Exeter Uni News

Student science and engineering entrepreneurs win cash prizes through fellowship competition

Student science and engineering entrepreneurs win cash prizes through fellowship competition

Entrepreneurial student engineers and scientists shone at the annual ELEVATE Engineering and Sciences in Business Fellowship (ESBF) Competition, winning cash prizes for their innovations.   The U ELEVATE EIBF Competition, sponsored by the Sainsbury Management Fellows Charity, is open to University of Exeter budding student entrepreneurs across the disciplines of engineering, mathematics, sciences, medicine and computer sciences. This extra-curricular business pitch competition is funded by the Engineering and Sciences in Business Fellowship, which supports similar competitions at universities across the country.    In total, 67 students across 41 teams had six minutes each to pitch their innovative business ideas to the ELEVATE Competition judges…

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New book first to showcase how artists explore LGBTQ+ identities through crafts

New book first to showcase how artists explore LGBTQ+ identities through crafts

The processes by which artists identifying as LGBTQ+ use textiles, ceramics and other materials to explore queer histories on personal and broader levels is the focus of a groundbreaking new book published this month. Queer Crafts: Material Practices and the Making of Identity is the first to bring together craft studies and queer theory, opening new discussions around how contemporary practitioners use these materials as powerful vehicles for self-expression, community building, and social critique. Encompassing leading artists from…

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Family courts are failing to recognise intimate image abuse as coercive control, research finds

Family courts are failing to recognise intimate image abuse as coercive control, research finds

The family justice system is systematically misrecognising intimate image abuse within coercively controlling relationships, new research warns. Research by Dr Charlotte Bishop shows that family courts often treat intimate images as neutral pieces of evidence, rather than recognising their use as a form of abuse in itself. Reforms are needed to improve safety for domestic abuse victims and their children and prevent intimate images being used in ways that retraumatise victims, distort credibility assessments, and enable further coercive…

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International research breakthrough for remote Alzheimer’s testing

International research breakthrough for remote Alzheimer’s testing

A groundbreaking international study has demonstrated that Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers can be accurately detected using simple finger-prick blood samples that can be collected at home and mailed to laboratories without refrigeration or prior processing. The research, led by US institute Banner Health working with the University of Exeter Medical School and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) publishes today in Nature Medicine. It represents the first large-scale validation of this accessible testing approach that…

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The Digital Innovation and Circular Economy Network+ provides £160,000 funding for vital research

A UK-wide circular economy network led by Professor Fiona Charnley of the University of Exeter has awarded £160,000 to five research projects. DICE+ Network, an interdisciplinary collaboration between nine UK universities, is a three-year project funded by the ESPRC that aims to leverage the power of digital to drive a circular economy across sectors and value chains. This includes access to funding to help accelerate research into challenge areas at the interface of digital technologies and circular economy.…

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World-leading critical minerals expert awarded OBE

One of the world’s foremost experts on critical minerals and mining, Professor Frances Wall, has been awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List, it has been announced. The Professor of Applied Mineralogy at the Camborne School of Mines, based at the University’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall, received the award for “services to Geoscience and Sustainable Resource Development”. Speaking on receiving the honour, Professor Wall said: ‘I am delighted to have been named for this award. It…

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Feral AI gossip with the potential to spread damage and shame will become more frequent, researchers warn

“Feral” gossip spread via AI bots is likely to become more frequent and pervasive, causing reputational damage and shame, humiliation, anxiety, and distress, researchers have warned. Chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini don’t just make things up—they generate and spread gossip, complete with negative evaluations and juicy rumours that can cause real-world harm, according to new analysis by philosophers Joel Krueger and Lucy Osler from the University of Exeter. The harm caused by AI gossip isn’t a hypothetical…

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Menopause hormone therapy does not appear to impact dementia risk

A major review of prior research has found no evidence that menopause hormone therapy either increases or decreases dementia risk in post-menopausal women, in a new study led by University College London researchers and supported by the University of Exeter. The findings, commissioned by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, add much-needed clarity to a hotly debated topic, and reinforce current clinical guidance that menopause hormone therapy, also called hormone replacement therapy…

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New executive programme to give business leaders edge on quantum technologies

A new professional education programme designed exclusively for senior executives will address the critical need for strategic foresight in the coming “quantum economy”. Announced by the University of Exeter and cybersecurity firm Cystel Limited, the programme will launch in the new year and is the first of its kind to focus on managing governance and quantum risk during a company’s quantum transformation.  It is specifically tailored to empower business leaders to capitalise on the technology’s “unprecedented growth opportunities”…

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CREWW launches Safe to Swim Forum to shape the future of bathing water safety and quality

CREWW has launched a new expert-led forum in a bid to improve the safety and quality of bathing waters across the South West. The Safe to Swim Forum, developed through our partnership between the University of Exeter and South West Water, brings together leading scientists, public health specialists, regulators, water companies, and local authorities, to use expert knowledge, research, and collaboration to plan evidence-led solutions. The forum will look at how to better measure the risks from harmful…

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Revealed: genetic process which could be treatment target for deadly fungal disease Candida auris

Scientists have discovered a genetic process which could unlock new ways to treat mysterious and deadly fungal infection which has shut down multiple hospital intensive care units. Candida auris is particularly dangerous for people who are critically ill, so hospitals are vulnerable. While it seems to live harmlessly on the skin of increasing numbers of people, patients on ventilators are at high risk.  Once infected, the disease has a death rate of 45 per cent, and can resist…

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New online Creative Writing degree puts students in charge of their timetable

A new online master’s degree, designed to accommodate the commitments and complexities of modern life, will welcome its first students in January. The MA Creative Writing (Online) degree at the University of Exeter has been tailored specifically to put students in control of their own timetable and to break down barriers to learning for those unable to access a campus-based programme. The two-year part-time degree can be studied flexibly, at the learner’s own pace, from wherever they are,…

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