Exeter Uni News

Cultural traditions such as Christmas influence the moral judgments of children about eating animals. That’s according to new research from the University of Exeter, published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, which found childhood is a pivotal period for negotiating complex values around the cultural acceptability of eating meat. Research shows young children generally display greater moral concern for animals than adults and often think it’s not acceptable to eat them and struggle with the idea of eating…

New research has found that Fiddler crabs are playing an unheralded role when it comes to hoovering up microplastics found in the world’s mangrove forests and salt marshes. Scientists studying a thriving population of Fiddler crabs in a polluted mangrove forest in Colombia have found that they can ingest and break down large quantities of small plastic particles in the sediment. The ability to mobilise large amounts of sediment for feeding and sheltering, and the creature’s specialised digestive…

A jockey who switched careers to focus on neuroscience research following injury was among those celebrating at the University of Exeter’s winter graduation. Tommy Eyston, 25, completed a Masters in Neuroscience at Exeter and received a distinction while also riding as an amateur jockey. Having also ridden as an amateur before her studies, Tommy decided to go professional as a conditional jockey after completing an undergraduate degree in chemistry at the University of Bristol in 2022. As a…

GenZ’s are better at recognising people within their own age group than those outside it, according to new research. Researchers from the University of Exeter examined the Own-Age Bias (OAB), a well-documented tendency for people to better recognise faces from their own age group. They found that older adults were equally good at recognising both older and younger faces, whereas younger adults struggled to recognise older faces. Ciro Civile Associate Professor in Cognitive and Biological Psychology at the…

A new interactive map shows how land managers and heritage practitioners are using new approaches to conservation in response to climate change. The ‘Changing Places Storymap’ is an initiative from the Adaptive Heritage Practice Lab (AHPL), part of a wider programme at the University of Exeter exploring practical strategies for heritage adaptation. As climate change causes rising sea levels, shifting coastlines and changing weather patterns across the UK, many historic sites and landscapes are increasingly vulnerable and more…

From January – July 2026, artist, writer and educator Linda Stupart will be working with the University of Exeter’s Gender and Sexuality Collective as an Arts and Culture Creative Fellow. They will be collaborating on an exciting new creative project to reimagine ways in how gender and sexuality could be taught and researched across the institution. The newly created Sexuality and Gender Studies Collective aim to strengthen cross-disciplinary collaboration, promote visibility of expertise, and develop innovative education and…

University of Exeter students have celebrated their academic achievements in style at this year’s sparking winter graduation ceremonies. Around 5,000 guests saw their loved-ones graduate. The new graduates had studied 109 different courses and were from 98 different countries. Professor Dame Fiona Murray CBE DCMG received an honorary degree of science for her contribution to public service. Professor Murray is an expert in the formation and scaling of deep tech ventures that solve global challenges – most notably in defense, security,…

Researchers at the University of Exeter have received almost £4 million of funding for their work in understanding type 1 diabetes. The awards have come from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and are the latest example of the extensive financial support Helmsley has given research projects at the University over the past nine years. To date, the Helmsley Charitable Trust has awarded $10,637,854 (£7.98 million) to research at Exeter into type 1 diabetes. Professor…

Sir Michael Barber, Chancellor of the University of Exeter, will join the House of Lords. An expert in government policy, Sir Michael is among 34 political peerages approved by the King.  Sir Michael is one of 25 new peers nominated by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in his role as leader of the Labour Party, alongside five Liberal Democrats, three Conservatives and one crossbench peer. The official citation describes Sir Michael as a “globally recognised expert in government…