Podcasts

Each Predictor Podcast features one of our academic experts discussing current and future research in their specialist field. The podcasts are intended to provide a quick route to insider knowledge on new trends and upcoming key issues. The series covers a wide range of topics, from energy and archaeology to animal intelligence and food engineering.

The fortnightly podcasts are created by the University's Ideas Lab which provides content, access, talent and editorial experts for radio and TV documentary producers.

Latest podcasts: 

Dr Gideon Nisbet - Ancient Greece and Rome in the modern world (MP3 - 12.9MB)
First broadcast: 13/05/13 - Read full transcript

Dr Sara Jones - Eyewitness testimony in the GDR (MP3 - 13MB)
First broadcast: 29/04/13 - Read full transcript

Ben Cowan - Human Computer Interaction (MP3 - 13.6MB)
First broadcast: 15/04/13 - Read full transcript

To receive future episodes of this podcast, subscribe to the series. You can search for all previous podcasts by college.


Arts and Law

Ancient Greece and Rome in the modern world (MP3 - 12.9MB)
Dr Gideon White - read full transcript 
First broadcast: 13/05/2013

Cultural heritage, tourism and Ironbridge Gorge (MP3 - 12.5MB)
Professor Mike Robinson - read full transcript 
First broadcast: 18/03/2013

US Election 2012: Obama's Victory and What Happens Next (MP3 - 9.14MB)
Professor Scott Lucas - read full transcript
First broadcast: 12/11/2012

The Crisis in Syria (MP3 - 8.6MB) 
Dr Benjamin Thomas White - read full transcript
First broadcast: 03/10/2012

The language of text messaging and social networks (MP3 - 13.7MB) 
Dr Caroline Tagg - read full transcript
First broadcast: 28/05/2012

48 frames per sec: challenging our emotional attachment to film (MP3 - 14.3MB) 
Dr James Walters - read full transcript
First broadcast: 14/05/2012

Everything you ever wanted to know about the word 'chav' (MP3 - 13.9MB) 
Dr Joe Bennett - read full transcript
First broadcast: 30/04/2012

Social exclusion and urban youth spiritualities (MP3 - 14.3MB) 
Dr Chris Shannahan -read full transcript view slideshow / watch video
First broadcast: 05/03/2012

Human Rights: noble concept or a shield for terrorists (MP3 14.1MB)
Dr Bharat Malkani - read full transcript
First broadcast: 06/02/2012

Discoveries provide evidence of a celestial procession at Stonehenge (MP3 - 10.0MB)
Professor Vince Gaffney - read full transcript
First broadcast: 26/11/2011

The changing face of Christianity in the UK (MP3 - 13.2MB)
Dr Andrew Davies - read full transcript
First broadcast: 14/11/2011

The exhibition of living foreign peoples in 19th Century Britain (MP3 - 13.8MB)
Dr Sadiah Qureshi - read full transcript
First broadcast: 31/10/2011

Life and Death in the 21st Century (MP3 - 13.2 MB)
Professor Jean McHale - read full transcript
First broadcast: 26/09/2011

First World War centenary - beyond Blackadder (MP3 - 14.3MB)
Dr Pierre Purseigle - read full transcript
First broadcast: 25/07/2011

Reclaiming St George (MP3 - 16.2MB) 
Professor Ewan Fernie
First broadcast: 04/04/2011

Medieval English literature (MP3 - 16.9MB)
Professor Wendy Scase 
First broadcast: 24/01/2011

Obama's first two years, the Tea Party and the rise of Sarah Palin (MP3 - 16.5MB)
Professor Scott Lucas
First broadcast: 29/11/2010

Digital Heritage (MP3 - 13MB)
Dr Henry Chapman
First broadcast: 14/06/2010

Engineering and Physical Sciences

Human Computer Interaction (MP3 - 13.6MB)
Ben Cowan - read full transcript
First broadcast: 15/04/2013

'Green Chemistry' and artificial photosynthesis (MP3 - 12MB)
Dr Zoe Schnepp - read full transcript
First broadcast: 04/03/2013

Asteroseismology: using the natural music of the stars (MP3 - 14.5MB) 
Professor Bill Chaplin - read full transcript
First broadcast: 02/04/2012

Nuclear Power: what does the future hold? - six months on (MP3 - 4.3MB) 
Professor Martin Freer - read full transcript
First broadcast: 23/03/2012

Nuclear Power: What is the future? (MP3 - 13.9 MB)
Professor Martin Freer - read full transcript
First broadcast: 19/09/2011

Robots - the reality (MP3 - 13.8MB)
Dr Nick Hawes - read full transcript / view images
First broadcast: 08/08/2011

Mapping the underworld (MP3 - 16.6MB)
Dr Nicole Metje - read full transcript
First broadcast: 27/06/2011

Water scarcity (MP3 - 16.6MB)
Dr John Bridgeman
First broadcast: 07/03/2011

Cold Atom Physics (MP3 - 16.7MB) 
Professor Kai Bongs
First broadcast: 15/11/2010

Designing novel foods and novel food structures (MP3 - 15.8MB)
Dr Phil Cox
First broadcast: 26/07/2010

Life and Environmental Sciences

Social harm and the structure of societies (MP3 - 14.1MB)
Dr Simon Pemberton - read full transcript
First Broadcast: 04/04/2013

Early development of eating in children (MP3 - 13.4MB)
Dr Jackie Blissett - read full transcript
First Broadcast: 24/01/2013

What the evidence tells us about the nature of Intimate Partner Violence (MP3 - 9.15MB)
Dr Louise Dixon - read full transcript
First broadcast: 30/10/2012

The launch of the BBC's Prehistoric Autopsy exhibition (MP3 - 3.48MB)
Professor Alice Roberts - read full transcript
First broadcast: 25/10/2012

Clever crows rely on a unique bird's eye view (MP3 - 5.35MB)
Dr Jackie Chappell - read full transcript
First broadcast: 22/10/2012

Greening up our cities: tackling air pollution with plants (MP3 - 13.3MB) 
Professor Rob MacKenzie - read full transcript
First broadcast: 06/08/2012

Can London 2012 deliver a youth sport participation legacy? (MP3 - 13.3MB) 
Professor Kathleen Armour - read full transcript
First broadcast: 23/07/2012

Urban ponds and biodiversity (MP3 - 14.2MB) 
Ian Thornhill - read full transcript
First broadcast: 25/06/2012

Nudges towards and away from obesity (MP3 - 13.7MB) 
Dr Frank Eves - read full transcript
First broadcast: 11/06/2012

Energy security: the importance of energy research in the UK (MP3 - 13.0MB) 
Dr Stefan Bouzarovski - read full transcript
First broadcast: 16/04/2012

Public engagement in science: stimulating a two-way dialogue (MP3 - 12.6MB)
Professor Alice Roberts - read full transcript
First broadcast: 20/02/2012

Creating pain in the lab: research into chronic functional pain (MP3 13.7MB) 
Dr Stuart Derbyshire - read full transcript
First broadcast: 28/11/2011

Starting out at university (MP3 - 13.5MB)
Dr Vikki Burns - read full transcript
First broadcast: 22/08/2011

Life (500 million years ago) (MP3 - 17.3MB)
Dr Imran Rahman - read full transcript / view images
First broadcast: 11/07/2011

Biogeochemistry (MP3 - 16.7MB)
Dr Joanna Renshaw - read full transcript
First broadcast: 30/05/2011

Laughing babies and ripping paper (MP3 - 7.1MB)
Dr Joe McLeery 
First broadcast: 04/03/2011

How stress affects our immune systems (MP3 - 17.1MB)
Dr Anna Phillps
First broadcast: 21/02/2011

Infection (MP3 - 16.5MB)
Dr Robin May
First broadcast: 20/09/2010

Emotional eating (MP3 - 16.1MB)
Dr Jackie Blissett
First broadcast: 23/08/2010

Intelligence (MP3 - 17.3MB)
Dr Jackie Chappell
First broadcast: 28/06/2010

Medical and Dental Sciences

Heavy period treatment expected to change clinical practice (MP3 - 11.8MB)
Professor Janesh Gupta - read full transcript
First broadcast: 21/01/2013

Pioneering breast cancer research (MP3 - 12.7MB)
Dr Clare Davies - read full transcript
First broadcast: 19/12/2012

Dermatological conditions: helping GPs make the right diagnosis (MP3 13.0MB)
Julia Hyland and Dr June Jones - read full transcript
First broadcast: 12/12/2011

Catching it early: the critical first weeks of rheumatoid arthritis (MP3 - 13.7MB)
Dr Rebecca Stack - read full transcript
First broadcast: 17/10/2011

Value-based pricing (MP3 - 16.5MB)
Dr Amitava Banerjee 
First broadcast: 21/03/2011

Obesity in children (MP3 - 16.5MB)
Dr Eliot Marston
First broadcast: 04/10/2010

Social Sciences

Eyewitness testimony in the GDR (MP3 - 13MB) 
Dr Sara Jones - read full transcript
First broadcast: 29/04/2013

Leveraging legacies from the London 2012 Olympics (MP3 - 13.4MB) 
Dr Jonathan Grix - read full transcript
First broadcast: 09/07/2012

Children's Lives: from the 18th century to the present day (MP3 - 14.1MB) 
Professor Ian Grosvenor - read full transcript
First broadcast: 19/03/2012

The future of local public services (MP3 - 13.MB)
Professor Tony Bovaird - read full transcript
First broadcast: 30/09/2011

9/11 ten years on - where are we now? (MP3 - 13.9MB)
Dr Chris Allen - read full transcript
First broadcast: 05/09/2011

Political Theory (MP3 - 16.1MB)
Dr Luis Cabrera - read full transcript
First broadcast: 13/06/2011

UK gives aid to Rwanda as Met police warn exiles of assassination threat (MP3 - 7.98MB)
Dr Danielle Beswick - read full transcript
First broadcast: 24/05/2011

Health and Social Care (MP3 - 15.9MB)
Professor Jon Glasby
First broadcast: 07/02/2011

Sport (MP3 - 16.6MB)
Dr Matt Bridge
First broadcast: 01/11/2010

Islamophobia (MP3 - 16.4MB)
Dr Chris Allen
First broadcast: 18/10/2010

Binge Drinking (MP3 - 14.0MB)
Professor Isabelle Szmigin
First broadcast: 06/09/2010

Money (MP3 - 16.6MB)
Professor Karen Rowlingson
First broadcast: 09/08/2010