In this episode, Jade Hunter explores the Grand Challenge-funded project "Embodying the Social: ‘The Challenge of Urban Violence and Inequalities in the Era of the Exposome’ with the project’s co-leads: Professor Sahra Gibbon, Rosie Mathers, and Professor James Kirkbride. This interdisciplinary research initiative brings together experts from anthropology, epidemiology, and psychiatry to investigate how various exposures throughout life shape the mental health of young women living in urban settings.

In this episode, host Ethne James Souch speaks with Professor Mette Louise Berg, Dr Judith Spirig, Faith Nyamakanga, and Nelson Gomez about the lived realities of asylum housing in the UK, and the wider political and policy landscape that shapes them. Drawing from a Grand Challenges-funded participatory research project focused on asylum dispersal areas in Yorkshire, the episode explores how narratives of "deservingness," local resource pressures, and privatised housing systems intersect with the everyday experiences of people seeking sanctuary in the UK. With co-researchers Faith and Nelson sharing their experiences navigating the asylum process and housing insecurity, this conversation amplifies voices that are often left out of public discourse while also offering concrete insights into how policy and public attitudes might change.

Date of episode recording: 2025-08-25
Duration: 00:31:00
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Ethne James Souch
Guests: Professor Mette Louise Berg; Dr. Judith Spirig, Faith Nyamakanga and Nelson Gomez
Producer: Annabelle Buckland
Podcast Owners: Annabelle Buckland; Daisy Harvey, Ethne James Souch and Siobhan Morris

In this episode, host Ethne James Souch is joined by Professor Sara Mole, Noël Caliste, and Dr Sinead Murphy to explore how UCL is fostering inclusion and equity through intersectional initiatives focused on protected characteristics, mental health, and institutional change. This conversation highlights the work of Grand Challenges-funded projects such as Safer Space Conversations and Heads Together, designed to address the experiences of staff and students related to gender, LGBTQ+ identity, disability, and mental health. The episode also touches on frameworks like Athena Swan and the Race Equality Charter and discusses how lived experience and co-production are shaping more thoughtful, resilient approaches to equity at UCL.

Date of episode recording: 2025-08-05
Duration: 00:27:55
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Ethne James Souch
Guests: Sara Mole; Noel Caliste; Sinead Murphy
Producer: Annabelle Buckland
Podcast owner: Ethne James Souch; Daisy Harvey; Siobhan Morris; Annabelle Buckland