Departmental news

Dr Ludovica Gazze, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick, has been awarded a significant research grant by the Nuffield Foundation to investigate links between air quality and children’s welfare.

The “Clear Skies, Clear Minds” research project will investigate the impact of air pollution on children’s health and educational outcomes in England since the early 2000s.

Understanding the impact of pollution exposure on children’s wellbeing and academic performance is vital if children are to be supported in achieving their full potential.

Air pollution has severe implications for physical health and the brain. Children are at higher risk of ill-effects due to their smaller developing respiratory tracts, higher relative air intake, and greater amount of time spent outdoors.

Dr Gazze explains:

“Poor physical health resulting from air pollution can affect cognitive functioning and academic performance, which in turn may affect a child’s mental health.

“And poor mental health could in turn have repercussions for physical health, for example if children become less active, giving rise to a downward spiral.”

The Clear Skies, Clear Minds project aims to produce the first robust nationwide evidence on how changes in economic activity and transport networks affect children’s physical and mental health.

Using a variety of data sources, the team will show how social transformations such as the work-from-home revolution, budget air travel and the net-zero agenda are affecting the life chances of UK children.

The project team also includes Dr Lorenzo Neri from the University of St Andrews and Dr Titir Bhattacharya from the University of Warwick.

The team hope to produce implementable policy recommendations and a suite of resources to help parents, local authorities and government understand what actions they can take to mitigate the risks from exposure to pollution.

Commenting on the award, Dr Gazze said:

“We are really excited to receive support from Nuffield Foundation for this work.

“With this project, we aim to clearly demonstrate how the multi-faceted impacts of air pollution on children in England compound, resulting in poor physical and mental health, as well as worse education outcomes.

"Our goal is for this evidence to feed into policymaking that will ensure every child in the UK can develop to their full potential.”

Notes for Editors

• The Nuffield Foundation is an independent charitable trust with a mission to advance social well-being. It funds research that informs social policy, primarily in Education, Welfare and Justice. The Nuffield Foundation is the founder and co-funder of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, the Ada Lovelace Institute and the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. Visit www.nuffieldfoundation.org @nuffieldfound
• For further information on the project, including the research aims and methodology, please visit Clear Skies, Clear Minds: Air quality and children's welfare - Nuffield Foundation
• Further details of Dr Gazze’s work is available here.

'Communities within a Community - Life based on the Invisible' is a new artwork suspended above the lower ground floor of the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building at The University of Warwick. The set of five canvases are the result of a collaboration between the sculptor Suse Stoisser and Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Wellington.

In Germany, so-called hashtag#Gastarbeiter migrants were recruited to the labour market from the 1950s. How do their experiences affect their grandchildren hashtag#ThirdGeneration today? Online talk with Prof. Ayse Guveli of University of Warwick.

Dr Marios Hadjimichael has published a paper in Physical Review X titled 'Assessing the ubiquity of Bloch domain walls in ferroelectric lead titanate superlattices.'Link opens in a new window

The SafeBatt project, involving battery experts from WMG at the University of Warwick, has won a Safety Innovation Award at the Electrical Product SafetyLink opens in a new window Conference. 

The conference was held in London on Thursday (21^st November) with the awards recognising and celebrating the best engineering collaborations and innovations across the UK. 

Funded by the Faraday Institution, SafeBatt is a collaboration of seven universities as well as industry partners investigating the science behind battery safety.  

A final year Warwick medical student has organised and run a very successful surgical skills day for her peers.

Stowe Family Law LLP are offering the Law School’s undergraduate students an exciting opportunity to undertake a work experience placement at their Leamington Spa office, in the form of a Law Prize awarded to our highest performing student.

Satyajit Mayor, Mohan Balasubramanian and Masanori Mishima along with a group in the USA (Abhishek Kumar at Marine Biological laboratories- MBL- WoodsHole) have been awarded a Wellcome Trust Bioimaging Award.

In Phase 1 of this project, feasibility, proof-of-principle, and ease of use of the prototype light-sheet system with three detection modalities using existing and new fluorescent proteins will be established. In Phase 2, we explore a breadth of biological questions through investigation of model membranes, cultured cells (yeast, mammalian), and animal models (nematode, fly, fish). Our ultimate goal is to develop transformative imaging technology including optics and probes for widespread use by quantitative cell biologists everywhere.

WMG at the University of Warwick has added three new courses, to its Master's education portfolio, in AI; engineering design and digital healthcare.

From September 2025, WMG is now offering:

• MSc Applied Artificial Intelligence  Link opens in a new window(AAI)

This programme is designed to meet the booming demand for AI specialists. With artificial intelligence transforming industries and creating new career paths, the course emphasises real-world applications, ethics, and AI-driven decision-making.

• MSc Engineering Design Management  Link opens in a new window(EDM)

EDM targets professionals who want to combine technical engineering knowledge with advanced management skills. This course is tailored to produce graduates capable of overseeing complex design processes while managing teams and resources efficiently.

• MSc Digital Transformation for Healthcare  Link opens in a new window(DTH)

This course has been designed to respond to the growing demand for digital innovation in healthcare. With an emphasis on using digital tools to improve patient care, data management, and healthcare delivery, this programme is intended for both healthcare professionals and those in technology roles who wish to make an impact in healthcare systems.

This is a collaborative programme delivered by WMG, Warwick Medical School, and the NHS.