University of Bradford: Different is what we do
The University of Bradford has launched a campaign – Different is what we do – to highlight how it makes a difference, improves students’ life chances and contributes to the economy.
From pioneering disruptive technologies and using the latest in AI and digital tech to offering an outstanding student experience and winning national plaudits for its outstanding work on improving students’ life chances.
In the year of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, Vice-Chancellor Professor Shirley Congdon said the University’s contribution was more important than ever.
She said: “We are proud to be different and to challenge the status-quo. Our cultural diversity creates strength and resilience. We lead the world in so many areas, from digital health and applied artificial intelligence to cancer therapeutics and archaeology. If you choose to study here, then you belong to a community that prides itself on purpose, passion, curiosity and ambition.
“Different is what we do – it’s what defines, drives and inspires us. We make the impossible possible, and we make dreams come true.”
UNRESOLVED
FINDING SOLUTIONS TO GLOBAL PROBLEMS
Dr Becky Alexis-Martin, from the Department of Peace Studies and International Development, who is also a Daily Telegraph columnist, is due to speak at the United Nations in February on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
She said: “This treaty represents a historic step toward a safer world. At a time when global tensions are high and geopolitical unpredictability is a constant, the TPNW serves as a vital reminder of the power of collective action and the importance of international cooperation.”
Emeritus Professor Paul Rogers, from the Department of Peace Studies and International Development, is the author of bestselling books including Losing Control (2000/2023), The Insecurity Trap (2024) and his most recent title Monstrous Anger of the Guns: How the Global Arms Trade is Ruining the World and What We Can Do About It (2024), which has a foreword by former Labour Party leader the Rt Hon Jeremy Corbyn MP. He also writes regularly for Open Democracy and occasionally for The Guardian and The Conversation and has done more than 4,000 media interviews in the last 23 years.
He said: “We should have transparency on subjects such as the international arms trade, which is worth $2 trillion a year globally, so that people can then make their own minds up. It is a legitimate occupation of any academic to bring information such as this into the open.”
UNACHIEVABLE
MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE
In November 2024, the University of Bradford was ranked #1 on the Higher Education Policy Institute’s Social Mobility Index for the fourth year in a row. The SMI began in 2021 as a new way of ranking universities based on the difference they make to students’ lives. Measures include things like career progression, attainment rates and salaries.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Shirley Congdon said: “The [SMI ranking] is evidence that our vision and mission are working. We will continue to strive for equality of access, opportunity and outcomes through targeted interventions [and] to ensure our students prosper from increased opportunities.”
In January 2024, the University launched the Bradford-Renduchintala Enterprise Ecosystem (BREE), a one-stop-shop for entrepreneurs, designed to take business ideas from concept to market, offering a series of workshops run by experts, access to mentors and funding. BREE is currently supporting 23 start-ups and is open to staff, students and even members of the public, with the stated aim of making Bradford the number one destination for business start-ups.
Donor Dr Renduchintala, who held senior positions at Qualcomm and Intel, said: “Great ideas and the people who have those ideas need a lot of help along the way. The whole idea of BREE is to provide access to the support required to get those great ideas to commercial viability. The University of Bradford has the cross-functional skills required [to] create a fertile ecosystem in which new ideas can be nurtured and grown.”
UNEQUAL
CHALLENGING INEQUALITY TO AFFECT CHANGE
Dr Pedi Obani is an associate professor in the School of Law. In 2024, she was awarded £1.28 million as part of the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship programme to undertake a four-year project that will examine ways in which climate change adversely impacts women and will create a framework for addressing these problems. She was one of just 68 scholars to receive the award nationally.
She said “What we hope to do is to create a framework that enables laws and decision-making processes regarding climate change to be more gender inclusive. This award shows our university continues to be at the forefront of public discourse, while at the same time showing how academic research can affect policy change and make a positive difference to people’s lives.”
The University of Bradford won a prestigious Times Higher Education Award 2024 for a project that allows disabled students access scientific laboratories. The system, known as ‘Managing Risk for Impaired Laboratory Users’ (MaRiLU) won the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion category and was described by judges as “incredibly impactful.”
Dr Sobia Kauser from the School of Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences, said: “To support students with disabilities and impairments, we developed an innovative solution, that promotes inclusivity in the laboratory learning environment. The University is taking the lead in driving this change. Our work is making a positive difference to the lives of our students.”
UNDISCOVERED
CHARTING A COURSE INTO THE UNKNOWN
The University of Bradford operates the Submerged Landscapes Research Centre, the largest centre of its kind in the world. It is currently undertaking groundbreaking research under the North Sea, the Adriatic and Gulf of Mexico, in a bid to search for evidence of human existence during the height of the last Ice Age, when sea levels were 130 metres lower than today. In October 2023, the University was awarded £7m from the European Research Council to lead the SUBNORDICA consortium to undertake research in the Baltic and North Seas.
Professor Vincent Gaffney from the University of Bradford, said: “Twenty-thousand years ago, the global sea level was 130 metres lower than at present. We know almost nothing about the people who lived on these great plains. As Europe and the world approaches net zero, development of the coastal shelves is now a strategic priority. SUBNORDICA will use the latest technologies to explore these lands and support sustainable development.”
The University’s Bradford-Renduchintala Centre for Space AI offers £10,000 scholarships to eligible students for its MSc in Satellite Systems Engineering. It has plans to launch a mini satellite into space and works with companies including Airbus and Satellite Applications Catapult.
Professor Ifiok Otung, Director of the Centre, said: “Our goal is to be globally recognised in the field of satellite technology. The development of technology in space is only going to accelerate. We are training graduates for those careers and working with industry leaders, such as Airbus, to ensure they have job-ready skills.”
UNIDENTIFIED
RECOGNISING TRANSFORMATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Professor Hassan Ugail, Director of the Centre for Visual Computing and Intelligent Systems, is part of OrQA (Organ Quality Assessment), which is using AI to speed up organ transplants in a bid to save lives and money. OrQA has been awarded £1.6m by the National Institute of Health Research to begin clinical trials in May, with a view to making the technology available to the NHS within two years.
He said: “OrQA solves a major problem to do with the assessment of donor organs [and] should safely reduce the number of donor organs not used for transplantation. It has the potential to save lives and money.”
Project SIBLING supports small-to-medium sized businesses across the Yorkshire region, offering access to cutting-edge scientific equipment and expertise, including X-Ray diffraction, thermal analysis instrumentation and metal/composite 3D printing (additive manufacturing), specifically to develop products and bring them to market. By the time it concludes in March, it will have delivered 45 fully funded research and innovation projects.
Dr Richard Telford, Director of the Centre for Chemical and Biological Analysis, said: “This project has provided an excellent means to engage with regional SMEs and given us the opportunity to showcase not only our facilities and expertise but convey how high-level analytical science can be of benefit to developing industrial processes.”
UNIMAGINABLE
ENVISIONING TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE
Virtual Bradford is the groundbreaking collaboration between the University of Bradford and Bradford Council to create the UK’s first open-source digital twin – a ‘brick-for-brick’ virtual twin of Bradford City Centre, Saltaire and the city’s ‘Southern Gateway.’ The 3D model, available to view online, is already being used by the Council for planning applications and developing digital citizen engagement tools and has the potential to be used by businesses and the general public for a wide variety of other uses, such as virtual art installations, guided tours and even online games.
Professor Andrew Wilson, from the University’s School of Archaeology and Forensic Sciences, said: “The digital twin technologies we are using to extend Virtual Bradford are extremely versatile. This is about storytelling and placemaking. It’s about taking an area of the city and using that to create a narrative that drives engagement. At the end of the day, this is about people and the potential for understanding what makes healthy urban places.”
Student midwives are using the latest Augmented Reality headsets to help them gain a deeper understanding of their profession. The HoloLens technology is used in conjunction with a reactive manikin called Lucina, which reacts to medical situations in real-time to simulate a real patient, giving students the opportunity to learn critical skills and gain valuable hands-on experience, while giving them job-ready skills valued by employers.
Emily Bee, Assistant Professor in Midwifery, said: “By using simulation in such a way, we can create an immersive environment for students to put their skills into practice in a safe environment. They can carry out procedures that they will see in practice, many of which are emergency-based. These are not necessarily situations that occur often, but students need to be ready to deal with them if they occur.”
Podcasts
The University of Bradford has launched a series of podcasts to accompany the launch of its campaign – Different is what we do – in which experts in their field discuss the University’s work and impact.
Podcasts are available on Spotify, RSS Feed, Amazon Music, Apple Music and Castbox.
Experts on demand
The University of Bradford’s Experts Directory is a resource aimed at journalists and the media. The constantly updated database lists experts in AI and machine learning, space and satellite communication, computer game design and television, dementia, nursing, psychology, the economy, international security, archaeology and more.