Departmental news

Science on the Hill: Mysterious Microbiomes
Tuesday 22 October, 5.30 - 8pm, IBRB, University of Warwick.
From people to plants, we all rely on communities of microorganisms… but how much do we really know about them? In this event there will be talks from Warwick researchers doing cutting-edge microbiome research and a range of interactive activities. Speakers will discuss microbiomes across a range of organisms - in mosquitos, plants and in different human body sites.
Book your tickets

PhD positions are available at the Theory and Foundations (FoCS) group in the Department of Computer Science, University of Warwick, UK. The group has strong ties with the Centre for Discrete Mathematics and its Applications (DIMAP), established in 2007 jointly with the Warwick Mathematics Institute and Warwick Business School. Together with DIMAP, the group is one of the leading theory groups in Europe, with regular publications in top international conferences and journals in theoretical computer science.

WMG at the University of Warwick is part of a pioneering project, led by Solihull CouncilLink opens in a new window, to develop a self-driving fully-electric shuttle service at the National Exhibition Centre (NECLink opens in a new window), Birmingham.

The Solihull & Coventry Automated Links Evolution (SCALE) project is a collaborative initiative, aimed at better understanding the role self-driving vehicles might one day play within our future transport system.

As part of the pilot, SCALE will see a fleet of three electric self-driving shuttles ferry passengers along a new 7km route linking up Birmingham International rail station, the NEC and Birmingham Business Park.

WMG will be focusing on the safety aspect of the shuttle service, providing expertise on hazard analysis, vehicle testing and operational safety.

Warwick Economics alumnus and honorary graduate Professor James Robinson (Honorary Doctorate 2015, MA Economics 1985-86) is one of three economists jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences 2024.

Professor Robinson, now at the University of Chicago, shares the award with Professor Daron Acemoglu and Professor Simon Johnson, both based at MIT, for their work on the relationship between institutions and prosperity, focusing particularly on the political and institutional systems introduced by European colonisers.

Announcing the award, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said: “This year’s laureates in the economic sciences – Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson – have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for a country’s prosperity. Societies with a poor rule of law and institutions that exploit the population do not generate growth or change for the better. The laureates’ research helps us understand why.”

Professor Ben Lockwood, Head of Department of Economics at Warwick, said: “On behalf of the whole Department I offer our warmest congratulations to Professor Robinson and his fellow laurates. James joins Oliver Hart as a Nobel Prize winning economist who has graduated from our MA (now MSc) programme.

“As James said in his 2015 guest lecture, why some countries are poor and some countries are rich is one of the oldest questions in economics. It is wonderful to see his work in this field recognised with a Nobel Prize.”

Jakob Svensson, Chair of the Committee for the Prize in Economic Sciences, said: “Reducing the vast differences in income between countries is one of our time’s greatest challenges. The laureates have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for achieving this.”

• Read more about this year’s prize:
  • Popular science background: They provided an explanation for why some countries are rich and others poor (pdf) Link opens in a new window
  • Scientific background to the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2024 (pdf) Link opens in a new window
• Watch our 2015 interview with Professor Robinson when he came to campus to receive his honorary degree: Professor James Robinson interview | Warwick Department of Economics (youtube.com) 
• Read the oration delivered by Professor Abhinay Muthoo on the occasion of the award of Professor Robinson’s Honorary Doctorate: Honorary Graduand Orations - Summer 2015 (warwick.ac.uk)
• Read about Professor Robinson's work with CAGE.

More about Professor Robinson:

Professor James Robinson received an MA from Warwick Economics in 1986 before moving to Yale for his PhD. After posts at the University of Melbourne, the University of Southern California, Berkeley and Harvard he joined the University of Chicago in 2015. He has since been appointed Reverend Dr. Richard L. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies (2016) and Professor of Political Science (2020). His books include: History of the Chiefdoms of Sierra Leone (with Tristan Reed); Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty by Acemoglu, Daron, and James A Robinson; and The Role of Elites in Economic Development by Amsden, Alice, Alisa De Caprio, and James A Robinson. He is also an Associate of the CAGE research centre, based within the Department of Economics at Warwick, and has contributed to its recent schools outreach programme.

Engineers and students at WMG at The University of Warwick are working on a hydrogen-powered car fuelled by sewage, in a project entitled Waste2Race. The hydrogen is a byproduct of water treatment technology, from Wastewater Fuels, being trialled at Severn Trent Water, and with it the team at the University are hoping to break records for hydrogen fuelled cars.

Warwick Law School welcomes IAS Visiting Fellow Prof Waheeda Amien from the University of Cape Town to our community. She will be working with us until 6 November this year. Whilst at Warwick, Professor Amien will be collaborating with Dr Rajnaara Akhtar on mutual research interests, and a potential funding application.

Warwick Spinout, Interface Polymers, Wins Prestigious CCE-JEC Innovation Award 2024 for Polarfin® PP Adhesion Promoter

Professor Tarvinder Dhanjal, Professor of Cardiology, has had their latest manuscript published in EP Europace journal. The project was a multi-centre, international, mechanistic VT mapping study including UHCW, Brighton and Barcelona.

Abstract:
Differentiating near-field (NF) and far-field (FF) electrograms (EGMs) is crucial in identifying critical arrhythmogenic substrate during Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) ablation. A novel algorithm annotates NF fractionated signals enabling EGM Peak Frequency (PF) determination using wavelet transformation. This study evaluated the algorithms effectiveness in identifying critical components of the VT circuit during substrate mapping.
Read the paper here.

Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG, comments on the passing of Ratan Tata

“Ratan Tata was a titan of business who will be remembered at WMG for his inspirational passion for engineering and design, and for his personal kindness, humility, and deep insight.

“A close friend of our founder, Lord Bhattacharyya, Mr Tata visited WMG, at the University of Warwick, many times.

“Whether opening the WMG Academy for Young Engineers in Coventry, meeting our researchers on materials and intelligent vehicles, laying the foundation stone for the National Automotive Innovation Centre, or meeting local engineering businesses to understand their capabilities, Mr Tata was always fascinated by the ways innovation and technology could improve lives and create opportunity, and always willing to give his time to speak to our students, researchers and industry partners about their work.

“WMG and Mr Tata’s partnership began during the development of the Tata Indica, India’s first domestically designed vehicle, with WMG researchers supporting the design and manufacturing of the groundbreaking car. This led to the opening of the Tata Motors European Technical Centre at Warwick and to many research and education partnerships across a wide range of industries, many of which continue to this day on our campus, including at the National Automotive Innovation Centre, helping to create jobs, develop technologies and strengthen communities.

“Mr Tata’s vision and leadership leaves an enormous legacy for Warwick, our region, the UK and the world.

We are greatly saddened by his passing, and our deepest condolences go to his family, friends and the entire Tata community.”