PVC's Lunchtime Seminars: 'Flesh and the Body'

Patricia Debney, a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing based in the School of English, will be taking the helm for the next PVC’s Lunchtime Seminars. She will be leading a discussion on ‘Flesh and the Body’, and in particular focusing on illness and ideas of 'normality': how do we understand and negotiate them in their social, cultural, artistic and medical contexts? She will also explore notions of physical 'difference' more generally, in both its visible and invisible forms. How do society, culture and individuals understand and incorporate ‘difference’?

As always, the panel and the audience will be made up of a wide range of academics from across all faculties who will be able to input into the discussion. All are welcome, but I’d appreciate letting me know if you intend to come so we can sort out the catering.

'The only thing we have to fear is fear itself'

The Times Higher recently analysed Research Council success rates, and the news was not good. For the first time success rates have fallen to 23%, with the AHRC and ESRC bottom of the pile at 19%.
It’s easy to be dispirited by this. However, success rates only tell a partial story. If your research is good, your case compelling, and your application well framed it is much more likely that you will be funded.
This is shown by some big wins from the very Councils holding up the bottom of the success rate league:

• Jeremy Carrette (Secl—Religious Studies) has just been awarded £450,000 (TBC) from the AHRC for a project on Religious Non-Governmental Organizations and the United Nations in New York and Geneva;
• Caroline Rooney (English) and Anne Hammerstad (PolIR) got 2 of only 14 fellowships made by the ESRC in their ’Global Uncertainties’ Programme. Caroline’s award was £274k, and Anna’s was £162k. Programmes are notoriously hard to succeed in, so this is a great achievement.

And it’s not just good news at RCUK. Jim Mansell (Tizard) and Ann Netten (PSSRU) are part of a successful consortium that established a £15m School for Social Care Research (SSCR). Jim and Ann are due to receive £1.1m each from the NHS for their part in the SSCR.

So be brave: Research Services are ready to help with your applications to ensure that they stand every chance of bucking the success rates.