Departmental news

In recognition of their contribution to excellence, Professor Jane Bryan, Dr Rajnaara Choudhury Akhtar and Dr Charlotte Woodhead have been nominated for a Warwick 2026 Research Celebration Award.

Kinesin molecular motors step directionally along microtubules inside cells, hauling molecular cargoes. This is fundamental to the way cells organise themselves and is crucially important, for example. for brain function. Karnawat et al use single molecule optical trapping to show that replacing kinesin's ATP chemical fuel with ATPγS, in which just one oxygen atom of ATP is replaced with a sulphur, still allows stepping but defeats most of its directional bias. Asking why reveals the mechanism of directional stepping in unprecedented detail.
Read the paper here.Link opens in a new window

Colocalisation in microscopy is notoriously difficult to quantify. Here, we applied a new statistical method using the Earth mover's distance to analyse microscopy movies of microtubule-associated proteins moving inside cells. The work was done by Tom Honnor in Julia Brettschneider's group in Statistics in collaboration with the Royle lab in BMS.

Read the paper here.Link opens in a new window

Faculty of Arts Showcase

As some of you know, the showcase space in the FAB foyer was originally conceived in 2015 as part of a cabinet of curiosities project space to highlight research across the Faculty. The History of Art department’s 50^th anniversary display showed what a strong, department-led presentation can deliver. 

New Programme to Highlight Research

To increase strategic use of the showcase, the Art Collection curatorial team has worked with the Faculty on a new proposal, enabling staff and students to develop displays selected through a Faculty process.

While this programme gets underway, the Art Collection team has supported a new display by a Coventry artist, aligning with the University’s cultural strategy and its commitment to strengthening the city’s arts ecology.

This gives colleagues time to propose exhibitions for consideration. The Art Collection team will provide support and a small interpretation budget of £250 including VAT. If proposals are not forthcoming or viable, the young talent group from the Art Collection Committee will curate displays featuring other Coventry artists. Please see the paper for further detail on the policy and how to apply. 

Mead Gallery Forward Programme

Your proposals may also connect with our upcoming programme and help generate broader engagement and impact. Our schedule for the next academic year is: 

Autumn Term 2026

British Art Show 10: 1 October 2025 -10 January 2026

The British Art Show, held every five years, is the UK’s major survey of contemporary art. Coventry is the opening venue for its 10th edition, launching across the Mead, Herbert Art Gallery, and Coventry University.

I hope it would be possible to include any related departmental activity or events in the city-wide programme that is being curated around the core exhibition. 

Curated by Ekow Eshun, its themes include:

• A People Yet to Come: alternative futures, myth, and new forms of kinship
• Inner Visions: dreams, memory, and the subconscious
• Listen to the Land: ecological attention to the more‑than‑human world
• Traces of History: fragments of suppressed or unstable histories 

Summer Term 2027

George Shaw

George Shaw paints Tile Hill, the area immediately beyond the cemetery from campus. Using enamel paint, his work addresses themes of memory, urban environments, and British working‑class identity.

If you would like to discuss any of this, do please contact me.

Very best wishes

Sarah

Sarah Shalgosky (she/her)

Principal Curator, University of Warwick

We are delighted to congratulate Dr Anna Hájková, Reader in Modern European Continental History, on receiving the 75th National Jewish Book Award in the Holocaust category for their latest publication, A People without History are Dust: Queer Desire in the Holocaust.

The book is the first to examine queer Holocaust history, exploring same-sex desire and gender variance during the Shoah.

The National Jewish Book Awards are North America’s longest-running programme recognising outstanding work on Jewish history, culture, and ideas. Further details on all award recipients can be found on the Jewish Book Council website.

Twenty years after graduating from Warwick, economics alumnus and entrepreneur Pratik Dattani joined Daniel Whitehouse, a current Year 1 Economics and Management student, for a virtual interview. As Daniel begins to explore what economics really means beyond the lecture theatre, Pratik reflects on how the subject has shaped his career across public policy, consulting and entrepreneurship.

Pratik Dattani (BSc Economics 2006)

Pratik’s background is in economic analysis and leading global market entry strategies, including government liaison and public affairs. He is the Founder of think tank Bridge India. He was additionally, until August 2017, UK Director for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He is the co-founder of a charity advisory initiative, working with HNI donors give better. Earlier, he was Chairman for a not-for-profit membership organisation with several thousand members for three years.

Previously he worked in Economic Consulting at FTI Consulting and Deloitte in London and Abu Dhabi. He studied Economics at Warwick University, where he was awarded the Prize for Excellence, and LMU University of Munich. His dissertation won a prize at an international economics conference at Georgetown University. He has published academic research on behavioural economics and social impact, and contributed to various books, particularly on India. He is a regular commentator on public policy and India in the media, having appeared in The Economist, Financial Times, Times of India, BBC and other leading publications over the last year. He occasionally lectures at King’s College London.

Pratik Dattani was interviewed by Daniel Whitehouse, current BSc Economics and Management Year 1 student, on 6 February 2026

Q: As someone still figuring out what economics looks like in practice, I’m curious: how do you explain what you do to people who aren’t economists?

I think that is a good question. I usually go back to year one microeconomics and the idea of scarcity. Economics is about infinite wants and very limited resources, and how you maximise the resources you have to benefit those you’re trying to reach. Along that journey you face difficult choices. Do you care about one part of the public more or another? You are making normative judgments about how to spend limited money and limited time.

Q: You’ve worked in economics, public policy consulting and entrepreneurship. From a student’s perspective these feel like very different worlds. What connects them for you?

The common thread is that all of these areas are multidisciplinary. Whether you are in the public sector, investment banking, or starting your own business, you are constantly combining different skills. As you get more senior, the technical skills matter less; relationships matter more. Someone can always do something faster or cheaper than you. What really matters is how you combine skills across disciplines and apply them well.

Q: I saw you were featured on the front page of the FT last Monday. What was that experience like, and why were you interviewed?

On Monday (2nd Feb) I was on the front page of the Financial Times commenting on President Trump’s announcement of a reduced tariff for India, following an agreement with the India Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop buying Russian oil. I’ve spent over a decade in international trade, including running the UK office for a large chamber of commerce and being involved in various substantial UK-India cross-border deals. It’s a real privilege to be featured in The Economist, Financial Times and similar publications, because it shows that along the career journey, the economics skills I picked up at Warwick are relevant and valued by large publications.

Q: Where did you grow up, and how has that shaped the way you see the world today?

I was born in a village in India, studied in Munich for a year, worked in Abu Dhabi and now while London is home, we have offices in Uganda and India. These experiences have taught me how the world is seen differently across borders and cultures. Meeting so many nationalities during my time at Warwick was one of the building blocks for this.

Q: Could you explain what EPG does? I’d like to understand the types of problems you work on.

We do two main things. First, we help British companies with market entry into India. That is often deeptech companies, but equally other companies which solve problems at scale. We will help them navigate supply chains and work closely with government to do so. Second, our work is related to strategic communications, which involves helping a client’s target publics (there can be more than one) better engage with their target stakeholders. Colloquially, this is PR, influencer management, public affairs and publishing thought leadership.

Q: How does your economics training show up in your work now? And what other skills have become just as important?

The main benefit is the way of thinking. If you use economics to solve a business problem, you break it down into digestible blocks. You ask what resources you have and how you rank them in importance. Microeconomics, especially ideas about revealed and stated preferences, show up all the time. I find larger companies are more focused on billing. For a smaller team like ours, we really want to go on a journey with the founder. It’s lonely to be a leader, so aside from the technical aspects of what we might do, just supporting them in their growth is sometimes just as important.

Q: You were involved in Warwick Economics Society and helped start Assumptions magazine. What made you want to do that? Do you still stay involved with people from Warwick and do you still read Assumptions?

I was looking for things to get involved in that combined my interest in economics with doing something practical. We started Assumptions in 2007. At the beginning there was no budget. It was printed in black and white and left in the department office. I’m grateful for Aldi being our first sponsor, which meant we could now print in colour.

In 2008 while I was in Munich, I was flatmates with two people who organised the annual Carroll Round, a dissertation competition hosted by Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. I was the first student from any university outside the US to be accepted. I flew there to present, thanks to the Economics department, won one of their prizes.

It’s a proud moment to see that two initiatives I started 20 years ago in Warwick still exist today. Building legacy like this goes beyond individuals and secures institutions and relationships across borders which last.

I keep in touch with many of the people I went to Warwick with. When we graduated, most went into investment banking, professional services or did a Masters. Looking back now, many of those same people have changed direction and changed careers several times. When students ask me for career advice, I usually tell them that whatever they think they will be doing in five years is probably not what will actually happen.

Pratik Dattani is Managing Director at EPG and founder of Bridge India, an award-winning progressive non-profit think tank dedicated to discourse on public policy.

This week we are delighted to interview Professor Sam Adelman, for our Warwick Law School Staff Spotlight series.

Three Weeks of Poetry and Performance
Seven events, three weeks, all free

Welcome to the first Warwick PoetryFest, a vibrant celebration of energy, creativity, and the freshest voices Warwick has to offer. Across three weeks and seven free events, this new festival brings together Warwick alumni poets, rising student voices, and sessions shaped and led by students, where poetry meets community and every voice matters.

We invite all Warwick staff and students to join us for poetry and performance that inspires, challenges, and delights. Whether you love spoken word, new writing, or want to take the mic yourself, there is something for everyone.

PoetryFest is developed collaboratively with students and hosted by poet Professor David Morley, and forms part of the Warwick Writing Programme’s Warwick Thursdays series in the School of Creative Arts, Performance and Visual Cultures. Please share the word. Everything is free and open to all current students and staff.

Events & Details:

• Thu 26 Feb, 5–6:15 pm | Jane Commane
  OC1.01, Oculus Building
  Coventry-born poet and publisher Jane Commane launches Assembly Lines with opening poet Aanu Akintola.
• Mon 2 Mar, 1–1:45 pm | You Must Not Come Lightly!
  FAB0.20, FAB Building
  Warwick Poetry Society shares readings inspired by Stephen King’s On Writing.
• Thu 5 Mar, 5–6:15 pm | Jonathan Edwards
  OC1.01, Oculus Building
  Costa Award-winning poet and alum Jonathan Edwards reads with opener Fig Leary.
• Mon 9 Mar, 1–1:45 pm | UniSlam Reading
  FAB0.20, FAB Building
  Warwick’s national slam champs perform live, including University Slam Champion Aanu Akintola.
• Thu 12 Mar, 5–6:15 pm | Cathy Galvin
  OC1.01, Oculus Building
  Launch of Ethnology: A Love Song for Connemara by poet and alum Cathy Galvin.
• Thu 12 Mar, 7–8:30 pm | The Agora Poets Invite You…
  JX2.03, The Junction
  Open mic hosted by postgrads The Agora Poets. To perform, RSVP claire.cunningham@warwick.ac.uk.
• Mon 16 Mar, 1–1:45 pm | Concordia: Voices in Harmony
  FAB0.20, FAB Building
  Poetry anthology launch and undergrad student reading.