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IEHS

IEHS

Hospitality in the post-Covid19 era – Leveraging the mobile interface
Funder: Brunel University London
Duration: May 2021 - November 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused severe disruption in the hospitality industry. Movement restrictions (e.g., border closures, and lockdowns) led to the cancellation of most leisure and business bookings. Now, as the vaccination programme expands to more and more age groups, and the UK prepares to come out of national lockdown, companies in this sector need to win back customer confidence. For instance, in Wuhan, residents and tourists continued to avoid hospitality venues long after the lockdown was lifted, due to fear of reinfection (Chen and Che, 2020). Businesses need to overcome two types of consumer fear: 1) fear that venues are unsafe (Hazée and Van Vaerenbergh, 2021); and 2) fear that local restrictions will limit the leisure options available (Which, 2021). Businesses can address the first fear by communicating to customers which venues follow the upmost industry safety standards, such as Visit Britain’s “We’re good to go” scheme (2020). To address the second fear, businesses can curate and share with customers information about which venues are open (e.g., restaurants, museums) and which activities are taking place (e.g., tours, outdoor events), so that customers can make the most of their journey. That is, by communicating clearly and effectively with their customers, hospitality venues can gain back their confidence (Bove and Benoit, 2020). Several mobile phone apps have emerged, recently, to help individuals feel – and be – safe (Heinonen and Strandvik, 2021). For instance, Snapchat’s My Social Distance app allows users to maintain a safe distance from others by measuring the space between themselves and others in their proximity; while the NHS Covid-19 app alerts users to possible exposure to the SARS-Cov-2 virus through contact tracing. The role of these (and other) apps in allowing the easing of movement restrictions, and keeping customers safe, suggest that there is an opportunity for hospitality businesses, too, to use this technology to communicate with customers, in order to overcome their fears and, therefore, initiate recovery from the economic crisis induced by the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, this project aims to: A. Identify the information needs of hospitality guests, to overcome their fears related to the use of hospitality venues. B. Assess effective ways of signalling venue safety and range of local options available, to address the needs identified in A. C. Determine the specification of a smartphone App to deliver the messages defined in B. D. Pilot the app designed in C, and develop recommendations for further development.

Equipping Lesotho's primary school teachers for educating and motivating rural children.
Funder: Economic & Social Research Council
Duration: April 2021 - April 2023
Can a targeted knowledge translation intervention increase implementation and adoption of evidence in practice by community children’s occupational therapists?
Funder: Elizabeth Casson Trust
Duration: April 2021 - March 2023

This study aims to evaluate an intervention to facilitate implementation and adoption of evidence in practice by community occupational therapists working with children/young people with disabilities and their families. The study will fund the first two years of a full-time PhD with Brunel funding the third and final year. It will also fund a part time post graduate research assistant.

Aging in Data
Funder: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
Duration: April 2021 - March 2028

Partnership grant

Use of digital technology to deliver disability services
Funder: Health Research Board (Ireland)
Duration: March 2021 - December 2022
NC3Rs Business Growth Scheme
Funder: National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research
Duration: February 2021 - July 2021

commercial grant

Targeting prolyl isomerases as a therapeutic approach for multiple myeloma
Funder: Kay Kendall Leukaemia Fund
Duration: January 2021 - January 2024
Plastics in Indonesian Societies (PISCES): Systems Analytics Approach to Reduce Plastic Pollution
Funder: Natural Environment Research Council
Duration: January 2021 - July 2024
Investigating the role of bioactive sphingolipids in Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA)
Funder: Ataxia UK
Duration: January 2021 - July 2021

Project Grant

Grenfell and beyond: Exploring differences in digital technology interactions between residents and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council for well-being during Covid-19.
Funder: Brunel University London
Duration: January 2021 - July 2021

This project investigates the use of digital technologies and its perceived implications for residents’ sense of well-being during the Covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, we focus on the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and its residents, considering potential differences in experiences between residents within 500 metres of Grenfell Tower and other council residents. This project is restricted on those residents who have access to the Internet and will explore the use of digital technologies for sharing information between councils and residents, accessing council services, and connecting with other residents.

UKRI Interdisciplinary Centre for CircularMetal
Funder: Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council
Duration: January 2021 - December 2024
Bring Reinforcement-learning Into Radio Light Network for Massive Connections (6G BRAINS)
Funder: European Commission
Duration: January 2021 - December 2023
INVALID
Funder: Quick Costing Funder Placeholder
Duration: January 2021 - December 2021
Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership - Lucy Van Hoorn
Funder: Economic & Social Research Council
Duration: January 2021 - April 2026
Development of Joint Strategic Needs Assessment for London Borough of Hillingdon.
Funder: Hillingdon Council
Duration: -

Milner, Adrienne (PI). Cheung, Kei Long (CI), Norris, Emma (CI), Victor, Christina (CI), Pokhrel, Subhash (CI).

Let’s Go Southall; Community Sport & Social Movements in Southall
Funder: Sport England
Duration: January 2021 - March 2022

Complex Community Intervention and Evaluation

Physical Activity and Dementia Evidence Review
Funder: Dementia UK
Duration: 2021 -
An investigation of the potential of SiNPs particles to lentivirus gene transfer
Funder: N4Pharma
Duration: January 2021 - August 2022

vector enhancement of LV

Equipment
Funder: GeneWerk
Duration: January 2021 - August 2021

Equipment

StoryFutures China+: Experiencing Museums and Galleries from Home
Funder: Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
Duration: December 2020 - May 2022
Contact Tracing to Support Precision Modelling
Funder: Innovate UK
Duration: November 2020 - February 2021
Developing Sports Managers and Leaders Employability Across Europe
Funder: Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency
Duration: November 2020 - November 2022
Sport Good Governance Game (SG3)
Funder: Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency
Duration: November 2020 - November 2022
Starving livers of glucose for HCC prevention and treatment
Funder: Guts UK
Duration: November 2020 - November 2022
Precarious transitions? Doctoral students negotiating the shift to academic positions
Funder: British Academy
Duration: October 2020 - March 2022
Understanding Harrow Residents Food Waste Reduction Barriers
Funder: Brunel University London
Duration: October 2020 - January 2021

This project aims to conduct preliminary research to understand why 35-40% of the black bag waste (known as residual waste) in Harrow Council contains food waste in the presence of a separate food waste collection scheme and promotion of food waste reduction initiatives nationwide. This is important to helping Harrow Council improve its sustainability, and promote maximisation of multi-dimensional (i.e. environmental, economic, social and technical) value recovery from waste

AI and Connecting Generations: Effects at Individual, Organisational and Societal Levels
Funder: Brunel University London
Duration: October 2020 - July 2021

Artificial intelligence is transforming the types of paid work in the economy, how manufacturing is conducted and cities are planned, business operations and strategy, methods of governing and the law. Researchers at the Centre for AI at Brunel University are actively researching and publishing in these areas of immense societal importance. The proposed seminar series aims to draw on the centre’s expertise. One objective is to build research capacity through the opportunities for Brunel academics to intellectually engage with leaders in the field and thus enhance their networks. Collaboration with some of the speakers will provide opportunities for co-authored publications. Beyond the technical changes in the field of computing, we plan to show in the seminar series how the implementation of AI has wider individual, organisational and societal effects. Interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary approaches are essential to this endeavour. Thus, a further objective of the seminar series is to break down the artificial boundaries between disciplines, bringing a radical innovation we already know to be productive, to gain a richer understanding of how AI is transforming society and our lives.

Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership - Rahmanara Chowdhury
Funder: Economic & Social Research Council
Duration: October 2020 - March 2021
Effects of environmental pollution on Molluscan endocrinology - Studentship
Funder: Natural Environment Research Council
Duration: October 2020 - September 2024
Aquasense Clean water monitoring and alert system
Funder: Innovate UK
Duration: October 2020 - February 2021
COVID-Secure High Street Work Stores
Funder: Innovate UK
Duration: October 2020 - March 2021
Biodegradable Respiratory Medical Devices (PhD studentship - Webb)
Funder: Intersurgical Ltd
Duration: October 2020 - September 2023
Reducing Food Waste Content in Residual Household Waste Through Digital Citizen Engagement
Funder: Science and Technology Facilities Council
Duration: October 2020 - June 2021
Rosie Williams Studentship for The London NERC Doctoral Training Partnership
Funder: Natural Environment Research Council
Duration: September 2020 - July 2021
Rebecca Parrish Studentship for The London NERC Doctoral Training Partnership
Funder: Natural Environment Research Council
Duration: September 2020 - September 2021