Most popular route planning services use the same representation of the road network when planning routes for pedestrians as they use for vehicles. However, this leads to a simplified modelling of pedestrian movement as it does not account for distinctly different requirements and patterns of movement (e.g., the need to cross the road or a possible lack of pavement). This project will focus on more accurate modelling for pedestrians to: - develop a more realistic representation of the pedestrian network; - identify what data already exist and what is lacking; - ensure the proposed model is scalable and can be adopted by industry; - develop a method that would allow pedestrian routes to be planned based on the network and personal preference; - construct a demonstrator to show the validity of the proposed model. This project is an Industrial Cooperative Awards in Science & Technology (CASE) studentship and is in collaboration with Ordnance Survey (OS). The student will spend at least three months with OS during the completion of the project.

Human malignant pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive (fatal) lung cancer which is always associated with previous asbestos exposure. Typically symptoms do not appear until 35-40 years after the original exposure, with life expectancy then 12-18 months. Given the great use of asbestos during the 20th century and this long latency period, it is no surprise that cases of mesothelioma continue to rise. There is no known cure for mesothelioma: traditional chemotherapeutic treatments have had little impact on the disease and radiotherapy or partial pleurectomy have only very limited impact on life expectancy. However, very little in the way of mesothelioma research is taking place, as it is frequently not considered to be a ‘big enough market’ (<1% of all cancers in the U.K., approx. 2300 deaths per annum) and consequently there are currently no drugs in development for this disease. A second reason for this is that there have been no reported good lead compounds (natural products) as a starting point for the drug discovery process. Until now. There are now a very small number of natural products which demonstrate activity against mesothelioma. First reported in 2012, and isolated from Saccharopolyspora sp. RL78, the natural product termed JBIR-102 possesses a unique structural architecture, and is only the third natural product to be isolated to exhibit activity against human malignant pleural mesothelioma. The aza-silyl-Prins reaction has been developed within our research group as a rapid method to prepare aza-bicycles – structural architectures found in many alkaloids and natural products, and crucially at the centre of JBIR-102. The aim of the project, therefore, is to optimise the aza-silyl-Prins reaction and then investigate its application in the synthesis of JBIR-102. A collaboration with a specialist cancer biology group will see all the compounds prepared evaluated against mesothelioma cell lines. This will be the first study of this kind.

Doctoral Training Partnerships: a range of postgraduate training is funded by the Research Councils. For information on current funding routes, see the common terminology at https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/how-we-fund-studentships/. Training grants may be to one organisation or to a consortia of research organisations. This portal will show the lead organisation only.

Environmentally benign fungal pathogens and naturally insecticidal plant extracts could offer a sustainable alternative to synthetic chemical pesticides. Fungal control does not have many of the problems associated with conventional control such as pest resistance, toxicity to humans and persistence in the environment. One downside to such a technology is that it can be slow acting to achieve effective control. The aim of this project is to create a formulation combining fungal pathogens with the pesticidal plant extracts to create effective pest control with two non-synthetic control agents. This solution will be applicable in developing countries such as China where the materials can be locally produced. Creating a new product with these technologies may confer additional benefits as the modes of action may work in synergy to achieve greater pest control with less material required. Additional benefits to using these biopesticides would be the stimulation the growth of this market, provision of safer working conditions, creating job opportunities and allowing local growers to receive a greater return for their produce by conforming to EU regulations on pesticide use. We anticipate that this will have considerable benefits for the ecosystems in which they are applied due to reduced impacts on non-target insects such as pollinators. From a scientific and cultural perspective this would open-up opportunities for other pathogen-botanical extract formulations to be developed and increase awareness of alternative solutions in pest control, encouraging growers and industry to move away from synthetic chemical control. The project will involve laboratory testing of the plant extracts and fungal pathogens for potentially synergistic, antagonistic or additive effects when controlling pest populations, formulated blends of plant extracts with the fungal pathogen in a concentration identified as effective in laboratory assays and field testing on crops in China. In field and laboratory testing the incidence of target pests, damage caused and the impact on beneficial insects (i.e. pollinators and natural enemies of the pests) will be monitored. A report will be prepared with a plan for future research required and a plan for the exploitation of this new technology. The project will be a collaboration between the Natural Resources Institute and Eurorganic Ltd in the UK and Fujian Agriculture & Forestry University and Jiangxi Tian-Ren Ltd in China.

I am interested in using these emerging relational theoretical frameworks (such as more-than-human, emotional and affective ecologies) to explore the socioecological configurations and dynamics which shape changing food meanings and politics in urban spaces and ecologies here in the UK. Key themes will include: (multi-scalar) urbanisation processes and dynamics, issues of socioecological damage/ decay and regeneration, diverse values, and the articulation/construction of post-capitalist futures. The latter could include responses focused on commoning practices and institutions. As I embark on a more detailed literature review and continue to develop my ideas, specific empirical cases and the particular relational assemblages of interest associated with them will emerge along with more detailed research questions and methodological choices.