Research and innovation roundup 2024
A selection of research news stories that capture our values and excellence as a University.
As the year draws to a close, I want to celebrate our impactful research and highlight a selection of news stories that demonstrate how we continue to make a positive difference to communities.
Our researchers are at the forefront of vaccine technology, pioneering new manufacturing processes that could speed up the world’s response to future pandemics. We are also using artificial intelligence to predict when a person’s kidneys might fail six times faster than human expert analysts.
The University’s Energy Innovation Centre officially opened this year, and I’m incredibly proud of the role our world-class facilities play in empowering industries to develop low-carbon energy technologies. It marks a significant milestone in our collective efforts to decarbonise the aviation industry, with the launch of the UK sustainable aviation fuels Clearing House accelerating the time it takes us to bring new fuels to market.
The Princess Royal opened our pioneering Gene Therapy Innovation and Manufacturing Centre in October, which is set to advance the development of cutting-edge gene therapies and clinical trials, offering hope for patients with conditions such as motor neuron disease and rare genetic disorders.
A new ‘tasty spoon’ has been designed in collaboration with our Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre which will enhance food flavours for people living with dementia, while combating the high levels of malnutrition that this condition can cause. We also partnered with leading experts to pioneer a study that revealed how psychological therapy can significantly improve quality of life for people living with MND.
We have once again been recognised as a leading global institution, securing a place within the top 100 universities in the prestigious Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025. This achievement is a testament to the exceptional accomplishments of our diverse research community.
Here are some examples that showcase the breadth of the work we do - you can explore more of our impact and news stories. I hope that the coming year will offer even more opportunities for transformational research to take place at Sheffield.
Professor Sue Hartley
Vice-President for Research
Princess Royal opens pioneering Gene Therapy Innovation and Manufacturing Centre
The Princess Royal opened our pioneering Gene Therapy Innovation and Manufacturing Centre in October, which is set to advance the development of cutting-edge gene therapies and clinical trials, offering hope for patients with conditions such as motor neuron disease and rare genetic disorders.
The state-of-the-art centre is at the forefront of a new generation of medicine set to save lives and rewrite futures.
Accelerating the development of life-saving gene therapies
Secrets of how butterfly wings get their vibrant colours revealed
Sheffield researchers, in collaboration with the Central Laser Facility, are using cutting-edge super resolution microscopy to investigate the developmental stages of butterfly scales.
Through tracing their formation from caterpillar to butterfly, the ground-breaking study reveals that actin - a protein in butterfly’s scales - orchestrates the intricate arrangement of the colourful structures.
It is hoped that the findings will inspire the development of new structural colour-based technologies for advanced sensors and medical diagnostics, offering rapid and responsive solutions outside traditional laboratory-based approaches.
Inspiring the development of new technologies
New psychological therapy shows promise in improving quality of life for people living with MND
MND is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time.
Sheffield researchers are working to improve the lives of people with the debilitating neurological condition, by leading the largest-ever trial looking at the potential benefits of psychological intervention.
The study found that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) significantly enhances MND patients’ overall quality of life when delivered alongside existing care.
Improving the lives of those living with MND
Forgotten pioneer of Gothic literature
260 years on from her birth, Ann Radcliffe, a pioneer of Gothic literature who inspired the likes of Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters, could be making a return to people’s bookshelves as part of an initiative at the University of Sheffield.
Professor Angela Wright from Sheffield’s School of English is co-leading a project that is set to introduce Ann Radcliffe's literacy legacy to a new generation of readers through complete works publications and a series of podcasts, lectures, and school outreach programmes.
Rediscovering the works of Ann Radcliffe
New vaccine-making process could transform pandemic response
A team of experts, led by Dr Zoltán Kis from the University’s School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering, has been awarded funding for their infectious disease technology that could make life-saving vaccines more readily available to the world.
The work has the potential to speed up our response to future emerging outbreaks, containing them before they spread to epidemic or pandemic proportions.
At the forefront of vaccine technology
Filmmakers could improve cinema for the Deaf community
Deaf audiences should be able to experience the full magic of cinema.
To make watching film and TV more accessible and engaging for the Deaf community, a team of experts from Sheffield have published new guidelines highlighting commercial opportunities for the media industry to improve the accessibility of entertainment.
The project has resulted in six new ‘Recommendations for Change’ to give Deaf viewers an equivalent experience to hearing people.
Making entertainment accessible to all
MRSA's double defence against antibiotics
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an AMR superbug that causes over 120,000 deaths per year. Given the urgent need for new, more effective antibiotics and a lack of MRSA vaccines, a better understanding of the superbug is crucial.
Scientists at Sheffield have found that MRSA needs two mechanisms to survive high-level antibiotics. The study offers hope for treating the life-threatening superbug, potentially leading to a new era of infectious disease control.
Controlling infectious diseases
University of Sheffield academics given highest honour by British Academy
Earlier this year, three academics from the University of Sheffield were elected Fellows of the British Academy in recognition of their outstanding research that represents the very best of humanities and social sciences research in the UK.
The Academy is the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences and its Fellowship is its highest honour.
Artificial intelligence tool predicts kidney failure six times faster than human expert analysts
Between 30,000 to 70,000 people in the UK have ADPKD, a common inherited kidney condition caused by the growth of fluid-filled sacs in the kidneys.
The condition is currently monitored using repeated measurements of kidney enlargement from patient MRI scans, a labour-intensive process that takes approximately an hour of staff time.
Kidney doctors and clinical scientists at the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust however, are using artificial intelligence to predict when a person's kidneys might fail six times faster than the manual process.
University of Sheffield Energy Innovation Centre opened by Lord Callanan
The University’s Energy Innovation Centre was officially opened this year by Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, Lord Callanan.
Leading global aerospace company, Boeing, is one of the founding members and will work with the University to help develop sustainable aviation fuels.
The centre is providing industries with access to some of the University’s world class research facilities to test and develop new low-carbon energy technologies, helping put South Yorkshire at the forefront of efforts to decarbonise the aviation industry.
Decarbonising the aviation industry
Historian highlights link between war and mental health
Professor Julie Gottlieb, from Sheffield’s School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities has collaborated with an award-winning playwright to create a new film that shines a spotlight on the impact of traumatic world events - such as war.
Released in September, the film tells the real life story of how one British couple’s marriage tragically broke down under the psychological stress of the fear of war in Europe.
Professor Gottiled’s research is the first to show how Britain’s role in appeasing Hitler during the Munich Crisis of 1938 shaped the hearts and minds of a nation.
New ‘Tasty Spoon’ will enhance food flavours for people living with dementia
Around 50 million people worldwide live with dementia, a condition that can cause a decline of working taste buds and increase the risk of malnutrition.
In collaboration with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), Sheffield researchers are developing a new ‘tasty spoon’ which aims to improve food flavours for people living with dementia.
The unique project, which is set to help those who are experiencing a loss of taste maintain a healthy and nutritious diet, has been awarded funding from the Alzheimer’s Society to make the product more accessible and affordable for those with dementia.