Departmental news

A groundbreaking new project, GroW, aims to empower women with chronic health conditions by providing a personalised and adaptive digital health tool to support long-term health management. The project, spearheaded by DDM Health, in collaboration with Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick and Walsall Housing Group (whg) has been selected for funding through the SBRI Healthcare Women's Health competition.

A research collaboration between The University of Warwick, the Smithsonian Institution and Embrapa (Brazilian agricultural research), has shown that thousands of years of farming myths and cultural traditions have been key to the survival of the cassava crop (the source of tapioca).

Press release (7 March 2025)

We are pleased to hear from Molly Paxton (BSc Economics student), Internal Communications Officer of Warwick Women in Economics society that they are hosting their annual International Women’s Day Conference on Sunday, 9 March, 11am-4pm in the Faculty of Arts building (FAB0.03).

Molly commented on the importance of the event for promoting equality and diversity in economics, and mentioned the key highlights of the programme:

" We believe it is crucial to celebrate International Women’s Day, and our conference brings together a diverse range of speakers and attendees to highlight the importance of female representation and leadership.

We are delighted to welcome Maxine Laceby, the founder of Absolute Collagen, to discuss her entrepreneurship journey, the process of founding her company and the skills she needed to succeed in a competitive industry.

“This keynote is followed by a Financial Journalism panel with Claudia Meulemeester (Financial Times), Bianca Francesca (9fin) and Zahraa Manji (ITV). The panel will cover the process of researching and writing articles, the importance of rigorous journalism in an age of misinformation and AI, as well as discussing the impact of Trump’s presidency on the global economic landscape.

“Our second keynote speaker is Anisha Rasan, an economic advisor at HM Treasury, specialising in the labour market and short-term forecasting. With her extensive experience in policy analysis and project development both in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, as well as in her current role at HM Treasury, we are excited to hear her invaluable insights about working in the public sector.

“Our conference concludes with our Women in Economics panel, hosting representatives from the Warwick Economics department as well our sponsors. We are joined by Dr Chara Tzanetaki, a Principal in Competition Practice at Charles River Associate; Ana Grujic, an analyst at Frontier Economics; Professor Caroline Elliot, a Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics at Warwick and Dr Zeynep Kurter, a Teaching Fellow, also in the Department of Economics at Warwick. The panel will discuss the experience of women working in the field of economics, the importance of female role-models and how our panellists found their speciality within the field.”

The IWD conference is free of charge, ensuring accessibility and diversity within Warwick Women in Economics society, and welcome students and staff from all departments (not just Economics) to attend and participate in the important discussions they are hosting.

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International Women’s Day Conference 2025 – programme summary

• Entrepreneurship Keynote Speaker: Maxine Laceby, Founder of Absolute Collagen

• Financial Journalism Panel: Claudia Meulemeester (Financial Times), Bianca Francesca (9fin), Zahraa Manji (ITV)

• Public Sector Keynote Speaker: Anisha Rasan, HM Treasury

• Women in Economics Panel: Dr Chara Tzanetaki (CRA), Ana Grujic (Frontier Economics), Dr Zeynep Kurter (Warwick Economics), and Professor Caroline Elliott (Warwick Economics)

How to register

To register, please visit the WWiE International Women's Day 2025 registration page

A study led by University of Warwick Professor Jianfeng Feng has found that regularly sleeping too little is associated with depression and brain loss in emotion areas, while sleeping too long is associated with cognitive decline and degenerative diseases.

Sleeping the right amount is crucial for long term health. 7 hours has recently been proposed as the average amount of sleep to aim for as an adult, yet some people regularly get too little, while others get more than they need.

Warwick Medical School is part of one of five new Incubators announced by the NIHR to support research careers. The NIHR Knowledge Mobilisation Incubator will develop a national learning network of experts in knowledge mobilisation and practice.

According to the QS International Trade Rankings 2025Link opens in a new window, WMG, at the University of Warwick’s MSc in International Trade, Strategy and OperationsLink opens in a new window (ITSO) programme has been placed 4th in the world, and 2nd in the UK

Recognised for its cutting-edge curriculum and strong industry ties, the programme excels across six key criteria:

• Trade programme

• Graduate outcomes

• Industry engagement

• Innovative teaching

• Reputation

• Research

Warwick Chemistry spinout company, Medherant, charts a course towards testosterone TEPI patch for hypoactive sexual desire disorder in postmenopausal women.

This week we are delighted to interview Associate Professor Dr John Snape, for our Warwick Law School Staff Spotlight series.

Prof Remzi Becer et al. collaborate with CreateMe Technologies to develop revolutionary thermoreversible adhesive technology poised to transform the fashion industry.

The THRIVING Food Futures project, a consortium of researchers including Professor Thijs van Rens of the University of Warwick, has been awarded a five-year funding grant by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

This new research hub aims to develop policy solutions that reduce the carbon footprint of our diets whilst maximising health benefits.

It will bring together the public, policymakers and academics to co-design and evaluate policies for healthy, sustainable diets, with a focus on changing how food is marketed and sold.

As well as helping the country meet its legal Net Zero targets, sustainable diets can address public health issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and health inequalities.

Members of the THRIVING Link opens in a new windowhub include researchers from Oxford, Cambridge, Strathclyde, Warwick, Queen Mary University London and City St George’s University London.

Professor Thijs van Rens will lead a team working on the development of metrics, algorithms and tools to support the project. A new Nutrient and Environmental Profiling Model will classify and rank foods based on their nutritional content and environmental impact, to help inform policies for healthy, sustainable diets.

The team will also create novel digital tools, such as smartphone apps, to collect data and evaluate the effect of interventions in real-world shopping environments. These tools will allow for large-scale testing of proposed policies independent of commercial partnerships, and enable rigorous evaluation of how different policy approaches influence food choices and sustainability.

Thijs said:

We cannot deliver on net zero promises without significant change to our diets, because production of food, particularly of ruminant meat, is responsible for a third of carbon emissions globally. At the same time, making diets healthier to halt the obesity epidemic and the public health crisis is just as urgent.

Healthier, more sustainable diets are a responsibility of all. But we cannot wait for everyone to be on board, and we cannot rely on the large commercial players in the food system to do the right thing. Urgent action is needed now.

In the THRIVING project, we want to not only clarify what foods are good for human and planetary health, but also find ways build public support for these diets, and gather real-world evidence on what policies will be effective in encouraging dietary change.

Pete Scarborough, Professor of Population Health at Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, and project lead, added:

“The THRIVING Food Futures research hub is a great opportunity to reshape the UK’s food system in a way that benefits both our health and the environment.

“By working closely with policymakers and the public, we will create evidence-based solutions that are not only effective but also widely accepted and viable. If implemented, these policies can contribute to a healthier population and a healthier planet.”

This ambitious project is part of a new wave of transdisciplinary research hubs funded by UKRI and NIHR, designed to support transformative change. The THRIVING Food Futures project will not only provide valuable real-world evidence but also develop tools and policy maps that can be used beyond the life of the project.

• For more information about the project and its goals, please visit the THRIVING Food Futures webpageLink opens in a new window