Ongoing Projects
Archiving the City
Dr Gareth Millington's project examines how, by whom and for what purposes the twentieth century ‘inner city’ is remembered, curated and represented. Milington analyses the ‘inner city’ sites in: London (Brixton), Paris (Chateau Rouge/Goutte d'Or) and Philadelphia (the 'Seventh Ward', the site of W.E.B. Du Bois’ famous study The Philadelphia Negro).
Health inequalities and the role of family in smoking maintenance and cessation
Dr Frances Thirlway is in the process of interviewing several generations of current and former smokers in high smoking areas of the North of England to explore how grandparents, parents and children influence each other’s smoking and quitting over the life course. Funded by Cancer Research UK, the project aims to help more people stop smoking.
Inherited blood disorders, globalisation and the promise of genomics: an Indian case-study
This cross-disciplinary project analyses the practices and policies surrounding the treatment and ‘prevention’ of sickle cell and thalassaemia as a global health crisis; and how these relate to the experiences of people affected by these disorders in the rural, poor and ethnically marginalised, ‘tribal’ communities in India. To that end, a multi-sited ethnography across four geographical areas, Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan has been carried out and is currently being analysed.
What policy-makers think about AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is undeniably a topic of increasing importance, becoming part of many people’s daily lives with a huge scope for heightened usage in the near future. The opportunities of AI use are nearly limitless, so much so that it is easy to get lost in the potential applications of AI. This study aims to consider what we (the public, policy makers, technologists) actually want from AI and digital technology and what the future looks and feels like when we have it.
Making it FAIR: Understanding the lockdown 'digital divide' and the implications for the development of UK digital infrastructures
During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, smaller museums struggled to engage with online audiences during, and in the period following, lockdown. This study explored this issue through a nine month project with eight small museums as they navigated the challenges of staying connected with existing audiences, and reaching new audiences, through collections-focussed digital content.
