Research round-up 2020
A selection of projects that capture our values and excellence as an institution.
When I joined The University of Sheffield as Vice-President for Research almost a year ago, I think it's fair to say I didn't anticipate the world we are living in at the moment! The coronavirus pandemic has certainly changed the way we do research and altered global research priorities. However, looking back over the last 12 months at the University proves to me that one thing definitely hasn’t changed – we still deliver exceptional research which not only advances knowledge, but also brings real benefits to society in these difficult times.
I have never doubted our researchers’ ability to adapt to overcome the current challenges, and this year has clearly demonstrated that ingenuity and dedication. Not only have we seen outstanding research in our many established areas of excellence, we’ve been at the forefront of research on the coronavirus. We’ve driven medical advances contributing to immunity, we’ve researched how the arts sector can survive the pandemic, and we’ve 3D printed face shields to support frontline NHS staff.
I’m unbelievably proud of all the work we’re doing at Sheffield. Therefore, to capture what has been an unusual but exciting year for our research, I’d like to showcase a selection of projects that I think truly captures our values and excellence as an institution.
Professor Sue Hartley
Vice-President for Research
We're preventing the destruction caused by bomb blasts
Explosions caused by improvised explosive devices can be deadly without the right protection and until recently, determining the right protection was difficult. Without experimental data the Ministry of Defence is unable to predict how armoured vehicles for example, would survive a bomb blast. However, research from our Department of Civil and Structural Engineering is changing all that.
Our exceptional researchers have been working in collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at the Ministry of Defence to produce data that has made the process of designing protected military vehicles much easier. It’s life saving work. More people are coming home from war zones with fewer injuries than there would’ve been without the research and that is an amazing thing.
What happens when a bomb explodes?
We're helping social media companies remove harmful content and protect their users
Social media has completely changed how we interact with our world, and this year it’s been more important than ever for helping to keep us connected. However, you might be surprised to learn about the darker side of social media that’s been highlighted by research from our Department of Sociology.
The sophisticated algorithms of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter gather information about our likes and dislikes and use this to keep our interest by showing us the content it thinks we want to see. But sometimes this content can be negative or harmful and can contribute to mental health impacts.
This vitally important research is already leading to positive changes in policy and the actions of social media companies. It’s a grand challenge, and it’s likely that as technology becomes increasingly prevalent research like this will become even more crucial to safeguarding users.
How we’re helping social media companies remove harmful content and protect their users
We're supporting the arts through their audiences
This year has undoubtedly been challenging for arts venues around the world. Uncertainty around opening and the fear of covid-19 has made it difficult for venues to support themselves.
Many have made the best of the situation by moving events online and opening whenever possible, but it has still been challenging. So it’s great to see our academics supporting these venues through their research. Researchers from our Department of Music have produced a useful guide to help audiences engage with, and enjoy, the contemporary arts which can be applied to both physical and virtual events.
Not only that, but they’re now able to provide their services directly to venues thanks to their new spin-out company, SPARC. The aim is to help venues understand their audiences and engage with them in the most effective way.
Thanks to this work it now feels like as good a time as any to support our venues and enjoy the arts.
A guide to the contemporary arts
How can local arts venues grow and nurture audiences in the wake of the pandemic?
We're improving the health of our ageing population
Our population is ageing and ageing is a risk factor for disease. Our Healthy Lifespan Institute is working to find ways to delay and prevent the onset of age-related disease and frailty. Their goal is to make lives better for people as they age.
New research shows that more than half of older people don’t consume enough protein to stay healthy. Having this information means that those affected can make fundamental changes to their protein consumption which can help in the long run.
Research like this is vital to instigating social and behavioural changes that dramatically affect our chances of developing multiple diseases within our lifetimes. Ultimately, this leads to a population that can enjoy healthier, independent lives for longer.
More than half of older people don’t consume enough protein to stay healthy
We're propelling air travel to a sustainable destination
The university's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) is setting an example for UK manufacturing in their work developing lightweight propeller blades that’ll help the UK aviation sector reduce its carbon footprint and noise emissions at airports.
The challenge to balance increasing passenger numbers with a demand for cleaner, and yet still affordable, air travel is complex. The work of the AMRC is helping the UK to remain world-leaders in this field, as well as supporting the UK government in reaching its target of net-zero emissions by 2050, set out in the Paris Agreement.
This research is in line with our recently launched Sustainability Strategy and demonstrates our commitment to respond to the global challenges we face - a challenge we do not take lightly.
Propelling air travel to a sustainable destination
We're uncovering Sheffield's long-lost heritage and incorporating it into our future
From the Arctic Monkeys to the quality of our steel, the city of Sheffield has long been known around the world for its musical and industrial heritage. However, this research highlights Sheffield’s bigger political and cultural role within medieval England.
This is something our researchers are working hard to preserve as they work with multiple stakeholders to regenerate a once lost part of Sheffield’s city centre without losing its history.
It’s a fantastic example of collaboration from the University of Sheffield. We have academics and students from our Department of Archaeology and School of Architecture working together with Sheffield City Council, Wessex Archaeology and Friends of Sheffield Castle.
As we breathe new life into the city through regeneration we should take care to protect our long and impressive heritage for generations to come.
Sheffield Castle: Excavating the Past; Building the Future
Sheffield’s long-lost castle reveals the city’s deep roots in the Middle Ages
We're developing treatments for Parkinson's disease
The university’s Neuroscience Institute is a perfect example of researchers coming together with patients to have a real impact.
Our research now has the potential to contribute to treatments for Parkinson’s disease. A new study, from the Department of Neuroscience, has identified two different abnormal mechanisms that underpin the development of the disease. The findings could be crucial to discover personalised drug developments in the future.
Parkinson’s is a brain disorder that leads to shaking, stiffness and difficulty with walking and balance. It’s a progressive disease that can make even simple tasks difficult. Usually it occurs in old age, and with an ageing population this research is more vital than ever.
Precision medicine treatments for Parkinson’s Disease closer to reality thanks to Sheffield study
We're breaking down religious stereotypes
It’s always amazing to see our academics impacting real change in people’s lives and this is another great example of that.
Academics from our Department of Geography found that many young Muslims face cultural and religious pressure to marry, to be heterosexual, and to conform. However, not all young Muslims want this. Some wish to find sexual love, experiment with sexual experiences, and explore their sexualities.
The work shows young British Muslims are finding ways to talk about sex and relationships anonymously online and through creative writing. The research seeks to deconstruct stereotypes and bring out the reality of what lives of young Muslims are like when it comes to relationships.
Challenging the norm and breaking down barriers is just one example of how research and academia can better the world around us and I’m pleased to say that our researchers are clearly doing a great job.
Creative writing helps young British Muslims open up about sex and relationships
We're uncovering the truth about the Milky Way
Our research is helping solve problems all over the world, but it doesn’t stop there. It goes even further - out into space.
As far as we know there are no planets like earth in our solar system. That’s none with water we can drink or air we can breathe. But researchers from our School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences have turned that theory on its head.
Whilst we still don’t know for certain if there are any planets like ours out there, our academics have found that there’s a high chance of finding Earth-like planets in their early stages of formation. They found that there are more stars like the sun than expected which increases the likelihood of Earth-like planets.
Chance of finding young Earth-like planets higher than previously thought, say Sheffield scientists
We're cleaning up the world's nuclear disasters
The Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear meltdowns were devastating. Both of them were events like no other. This year saw the release of the TV programme Chernobyl which brought to life the reality of what happened and the true devastation that incurred. Even now, more than 30 years later Chernobyl is still uninhabitable. And, despite efforts to rapidly clean Fukushima, there is still a lot of nuclear debris to be cleared before it’s safe again.
The idea that researchers from our Energy Institute and Department of Material Science and Engineering, are reconstructing a nuclear meltdown right here in Sheffield is incredible in itself. But the fact that this work is fundamental to the safe deconstruction of both Chernoyl and Fukushima makes it even more impressive. Not only that, but this work is going to help with the decommissioning of old reactors all over the world, including right here in the UK, making it truly global research.
Reconstructing a nuclear meltdown in Sheffield
We're developing treatments for pancreatic cancer
Most of us know somebody who’s been affected by cancer and pancreatic cancer is one of the world’s most aggressive. In the last 30 years there’s been little in the way of new treatments, until now.
Researchers from our Department of Oncology and Metabolism have been successful in designing a piece to fit nature's jigsaw, a piece that blocks the receptors responsible for the cancer.
This work is not only a wonderful example of our academics working to fundamentally change the lives of patients but it also highlights our ability to innovate. This work has since been spun out into the company Modulus Oncology with the help of an oncology drug accelerator company. Modulus is now working to finish the development of the treatment so that it can help the increasing number of pancreatic cancer patients around the world.
The deceptive hormone essential for health but helping pancreatic cancer
We're changing the face of urban land to provide food for all
It’s no secret that food security is one of the biggest challenges we face. But it’s reassuring to know that we have researchers right here at our Institute for Sustainable Food working to solve this problem, and some of the solutions they’ve developed are quite novel.
One such solution is to use urban land, like parks and roadside verges, to grow fruit and vegetables which could support 15 percent of the population here in the UK. In Sheffield alone using urban land across the city could provide fruit and vegetables for nearly 90,000 people.
As our climate continues to change rapidly it's imperative that we have researchers working to ensure we have safe, sustainable and affordable food for years to come.
Urban land could grow fruit and veg for 15 per cent of the population
We're taking on the challenge of Covid-19
Finally, we couldn’t mention the exceptional work of our researchers throughout 2020 without mentioning COVID-19. The pandemic brought an initial halt to research around the world as institutions closed their doors while they worked out the safest way to move forward. But this hasn’t stopped our researchers from conducting groundbreaking work and many saw the pandemic as an opportunity.
Our experts have taken their knowledge and applied it to all aspects of the pandemic, from its impact on the very fabric of society, to understanding the virus itself and producing a world-changing vaccine.
There is not one area of covid-19 research that stands out above the rest. It is all so fundamentally important that we need to thank all of our researchers who have embraced this challenge and contributed to safeguarding the lives and wellbeing of everyone in 2020.