comprehensive set of transferable skills working in the specific research area relating to their individual research projects, with an emphasis on the need for technology transfer from academic institutions to commercial users. Moreover, given the wide range of academic and industry organisations involved, the DCs will be able to face current and future challenges in order to convert knowledge and ideas into products and services for economic, technological and societal benefit.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-08

IN-DEEP is a European Doctoral Network composed of nine doctoral candidates (DCs) and top scientists with complementary areas of expertise in applied mathematics, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and engineering applications. Its main goal is to provide high-level training to the nine DCs in designing, implementing, and using explainable knowledge-driven Deep Learning (DL) algorithms for rapidly and accurately solving inverse problems governed by partial differential equations (PDEs). Inverse problems in which the unknown parameters are connected to experimental measurements through PDEs cover from medical applications - like cancer growth assessment - to the safety of civil infrastructures, and green geophysical applications such as geothermal energy production. Their application value is measured in human lives and society's well-being, which goes beyond any quantifiable amount of money. This is why equipping a new generation of specialists with highly-demanded skills for the upcoming transition toward safe and robust AI-based technologies is imperative. Despite the promising results in many applications, DL for PDEs has severe limitations. The most troublesome is its lack of a solid theoretical background and explainability, which prevents potential users from integrating them into high-risk applications. IN-DEEP aims to remove these constraints to unleash the full potential of DL algorithms for PDEs. We will achieve this by: (a) focusing on emerging applications of DL for PDEs with immense societal and/or industrial value, (b) designing mathematics-infused advanced solvers to address them efficiently, and (c) involving, from the beginning, industrial and technological agents which can monitor, upscale, and exploit this knowledge. On the way, we shall establish the foundations of a better knowledge exchange ecosystem amongst the main academic and industrial actors within Europe, disseminating the results worldwide.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-08

Tropical peatlands are a globally important carbon store, and a significant source of rising atmospheric concentrations of methane (CH4). CH4 is a potent GHG, 25 times more powerful at driving climate warming than carbon dioxide (CO2) over 100 years, and is responsible for 23% of warming to date. At COP26, the US, EU and others announced the Global CH4 Pledge to curb global CH4 emissions in an attempt to keep global warming at 1.5C. However, atmospheric CH4 concentrations are rising with evidence pointing to tropical wetlands and peatlands as significant sources, particularly those in South America. The underlying environmental causes of this are not well understood. Tropical peatlands are found throughout the tropics but to date most research has focussed on Southeast Asia. However, recent research has demonstrated extensive peat deposits across both Central Africa and South America but the dynamics of these ecosystems remain relatively understudied. Peat is formed from partially degraded plant material, including leaf litter, and roots. Gradual decomposition under flooded, low oxygen conditions drives CH4 production. Rates of production and emission are controlled by a combination of factors including hydrology, nutrient availability, topography, and vegetation. Many of these factors can vary spatially and change over time. This limits our ability to scale up CH4 emissions measurements made on the ground to the wider region, and therefore prevents us from fully assessing the contribution of regional peatlands to global CH4 cycling. In this project, we will address these uncertainties, and generate a new integrated understanding of the environmental and ecological drivers of CH4 emissions from tropical peatlands, and incorporate them fully in mathematical models for the first time. This will allow us to more accurately upscale field based measurements of CH4 emissions to the wider region, allowing us to assess the contribution of tropical peatland CH4 fluxes to rising atmospheric concentration of CH4. We will undertake new long-term CH4 flux measurements across South American peatlands in the Pastaza-Maranon Foreland Basin in Peru. We will integrate our flux measurements with ongoing monitoring of ecosystem productivity and changes in peat properties and nutrient availabilities over time, and across peatlands that differ in vegetation type and nutrient availability. We will use a statistical tool that will allow us to identify which factors are most important for predicting CH4 fluxes. We will use the outcomes from this to modify an existing model (ECOSSE) to better account for these processes allowing more accurate upscaling of CH4 fluxes for the wider region. To help develop and test our statistical tool and ECOSSE model, we will make use of newly collected data from Central African peatlands, a region which is also poorly studied in terms of CH4 flux dynamics, but appears to have many similarities to South America in terms of vegetation types, and nutrient regimes. We will then apply our newly developed statistical tool and model to more accurately upscale our CH4 flux measurements across South American peatlands to the wider region. We will also be able to use our newly developed models to test various explanations for the observed increase in CH4 emissions across the region's wetlands, investigating causes including changes in water regimes, vegetation inputs, and climate warming. Beginning early in the project, and continuing throughout, we will work closely with partners in the UK, Peru and internationally, to identify regional and international stakeholders. Together, we will co-develop our research, and translate our project findings into lay summaries to inform policymakers, and raise awareness of the sensitivity of peatland processes to global environmental changes.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-08

The small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) cause the disease known as Maedi Visna (MV) in sheep. This is an insidious respiratory disease of sheep with severe economic impacts. It is difficult to detect and control due to a very long latent period between infection and testing positive. Farms often do not realise their animals are affected until over 50% of the flock is infected with a large number of animals thin and dying. There are no treatment or vaccination options and control is dependent on testing and culling affected animals over repeated rounds. The cost of control is prohibitive, and this disease makes heavily infected operations economically unviable. The disease has been highlighted by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development board (AHDB) as an "iceberg" disease where awareness of disease is low in farmers, hiding the scale and impact on production losses. To make matters worse the incidence of MV is increasing rapidly in the UK flock with prevalence rising from 1.4 % in 1995 to 9.4% in 2019. Northern Ireland has also experienced a breakdown in its previously MV-free status in 2022 and may not be able to regain it due to the number of flocks and length of time it has gone undetected. There is a critical need for viable options for protecting commercial flocks from this devastating disease. Breed differences in susceptibility to MV have long been recognised. Recent advances in small ruminant genetics and genomics have enabled the genetic loci responsible for these differences to be described. There is very strong genetic and epidemiological evidence for the glutamic acid to lysine mutation at amino acid 35 of the TMEM154 (transmembrane protein 154) providing resistance to both infection with and progression of MV. However, there are a number of fundamental things we need to know about the gene and the mutation before we could recommend a genetic selection programme using this marker. We do not know what this gene actually does in sheep (or any animal), how widespread in UK sheep breeds the resistant allele is, whether there are deleterious effects to the resistance mutation and whether the effectiveness of the MV resistance is dependent on the infecting strain of the virus. This research programme seeks to answer those questions to enable us to be sure we are recommending a safe and effective control option for reducing the impact of MV on UK sheep farms. The option of genetic selection for disease resistance is a popular one with sheep breeders, particularly as the scrapie elimination programme was very successful giving them a positive experience of genetic selection for disease resistance. The marker concerned is on the current SNP chip array used widely for sheep genetic selection and this programme will help drive uptake of the use of genetic markers in commercial sheep breeding.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-08

One of the most perplexing aspects of our Universe is the huge variety of galaxy shapes and colours, from blue (star-forming) spiral discs to red (no longer star-forming) ellipticals. These differences are thought to be due to changing in- and outflows of gas (the "baryon cycle"), a process that can be investigated particularly cleanly when galaxies fall towards densely inhabited cosmic environments such as galaxy clusters. But we do not understand well how and why these changes occur, especially in the early Universe and for low-mass "dwarf" galaxies, and which other processes might be important, especially tidal stripping of stars into the diffuse "intra-cluster light". I will solve this problem by creating state-of-the-art defining computer simulations of galaxy clusters to interpret major new observations with ground- and space-based telescopes, including by the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope and with the new WEAVE spectrograph on the William Herschel Telescope. Exploiting extensive development work by myself and others, these simulations will realistically model the star forming gas in cluster galaxies for the first time. Spanning the full range from small "groups" to the most massive observed clusters, they will also include close analogues of four well-studied clusters in the local Universe. From these simulations, I will create synthetic observations, mimicking what they would look like in different wavelengths from X-rays through optical to radio. Comparing these with real observations, I will perform stringent tests of the simulation model and our understanding of galaxy formation encoded within it. In parallel, I will analyse the simulation outputs in detail, tracking individual galaxies through time to identify which physical processes emerge from the imposed laws of fundamental physics. In combination, these two approaches will solve the mystery of how galaxies form and evolve in the most extreme cosmic environments, and what they can tell us about the role of gas in- and outflows for galaxy formation in general.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-07

The University of Nottingham has a large portfolio of biological research, fundamental to which is the understanding of cell biology. This application requests funding for the next generation of cell sorter, namely a 'spectral cell sorter', which will be utilised to analyse and purify individual cells and populations from vast and complex samples. Applications for this cell sorter include isolation of cells involved in the generation of aberrant allergic reactions to food and other stimuli, isolation of immune cells that alter the acceptance or rejection embryos, isolation of bacterial cells to understand the mechanisms of biofilm creation and antimicrobial resistance, the isolation cells with novel synthetic biological traits and the screening, and isolation of cells from trypanosomes which are significant human and animal pathogens. Once purified these cells are a unique resource that can be cultured, banked or mined through other significant technologies, including next-generation sequencing. The timing of this application is driven by both the emergence of spectral flow cytometry technology, in which Nottingham is playing a leading role, and the obsolescence of the previous generation of cell sorting technology. Nottingham is ready with the infrastructure, established core facility and highly skilled research technicians to enable this application and unlock the research potential of the region. We propose to host the first spectral cell sorter in the Midlands fully open to academic and commercial partners to leverage this step change in technology across a broad portfolio of biological research. We will establish a spectral cell sorting facility that will be provided on a service basis, complementing an existing spectral analysis service. We will also provide training for our next generation of early career researchers and technicians, with hands-on 'super user training', as well as our range of established training programmes and instructional videos at Nottingham, and the Midlands Innovation Flow Cytometry Group. This application aligns with the University's key research priorities 'to develop a research environment and culture that is inclusive, supportive, and enables high quality and high performing research' and 'to support and drive research of the highest quality and ambition through infrastructure and platforms of excellence' (University of Nottingham Research Strategic Delivery Plan 2022-27). The sorter will support research across the Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences, Engineering and Science and will accelerate cutting-edge biological research at Nottingham and beyond to provide academic and industrial partners with an entirely new capability to isolate cells in unprecedented detail.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-07

Achieving Net Zero requires the rapid development and manufacture of medicines in the UK in ways that are both environmentally and financially sustainable. The vision of Sus-Flow, is to greatly increase the sustainability of the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) which is a major contributor to environmental footprints of small molecule pharmaceutical products. We will transform the development and manufacture of future medicines by implementing a strategy specifically designed to maximize the industrial impact of our revolutionary Vortex reactor, which has just won a prize in the 2023 RSC Enabling Technologies Competition. Sus-Flow will create a continuous, flexible reactor methodology, underpinned by computational fluid dynamics modelling, that can increase the sustainability of production for a range of APIs, by delivering single pass photochemistry, electrochemistry, and thermal chemistry and by requiring only a minimum amount of solvent for cleaning. Our methodology will largely eliminate the need to redesign processes, as API production is scaled-up along the medicine pipeline. We will: (i) Embed photochemistry and/or electrochemistry, which is currently not widely employed in manufacture to deliver more selective, higher yielding transformations, thereby reducing the number of steps needed to make an API and decreasing generation of the waste. (ii) Deliver photo- and electro-chemistry with simple reactors that can be deployed in multi-step continuous processes, scalable from milligrams to tonnes, thereby providing a single technology that can be used along the whole of development chain from initial discovery to final manufacture. We will integrate these reactors with process analytics (PAT) because successful flow processes need to be underpinned by robust PAT, which can accelerate process development and ensure the continuing quality of the product. (iii) Apply Life Cycle Assessment to quantify the financial, environmental, and resource utilisation aspects of our Vortex reactor concepts. Through a comparison with conventional batch-based production processes, this will help to identify both the commercial case for vortex reactor deployment, as well as providing a comprehensive, parameter-based understanding of the potential sustainability gains that can be achieved by deploying the technology. Our team is highly interdisciplinary comprising chemists with expertise in organic chemistry, reactor design and innovative process analytics, and engineers with skills in fluid modelling, Life Cycle Assessment and sustainability. Our recent reactor innovations are the starting point of Sus-Flow, exploiting toroidal Taylor vortices to achieve excellent mixing and mass transfer that are reflected in very high space-time yields and highly compact reactors. Using computational fluid dynamics and additive manufacture, we will take this Vortex concept to new levels. To ensure manufacturability and implementation, we are partnering with both major pharma and CROs. Aims and Objectives: To transform the Vortex reactor from a successful academic development into an attractive methodology for manufacturing medicines in an industrial context. Specific objectives will be delivered via five packages. 1. To demonstrate how the Vortex reactor concept can eliminate major bottlenecks to sustainability in manufacture of key APIs. 2. To innovate new capabilities for continuous Vortex reactors. 3. To apply effective PAT to monitor, optimise and control continuous processes in Vortex reactors, both to quantify major products and to monitor low concentrations of unwanted by-products. 4. To optimise reactor performance via Computational Fluid Dynamics. 5. To implement reliable metrics, based on Life Cycle approaches, to identify how Vortex reactors can increase the sustainability of a particular manufacturing route.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-07

Each fellowship will last up to 18 months to cover: a 3-month inception phase for set up activity a 12-month placement with the host organisation an impact phase lasting up to 3 months Fellows will co-design projects and activities with their host and produce analysis to inform government decision-making across a range of policy priorities. Fellows will also engage across the host organisation, building effective working relationships and supporting wider knowledge exchange with researchers. This will be supported through their embedded role within the host organisation, including line management support.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-07

We are applying for funding for a cutting-edge Leica Stellaris 8 confocal microscope, equipped with Fluorescence Lifetime Contrast (FALCON) and Digital Light Sheet (DLS) modules. This will replace an aging Leica SP5, a workhorse that has been pivotal in generating over 200 research publications over a period of 15 years, and currently serves 36 regular users. Beyond mere replacement, our proposal introduces novel capabilities that resonate with the evolving landscape of Plant Science research and enable us to pursue areas of BBSRC strategic priority, such as climate-proofing agriculture. The FALCON module (Fast Lifetime Contrast) is a game-changer, not just measuring signal intensity but also capturing the time a fluorophore retains laser energy, enabling Fluorescent Lifetime Imaging (FLIM). This technology unlocks new avenues, from precise quantification of protein-protein interactions, to quantifying cellular pH and cell membrane tension and separating overlapping fluorescent signals. Example projects where we will use these capabilities include: investigating the wave of signals that trigger the release of plant signals (such as the hormone ABA) during drought, assessing photosynthetic efficiency under future climates, and understanding the mechanical processes by which roots navigate soil to acquire both water and nutrients. Currently there are only a few microscopes with FALCON capabilities in the UK. We have specified what we believe to be the first microscope in the UK combining FALCON with Digital Light Sheet (DLS). The DLS module further enhances our microscope's versatility, enabling seamless switching between light sheet and confocal/FALCON acquisition modes. This dynamic capability empowers us to conduct fast 3D acquisitions of large samples and to target specific regions with higher Z resolution, providing a comprehensive view from cellular to organ scales. The only other microscope which we know of with similar configuration is in the University of Helsinki, Finland. We already work closely with labs there, and will continue to do so to develop shared methodology. These capabilities will be unique in the UK and dramatically enhance our ability to address crucial questions in cell biology, whilst framing our results within a whole organ/organism context. Our central location in the Midlands allows access for researchers from nearby universities, such as Warwick and Sheffield. Our goal is to provide accessibility for a regional user base and foster collaboration among plant scientists. One of our strengths as a university is that our expertise extends beyond image acquisition, to include downstream processes, such as image analysis and incorporation of imaging data into mathematical models of plant development. Together with colleagues in Maths and Computer science, we will apply artificial intelligence to analyse the extra information that fluorescence lifetime gives over traditional imaging datasets. This instrument not only addresses our immediate research needs by replacing a well used and ageing machine, but propels Plant Science into a new era, promising groundbreaking discoveries and collaborations in the area of climate proofing agriculture with far-reaching implications for regional and national research initiatives.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-07

Our bodies have a natural response to pain, which helps us avoid harmful things. When we touch something sharp, we feel pain and quickly move our hand away. This is because special nerve cells in our body detect the painful event and send a message to our brain to make us feel pain. Pain is an unpleasant feeling, but it's important because it tells us that something is wrong, and we need to take action to protect ourselves. When we get an injury, like a cut or a bruise, our body sends extra blood to the area to help it heal. This can cause the area to become swollen and painful, even after we've removed the entity that caused the injury. This is called sensitization, and it is a natural way for our body to protect the injured area while it is healing. However, sensitisation can sometimes last for a long time, even after the injury has healed, leading to maladaptive responses and chronic pain. We don't fully understand how our body co-ordinates sensitization, or what make the sensitisation last longer, but we do know that there are many different proteins involved. Some of these proteins can make the nerve cells in our body more sensitive to pain. We want to understand how these proteins work and where they are located in the nerve cells, so that we can find ways to stop chronic pain from happening. Nerve cells have a very complex structure, with elongated projections that can reach up to a meter and extend to all tissues in the body, understanding their function requires the study of their different morphological parts independently. In fact, the very endings of these nerve cell have the capacity produce proteins according to their functional needs. We have used modern approaches in tissue culture and sequencing to identify some potential targets (mRNA) that might be locally synthetised in the nerve endings to produce proteins involved in sensitization. This project aims to test them to see if they really do play a role and unravel their molecular mechanisms. To do this, we are using a simple model system - fruit flies. Although fruit flies might seem very different to mammals like us, their nerves cell are very similar to human nerves in structure and function- they use similar molecular mechanisms and display many key pain signalling proteins in common to those in humans. Drosophila has been proven as a valid model to study many processes including pain sensation ( nociception) and sensitisation. Drosophila larvae respond to pain by rolling away from the noxious stimulus, and this behaviour is modulated by inflammation. Moreover the Drosophila equivalent of our skin is transparent so we can mark and visualise our protein of interest. In this project we will use established and state-of-the-art tools to visualise nerve cell responses to painful stimuli and investigate the role of our identified targets in sensitization. We have established a behavioural assay to study the effects of the novel targets on the fly larvae's rolling behaviour. We can compare how the larvae react to pain in the presence and absence of the target modulators to identify their role in sensitisation. This will help us identify new proteins involved in sensitization. Additionally, starting from the target with a known role in sensitisation and continuing with the one that we will discover, we will study how they work and how they affect the cells. We will then test our findings in mammalian cells to confirm their effectiveness. What we learn will help us understand how sensory nerves behave under normal and altered circumstances (sensitisation), and allow the design of new medicines to stop chronic pain form happening. By working directly on peripheral sensory nerves - that lie outside the brain - better pain-relieving drugs (analgesics) could be created that lack the addictive and psychoactive effects of centrally-acting agents.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-06

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

UKRI Gateway to Research · FY 2024 · 2024-06

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.