Research round-up 2021
A selection of projects that capture our values and excellence as an institution.
This year has felt like a long 12 months hasn’t it! Although the pandemic is far from over, last January we were at the very early stages of the vaccine rollout, so we can reflect that we have come a long way from where we were at the beginning of the year.
During 2021 our research into the Covid-19 virus and its effects continued to inform the national response to the pandemic. Dr Thushan de Silva was awarded an MBE in recognition of his team’s contribution to the global effort to track virus mutations and characterise immunity to SARS-CoV-2. Our researchers mapped, for the first time, the extent of food insecurity in the UK and are evaluating responses to food insecurity during the pandemic. We’re also developing faster and more accurate Covid-19 tests.
But whilst the challenges presented by the pandemic have been ever present throughout the year, our outstanding research into addressing global challenges has pressed ahead. I am incredibly proud of the work of all our researchers from across the University. It’s always a challenge to choose only a handful of examples of research excellence to highlight from all the brilliant work we could showcase at the end of the year, but I've had a go, and I think this selection captures the breadth of the exciting and impactful research taking place at Sheffield. I'm sure 2022 will bring even more opportunities for our research at Sheffield to be world-leading and world changing!
Professor Sue Hartley
Vice-President for Research
Our research could prevent more than half of repeat hip replacement operations.
We kicked off the year with a powerful piece of research from the Faulty of Health, that found that more than half of repeat hip replacement operations could be prevented with a drug already successfully used to treat osteoporosis. An estimated 8,500 hip revision procedures are conducted in England, Wales and Northern Ireland each year at a large cost to the NHS, with repeat procedures also carrying an increased risk of infection and other complications compared to first time surgery. Professor Wilkinson and his team are now hoping to develop the research into a Phase 3 trial to further assess the clinical effectiveness of the novel treatment.
This research is also part of our flagship Healthy Lifespan Institute.
We're revolutionising the rail industry with augmented reality.
In February we shared our Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre's (AMRC) augmented reality technology that streamlines how faults on train lines are detected and repaired. Trackside maintenance at one of the UK’s busiest railway stations is being revolutionised, with the help of engineers in South Yorkshire who have worked with PAULEY Group and the owner and operator of the country’s only high-speed railway, to develop augmented reality technology which will monitor real-time performance of station services at St Pancras International.
Revolutionising the rail industry
Our research is helping to contain and clean up radioactive materials in Chernobyl.
In April, we learned about the Faculty of Engineering's research that shone light on the Chernobyl clean up process, as researchers employed the world’s brightest microscopes to better understand the most dangerous materials that remained inside the nuclear reactors. On the 35th anniversary of one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters, research was published that could help to contain and clean up the most dangerous radioactive materials that still remain at the site in Chernobyl.
This research is also part of our flagship Energy Institute.
Understanding of how nuclear fuels behave in accident scenarios
Our device improves the prediction of preterm birth.
With Summer, came the breakthrough medical device designed to improve prediction of preterm birth. A new medical device that improves the prediction of preterm birth at a fraction of the cost of current methods, will help to reduce the global number of deaths and long-term complications caused by babies born prematurely. Pioneering research carried out on Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) at the University of Sheffield has led to the creation of the device, brought to market by EveryBaby, a UK based company backed by South Korean investment.
Affordable, portable device to predict risk of preterm birth
Our new app can transport you anywhere in the world in the body of a robot.
As the prospects of summer holidays became a possibility, a University of Sheffield spinout company developed a new app that could enable people to transport themselves into the body of a robot located anywhere in the world. The app lets people see what the robot sees, hear what the robot hears, feel what the robot feels and move around in its body. Telepresence technology could be used to help people do such things as visit relatives, visit a museum and explore other attractions in a city anywhere on the planet.
We're constructing the first models of the UK's largest natural catastrophes.
In June, researchers from the Faculty of Social Sciences revealed that the Storegga tsunami, that hit Scotland’s coastline 8,200 years ago, could devastate entire towns if it happened today. Although the tsunami is considered to be the largest natural catastrophe to happen in the UK in the last 11,000 years, this is the first time that researchers have been able to model the inland impact of the ancient wave. Using sedimentology and dating tsunami sediment deposits at Maryton, Aberdeenshire using luminescence, the study was able to determine the age, number and relative power of the tsunami waves.
Our pioneering study discovered a link between strenuous exercise and motor neurone disease.
Also in June, we shared findings from The Faculty of Health, that show a causal relationship between exercise and MND, with high-intensity physical activity likely to contribute to motor neurone injury, but only in individuals with a predisposing genetic profile. Scientists at the University of Sheffield believe the pioneering study represents a significant step towards unravelling the link between high levels of physical activity and the development of the neurodegenerative condition which affects approximately 5,000 people in the UK.
This research is part of our flagship Neuroscience Institute.
Frequent strenuous exercise linked to MND
We're helping conserve Henry VIII's favourite warship for future generations.
October brought hope for Henry VIII’s favourite boat, as a team of scientists from The Faculty of Engineering developed a revolutionary method to analyse archaeological remains safely, conserving the famous warship for generations. The team used a new x-ray technique available at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) to discover the presence, location and structure of nanostructured bacterial byproducts lodged within the ship’s wood that could contribute to Mary Rose wood degradation.
We've uncovered for the first time how antibiotics kill bacteria.
Despite almost a century of use, how penicillin actually works has remained a mystery - until this year. Researchers from The Faculty of Science led an international team to unlock the 80-year-old mystery behind the mechanism that allows antibiotics, including penicillin, to kill bacteria. These findings are crucial in helping develop new therapeutics in the face of growing antimicrobial resistance.
Understanding how penicillin works
We're advising government on post brexit agricultural policy.
Following brexit, farmers are facing the biggest change to agricultural policy in over 70 years. In Autumn, researchers from The Faculty of Social Sciences highlighted and analysed key uncertainties surrounding the policy change. These findings were published in a report by the House of Commons EFRA Committee.
This research is part of our flagship Institute for Sustainable Food.
Improving agricultural transition
Our recalculated radiocarbon records are key to understanding Earth's past.
Understanding the Earth's past is essential to understanding the future. This year, researchers from The Faculty of Science highlighted how developments in radiocarbon could help improve future climate projections. With accurate records of 55,000 years of radiocarbon, we can better our understanding of climate change.
We're leading discussions to support local arts, culture and heritage sectors during the pandemic.
As the pandemic continued to have a devastating impact on the arts, culture and heritage sector, researchers from The Faculty of Arts and Humanities led a major report to highlight the struggles of freelancers nationally, and in South Yorkshire. This landmark report reveals how lockdown measures had a catastrophic effect on the finances of people who work in the sector, as well as businesses and venues.
The impact of Covid-19 on the arts sector
We're using music to help people live well with dementia.
For people living with dementia, playing an instrument can help bring back memories. Researchers from The Faculty of Arts and Humanities finished the year with some good news, as they explored assistive musical technologies, making instruments easier to play.
This research is part of our flagship Healthy Lifespan Institute.