Category Archives: Research
PGR publication – ‘Saccharomyces cerevisiae’ as a Model for Reprogramming of Eukaryotic Cells: Implications for the Study of the Relationship Between Metabolism and Inflammation in Chronic Disease
Neill Friedman is a biochemistry Ph.D. candidate at the University of Northampton, researching mitochondrial function and metabolic health. A former telecoms entrepreneur, Neill entered higher education at 52, completing a Sport and Exercise BSc at UON, after overcoming obesity and a late-diagnosed learning disability. His journey from personal transformation to scientific research reflects a deep commitment to lifelong learning and the power of second chances. He is passionate about demystifying science for mature learners and exploring how lifestyle influences cellular health.
The published paper, a collaboration between Neill his supervisor Dr Alexander Lehner and UON Biochemistry undergraduate student Glirstar John De Britto, details a novel model for examining mitochondrial reprograming in eucaryotic cells and discuses the possible implications for developing a better understanding of the relationship between lifestyle and health.
Here is the link to the paper: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12013-025-01844-w
Come along to the 2024 Postgraduate Researcher Poster Competition!
The Graduate School would like to invite you to their 17th Annual Postgraduate Researcher Poster Competition on Thursday 23rd May 2024, 11am to 2pm, in the Owl’s Nest on the ground floor of the Learning Hub, Waterside campus. The poster competition is a development opportunity for doctoral research students, who present their research on a research poster, giving short 1-1 verbal presentations alongside. Come along to meet some of our PGRs and learn about their research!
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UON Research Conference 2024 – call for submissions deadline extended to 13th May!
The call for submissions for our Annual Research Conference is open to all researchers at UON, so whether you are a PGR student, an early career or more experienced researcher you can apply to present your research on Tuesday 25th June (on campus) and/or on Wednesday 26th June (online). You have the choice of a 15 min oral presentation, chairing a round table discussion, facilitating a workshop, presenting a 20/20 Pecha Kucha (20 slides, each for 20 secs!), designing a research poster/infographic for an online collection or submitting an artefact/object for a ‘touch the exhibits’ display on campus. You can enter as many of these categories as you would like. The call closes at midnight on 13th May. To enter read on…..
Read the rest of this entryCome to the UON Annual Research Conference!
You are invited to attend the University of Northampton Annual Research Conference that will run online on June 27 and in person on June 28 2023.
The conference is critical to UON’s research environment and gives all involved the chance to share, showcase and develop research, as well as hearing and learning from others. It also presents an ideal opportunity to network with other researchers and share research experiences.
Read the rest of this entryCome along to the Annual Postgraduate Researcher Poster Competition!
The Graduate School would like to invite you to their Annual Postgraduate Researcher Poster Competition on Thursday 25th May 2023, 11am to 2pm, in the Owl’s Nest on the ground floor of the Learning Hub, Waterside campus. The poster competition is a development opportunity for doctoral research students, who present their research on a research poster, giving short 1-1 verbal presentations alongside. Come along to meet some of our PGRs and learn about their research!
If you are a researcher or a research student yourself why not come along to support your colleagues. The event is a competition and we are offering a first prize of £100, and two second prizes of £75 for the top three posters. We will have judges circulating, picked from academic and non-academic staff. Judges will score the posters on design, accessibility of content, verbal presentation and researcher engagement. The prizes will be announced at 1.45pm.
We hope to see you there!
Holiday reading… and watching for PGRs!
If you are looking to develop some research skills during the Easter (or summer!) holidays we have a wide range of courses, slides and other resources on offer online, as well as recordings of Graduate School webinars. Read on to find out where you can access these….
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Reminder – only a few days left to enter into Images of Research!
The Graduate School’s Images of Research (IoR) competition Call for Images will close on March 31st – so do get your entry in soon! For the Call for Images article see https://researchsupporthub.northampton.ac.uk/2021/12/08/dust-off-your-cameras-dig-out-your-sketchbook-images-of-research-is-back-in-2022/
If you are a researcher (staff or research student) at the University of Northampton, why not take part? Pick up your camera or paintbrush and produce a unique image which captures the essence of your research, or an element of your research, in a visual, artistic or photographic way. Top that off with a snappy title and 150 word summary and that is all you need to do to participate. See the IoR 2021-22 Rules and Guidelines for how to apply.
This year’s IoR will, again, be a double competition, where viewers can vote for their top three favourites and an expert judge will also choose their top three. Entries (see below) must be emailed to Simone Apel by the extended close date of March 31st 2022.
New Graduate School Newsletters
The Graduate School have launched a new series of fortnightly newsletters, published every other Thursday. These replace the Word format Graduate School Notices document. The new update will have the same notices and updates but will feature more news, features and events, relating to Graduate School operations, researcher development, information for PGRs and Supervisors, research degree notices, seminars and events running across the university and call for papers.
The first newsletter was published on October 28th, with fortnightly issues. If you have any item you would like us to consider please send content and contact details to simone.apel@northampton.ac.uk by noon on the Tuesday before publication. Back copies can be found in the Files in Graduate School Yammer.
COVID-19 update: guidance on planned research and enterprise activities
**Updates: As the COVID-19 situation continues to develop, the default institutional expectation remains that research and enterprise activities should proceed in online or virtual formats. It is recognised that exceptions will exist, but until further notice, all face-to-face research/enterprise activities work can only proceed with the approval of the most relevant Dean or Deputy Dean (or for LLS/ILT – Head of LLS), following risk assessment in alignment with current University of Northampton guidelines. As a default position, research/enterprise work will not be allowed to proceed if:
- alternative, remote research methods could be used which will meet the objectives of the research in an ethical manner;
- the planned work involves UK or international travel;
- the planned activity can feasibly be postponed.
Further guidance, plus expectations about risk assessments and new resources for online research methods are outlined below.
Current position
The University of Northampton’s Situation Updates page is the primary source of information and updates for colleagues and researchers at the University of Northampton: https://www.northampton.ac.uk/about-us/situation-updates/
Given the exceptional, unprecedented situation which is ongoing as a result of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, all researchers must reflect on their planned and ongoing activities: this may necessitate pausing, rescheduling or amending activities. Amendments to activities, or proposals for new research/enterprise activities, must be reviewed and approved by the University of Northampton’s Research Ethics Committee or Faculty Ethics Committees.
It is likely that COVID-19 will cause significant disruption for research activities, particularly where:
- proposed/ongoing research activities require face-to-face contact with participants, particularly those who are at-risk or require self-isolation as per the latest UK Government advice;
- researchers are themselves at-risk or require self-isolation;
- proposed research involves UK or international travel;
- planned research requires visits to settings which are closed or have restricted access as a result of COVID-19.
If you are concerned about the impacts of the current situation on your ongoing/planned research, support is available as follows:
Read the rest of this entryResearch Seminars that bridge gaps in our thinking!
Rapid Analysis of Environmental Mycobacteria Species in Water Samples using PCR
Speaker: Farzana Sultana
Monday 1st July 10am
Location Learning Hub 323
Speaker: Qiuling Bi
Critical Thinking Instruction Through Project-based Learning in Chinese EFL Classes: A Case Study in HE
Tuesday 2nd July 9-10am
Location: Senate 212
Teaching American Literature in the Age of Trump: An Uncanny Pedagogy
Speaker: Lawrence Phillips (Regents University)
Wednesday 3rd July 2:15pm
Location: Senate 405
Student Wellbeing in Higher Education: Sense-Making through Narrative Inquiry
Speaker: Sally Sharp (See poster for more information)
Monday 15th July 12-1pm
Location: Learning Hub 016
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