We are joining the global celebration of National Postdoc Appreciation Week – an initiative dedicated to acknowledging, recognising, and celebrating the outstanding contributions of postdocs and early career researchers (ECRs) to research, teaching, mentoring, outreach, and much more. The Public Health and Sports Sciences department is immensely proud of our ECRs, whose dedication, innovation, and hard work continue to advance knowledge and make a real impact in their fields. Dr George Pavis Dr Pavis joined the Nutritional Physiology Research Group in 2016 and has a background in skeletal muscle metabolism and nutritional interventions for health and performance. After postdoctoral training at the University of Limerick and under Professor Benjamin Wall, he returned to Exeter to work with Professor Francis Stephens and other Type 2 Diabetes experts. He has been invited to present his latest research findings at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 61st Annual Conference in Vienna. This Medical Research Council-funded study, conducted in collaboration with the University of British Columbia, involved 12 participants with Type 2 Diabetes who consumed either ‘ketone monoester’ supplements or a placebo before meal-like drinks throughout the day. The research included over 400 hours of data collection and 800 blood samples, demonstrating…

Most coral reefs will soon stop growing and may begin to erode – and almost all will do so if global warming hits 2°C, according to a new study in the western Atlantic. An international team, led by scientists from the University of Exeter, assessed 400 reef sites around Florida, Mexico and Bonaire. The study, published in the journal Nature, projects that more than 70% of the region’s reefs will stop growing by 2040 – and over 99% will do so by 2100 if warming reaches 2°C or more above pre-industrial levels. Climate change – along with other issues such as coral disease and deteriorating water quality – reduces overall reef growth by killing corals and impacting colony growth rates. To understand how changing reef ecology is impacting reef growth potential – in other words, how the balance of living organisms translates into vertical “accretion” (reef-building) – the team analysed fossil reefs from across the tropical western Atlantic region to improve understanding of how reef growth rates vary depending on the types of coral present. They then combined this with ecological data from more than 400 modern reef sites across the region to calculate present-day reef growth rates, and to explore…

The University of Exeter Business School’s Master’s programmes have improved their placing in the QS Business Master’s Rankings 2026. The annual rankings highlight postgraduate programmes with strong links to industry, positive alumni outcomes and excellent return on investment. They assess a range of indicators including diversity, employability and thought leadership. The Business School’s programmes enjoyed success, either improving or maintaining their year-on-year ranking position. Both MSc Marketing and Finance ranked in the top 100 programmes globally, and the online MBA, part of the Senior Leaders Degree Apprenticeship, ranked 23rd in the world and 7th in the UK. Underpinning Exeter’s improved ranking position were score increases across all the programmes submitted: MSc Management, MSc Finance, MSc Marketing, MSc Business Analytics, and The Exeter MBA.  Each programme is now ranked in the top 30 in the UK, with MSc Marketing climbing to 16th. Professor Steve Wood, Dean of the University of Exeter Business School, said: “I am delighted that our Master’s programmes have either held or improved their position in this year’s QS ranking, which is a testament to the high quality of our teaching, our hard-working staff and the students we are able to attract.” The ranking success follows the University of Exeter Business School’s recent shortlisting for THE Business School…

Researchers specialising in fields related to the workings of the brain are being invited to apply for new starter grants available through an international partnership with City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK). Up to £30,000 is available across an estimated six collaborative projects in brain science, encompassing neuroscience, psychology, linguistics, mathematics and computing. The call for applications was opened at a September event at CityUHK, which showcased the progress of four inaugural Initiator Projects that have been running since April. The Brain Science initiative is designed to complement the CityUHK-led Institute for Digital Medicine, in which Exeter is a key partner, strengthening joint research in health, wellbeing, and technology-driven healthcare. Both universities are internationally recognised for research excellence and innovation in brain sciences and health-related fields. Professor Katie Lunnon, Professor in Dementia Genomics at the University of Exeter Medical School, said: “This initiative highlights the power of collaboration in tackling complex challenges. By combining Exeter’s and CityUHK’s strengths across disciplines, we are creating the foundations for transformative discoveries in brain science that will benefit societies worldwide.” By bringing together complementary expertise, the collaborative Brain Science initiative is designed to foster novel, cross-disciplinary approaches to understanding the brain and its connection to…