Upon his visit to India, Foreign Secretary David Lammy met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and both governments committed to developing collaboration between Swag直播 , the University of Cambridge Graphene Centre and the Indian Institute for Science Bengaluru Centre for Nano Science & Engineering on advanced (two-dimensional) 2D and atomically thin materials and nanotechnology.

The TSI will focus on boosting economic growth in both countries and tackling issues such as telecoms security and semiconductor supply chain resilience. For the University specifically, the collaboration will scope joint research ventures, facilitate student and start-up exchanges, and open access to world-leading laboratories and prototyping facilities.

Swag直播 is already collaborating with a number of established partners in India, which has resulted in joint PhD programmes with the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, which include a number of projects on 2D materials. The University is already immersed in the fields of Critical Minerals and Artificial Intelligence highlighted in the TSI, and hosted a UK-India Critical Minerals workshop in November 2023.

Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner to India, said: 鈥淭he UK-India Technology Security Initiative will help shape the significant science and technology capabilities of both countries to deliver greater security, growth and wellbeing for our citizens. We are delighted to have Swag直播 play a key part in this, particularly in our collaboration on advanced materials and critical minerals.鈥�

This year Swag直播 is celebrating its bicentenary and it recently hosted a gala celebration in India at the Taj Lands End hotel Mumbai, attended by over 200 Indian alumni and representatives from our current and prospective partner organisations in the country. The University has also awarded honorary degrees to eminent Indian academic and industrial leaders including Professor C.N.R Rao and Mr Ratan Tata.

Advanced Materials is one of Swag直播鈥檚 research beacons, and the institution has a long history of innovation in this space. In 2004, the extraction of graphene from graphite was achieved by two University of Swag直播 researchers, and with their pioneering work recognised with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010.

The United Kingdom celebrates 75 years of India's independence by recognising and celebrating the work of 75 young achievers who have studied in the UK. Achievers 鈥渁re some of the brightest young minds in the India-UK corridor. They are trailblazers, Innovators and thought leaders, shaping India's future and setting global discourse.鈥�

The honours are part of , celebrating the friendship between the UK and India - marking the 75th anniversary of India. The 75 Achievers were honoured at a on 25 January.

The winners:

Parineeti Chopra, Arts, Culture & Entertainment category (Outstanding Achiever) (BA Intl Business, Finance & Economics 2009)

A National Film Award winner, Parineeti is an acclaimed artist with multiple honours and recognitions to her name. She has appeared in the Forbes Celebrity 100 list since 2013.

The renowned Bollywood actor, is a household name in India and beyond. Parineeti graduated from the Alliance Swag直播 Business School in 2009 having studied; business, finance and economics, before turning to acting.

On accepting her award Parineeti said: 鈥淟ife has come full circle and I鈥檓 so glad to be back where it all started! Having studied at Swag直播 Business School, to be able to come back, receive this award and celebrate it at the UK Parliament is such an incredible, special feeling.鈥�

Somdip Dey, Education, Science & Innovation category (Outstanding Achiever) (MSc Computer Science 2014)

Somdip Dey is a machine learning researcher, educator, entrepreneur and electronic music producer. He is credited with co-developing the Nosh app, an AI-based food management app, aiming to reduce food waste in the household. Dey also co-founded Nosh Technologies and is currently the CEO and Chief Scientist in the company.

Speaking about the award, Somdip said: 鈥淐oming from a humble family from the slums of Kolkata, India, if someone told my past self that I would reach where I am today, I might not have ever believed it, especially since being dyslexic and falling in the ADHD spectrum - education in my early life hasn't been easy. But Swag直播 has provided me with the right support to achieve my full potential. Given the University鈥檚 vibrant learning culture, rich heritage and expertise in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and a network of leading change-makers from around the world, the University is one of the best places in the world to pursue your dreams - as mine came true because of my education at Swag直播!鈥�

Dr Srijan Jinda, Education, Science & Innovation category (PhD Chemistry 2020)

Born in Varanasi, Srijan completed his undergraduate studies at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee in 2016 and his Ph.D. at Swag直播 in 2019. He worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Liverpool for a year after which he spun out a medical device company PhenUtest Diagnostics Ltd. and is working towards commercialising a revolutionary rapid UTI diagnostic kit as the Chief Scientific Officer for the company.

Arundhuti Gupta, Education, Science & Innovation category (MSc Finance 2009)

Arundhuti is the founding trustee and chief executive officer of Mentor Together, a non-profit organisation in India that provides mentoring relationships and networks to young people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.  Arundhuti setup Mentor Together aged 23, to pay forward mentorship that had been catalytic in helping her discover a passion for youth development and social entrepreneurship.

The High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom, Mr. Vikram Doraiswami, and the Consul General of India, Birmingham, Dr. Shashank Vikram, visited the National Graphene Institute (NGI) - arranged through the University鈥檚 participation in the Swag直播 India Partnership. 

This showcased Swag直播鈥檚 research strengths in 2D materials and was an opportunity to highlight deepening relationships with Indian institutions including the Indian Institute of Science, and the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) both located in Bangalore.

In a separate visit, the NGI, in collaboration with UK Science and Innovation Network, hosted the Secretary to the Government of India, Department for Science and Technology (DST), Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar and a team of senior advisers. 

The DST were undertaking a familiarisation week in the UK, with a particular focus on the nation鈥檚 research strengths in hydrogen, advanced manufacturing and space, concluding their time in Swag直播 at Jodrell Bank Observatory and Discovery Centre.

Stephen Flint, Associate Vice President International, Swag直播, said: 鈥淥ur relationship with India is growing at pace and spans many of our activities including the recruitment of top- quality students, joint research and PhD student training and business engagement. These senior government visits underscore our engagement with the region鈥�.

The experts from three Indian teaching hospitals: AIIMS, New Delhi, AIIMS Kalyani, West Bengal and PGIMER, Chandigarh along with Swag直播 estimate that 57 million - or  4.4% of the 1.3 billion people who live in India - are likely to be affected.

The comprehensive review of data from over 400 published academic articles is published in the journal .

Vaginal thrush - or yeast infection - they found, affected around 24 million women of reproductive age, with repeated attacks.

Hair fungal infection - known as tinea capitis - in school-age children affected a similar number. It causes a painful infected scalp and leaving many with hair loss.

Major contributors to death were mould infections affecting lungs and sinuses, affecting over 250,000 people.  Another 1,738,400 people had chronic aspergillosis and 3.5 million with serious allergic lung mould disease.

Over 1 million are thought to have potentially blinding fungal eye disease and nearly 200,000 with had mucormycosis (so called 鈥楤lack mould鈥�).

Dr Animesh Ray of AIIMS in Delhi, the lead author of the article, said: 鈥淭he total burden due to fungal diseases is huge but under-appreciated.

鈥淲hile tuberculosis affects less than 3 million people in a year in India, the number of Indians affected by fungal disease are several times higher.鈥�

Professor David Denning of Swag直播 and Global Action For Fungal Disease added: 鈥淭here have been major diagnostic improvements in recent years, with public health services in India catching up with private hospitals in terms of capability.

鈥淗辞飞别惫别谤, fungal disease continues to be threat to  public health and a cause of significant  morbidity and mortality representing a considerable socioeconomic burden to those who are infected by them.

鈥淎nd there remain large parts of India with limited diagnostic capability, as evidenced by our inability to estimate some important diseases such as histoplasmosis and fungal asthma in children.鈥�

The partnership will serve to consolidate and build on existing research collaborations across a number of thematic areas including Biomaterials, Graphene, Environmental Sciences (including atmospheric sciences), Advanced Manufacturing and artificial intelligence/machine learning application in agriculture, health and industry.

Students will be jointly selected and spend time in both Swag直播 and Bengaluru, benefiting from the expertise, facilities and infrastructure of two globally renowned institutions. The partnership will be further strengthened by a Seed Fund that will support the incubation of new collaborations and projects between the two partner institutions.

The programme was formally signed by Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of Swag直播, and Captain Sridhar Warrier, Registrar of the Indian Institute of Science at a ceremony at IISc, Bangalore. Prof Rothwell was accompanied by Prof Stephen Flint, Associate Vice President for International and other internationalisation leads from the and the on her visit to IISc, as part of the University鈥檚 delegation visit in India. The delegation met with the Director of IISc, Prof. Govindan Rangarajan, and other senior colleagues for the signing ceremony.

Successful candidates will spend the first year at IISc with the remaining time on the programme split between Swag直播 and IISc according to the project requirements as determined by the supervisors and the Joint Programme Board. The students will be awarded a joint degree from both institutions, based on a single research experience managed cooperatively by both institutions.

For IISc, India鈥檚 leading University for Science and Technology, this represents only their third Joint Doctoral Programme and the first with a European partner. For the University of Swag直播, this follows the highly successful launch of similar Dual PhD programmes with the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, University of Toronto, University of Melbourne, and the University of Chile. As a core component of its international strategy, Swag直播 is entering into a small number of dual award PhD programmes with prestigious partner institutions around the world.

鈥淲e are delighted to enter into this joint PhD agreement with IISc, the leading science and technology University in India. Graduates from this programme will have the unique advantage of acquiring the best knowledge and skills offered by both these eminent institutions.鈥�, said Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-chancellor

The Director of IISc, Professor Govindan Rangajaran, said 鈥淚ndian Institute of Science is pleased to partner with Swag直播 for the joint PhD programme. Given multiple areas of mutual interest to both institutions, we are confident that this will be a very productive partnership that further strengthens our ties.鈥�

Professor Stephen Flint said: 鈥淭he joint PhD programme with IISc is testament to the University鈥檚 strategic ambitions to build world-class research links with India and to encourage more student mobility between the two countries.鈥� He further added, 鈥淪wag直播 established research partnerships with IISc some years ago and this PhD programme is the next step in deepening our relationship, with academic colleagues in both institutions sharing supervision of the PhD students, who will spend 2 years in Swag直播 and 2 years in Bengaluru. This agreement reflects the growing strength of partnership between the UK and India."

Academics from the two institutions will liaise to define projects which are approved by a Joint Programme Board. The research Seed Fund will support staff and student exchange, workshops and other modes of engagement to facilitate the establishment of these projects and new collaborations. Initial areas of focus will include Industry 4.0, Advanced Manufacturing, Environmental Science and Advanced Materials.  Under this programme, full and partial funding will be available on a competitive basis, and we expect the opportunity to benefit from the expertise and infrastructure of two globally renowned institutions will present an attractive prospect for talented aspiring researchers.

The scholarship aims to increase opportunities for women and girls studying in those fields and will cover full tuition fees and most expenses associated with study overseas including flights, visa and a monthly stipend, with provision also made for accompanying children.

According to data from the (UNESCO), fewer than 30% of researchers worldwide are women and only 30% of female students select STEM-related fields in higher education. Globally, female students鈥� enrolment is particularly low in information and communications technology (3%), natural science, mathematics and statistics (5%), and engineering, manufacturing and construction (8%).

David Polya, Associate Dean for Internationalisation and Professor of Environmental Geochemistry at Swag直播, said: 鈥淎s the world鈥檚 top university in the Times Higher Education (THE) 2021 impact rankings for action on sustainable development goals (SDGs), Swag直播 is one of the world鈥檚 leading research institutes. This scholarship is symbolic of our core social responsibility goals. With the new scholarship offering we hope we can help to further address the gender imbalance seen within STEM subjects alongside giving a passport to a successful career and a lifetime of achievement. We are also particularly proud of our further involvement, led by Dr Laura Richards, partnering with the British Council and India鈥檚 Department of Science and Technology (DST) on the GATI (Gender Advancement through Transforming Institutions) project advancing women in STEM in India.鈥�

Swag直播, led by President and Vice-Chancellor, Dame Nancy Rothwell, has a proud history of innovation in STEM. Swag直播 was the birthplace of the nuclear age, when Ernest Rutherford's pioneering research led to the splitting of the atom. The computer revolution started here in June 1948 when a machine built by Tom Kilburn and Sir Freddie Williams, known affectionately as 'The Baby', ran its first stored program. More recently, it is known as the University that isolated graphene, the material of the future, and for its leading role in informing climate change and energy policy, notably through the Head of the School of Engineering, Professor Alice Larkin.

Barbara Wickham, Country Director British Council India, said: 鈥淏ased on the overwhelmingly positive experience and feedback from earlier scholarships, we are excited to offer this fourth round of scholarships for women in STEM. With the UK widely recognised as home to some of the world鈥檚 top-ranked universities offering quality programmes in STEM, we hope to enable women from across India to access a master鈥檚 degree or an academic fellowship at leading UK universities. The British Council is committed to girls鈥� education and addressing gender imbalance in science, technology and innovation, including in academia. Since 2018, over 180 Indian women have been able to pursue a master鈥檚 in STEM subjects in the UK and these new scholarships will support even more women in making transformational changes in their lives and then go on to make a mark in the world and inspire future generations.鈥�

Potential students are encouraged to apply ahead of the deadline on 10^th April 2022 and applicants must be in receipt of a University of Swag直播 offer. Applicants must demonstrate a case for financial support and that they are active in the field of study with work experience or with a proven interest in the course area they are applying for. In addition, they must demonstrate plans for future contribution to capacity-building and socio-economic advancement, and a plan and passion to engage other women and girls in STEM.

For more information and to apply visit: .

Swag直播 offers a range of alternative scholarships for STEM and other subject areas. More information can be found at /study/international/finance-and-scholarships/funding/

Pollutants can move at different speeds and accumulate in varying quantities along rivers where the mix of the complex 鈥榗ocktail鈥� of chemicals that is making its way towards the ocean is constantly changing, a new study reveals.

Researchers have discovered characteristic breakpoints 鈥� often found when a tributary joins the main river or significant point sources exist 鈥� can change the behaviour of some compounds, causing the concentration of these chemicals to change drastically, depending on where they are on their journey down the river.

Experts discovered the phenomenon after piloting a new, systematic approach to understanding hydrogeochemical dynamics in large river systems along the entire length of India鈥檚 River Ganges (Ganga) 鈥� from close to its source in the Himalayas down to the Indian Ocean.

This new research approach proven successful at the iconic Ganga can be applied to other large river systems across the world 鈥� hopefully shedding new light on how to tackle the global challenge of aquatic pollution by multiple interacting contaminants.

Publishing its findings in , the international research team, which includes experts from the Universities of Birmingham and Swag直播 and other Indian and UK collaborators, reveals that chemicals including nitrate, chloride, sulfate, calcium, sodium and strontium are cut and boosted in different proportion by a series of breakpoints along the Ganga.

They found that mixing, dilution and weathering are key processes controlling major hydrochemistry - identifying four major breakpoints which alter the concentration of at least four chemicals in the river. Five minor breakpoints affect the water mix of 2-3 chemicals, with two 鈥榮ingle鈥� locations impacting on just one parameter.

Dr Laura Richards, the study鈥檚 lead author from Swag直播, commented: 鈥淥ur research helps to understand the downstream transitions in the chemistry of the River Ganga providing important baseline information and quantification of solute sources and controls.  In addition to improving the understanding of a river system as environmentally and societally important as the Ganga, the systematic approach used may also be applicable to other large river systems.鈥�

Stefan Krause, Professor of Ecohydrology and Biogeochemistry at the , commented: 鈥淟arge river systems, such as the Ganga, provide crucial water resources with important implications for global water, food and energy security. Understanding the complex dynamics of such systems remains a major challenge.

鈥淭he breakpoints we have identified in India change the behaviour of some compounds, altering the composition of the cocktail of chemicals flowing down the Ganga to the ocean.

鈥淏reakpoint analysis could be a game changer in understanding how pollutants travel along major watercourses 鈥� allowing us to identify the 鈥榟otspots鈥� which will shed new light on the behaviour of aquatic pollution and how better to tackle this global challenge.鈥�

Informed by a 2019 post-monsoonal survey of 81 bank-side sampling locations, researchers identified five major hydrogeochemical zones - characterised, in part, by the inputs of key tributaries, urban and agricultural areas, and estuarine inputs near the Bay of Bengal.

The researcher鈥檚 novel research approach brings systematic insight into the factors controlling key geochemistry in the Ganga - one of the world鈥檚 largest and most important river systems, flowing over 2,500 km from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal, through one of the world鈥檚 most densely populated areas.

As a major source of livelihood, the river is a key water source to more than 400 Million people and very important to many social and religious traditions in India, but faces increasing environmental challenges associated with rapid development, climate change, increasing urbanisation, water demand and agricultural intensity.

This work was undertaken as part of a partnership between Indo-UK projects and the following support is acknowledged: NERC-DST Water Quality Projects FAR-GANGA NE/R003386/1 & DST/TM/INDO-UK/2K17/55(C) & 55(G) to Polya et al (see ); Water Quality TEST NE/R003106/1 & DST/TM/INDO-UK/2K17/30 to Reynolds et al.; NE/R000131/1 to Jenkins et al.; and 100 Plastic Rivers (The Leverhulme Trust) to Krause et al.

The programme, launching this July, will be open to IIT and IISc graduates from India during its initial phase. Successful candidates will be required to enrol at both institutions spending the first year at IIT Kharagpur with the remaining time on the programme split between Swag直播 and IIT Kharagpur according to the project requirements as determined by the supervisors and the Joint Programme Board.

Both institutions will be responsible for making their own award but the two components would form a single research experience managed cooperatively by both institutions. The successful doctoral candidates will receive parchments from both Institutions - each prominently mentioning the joint nature of the work and the partner institute’s name.

While IIT Kharagpur has already established similar programmes with universities in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, this is the first time such a joint programme has been set up with a British university.

Professor Baidurya Bhattacharya, Former Dean International Relations at IIT Kharagpur who was instrumental in setting up this programme remarked: “This Dual Award PhD is a unique partnership made possible by the trust and respect we have developed over the years for each other's research quality and academic standards. Starting from defining the doctoral project, selection and admission of the student, to supervision, thesis work and evaluation, and finally award of the degree, everything is jointly administered. I believe this programme will provide the template for equal partnership between IITs and top British universities in the future.”

As a core component of its international strategy, Swag直播 is entering into a small number of dual award PhD programmes with prestigious partner institutions around the world.

Professor Stephen Flint, Associate Vice-President International, Swag直播, said: “The dual PhD with IIT Kharagpur is testament to the University’s strategic ambitions to build world-class research links with India and to encourage more student mobility between the two regions.” He further added, “Swag直播 established research partnerships with IIT Kharagpur some years ago and this dual award PhD programme is the next step in deepening our relationship, with academic colleagues in both institutions sharing supervision of the PhD students, who will spend 2 years in Swag直播 and 2 years in Kharagpur."

Faculty members from the two institutions will jointly define projects which are approved by a Joint Progamme Board. As per the umbrella MoU signed in 2017, some of the areas for potential joint projects include Biomedical Informatics, Advanced Materials, Smart Textiles, and Earth-Environment-Water Sciences. Several potential collaborations between faculty members of both institutions have already been identified with encouragement of the development of further collaborations. Under this programme, full and partial funding will be available on a competitive basis for four years for a select number of suitably qualified and progressing students.

The full report is available to view at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X20304393#b0185.

Despite the enormity of this problem, most wells providing drinking water (there are at least tens of millions of them) have not been tested for arsenic, so modelling using data from those that have been tested is an important tool to help get an idea of where further high arsenic well waters are more likely to occur. Because of this, researchers have constructed prediction models for individual countries (e.g. China, Pakistan, Burkina Faso, USA, Bangladesh, Cambodia) as well as on a regional or global scale, but curiously, to date, there had not been published a detailed model focused solely on India.

An international team involving researchers based in Swag直播 (UK), Patna (India) and Zurich (Switzerland) has now addressed this. Their country-specific, country-wide model for well water arsenic in India has recently been published in the .

Their model confirms the known high probability of finding hazardous high arsenic well waters in northern India in the river basins of the Ganges and Brahmaputra. What is new and particularly concerning, is that the model also finds an elevated probability of high arsenic well waters in other Indian areas, where previously arsenic hazard was generally not considered to be a major concern – so much so that in many of these areas well water arsenic is not routinely checked.

These areas include parts of south-west and central India and are mostly areas underlain by sediments and sedimentary rocks. Such occurrences are similar to those predicted by the Swag直播 group by similar types of modelling and subsequently found elsewhere, notably in South-East Asia.

The study suggests follow up to help better define specific areas in which action is required to reduce adverse public health outcomes from drinking high arsenic well waters. The study also highlights the importance of systematic testing of hazards, not just in known high hazard areas, but also through random sampling of all wells used for drinking water.

There are known and important limitations to this kind of modelling approach. The output model can only be as good as the data upon which it is based; the model is based largely on satellite-derived data and so is less reliable for deeper wells; the model does not consider variations of well water arsenic with time. Lastly, the arsenic content of well waters is known to change massively over very short distances, so for a particular well, the model will never be a better substitute for a good chemical analysis of the water produced from that well.

Nevertheless, the model does suggest new areas in India in which follow up sampling of well water and analysis for arsenic should be done; this will help save lives in those areas.

This internationally collaboration was largely built on a joint India-UK Water Quality project FAR-GANGA ( ) for which co-authors Professor David Polya, a researcher at Swag直播, and Mr Biswajit Charkavorty, a senior scientist at the are the UK and India leads respectively.

Professor Polya said: “The model outputs are a good example of the benefits of international collaboration. The work would have been much more difficult to achieve without the joint India-UK Water Quality programme project, FAR-GANGA.”

Mr Chakravorty said: “The outcome of this open-access joint Indo-UK study will help create greater awareness of hazardous arsenic distribution in wells amongst the population.”

The lead author of the study was Dr Joel Podgorski, currently a senior scientist at the (Eawag), but who conducted much of the study whilst a Postdoctoral Impact Research Fellow at Swag直播. He said: “This study demonstrates how the increasing availability of data can be used to better understand the scope of public health crises.”

Ms Ruohan Wu, a postgraduate researcher at Swag直播, was also part of the research team.

Swag直播 has strategic partnerships and collaborations worldwide and has a history of creating strong links with business, public authorities and students in India. For more information about our work with India visit  

Work led by Professor Vaskar Saha, a paediatrician from Swag直播, means that around 80% of children with the most common childhood cancer are now likely to survive following treatment at major centres across India, thanks to his revolutionary approach.

Professor Vaskar Saha, has helped cure children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) by 15% during the five years he has led the ICICLE (Indian Childhood Collaborative Leukaemia Group) clinical project, in partnership with Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata.

Originally from West Bengal, Professor Saha – who splits his time between Swag直播 and Tata Medical Centre – previously led research which helped increase survival rates among children with the condition by 10% in the United Kingdom.

Survival rates of most cancers in India are usually 15-25% lower than the United Kingdom. However, with Professor Saha’s work challenging the stereotype that cancer cure is a prerogative of affluent nations, his research has increased survival rates in Kolkata from 65% in 2014 to 80% in 2019.

Vaskar Saha, Professor of Paediatric Oncology at Swag直播 and Senior Paediatric Consultant and Director of Translational Cancer Research at the Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata, said: “In the UK, 450 children are diagnosed annually with ALL, of which 400 will survive. In India, 9,000 of the 15,000 children diagnosed annually will survive.

“Not so long ago, four in ten Indian children would die because of poor treatment and relapse. The former was mainly due to the absence of standardisation in testing and treatment.

“If we can improve outcomes in India by 10%, then an additional 1,500 children a year grow up to lead normal lives.”

Transferring his knowledge to help raise standards of care in the developing world, Professor Saha is facilitating other self-sustaining centres in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Chandigarh.

Vaskar continued: “With the help of colleagues in the NHS and across the world, we’ve successfully integrated modern diagnostics and monitoring into routine cancer care. This not only saves lives, it also saves money.

“Children who don’t require intensive treatment are identified early and we are using IT tools to monitor and manage patients so they can return home early.”


 

Dr Mammen Chandy, Director, Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata, said: “We are currently researching appropriate therapy through the ICICLE project which is being led by Professor Vaskar Saha. The aim of the project is to collaborate with specialists internationally known for their expertise, who can bring their skills and laboratories to India for the benefit of the Indian population.

Before the ICICLE project launched, excellent medical centres across India were common and most children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia were able to get the drugs they needed.

Historically, hospitals in India often work in isolation without exposure to the international research community. Travel costs to faraway hospitals were also difficult for poor families or those on low incomes.

Once clinicians started sharing their knowledge and standardised systems were put in place, change began to take root. And the provision of accommodation for families was also crucial.

Vaskar Saha added: “Small things in research can make a big difference such as how and when you administer a patient’s medicine and how you care for them. I wanted us to document this and share it among ourselves. That’s what we do in the NHS which is an amazing role model.“We knew that while in the west treatment for childhood leukaemia is highly successful, that doesn’t often happen in countries with fewer resources. We wanted to change this.“The centres across the country treat more than 1000 patients a year and nowadays 700 to 800 of them are saved; probably more as other centres adopt the model."

Shahid Jameel, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, The Wellcome Trust/Department of Biotechnology India Alliance, added: “Our vision is to support the best biomedical researchers in India not just through funding, but to help develop the next generation of science leaders in the country. We are very pleased to be supporting Professor Saha's work in India through one of our most competitive fellowships.

“By working in partnership with Professor Saha and Swag直播, scientists from India will also have the opportunity to train in transformative research environments in India as well as the UK.”

Cancer

 is one of Swag直播’s - examples of pioneering discoveries, interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector partnerships that are tackling some of the biggest questions facing the planet. #ResearchBeacons

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As part of an ongoing partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, health experts including Professor Douglas Corfield of Swag直播’s were in Bengal to help officials working on the proposed school with training techniques for doctors, such as problem based learning.

The delegation was not just focussed on healthcare however, as a large number of meetings were also held with organisations and research institutes working in the areas of engineering, advanced materials and biomedical sciences.

These included the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Indian Statistical Institute, Jadavpur University and Calcutta University at an event hosted by British Deputy High Commissioner Bruce Bucknell in Kolkata.

Separate events featured discussions with Tata Medical Centre, Tata Steel and Graphite India, with plans for research projects and funding applications now in the pipeline.

Professor Stephen Flint, Associate Vice-President for Internationalisation, who led the delegation said: “As a global university it is important that Swag直播 continues to expand its links to other institutions around the world. This visit to India is part of that process and we have discovered many areas where researchers at Swag直播 can work together with Indian counterparts on world class projects.”

The visit began on Wednesday 1 November and concluded on Monday 6.

There is more information for on the University website.

The US National Academy of Sciences has this week honoured a University of Swag直播 physicist for his exceptional scientific achievements.

Professor Francisco Guinea, from the , has been elected Foreign Associate to the (NAS).

Prof Guinea is one of 21 new foreign associates recognised for their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Prof Guinea’s field of expertise lies in theoretical condensed matter physics. He is active in developing models for the description of the properties of novel materials such as graphene. He is also a Senior Research Professor at , in Madrid.

Members are elected to the NAS in recognition of their continuing achievements in original research. Membership is a widely accepted mark of excellence in science and is considered one of the highest honours that a scientist can receive.

Prof Guinea has made seminal contributions in topics such as macroscopic quantum mechanics, pattern formation, magnetism, and the theory of superconductivity and strongly correlated systems. In recent times he has been doing research in and other two dimensional materials, where he is one of the leading theoreticians worldwide.

currently has two other members of the NAS; Professor Sir Andre Geim, Professor of Condensed Matter Physics and Professor Sir Salvador Moncada, Institute Director of Cancer Sciences.

Also this week Dr Radha Boya was one of five scientists honoured with the . The programme recognises the achievements of exceptional female scientists across the globe and awards them with fellowships to help further their research.

At an awards ceremony in London on Thursday 4 May Dr Boya said: “I owe my success to the women in my life.”

Dr. Boya is a Leverhulme early career fellow and Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw fellow at Swag直播, where she is establishing a new research group exploring the fundamentals and applications of atomic scale nanocapillaries.

After completing her PhD in 2012 in JNCASR, India with recognition of ‘Best Thesis’, she has been funded through a series of highly competitive and prestigious international fellowships, including Indo-US pre- and postdoctoral, as well as European Union's Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellowships. She has published 37 papers including the journals of Nature and Science and holds three patents.

Researchers from Swag直播 are a step closer to understanding how the darkness of atmospheric soot particles is controlled by transparent coatings – a breakthrough that will help inform global policy-makers looking at the effects of pollution on climate.

The team tested different soot types during Bonfire Night in 2014 which, due to the weather conditions, was particularly polluted and provided an ideal opportunity to study a high concentration of atmospheric wood smoke particles. Their results are being published in the prestigious journal Nature Geoscience.

Researchers from Swag直播’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences focused on the mix of black carbon and other substances in soot particles that are released by combustion processes, such as fires, diesel engines or industry.

“Soot particles are known to affect climate, particularly on local scales where they can influence weather systems like the Indian monsoon – but their exact effect is currently highly uncertain,” said Dr James Allan, Senior Research Fellow at Swag直播.

“An issue that people contend with is that it is predicted that if the soot is coated with another material then this will make it appear darker and possibly amplify the impacts that it has on weather and climate.

“However, evidence for this effect in the field has been inconsistent. With a combination of lab and atmospheric measurements we’ve shown that this coating mass has to reach a certain threshold for this to take effect.

Dr Allan added: “Our measurements made use of soot in the air during Bonfire Night in 2014 because the specific weather conditions that night meant that Swag直播 was briefly blanketed with the kind of concentrations that wouldn’t be out of place in Beijing. We were set up to measure them with our specialist instruments.

“As it turns out, the data from that night and the week surrounding it gave us a good mix of soots, from diesel vehicles, home fires and bonfires, so we were able to compare them between each other and what we had generated from our laboratory-based diesel engine and this gave us the insight that we needed.”

Dr Dantong Liu, Swag直播 Research Fellow that lead the analysis, explained: “The atmosphere contains a mixture of man-made and natural particulates that can have either a warming or cooling effect on climate.

“Of the pollutant particles, black carbon is the most important contributor to warming. But unlike greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, which absorb radiation at specific infra-red wavelengths, black carbon absorbs light at all wavelengths, causing a highly efficient and very localised warming effect on the atmosphere.”

Swag直播 researchers looked on the quantity of black and non-black carbon contained in particles in the atmosphere because the right mix forms a coating, causing internal reflections that make the black carbon interact with light more strongly. A similar effect causes sand to appear darker if it is wetted.

Different forms of combustion create different ratios of black and non-black carbon – and the team believe they have identified the specific mass ratio at which the light absorption enhancement begins to take place, causing the soot to become darker. 

If the ratio of non-black carbon to black carbon is less than 1.5 – ie there is one-and-a-half times more non-black carbon to black carbon on the soot particle – then no enhanced absorption is detected, probably because the material fails to fully coat the black carbon. This ratio is typically found in diesel exhaust fumes, for example.But if the ratio of non-black carbon to black carbon is more than 3.0 – ie there is more than three times non-black carbon to black carbon on the soot particle – then this does create on optimum lensing effect and so light absorption is enhanced. These higher ratios are found on soot from wood burning, which is a major source of soot worldwide from forest fires and farming

The paper. ', was published in Nature Geoscience. doi:10.1038/ngeo2901

A Swag直播-based astrophysicist has presented research at a major international conference which is expected to provide scientists with valuable insights into the behaviour of gravity in the early stages of the Universe, allowing them to better understand the forces that created it.

Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the organisation based at Swag直播’s Jodrell Bank which is building the world’s largest radio telescope, is holding its 2016 science conference in India where it is previewing future developments and developing new collaborations with the 200 astronomers from around the globe in attendance.

Stefano Camera, a Research Associate in Theoretical & Observational Cosmology Observations at Jodrell Bank, has presented his work which he conducted with the SKA and other oncoming cosmological surveys. His work is based on a statistical analysis of the distribution of galaxies, to eventually be obtained with large-scale surveys conducted using the SKA dishes (SKA-mid) in South Africa.

“We need a census of hundreds of millions of galaxies, stretching as far away as possible and covering almost the whole sky for the analysis to be relevant” explained Stefano.

Current optical facilities can only look at small areas of the sky at a time to get enough depth to see very distant galaxies, or map large areas superficially. “SKA-mid is uniquely suited to do this. With its sensitivity and survey speed we’ll be able to create large but accurate maps of the temperature of neutral hydrogen in galaxies, effectively surveying an unprecedented volume of the Universe.”

The distances of galaxies, however, are hard to measure using solely their radio wave emissions. To get this information, Stefano would use data produced by Euclid and conduct a similar survey with the Large Synoptic Survey Telecope (LSST) in Chile. Euclid is a European Space Agency mission to map the geometry of the Dark Universe and understand the evolution of cosmic structures in the optical/near-infrared, due to launch in 2020. LSST is a wide-field optical survey telescope being built in Chile and due to start operating in 2019.

“Thus, by combining observations from different experiments at different wavelengths, we can obtain extra information and get the full picture on how cosmic structures evolved on extremely large scales” he added. “At such large scales, we can still detect an imprint of the early inflation of the Universe, the mysterious phase of accelerated expansion which set the stage for the formation of galaxies and all the structures in the cosmos.”

“Also,” Stefano concluded, “we can compare predictions of how Einstein’s theory of gravity works on those scales with actual observations for the first time.”

Swag直播 awarded an honorary degree to the Executive Director of Oxfam International, Winnie Byanyima, as part of its Foundation Day celebrations on Wednesday 19 October.

Winnie, who is also an alumna of the University, used the occasion of the ceremony to give a Foundation Lecture entitled ‘Advancing Women’s Rights in an Unequal World: A personal perspective’, in which she outlined some of the experiences of her unique career in politics and international development.

She also received an honorary doctorate alongside Lord David Alliance, Professor Dame Sue Bailey, Mr Anil Ruia and Sir Norman Stoller as the University celebrated the anniversary of the bringing together of the Victoria University of Swag直播 and the University of Swag直播 Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) in 2004, to form Swag直播.

Ugandan-born Winnie leads Oxfam International, a confederation of 19 organisations working in more than 90 countries, empowering people to create a future that is secure, just, and free from poverty. She led Uganda's first parliamentary women's caucus which championed ground-breaking gender equality provisions in the country's 1995 post-conflict constitution.

A signatory to her country's 1985 peace agreement, Ms Byanyima has helped to broker and support women's participation in political transitions in Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Africa, Burundi, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya and other countries emerging from conflict.

She has a BSc in Aeronautical Engineering from Swag直播 and returned to campus earlier this year to launch the University’s Global Development Institute, Europe’s largest research and teaching institute dedicated to international development.

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University, said: “I am delighted that at this year’s Foundation Day celebrations we welcomed back an alumna, Ms Winnie Byanyima, to deliver our most prestigious lecture and to award her an honorary doctorate.

“Winnie’s drive to promote the roles of women and work to address global inequalities fully align with the University’s own activities.

“It is also an honour to be able to recognise the great contributions to society made by Lord David Alliance, Professor Dame Sue Bailey, Mr Anil Ruia and Sir Norman Stoller with the conferment of their honorary doctorates.”

Also receiving an honorary degree was Lord David Alliance, the businessman and philanthropist, born in Iran, who moved to Swag直播 in 1950. In 2015 Lord Alliance agreed to make a landmark donation of £15 million to Swag直播 Business School (MBS), to be invested in the School’s new building and to drive its research agenda forward. In recognition of Lord Alliance’s longstanding support for MBS and the University, the Business School has been renamed ‘the Alliance Swag直播 Business School’.

Another prominent businessman and donor who received an honorary degree was Sir Norman Stoller. In 1982 Sir Norman founded The Stoller Charitable Trust and, through his personal donations, he has given tens of millions of pounds to support institutions, individuals and charities.

Through his Trust, Sir Norman has particularly supported Swag直播 in the areas of cancer and biomarker research. The Stoller Biomarker Discovery Centre was formally opened in June 2016.

Committed to the business, arts, educational and charitable sectors over a significant period of time, Anil Ruia was born in Mumbai and educated in Stockport. He is Chairman of Botraco Ltd. and a Director at James Warren Tea Ltd. India. He joined the University’s Board of Governors in 2005, was appointed as its Chair in 2010 and held this role until his retirement in 2016.

Professor Dame Sue Bailey, a University of Swag直播 alumna, is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatrist, focussing on risks presented by and to young people who enter the mental health, social care and youth justice systems.

She appeared as an expert witness in the James Bulger murder trial in 1993, and spent several years working with Jon Venables, one of the killers, to get him to accept responsibility for this crime. She was awarded an OBE in 2002 and a DBE in 2014. She is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatrist at Greater Swag直播 West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.

In a fitting inclusion to the ceremony, the University’s student choir, Ad Solem, performed for the guests. Music students, including the choir, are behind an innovative ‘Grade-1-athon’ fundraising idea which last year raised £3,000 for Oxfam and which the charity has rolled out as an idea to other UK universities.

An international collaboration of scientists involving a team of researchers at Swag直播 led by Dr David J. Lewis has developed a tiny electric sensor, which could potentially improve patient survival rates by telling doctors if a person has had a heart attack.

Cardiovascular diseases account for around 30% of adult deaths in the 30−70 year age group, which is greater than the combined deaths from all types of cancer. The ability to diagnose cardiac disease is therefore of utmost concern to doctors. When someone has a heart attack, certain chemicals are released into their bloodstream in elevated amounts, and blood tests are therefore the key to diagnosis. 

Dr Lewis, from Swag直播’s School of Materials, has worked with his colleagues and a team at India’s Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) since 2014 to develop a nanoscale sensor made from ‘few-layer black phosphorus’, a new 2D material, which was coated in DNA. The immobilised DNA binds to a chemical called myoglobin, which increases in blood plasma after a heart attack and can be detected and measured by a simple electrical test.

This could have a major impact, as it is potentially the most rapid, sensitive, selective and accurate method currently available to detect if someone has elevated levels of myoglobin– the measurement of which is one of the methods used in hospitals to check if someone has suffered a heart attack. The researchers predict that its eventual introduction into the clinic could improve patient survival rates after an attack.

This work is the first example of 2D few-layer black phosphorus being used as a biological sensing platform. The test could eventually be used at the patient bedside, and does not require the use of centralised laboratories that may slow down their diagnosis. As the DNA used is developed using chemical information imparted to it by the biological target, it is potentially a universal system that could be applied to other targets beyond myoglobin.

Their work is described in detail in the

Researchers at Swag直播 have unlocked the potential of a new test which could revolutionise the way doctors diagnose and monitor a common childhood Leukaemia.

says that cancerous acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cells produce and release special structures that can be traced in the blood.

The discovery could have major implications on the diagnosis, monitoring, drug delivery and treatment of childhood leukaemia.

Dr Johnson publishes the research, which was led by Professor of Paediatric Oncology , in the leading journal Blood. This research received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development, and demonstration (Grant agreement no. 278514 – IntReALL); a program grant from ; and a project grant. Professor Saha is the recipient of an

Until recently, the ‘Extracellular Vesicles’, as they are known, were thought to be worthless debris. Dr Johnson investigated their presence in the plasma from bone marrow biopsies and discovered their ability to circulate in the blood using mice.

Though there is an 85 to 90% success rate in treatment, children must endure repeat bone marrow biopsies to assess the progress of treatment.

But the researchers hope this discovery might reduce the frequency of the painful procedures, which can also cause bruising, bleeding and infection.

Vesicles, which contain the protein actin and have identifiable characteristics of their parent cell, are typified by branching structures beautifully shown in images produced by the team.

Dr Johnson said: “Our discovery of Extracellular Vesicles could be a game changer in terms of the way we care for children with lymphoblastic leukaemia.

“Our research has shown that cancerous Leukaemia cells have the ability to package parts of themselves and then send these structure – vesicles – to anywhere in the body though the blood.

“That opens up a world of possibilities in terms of monitoring the progress of the disease and making diagnosis quickly and efficiently. They are also internalised by other cells and act as an effective route for cell communication.

“Now the challenge is to investigate whether other cancers produce and release these structures as well.”

Further down the road, the discovery could have implications on the way drugs are delivered to patients, explains to Dr Johnson, if we can find a way to combine them with the vesicles.

And the team also hope that the vesicles might provide individualised information about the tumours, eventually helping doctors to deliver personalised care.

She added: “What is amazing is that Vesicles were previously dismissed as mere debris from the cancerous cell, but we now realise this absolutely not the case. They are far more interesting than that!”

The paper ‘’; published in the journal Blood. doi:10.1182/blood-2015-12-688051

 is one of Swag直播’s - examples of pioneering discoveries, interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector partnerships that are tackling some of the biggest questions facing the planet. #ResearchBeacons

More than 2.6 million stillbirths continue to occur globally every year with very slow progress made to tackle this ‘silent problem’, according to new research published in The Lancet, and co-authored by from the Stillbirth Research Centre at and Swag直播.

Despite significant reductions in the number of maternal and child deaths, there has been little change in the number of stillbirths (in the third trimester of pregnancy) even though the majority are preventable.

states the annual rate of reduction for stillbirths is 2.0%, much slower than progress made for maternal (3.0%) and child deaths (4.5%). It also reveals the hidden consequences of stillbirth, with more than 4.2 million women living with symptoms of depression, often for years, in addition to economic loss for families and nations.

Series co-lead, Professor Joy Lawn from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “We must give a voice to the mothers of 7,200 babies stillborn around the world every day. There is a common misperception that many of the deaths are inevitable, but our research shows most stillbirths are preventable.

“We already know which existing interventions save lives. These babies should not be born in silence, their parents should not be grieving in silence, and the international community must break the silence as they have done for maternal and child deaths. The message is loud and clear – shockingly slow progress on stillbirths is unacceptable.”

Video courtesy of the Faculty Fellowship Academy

New estimates of stillbirth rates for 195 countries developed by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine with the World Health Organization and UNICEF reveal huge inequalities around the world. Ten countries account for two-thirds of stillbirths* with India having the highest number, estimated at 592,100 in 2015. The highest rates are in Pakistan (43.1 per 1,000 total births) and in Nigeria (42.9). The lowest rates are in Iceland (1.3), Denmark (1.7), Finland (1.7) and the Netherlands (1.8). Netherlands is also making the fastest progress, reducing stillbirths by 6.8% per year. The United States is one of the slowest progressing countries with a reduction of 0.4% per year.

The new research includes the first global analysis of risk factors associated with stillbirth, underlining that many deaths can be prevented by:

• Treating infections during pregnancy – 8.0% of all stillbirths are attributable to malaria, increasing to 20.0% in sub-Saharan Africa, and 7.7% of all stillbirths are associated with syphilis, increasing to 11.2% in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Tackling the global epidemics of obesity and non-communicable diseases, notably diabetes and hypertension – at least 10% of all stillbirths are linked to each of these conditions.
• Strengthening access to and quality of family planning services – especially for older and very young women, who are at higher risk of stillbirth.
• Addressing inequalities – in high-income countries, women in the most disadvantaged communities face at least double the risk of stillbirth.

The research also highlights the underappreciated psychological, social and economic impacts of stillbirth on parents, families, caregivers, and countries. New estimates suggest at least 4.2 million women around the world are living with symptoms of depression due to stillbirth, suffering psychological distress, stigma and social isolation, as well as increased risk of family breakdown, and even abuse and violence.

Christina Sapulaye from Malawi, who experienced a stillbirth last year, said: “It was a very painful situation to me and I never knew what to do… I am being stigmatised by my own people and was divorced due to the stillbirth, and now I am by myself with my little kids.

Fathers also commonly report suppressing their grief, and almost half of 3,503 parents surveyed in high-income countries felt society wanted them to forget their stillborn baby and try to have another child.

The economic impact of stillbirth for families ranges from funeral costs for their baby to loss of earnings due to time off work, with data suggesting 10% of bereaved parents remain off work for six months. The direct financial cost of stillbirth care is 10-70% greater than for a live birth, with additional costs to governments due to reduced productivity of grieving parents and increased welfare costs.

Dr Alexander Heazell, co-author from the Tommy’s Stillbirth Research Centre at St Mary’s Hospital and Swag直播, said: “The consequences of stillbirth have been hugely underestimated. Our research suggests that grief and symptoms of depression after stillbirth often endure for many years.

“It is vital we, as carers, see the loss through the eyes of those parents affected to provide sensitive and respectful bereavement care. We know that something as simple as supporting parents to see and hold their baby and providing bereavement support can reduce the long-term negative impact of stillbirth.

“Dealing with stillbirth can also have a psychological impact on health workers; consequently, better training and provision of support for those looking after affected families should also be a priority.”

The Ending Preventable Stillbirth Series was developed by 216 experts from more than 100 organisations in 43 countries and comprises five papers. The research provides compelling evidence of the preventability of most stillbirths, forming the basis for action from parents, health care professionals, and politicians. It follows the research group’s 2011 series on stillbirths also published in The Lancet.

In a world first, clinical researchers from the Universities of Swag直播 and Liverpool have collaborated with colleagues in south Asia to adapt a parent-led autism therapy and successfully tested it in India and Pakistan, with the aim of improving treatment for an estimated 5 million children in the region with the disorder.

Autism is one of the world’s fastest growing developmental health challenges, with up to 70 million people affected, causing a severe effect on the social development of children.  In developed countries children are able to receive specialist treatment to improve their interaction with their families, but in many lower income countries, this is not available.

As a result, researchers, funded by the , adapted a leading UK therapy method known as PACT, an intervention originating in Swag直播, which helps parents interact better with their autistic child.

The resulting (parent-mediated intervention for autism spectrum disorder in south Asia) programme was taught to non-specialist health workers in Rawalpindi, Pakistan and Goa, India who then worked with parents of the 65 autistic children who were recruited to the trial.

from Swag直播 and Professor Atif Rahman from the University of Liverpool, lead authors of the study, said: “We’ve shown that these techniques can help children in the UK, but in south Asia, there are factors such as lack of resources, trained staff, language and cultural differences and poor access to medical centres which means that methods need to be adapted.

“This study is the first to have adapted a treatment so as to allow it to be delivered by non-specialist health workers in south Asian communities. It has been outstandingly successful in showing that such adaptation is both possible and can produce changes that are equal or even better that we achieved in UK.”

The PASS materials were all presented in the parents’ first language and each period of treatment began with a session on the causes and misconceptions about the condition. 

At the end of the 12 week period the children were assessed using recognised methods. The parents were shown to have learned from the intervention and the children were more likely to initiate communication with their parents.

"This pioneering study shows us that it is possible to implement high quality evidence-based intervention in low resource communities, even when there are few or no specialists," said Andy Shih, Autism Speaks vice-president of scientific affairs. "It challenges our notions of best practices and how to deliver effective services to communities that need them the most."  Dr. Shih leads Autism Speaks’ GAPH initiative, which partners with communities in more than 70 countries worldwide to increase awareness and access to autism services.

The study did show a decrease in one measure of attention, suggesting that there are more refinements that need to be made to PASS, but the Swag直播 researchers are optimistic that it represents a cost-effective way of delivering treatment to children in areas where resources and specialist staff are unlikely to be available.

Professor Vikram Patel from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, one of the senior investigators added: “The key to developing mental health services in lower income settings is to develop simple and easily understood treatments that can be carried out even when specialist staff aren’t available.

“This study shows that, for autism, these treatments can make a significant difference for the social development of children who would otherwise likely receive little or no help.”

The paper, ‘, will be published in .

Researchers who also collaborated in this paper also came from, Institute of Psychiatry, Rawalpindi Medical College, Pakistan; the Human Development Research Foundation, Islamabad, Pakistan; Sangath, Goa, India; London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; University of Liverpool and Royal Swag直播 Children’s Hospital.

The work could be used to educate better rice grain improvement projects, something that may prove crucial with growing environmental concerns.

The study focused on 3 major types of rice: the long-grain Indica which is non-sticky and mainly found in tropical lowland Asia; Japonica a short-grain rice that produces sticky rice, like the one in sushi and Aus, the drought-tolerant variety that grows in Bangladesh.

Before this study, researchers had thought rice may have been domesticated once or perhaps twice. Scientists had looked at Japonica and Indica because they have had the longest history of cultivation. Some argue that Japonica came first around 10,000 years ago and that Indica emerged as a hybrid form of it a little later. Others contend that both Japonica and Indica have separate domestication events.

However, new analysis from Professor Terry Brown, Dr Peter Civan and colleagues add a third domestication event to the mix by showing evidence that Aus was also domesticated separately in a region from India to Bangladesh.

The team looked at genetic data from 446 samples of different wild rice to see how far back Aus had a commonality with them compared to when other types of rice did. Specifically, they looked at ‘domestication sweeps’ which are specific parts of the genome that differ from wild types and that scientists believe were chosen by early farmers because they had a great advantage to growing more grain. For example, the sweep region includes the ability for rice plants to grow more vertically and so can be planted more densely.

Brown and the team say that the genetic evidence that they have collected shows that these advantageous genes were present in a number of wild type rice varieties that were widely distributed across South Asia. It is therefore possible for farmers from three separate locations to select these wild types with the ideal genes and begin to cultivate them.

But why the big deal about rice? Well rice is thought to have brought about the great civilisations in Asia and led the way for large-scale agriculture to take place. Rice acted as a reliable food source and so large numbers of humans could gather to form large villages and settlements. Understanding how rice was domesticated would allow scientists to get a better understanding of how civilisations grew and moved across Asia.

Professor Brown concludes: "Our conclusions are in accord with archaeological evidence that suggests widespread origins of rice cultivation. We therefore anticipate that our results will stimulate a more productive collaboration between genetic and archaeological studies of rice domestication."

Dr Rahul Raveendran-Nair is the recipient of the for his outstanding contributions to our understanding of the electrical, optical and structural properties of and its sister compounds.

Dr Nair’s breakthrough discovery was that , which are impermeable to helium atoms, are highly permeable to water. His pioneering work on membranes has led to significant scientific and commercial interest, with potential applications in water filtration, liquid and gas separation and anti-corrosive coatings.

Following research at the on Raman spectroscopy and field emission of carbon nanotube and polymer composites, Dr Nair began his research at as a PhD student, followed by appointments there as a research associate, Leverhulme Fellow and Royal Society University Research Fellow.  He has recently been promoted to the position of Reader.

His research has led to several major contributions to the understanding of graphene science and its application in technology. In collaboration with University of Swag直播 colleagues, he also carried out high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction studies of freestanding graphene membranes, which elucidated the real space atomic structure of graphene.

In more recent studies, he and his colleagues have shown that the controlled incorporation of defects into graphene induces magnetic behaviour, which provides the exciting possibility of using graphene as a material for spintronic and magnetic sensing applications.

Dr Nair said: “I am delighted to have received the Moseley medal and prize. It is very satisfying as a scientist to see that my research has been recognised by the Institute of Physics.

“Graphene and related 2D materials are a fascinating area of research and I am excited about the potential for further breakthrough discoveries as we understand more and more about these novel one-atom-thick materials.”

Notes for editors

More information about Dr Nair is available at

Dr Nair is available for interview on request.

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