Inaugural Professorial Lecture series

Public Research Programme
Public research programme 2020
Research is at the core of everything we do at the University of Plymouth.
Our rich research culture seeks to better understand the world we live in, and – for many – make a difference that will leave it better for future generations.
We are celebrating the impact of this work by opening up the often intriguing world of research, inviting the public, researchers, businesses, and students to hear the fascinating research stories.
Throughout 2024 we will be running the Inaugural Professorial Lecture series which acknowledges the research expertise of our academics who have been awarded their professorship. Join us in a special lecture to celebrate their accomplishments and to discover more about their pioneering research.
We look forward to welcoming you to our programme of research-focused professorial lectures for captivating explorations of science, engineering, arts, culture, health, medicine, and more.
 

Recent events

Advancing knowledges for quality early childhood education – Professor Verity Campbell-Barr

Inaugural Professorial Lecture | Thursday 4 July
Unpacking the skills, attitudes and understanding required for working with young children, Professor Verity Campbell Barr demonstrates the careful and considered ways in which educators skilfully draw upon a ‘basket’ of knowledges to provide rich early childhood education experiences that reflect the core concept of child-centredness.
Professor Verity Campbell-Barr

Entwined systems; understanding and harnessing biopyschosocial and structural forces on health and illness to create equitable solutions – Professor Helen Lloyd

Inaugural Professorial Lecture | Thursday 13 June
In her research, Professor Helen Lloyd investigates how pervasive societal inequalities shape our health and social outcomes and our experiences of the world. She explores how institutions we inhabit, and the structural forces holding them together, create potent contexts that either challenge or reproduce inequality; and how our living conditions shape our sense of self and group identity, which in turn influence our motivations to seek help and our understanding(s) of health and illness.
Helen Lloyd
Fungal Life Aquatic: biology, ecology and evolution – Professor Michael Cunliffe
Inaugural Professorial Lecture | Wednesday 8 May
In his inaugural lecture, Michael Cunliffe , Professor of Marine Microbiology, will take you on a journey of discovery with aquatic fungi and how an enigmatic and previously poorly studied group of swimming fungi is enlightening general understanding of the biology and evolution of the Fungi Kingdom.
Hear about the latest research on determining an improved perspective of marine fungal diversity with an emphasis on research studies in the coastal waters off Plymouth, and how aquatic fungi are challenging contemporary views of the nature of symbiosis.
Michael Cunliffe

From corps to community: developing the case for oral health – Professor Robert Witton

Inaugural Professorial Lecture | Wednesday 28 February
In his inaugural lecture, Professor Robert Witton spoke about his career to date, his journey into the specialty of dental public health, and his broad academic interests spanning his roles in dental education, public health, and community dentistry. He described some examples of his work in the community, including how he supports students to better understand the oral healthcare needs of disadvantaged population groups.
He also explained the development of new models of dental healthcare, including the award-winning Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise (PDSE) CIC, and how research and evaluation of dental services and oral health programmes are having a positive impact in local communities and further afield.
Robert Witton

From dentistry to space: the pathway of evidence-informed research – Professor Mona Nasser

Inaugural Professorial Lecture | Wednesday 18 October
Utilising systematic reviews with interdisciplinary topics that demonstrate diverse study design (clinical, animal and in-vitro) can present many challenges. As a methodologist, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and Oral Health Research, Professor Mona Nasser focuses her work on how these challenges might be overcome when applied to space medicine. In her inaugural lecture, Mona talked about her journey in the evidence-based healthcare movement and how she has developed frameworks to advance initiatives around setting priorities for research.
Professor Mona Nasser

On the border: cell and tissue surfaces in health and disease – Professor Simon Whawell

Inaugural Professorial Lecture | Tuesday 26 September
Cell and tissue surfaces are crucial in the regulation normal body function. They control the passage of a variety of substances and physically separate parts of the cell and tissues which have different functions.
In his inaugural lecture, Professor of Integrated Oral Sciences, Simon Whawell , explored his research in cell biology and pathological science to highlight how these functions are disrupted in disease and how these borders represent diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities.
Simon Whawell
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