Departmental news

Mark Zuckerberg has announcedLink opens in a new window changes to moderation on Meta platforms, including an end to independent fact-checking on its platforms, increases in the amount of political content recommended to users, and " getting rid of a number of restrictions on topics like immigration, gender identity and gender that are the subject of frequent political discourse and debate."

Dr Mateusz Stalinski,Link opens in a new window Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics, comments:-

“Meta’s decision to reduce the amount of content moderation across their platforms does not come as a surprise. With X increasingly branding itself as leader in promoting largely unrestrained freedom of expression on social media, Meta has faced competitive pressure to take action.

“Social media platforms have a track record of responding to each other’s policy changes. Following Twitter’s ban on political advertisement in 2019 (Elon Musk reinstated them in 2023), Facebook swiftly took action to introduce a tool that allowed its users to opt out of political ads during the 2020 election campaign.

“While Meta’s recent announcement to reduce censorship is partially forced by policies of its competitors, it also directly benefits the platform itself. Research Link opens in a new windowconducted by researchers from the University of Warwick, Bocconi University, and Columbia University shows that exposure to toxic content on social media increases user engagement, which can improve platforms’ advertising revenue. From this angle, the increased external pressure to protect the freedom of expression is a welcome excuse to forward business goals without being explicit about it.”

7 January 2025

This summer’s Paralympic Games saw a triumphant return to form for Warwick Economics graduate and professional wheelchair tennis player Daniel Caverzaschi after almost two years off the court owing to injury and surgery.

With his doubles partner Martín de la Puente, Daniel won Spain's ever first medal in wheelchair tennis - a bronze – in a dramatic match on the famous Roland Garros courts.

Daniel’s Paralympian journey began during his first year at Warwick, when he qualified for the London 2012 Games.

He shares with us some reflections on his summer of sport, memories of his time at Warwick and his busy life away from the courts:

Tell us about your experience of taking part in the Paralympic Games in Paris. What was the atmosphere like?

The atmosphere in Paris was something truly special. Winning the bronze medal against the French pair on the courts of Roland Garros, stadium absolutely packed, was a moment that dreams are made of. Seeing a full stadium for wheelchair tennis was an absolute highlight for me. And confronting a full stadium of French cheering like crazy for my opponents (and sometimes even booing us), may sound funny, but actually represents the integration I want: where people don’t see the disability in us, but just the fierce competitors who, in this case, they want to beat! This is the perfect representation of disability normalisation, isn’t it?

It’s hard to say if these were my favourite Games, but I will certainly never forget them. Just being there was already a personal victory, and winning Spain’s first-ever wheelchair tennis medal made it even more unforgettable.

One clear takeaway from Paris is that interest in adapted sports is growing significantly.

What were your expectations going into the Games – in singles and in doubles?

At the start of the year, my main goal was simply to qualify. After the injuries and surgeries, I wasn’t sure how far I could go. In singles, I wanted to build on my past performances, but the Games felt too soon after my injury. However, all my singles matches had a lot of drama, and when I put everything into perspective, I’m satisfied with my performance.

In doubles, Martín and I knew we had a chance, but we had to beat one of the favourite pairs, the Dutch. Once we did, we knew we could make history. The semifinals are still hard to think about—we lost against the world number 2 pair in a super tie-break by just two points. That’s elite sports for you! We had a strong chance going into the bronze match, but playing against the hosts is always complicated. Perhaps it was meant to be that we had to lose the semifinals to win the bronze against the French. After all, they say the Spanish love playing at Roland Garros!

What do you think of as your most satisfying career achievements?

Winning the bronze medal in Paris is definitely one of my career highlights. It wasn’t just about the medal but about the long road it took to get there. My Paralympic diplomas in Rio and Tokyo were also important milestones. These moments are special because they show my consistent effort over the years and the progress we’ve made in wheelchair tennis as a sport. Of course, the Paralympic Games are extra special, but we also compete in the four Grand Slams—playing at Wimbledon, the US Open, Roland Garros, and the Australian Open is an experience like no other. I can’t wait for the Grand Slam season to kick off in Australia in 2025; I feel more ready than ever. The best is yet to come, my friends!

How have you managed to stay so competitive at the elite level for so long in a sport in which the competition keeps getting tougher?

It comes down to discipline, both physically and mentally. The level of competition keeps increasing, which pushes me to work even harder. I focus a lot on physical training, but mental conditioning is just as important. Surrounding myself with the right people has also been crucial. I’ve always had a great team behind me, and their support has helped me maintain my competitive edge. I also have very clear goals, which keeps my hunger for success alive.

Another key factor, and something which I think is important for sports but for life in general, is keeping a resilience mindset and seeing all the barriers that come to you as opportunities to grow and to come back stronger. I’m very proud of how I’ve managed the setbacks in my career and in life. This has led me to come back so fast to the Top10 after a serious injury and surprise everyone - even myself - this past year.

Where did your initial interest in tennis start? And who has been most instrumental throughout your career?

I’ve loved tennis for as long as I can remember. As a kid, my parents encouraged me to play many sports, regardless of my disability. I really enjoyed skiing, but it’s probably best I swapped the skis for the racket because I’m known to be a bit too daring! Once I started playing wheelchair tennis, I knew it was the sport for me. It's also one of the most professionalized adapted sports out there, with a strong competitive yearly calendar. My family has always supported me, and I’ve had amazing coaches who have guided me throughout my career. There have been many people along the way—mentors, teammates, and even competitors—who have inspired me to keep improving. A big shoutout as well to my sponsors, some of which have been supporting me for the past decade, for believing in me throughout all these years.

How did you manage to combine intensive training - and qualification for London 2012! - with studying for your (first-class) degree at Warwick?

Ufff, that was a tough one. I can remember the exact moments as if it were yesterday… I remember my conversation with Robin Naylor where I had to make a decision in February whether I should take a gap year in order to focus on traveling the world and qualify for London 2012, or attempt both things at the same time, risk failing one of the exams and not being able to take the resits because it coincided with the Games. It wasn’t an easy decision. Robin was incredibly supportive and gave me the confidence I needed. I obviously chose the risky decision… And it was all about time management and a lot of discipline. Balancing my degree with training for the London 2012 Paralympics and traveling 9 weeks in 3 months all around the world from February to May, just before the end of year exams, was extremely challenging and stressful, but as I said I’m someone who enjoys a good challenge. I had to make sacrifices, but ultimately, my passion for both tennis and my studies kept me motivated. And the confidence that my parents and Robin gave me in giving it my best. Late nights, early mornings, and discovering the role of coffee in those moments were part of the routine, but it was worth it in the end. The grind it took to accomplish those goals led me to one of my most happy memories. That’s when I realized that giving it all, regardless of the outcome (in this case it was positive but in other cases it wasn’t), brings happiness.

What are your strongest memories of studying Economics at Warwick?

Warwick was an amazing place to study. I have great memories and made many friendships that last to this day. Aside from the social element, graduating with a first-class degree in Economics was a huge sense of accomplishment. The university was a community that supported and encouraged me, both academically and athletically, while the discipline I learned during my time at Warwick has carried over into my tennis career.

Please bring us up to date with what you’ve been doing professionally away from the tennis court since you graduated.

Since graduating, I’ve focused a lot on using my platform to promote and normalize disability through sport. In 2023, I co-founded VLP Sports, which works with brands to raise awareness about athletes with disabilities and create impactful campaigns. I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur, and it made sense to combine my passion for sports with disability normalization and apply some of the elements I learned with my economics degree as well!

How do you combine elite tennis with your other roles and ambitions?

It’s definitely a balancing act. Tennis is my main focus, but my work with VLP Sports is also a big part of my life. I’ve learned to manage my time effectively and have built a great team to support me in both areas. It’s not always easy and requires making sacrifices, but I’m passionate about both and have found a way to make it work. My team helps keep everything on track, allowing me to continue competing while also pursuing my other professional goals.

You have written that one of your passions is to motivate people to see problems as opportunities for growth and differences as advantages. Could you tell us more about this as an approach to life?

I believe that we all face challenges, but it’s how we respond to those challenges that defines us. I was born with my disability, but I didn’t let that stop me from pursuing my dreams. Instead, I’ve used it as a source of strength. I want to show people that differences are not limitations—they are opportunities to grow and excel. My goal is to create a world where social barriers don’t exist, and where everyone is judged on their abilities, not their disabilities. This is my mission, and it’s also the mission of my company, VLP Sports.

We wish Daniel every success in his 2025 matches!

Photo (published with permission of Dani Caverzaschi): Dani Caverzaschi (left) with Martín de la Puente (right) at the Paris Paralympics Games 2024.

World-leading research from Warwick Medical School (WMS) has been recognised in this year’s New Year Honours List.

Professor Gavin Perkins, Dean of Medicine at Warwick Medical School since August 2023, has been awarded an MBE for services to Resuscitation Science. There is also an MBE for Professor of Obstetrics Siobhan Quenby for services to obstetrics research.

A paper co-authored by Matthias C. Caro has been featured on the cover of PRX Quantum. PRX Quantum is a premier journal for quantum information science and technology research. The work was a collaboration with Haimeng Zhao (Caltech & Tsinghua), Laura Lewis (Caltech & Google), Ishaan Kannan (Caltech), Yihui Quek (Harvard & MIT) and Hsin-Yuan Huang (Caltech, Google & MIT).

Characterizing a quantum system by learning its state or unitary evolution is a key tool in developing quantum devices, with applications in practical quantum machine learning, benchmarking, and error mitigation. However, in general, this task requires exponentially many resources. Prior knowledge is required to circumvent this exponential bottleneck. The paper pinpoints the complexity for learning states and unitaries that can be implemented by quantum circuits with a bounded number of gates, a broad setting that is topical for current quantum technologies. When measuring efficiency with respect to the number of accesses to the unknown quantum state or unitary, the paper presents and implements algorithms that are provably optimally efficient. Thereby, this work establishes the equivalence between the complexity of learning quantum states or unitaries and the complexity of creating them. However, it also shows that the data processing necessarily requires exponential computation time under reasonable cryptographic assumptions.

Congratulations to Dr Xingyu ZhaoLink opens in a new window, from WMG at the University of Warwick’s Safe Autonomy research group, who has been awarded the EPSRC’s prestigious New Investigator AwardLink opens in a new window (NIA).

The purpose of the NIA scheme is to address a gap identified in the funding landscape and support researchers to develop their own research vision.

Dr Xingyu ZhaoLink opens in a new window, Assistant Professor in Safety-Critical Systems, was praised for his project entitled: "Harnessing Synthetic Data Fidelity for Assured Perception of Autonomous Vehicles."

The project focused on scenario-based virtual testing for Autonomous Vehicle (AV) safety, developing a rigorous framework to define and quantify synthetic data fidelity, and explore how this impacts public confidence.

By advancing synthetic data and AV safety research, Dr Zhao’s research supports industry innovation, shapes safety standards, and ultimately enables the safe deployment of autonomous vehicles.

The IEL Collective is calling for expressions of interest to participate in the third year of our Mentoring and Professional Development Scheme in 2025. The scheme is for early career and doctoral scholars from a range of career stages who would like to be paired with a mentor for the purpose of developing their academic practice. 

Professor Rosemary Collier, an entomologist and applied ecologist, has been awarded an OBE in the New Year's Honours List for her pioneering work in horticultural science.

The New Year’s Honours list recognises individuals across the UK for their exceptional contributions to society. The honours celebrate those who have made a significant impact in various fields, acknowledging their outstanding service.

Based at Warwick Crop Centre, Professor Collier's research focuses on sustainable pest management in horticultural crops, using methods that minimise ecological impact. This includes biological and physical strategies, host plant resistance, and novel technologies for pest monitoring, offering valuable insights to farmers, growers, and gardeners.

Professor Collier said, “I’m extremely pleased and proud to be awarded this honour. I consider myself very fortunate to work in an area that combines my personal and professional passions for animals, plants, the natural environment, and food.

“Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege to work with exceptional colleagues and engage with the UK’s fresh produce industry, which contributes significantly to national health and happiness”.

In a paper recently published in Nature Computational Science, led by Prof. Jianfeng Feng, they developed the platform of Digital Twin Brain (DTB) for simulating spiking neuronal networks at the large neuron scale of the human brain on the basis of personalized magnetic resonance imaging data and biological constraints.

Epidemiologist Dr Matt Combes was recently interviewed for the Guardian about Ash die-back in the UK and the scientific efforts to protect ash trees. The publication highlights Matt's review article on ash die-back and his more recent work at Warwick modelling the severity of the disease and how this may interact with the emerald ash borer beetle. The modelling is part of the SMARTIES (Surveillance and Management of multiple Risks to Treescapes: Integrating Epidemiology and Stakeholder behaviour) project.
Read the Guardian article (20 December 2024).
Photograph: Andy Soloman/Alamy

This report, by Teve Markson, was first published in Civil Service World on 20 December 2024.

An academic who explored the impact of internal barriers to trade within the UK has been awarded the inaugural Department for Business and Trade analysis prize.

Marta Santamaria, who is an assistant professor in the University of Warwick’s Department of Economics, was presented with the £10,000 prize by DBT permanent secretary Gareth Davies.

Open to students and people in the first five years of a career in academia, industry or think tanks, the prize asks for a written paper of no more than 10 pages, on any topic relevant to the work of DBT.

Santamaria's paper, Disunited Kingdom? Frictions in the Domestic Market for Goods, used data on road freight and a novel analytical approach to estimate “border effects” within the UK.

DBT said her work “highlights a potentially important barrier to pan-UK growth and identifies a number of areas for further policy research on institutional, firm-level, and market factors that may drive it”. It said teams in the department plan to use the work as an important part of the evidence base on the functioning of the UK internal market.

DBT permanent secretary Davies said: “The DBT analysis prize is the first of its kind in government, and will help continue to strengthen the department's work with researchers to develop thoughtful and robust economic policy.

“Marta’s paper explores real life impacts of internal barriers to trade and identifies how external factors play a part in it, and I’m pleased that DBT officials will use her research to help unblock barriers through policy as part of our wider plan to drive economic growth around the country.”

Santamaria said she was "incredibly honoured and humbled” to receive the award and that she hopes that this recognition will spark further work on how to achieve a stronger domestic market that can help unlock the UK’s growth potential.

Through her work, she uncovered substantial barriers across the four nations in the UK – with trade across nations on average 53% lower than within nations, and the largest reductions in trade observed between Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Her estimates imply that crossing the average country border is equivalent to economic agents having to pay a 16.32% ad-valorem tariff on the price of the goods.

Santamaria also identified fragmented domestic transport networks as a factor, with the lack of direct road connections between English and Welsh regions, for example, increasing the distance that a truck must cover when crossing the Welsh-English border.

Davies announced plans for the prize at the DBT Analysis & Evidence conference in November 2023. Entrants were asked to submit a paper on any DBT policy area.

Speaking to CSW about the prize at the conference last year, DBT's head of analysis Ben Cropper said the idea of the award was to encourage academics to "write me the paper that I didn't know I needed to commission".

“We're hoping it both brings to our attention lots of work we otherwise wouldn't have seen,” he said, “but also gets people to think, ahead of time, ‘I might well go into that research area, so that I can have a chance of winning that prize’.”

• Photo: Gareth Davies and prize winner Marta Santamaria. Credit: DBT