2021

Queen Mary to launch women-only MRes with the Autonomous University of Baja California to tackle gender inequality in STEM

Queen Mary University of London has signed an agreement with the Autonomous University of Baja California in Mexico to develop a women-only Dual Master of Research programme (MRes) in Science and Engineering to help address gender inequality in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

News story: Queen Mary researchers to help unlock the potential of marine wave energy

Queen Mary University of London have launched a new research project aimed at overcoming current challenges with devices that capture wave energy and convert it into electricity.

News story: Scientists uncover secret of the hunger switch in the brain

A 3D structure reveals how a unique molecular switch in our brain causes us to feel full – and may help develop improved anti-obesity drugs.

News story: Study strengthens links between red meat and heart disease

An observational study by Queen Mary University of London researchers in nearly 20,000 individuals has found that greater intake of red and processed meat is associated with worse heart function.

News story: Queen Mary researcher awarded fellowship to develop a new generation of digital musical instruments

Dr Andrew McPherson has been awarded a Senior Research Fellowship by the Royal Academy of Engineering to improve the richness and nuance of digital musical instruments.

News story: Researchers discover new way to starve brain tumours

Scientists from Queen Mary University of London, funded by the charity Brain Tumour Research and the Medical Research Council, have found a new way to starve cancerous brain tumour cells of energy in order to prevent further growth.

News story: Queen Mary students and staff celebrate International Women’s Day at online event

For International Women’s Day, Queen Mary University of London's WISE@QMUL group hosted a two-day virtual conference to celebrate women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine (STEMM).

News story: Mile End Institute poll sheds light on Londoners' views on Labour one year into Keir Starmer’s leadership

Almost half of Londoners believe the UK Labour party is divided, according to a new survey from the Mile End Institute at Queen Mary University of London.

News story: Half of Londoners likely to have Covid jab if offered, according to latest Mile End Institute poll

As the UK’s vaccination programme continues, results from the latest Mile End Institute poll for Queen Mary University of London suggest that half of Londoners are likely to have a Covid-19 vaccination if offered to them.

News story: New poll predicts Sadiq Khan on course for victory in London mayoral election

Sadiq Khan is cruising to a convincing victory in the forthcoming mayoral election contest in London, according to an exclusive new poll carried out for the Mile End Institute at Queen Mary University of London.

News story: How preprints accelerated science communication during the pandemic

A new study led by Queen Mary University of London researchers has found that during the early phase of the pandemic, approximately 35 per cent of the COVID-19 scientific literature was shared as preprints – freely available manuscripts that are shared prior to peer-review in a journal.

News story: Queen Mary to celebrate launch of new dual Masters programme with joint event

On 15 April 2021, Queen Mary University of London and Mexico’s Research Centre for Advanced Materials (CIMAV) will host a joint event to mark the launch of their new MRes programme in Materials Science.

News story: Prisoners not politicians were key to the Good Friday Agreement succeeding, according to new book

Irish Political Prisoners 1960-2000 by Seán McConville from Queen Mary University of London provides one of the most comprehensive accounts of the Northern Ireland troubles to date.

News story: Political developments in France offer sharp lessons for the rest of Europe, according to new research

A new book authored by an academic from Queen Mary University of London offers fresh insights into politics and society in France, providing a critique of French leadership in the run-up to the forthcoming presidential elections.

News story: Study provides first evidence of DNA collection from air

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London have shown for the first time that animal DNA shed within the environment can be collected from the air.

Queen Mary ranks as a leader in Research England’s first Knowledge Exchange Framework

Queen Mary University of London's role as a leader in knowledge exchange has been recognised in the inaugural Knowledge Exchange Framework published by Research England.

News story: Building resilience among people with autism

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London are collaborating with a range of stakeholders, including theatre companies and healthcare workers, to support people with autism through a unique project, Heartbeat – Creating Recovery.

News story: Parliament should take the lead on constitutional reform in the UK according to Lord Chancellor

Queen Mary University of London has hosted a major conference exploring the successes and failures of constitutional reform in the UK. Lord Chancellor Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC MP delivered the keynote speech, setting out the delicate balance that is required between institutions as the constitutional system continues to evolve.

Blog: Virginia Woolf on the magic of going to the cinema

Dr Lucy Bolton, Reader in Film Studies at Queen Mary University of London has written for The Conversation about the work of Virginia Woolf and the impact that cinema had on her.

News story: New genetic clues point to new treatments for ‘silent’ stroke

Scientists from Queen Mary University of London have helped identify new genetic clues in people who’ve had small and often apparently ‘silent’ strokes that are difficult to treat and a major cause of vascular dementia.

News story: Unique research programme investigates how arts-based methods can support the NHS staff during Covid-19

The project will support those working in health to meet the challenges of wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and adapting to digital consultations and meetings.

News story: Queen Mary joins NIHR School to strengthen primary care research

The NIHR (National Institute for Health Research) has announced the fourth phase of the School for Primary Care Research (SPCR), which now involves Queen Mary University of London, and a new focus on supporting the full spectrum of primary care research and building research capacity.

News story: Queen Mary Professor nominated to UN International Law Commission

Professor Phoebe Okowa has been nominated to the United Nations' International Law Commission by the Government of Kenya.

News story: Dementia death risk is higher among the socioeconomically deprived

A large proportion of dementia deaths in England and Wales may be due to socioeconomic deprivation, according to new research led by Queen Mary University of London.

News story: New podcast offers an insight into real life experiences at home during lockdown

Stay Home Stories, a project led by academics from Queen Mary University of London, has launched its first podcast of people’s experiences of home during the Covid-19 pandemic.

News story: Queen Mary Professor turns detective for new BBC Radio 3 show

Jerry Brotton, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary University of London is presenting a new ten-part series for BBC Radio 3’s The Essay.  

Blog: How we discovered a hidden world of fungi inside the world’s biggest seed bank

Rowena Hill, a PhD student at Queen Mary University of London and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has written a piece for the Conversation about  a newly-discovered hidden world of fungi inside the world's biggest seed bank.

News story: Queen Mary honours Catherine Silverstone with posthumous promotion

Queen Mary University of London has promoted Catherine Silverstone from the School of English and Drama to Professor, the first posthumous promotion of its kind at the University.

News story: Scientists develop new approach to predict how liquids freeze

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London have developed a novel computational approach to better understand freezing in different types of liquids.

News story: Scientists develop rapid test for diagnosis of rare set of genetic conditions

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London and Cardiff University have developed a rapid test for the diagnosis of a constellation of rare and debilitating genetic conditions, which is described as a ‘step-change’.

News story: Arts and Culture Queen Mary launches its Conversations Week

Queen Mary University of London is set to hold a week-long celebration of the art of conversation which will run from 9 to 16 April.

News story: Subsidies most effective way to encourage sustainable food choices, study shows

Subsidising low carbon emission meals could encourage more people to choose them, according to new research. 

News story: Queen Mary support new UK-India consortium to address global sustainability challenges

Scientists from the UK and India have set up multi-disciplinary virtual platform for international collaboration on global sustainability challenges, such as carbon reduction and environmental remediation.

Blog: St Patrick’s day - why so many US presidents like to say ‘I’m Irish’

Dr Richard Johnson, Lecturer in US Politics in Queen Mary's School of Politics and International Relations has written an opinion piece for The Conversation about Irish Americans and US foreign policy. He argues that US security interests will always come above personal identities.

News story: Democracy under threat as climate emergency deepens, according to Mile End Institute panel

The Mile End Institute at Queen Mary University of London has hosted a webinar on democracy and climate change. Panellists included Hilary Benn, former Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and Caroline Lucas MP, former leader of the Green Party.

News story: Queen Mary graduate helping to save the planet using seaweed

Marcos Souto Ulloa, a graduate from Queen Mary University of London, has developed a revolutionary material made from seaweed aimed at preventing plastic seeping into the world’s oceans.

News story: Schools reopening without robust COVID-19 mitigation risks accelerating the pandemic

A group of academics have set out a series of recommendations for schools to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission now that they have re-opened, in a letter published in The Lancet.

News story: Having an unhealthy heart could lead to a higher risk of being diagnosed with COVID-19

People with unhealthy heart structures and poorer functioning hearts have a significantly higher risk of being diagnosed with COVID-19 infection, according to research by Queen Mary University of London, in collaboration with the Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (The University of Southampton).

News story: Scientists’ discovery ends long-standing photosynthesis controversy

New findings overturn conventional thinking about the location of a key plant enzyme involved in photosynthesis.

News story: Convincing evidence that type 2 diabetes is associated with increased risk of Parkinson’s

Research from Queen Mary University of London has concluded that there is convincing evidence that type 2 diabetes is associated with an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Blog: Why promising results from a large clinical trial into vitamin D and COVID-19 may not be all that they seem

Sandra Eldridge is Professor of Biostatistics and Director of the Pragmatic Clinical Trials Unit at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London. In this blog post, Professor Eldridge discusses the recent excitement around some promising clinical trial results that suggest that vitamin D improved the recovery of hospitalised COVID-19 patients, and she explains why the trial may be flawed.

News story: Queen Mary teams up with leading law firms to deliver Executive Education course

The Centre for Commercial Law Studies at Queen Mary University of London has launched its first ever International Asset Tracing and Recovery Executive Education course.

News story: BAFTA nominated film produced by Queen Mary academic released for International Women’s Day

Pili, a feature length drama about living with HIV/AIDS in East Africa, has received its multi-territory release to coincide with International Women’s Day.

News story: New book explores how the sea continues to shape political and economic forces around the world

A new book co-authored by an academic from Queen Mary University of London sheds light on the maritime origins of capitalism, as well as the political economy, ecology and geopolitics of the sea.

News story: Significant gender disparities revealed in COVID-19 clinical trial leadership

Less than one-third of COVID-19 clinical trials are led by women, which is half the proportion observed in non-COVID-19 trials, according to research led by Queen Mary University of London, University of St Andrews, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Queen Mary graduate employability stats reveal our unique approach helps students get ahead

Queen Mary graduate outcomes show our students leave university ready to take their place in an ever-evolving jobs market.

News story: Queen Mary student nominated for BAFTA Rising Star Award

Conrad Khan, a student from Queen Mary’s School of Languages, Linguistics and Film is among the five nominees.

News story: Attending consecutive mammography screens protects against breast cancer death

Attending the two most recent screening appointments before a breast cancer diagnosis protects against breast cancer death, according to a Queen Mary study of over half a million Swedish women conducted over 24 years.

Alumni Angles: A conversation with BBC newsreader, Jane Hill

On Thursday 25 February, the Alumni Engagement Team launched their flagship engagement series ‘Alumni Angles’ to showcase the talent in the Queen Mary alumni community.

Queen Mary to launch dual degree programme for Masters in Materials Science with Mexico’s CIMAV

Queen Mary University of London will launch a Masters in Materials Science (MRes) pathway this month for students with the Research Centre for Advanced Materials (CIMAV) headquartered in Chihuahua, Mexico.

News story: Secrets of sealed 17th century letters revealed by dental X-ray scanners

In a world first, an international team of researchers has read an unopened letter from Renaissance Europe – without breaking its seal or damaging it in any way.

News story: Queen Mary academic to lead film collaboration in South Africa

Dr Ashvin Devasundaram from Queen Mary’s School of Languages, Linguistics and Film will lead the inaugural South African edition of the Young Curators Lab.

News story: Global warming poses threat to food chains

Rising temperatures could reduce the efficiency of food chains and threaten the survival of larger animals, new research shows.

Blog: Fake letters to politicians - the timing may be bad but it’s OK to test whether MPs reply to constituents

Professor Philip Cowley from Queen Mary's School of Politics and International Relations has written an opinion piece for The Conversation in which he argues that the work that MPs do in their constituencies is important and deserves proper study.

Queen Mary awarded funding from Advance HE’s Collaborative Development Fund for education project

Queen Mary University of London has secured funding from Advance HE's Collaborative Development Fund Education theme for the project "Developing flexible ecosystems for education that support student success: where are we now, what works and where next?"

Blog: How reading aloud can be an act of seduction

Professor Kiera Vaclavik from Queen Mary's School of Languages, Linguistics and Film has written an opinion piece for The Conversation in which she argues that reading aloud can be a seductive act. Kiera Vaclavik is Professor of Children's Literature & Childhood Culture in the Department of Comparative Culture and Literature.

News story: Single dose of vaccine acts as ‘booster’ in those with prior COVID-19 infection

People who have previously had COVID-19 have an enhanced antibody response with a single dose of RNA vaccine, according to a study of 51 UK healthcare workers, around half of whom had a previous laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.

News story: Researchers to explore the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on domestic abuse referrals in primary care

A new study involving researchers from Queen Mary University of London will explore whether and how GP referrals to domestic abuse services have changed during the coronavirus pandemic.

News story: New tool reveals security and privacy issues with contact tracing apps

Researchers have developed a tool to identify security and privacy risks associated with Covid-19 contact tracing apps.

News story: New funding for storytelling project to inspire future engineers

A Queen Mary project has received funding to continue to bring the art of digital and immersive storytelling into the world of science and engineering.

News story: Pandemic is changing the way militaries operate and are perceived in the health space, according to new research

A new study authored by a researcher at Queen Mary University of London has shed new light on how militaries act as health responders in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

News story: Salt reduction will prevent nearly 200,000 cases of heart disease and save £1.64bn

England’s salt reduction programme will have led to nearly 200,000 fewer adults developing heart disease and £1.64 billion of healthcare cost savings by 2050, according to research by Queen Mary University of London.

News story: New book explores the impact of EU trade agreements on workers’ rights

A new book, co-authored by academics from Queen Mary University of London, explores the contentious relationship between trade and labour, and the impact of the EU’s ‘new generation’ free trade agreements on workers.

Blog: Covid coup: how Myanmar’s military used the pandemic to justify and enable its power grab

Dr Ronan Lee, Visiting Scholar at Queen Mary's International State Crime Initiative has written an opinion piece for The Conversation in which he explains how the Myanmar military have been able to take advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic.

News story: New study shows that men receive more actionable feedback than women in the workplace

A new study led by an academic from Queen Mary University of London has shed light on the way in which women's advancement into senior leadership roles remains slower than men's.

News story: New class of drug leads to 30 per cent reduced risk of death for bladder cancer patients

A new type of drug that helps target chemotherapy directly to cancer cells has been found to significantly increase survival of patients with the most common form of bladder cancer, according to results from a phase III clinical trial led in the UK by Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust.

News story: Celebrating Queen Mary Women in Science

The UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11 February) aims to recognise the critical role women and girls play in science and technology communities. 

News story: Government report draws on evidence from Queen Mary

Evidence from Queen Mary has been cited in a new government report from the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee.

News story: New research project set to explore the role of civil society in supporting migrant populations during the Covid-19 pandemic

Academics from Queen Mary University of London have been awarded funding from the University’s Strategic Research Priorities Fund to undertake a cross-regional study exploring the role of civil society organisations supporting vulnerable migrant populations in Brazil and India in the context of Covid-19.

News story: Scientists propose new way to detect emotions using wireless signals

A novel artificial intelligence (AI) approach based on wireless signals could help to reveal our inner emotions, according to new research from Queen Mary University of London.

News story: Professor Kimberly Hutchings appointed as chair of a Research Excellence Framework panel

The four UK funding bodies have appointed Professor Kimberly Hutchings from Queen Mary's School of Politics and International Relations as chair of Sub-panel 19: Politics and International Studies for the forthcoming Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021).

News story: Submissions now open for the Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize 2021

Representing more of the globe than any other prize of its kind, the Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize is opening its doors for 2021 and welcoming work in fiction, poetry, and life writing from unpublished writers around the world.

News story: More symptoms need to be included in UK case definition of COVID-19

Runny nose (coryza) and other indicative symptoms should be added as possible signs of COVID-19 infection, so that more people can access NHS covid tests, according to a Queen Mary academic writing in The BMJ, in an open letter to the Chief Medical Officer, supported by 140 east London general practitioners and health care professionals.

News story: Queen Mary research featured as an impact case study by UK Research and Innovation

Research from Queen Mary University of London’s People’s Palace Projects has been selected as a case study by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to showcase the impact of its Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).

News story: Consuming omega-3 fatty acids could prevent asthma

New research suggests that a higher dietary intake of long chain omega-3 fatty acids in childhood may reduce the risk of developing subsequent asthma, but only in children carrying a common gene variant. The study, led by Queen Mary University of London, is in collaboration with the University of Bristol and University of Southampton, UK, and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.

News story: New study suggests that the financial impact of Covid-19 is comparable to the Wall Street Crash of 1929

A study co-authored by an academic from Queen Mary University of London has shed new light on the true magnitude of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on financial markets.

News story: Commuting patterns could explain higher incidence of Covid-19 in Black Americans

The disproportionately high Covid-19 infection rates observed in Black Americans could be linked to their daily commuting patterns, according to a new study published today in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.

News story: Professor Fiona Walter joins Queen Mary as Institute Director

Professor Fiona Walter has been appointed as the new Joint Director of the Wolfson Institute and Institute for Population Health Sciences, Queen Mary University of London.

News story: Queen Mary researchers to trial drug to protect against COVID-19 exposure

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust are looking for clinical trial participants who have recently (within 8 days) been in contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.

News story: Study provides first real-world evidence of Covid-19 contact tracing app effectiveness

An international research collaboration, involving scientists from the UK, US and Spain, has shed new light on the usefulness of digital contact tracing (DCT) to control the spread of Covid-19.

News story: Study sheds new light on the behaviour of the giant carnivorous dinosaur Spinosaurus as a monstrous heron

New research from Queen Mary University of London and the University of Maryland, has reignited the debate around the behaviour of the giant dinosaur Spinosaurus.

News story: Patients from Asian and black backgrounds are more likely to die from COVID-19, large study reveals

Patients of Asian and black backgrounds suffered disproportionate rates of premature death from COVID-19, according to a study of 1,737 patients by Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust.

Investigating COVID-19 in Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities

A new study led by Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust, and funded by Barts Charity, seeks to understand why Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities are so badly affected by the COVID-19 virus and address the lower uptake of the vaccine by people in these groups.

Queen Mary students show high levels of satisfaction

A new survey has revealed that students from Queen Mary’s Language Centre have high levels of satisfaction when it comes to Pre-Sessional courses.

News story: Scientists find black holes could reach ‘stupendously large’ sizes

A recent study suggests the possible existence of ‘stupendously large black holes’ or SLABS, even larger than the supermassive black holes already observed in the centres of galaxies.

News story: COVID-19 testing lab goes online at Queen Mary

A new COVID-19 testing lab at Queen Mary University of London has started processing NHS Test and Trace samples from the UK population, to increase the country’s testing capacity.

Feature: Interview with Barts graduate Professor Andrew Pollard, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group

Professor Andrew Pollard, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, studied Medicine at Barts and qualified in 1989. He recently spoke to the Queen Mary Alumni team to talk more about his studies here and provided an insight into the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is now being rolled-out to the most vulnerable people in the UK and globally.

News story: Ancient DNA from extinct dire wolves reveals their unique evolutionary history

Extinct dire wolves split off from other wolves nearly six million years ago and were only a distant relative of today’s wolves, according to new research.

Blog: Could a wristband or certificate allow you out of lockdown after a negative coronavirus test?

Dr Magda Osman, Reader in Experimental Psychology at Queen Mary University of London has written an opinion piece for The Conversation exploring whether freedom passes based on negative test results could offer a way to avoid placing restrictions on everyone.

News story: Queen Mary expands stop smoking service to Newham residents

As people start their New Year’s resolutions, a free stop smoking service has launched in the London Borough of Newham, provided by experts at Queen Mary University of London.