Events Calendar

Join Lisa Bagust, Senior Enterprise Fellow and LifeLab Teacher, in January for a practical, hands-on training day designed to help researchers navigate the unique challenges and opportunities of working with young people and schools. Whether you're new to engaging with young people or looking to refine your approach, this training day will provide essential strategies, ethical considerations, and real-world insights to ensure a successful and impactful research experience for all involved.

This course is ideal for PhD students, early career researchers and healthcare professionals who are planning to collect data and run engagement activities with young people.

It will provide you with best practice guidance on how to reach and engage with young people in schools, youth groups, community groups or on an individual level.

Focussing on how you can maximise interaction, it will develop your communications skills to connect with young people, plan engagement activities and pitch language appropriately.

The learning outcomes are:

 - Identify the steps required to plan meaningful engagement activities

 - Gain the knowledge to design meaningful engagement activities

 - Develop your confidence to carry out engagement activities at a high-level

 - Understanding safeguarding and sensitive topics – the do’s and don’ts of working with young people.

At the end of this course, you’ll receive a certificate stating the number of learning hours you have undertaken.

A previous participant said: “The ideas around how to best engage with young people are really useful. I will try to make my data collection procedures more exciting and creative.” 

Course details

 - Format: Full day, in person, interactive training day, refreshments and lunch provided

 - Full address: LifeLab, Level D, Lab & Path block, University Hospital Southampton, SO16 6YD

 - Course fees: UoS students £115.00. UoS and UHS staff £135.00

 For more information, or to book your place on the course, visit: https://lifelabonline.org/course/view.php?id=178 

Bach Winchester Voices will be back at St Paul's Church Winchester with another wonderful concert for Gift of Sight. Directed by Andrew Hayman, 'Bach Sonn & Schild with Brass' will bring together three of Bach's most vibrant cantatas featuring authentic baroque horns, a period orchestra and professional soloists, recreating the sound as composed by Bach 300 years ago. 

Darzu ist erschienen BWV 40
Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild BWV 79
Christmas Oratorio BWV 248 part IV

While the horn players catch their breath, the choir will sing the moving Der Gerecht, and the orchestra will reinterpret the famous Air on the G String.

Soloists include Jessie Edgar as soprano, Tamsin Jones as alto, Sebastian Hill as tenor and Ben Hendry-Watkins as bass. We are honoured to have been invited by Jon Newman to again raise funds for Gift of Sight at this event. Professor Andrew Lotery will also give a short talk about vision research at the University of Southampton, before the performance begins. 

Date: 01 February 2026, 4-6pm
Venue: St Paul's Church, Saint Pauls' Hill, Winchester, SO22 5AB 
Tickets: £20 per person - please reserve your space using this ticket link. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@giftofsight.org.uk or call 02380 595921. 

This hands-on workshop explores practical ways to engage international student cohorts through inclusive, industry-aligned teaching that helps students gain and develop real workplace skills and professional behaviours to give students real-world experience in a safe, inclusive learning environment. 

Building on a Southampton programme that already embeds these methods, we examine how scaffolded autonomy, shared ownership, and safe mistake-making foster belonging, confidence, and active participation. 

During the session, you will work in small groups to analyse real examples, adapt existing activities, and co-design a practical, industry-aligned task you can implement. This collaborative approach ensures that you leave with an adaptable activity and concrete strategies ready for use in your own teaching.

Professional Standards Framework focus:

 A2 – demonstrate that you teach and/or support learning through appropriate approaches and environments.

V4 - show how you respond to the wider context in which higher education operates, recognising implications for practice.

By the end of this event, participants will be able to:

· Analyse how a current Southampton programme uses partnership and industry-aligned tasks to enhance international students’ participation and development of industry-relevant skills.

· Design an inclusive, workplace-aligned learning activity that supports confidence, collaboration, and professional identity formation among international students.

· Apply at least one practical technique, such as structured autonomy, modelling safe mistake-making, or shared control, to strengthen engagement and authentic skill development in their own teaching context. 

Ethical research is better quality research. This course is designed to raise your awareness of why and how you need to think and act ethically in practice throughout your research work.

The current system of ethical review by committee can lead to the misleading sense of having ‘done ethics’.

This course shows you how to conduct research which is truly ethical. It also provides the opportunity for discussion of your own ethical dilemmas, if you wish.

This course is delivered by the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM), which is based in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Find out more and apply: https://www.ncrm.ac.uk/training/show.php?article=14416

Addressing workplace stress training for all staff and managers

Stress will impact how we feel physically, emotionally and the way we process information. Without a break or recovery from it, it will impact our health long term. Stopping or reducing the causes of stress is the most effective action we can take. The sooner we take action; the sooner we prevent illness. 

At the university, we all have a responsibility to assess and manage workplace stressors. To put people at the core of what we do, it’s important that we look after our health and wellbeing at work. We also have a legal duty of care to assess and manage workplace stress, and this training will show you how. 

This course will help you to:

• Know what workplace stress is and the consequences it brings.
• Use a stress assessment to identify the causes of workplace stress and plan actions to reduce it.
• Know how to use the tools during times of workplace uncertainty and change.
• Know what support is available to you when you need it.

Important information:

• Please be in a suitable space for cameras to be on and to talk in group discussions.
• Due to the sensitivity of discussions, this training will not be recorded. This includes the use of AI meeting notes which will be removed from the session. Training materials will be sent to attendees after the session.
• We have lots of content to get through so we will use all the time. While we recognise that you may have other priorities come up, if you are unable to attend enough of the course your trainer will not be able to mark this course as completed.  
• If you are no longer able to attend the session, please cancel your booking. Our sessions have a minimum of 8 attendees. If the session does not reach this, we will cancel and provide an alternative to those who have booked.

Please note: this training can be requested for teams. If by request, it can be in person or online, and on a day and time and place suitable for you. To submit a request, please complete this workplace stress training request form. 

Southampton University and College Union (UCU) would like to invite new members and also those interested in joining UCU to our induction meeting.  

We will provide an overview on the following:

• How the branch works

• Casework

• How we can support you as a new starter

• How you can become more involved in the union 

   

This is a hybrid meeting, if you would like to attend in person we'll be located in building 34 room 4007 or alternatively join us via Teams.

Everybody is welcome, we hope that you can join us!
 

Generative AI is reshaping how students learn, think, and demonstrate knowledge; it’s also unlocking exciting opportunities for assessment and feedback innovation.
This fast-paced, practical session showcases some cross-disciplinary examples of what is possible right now with GenAI tools.

Participants will leave with concrete ideas and a new set of tools that they can explore and use immediately in their own modules.

Key topics include:

·       How GenAI is changing student behaviour and academic expectations

·       Showcase of UK HE examples: AI-resistant and AI-enabled assessments

·       Balancing innovation with integrity

By the end of this session, participants will 

- Gain a clear understanding of what GenAI can and cannot do within their assessment context, along with the confidence to adapt existing tasks rather than redesign them from scratch.

- Explore creative, authentic, and future-ready assessment formats that make ethical and purposeful use of AI

- Become part of a growing community of colleagues who are navigating similar challenges and opportunities in assessment design.

This two-day online course provides introductory training in Big Data Analysis and Management using R, focusing on efficient techniques for processing, managing, and visualizing large datasets.

Participants will learn to overcome common challenges in big data workflows, including memory optimization, time series analysis, and geospatial data handling. The course combines theory with hands-on practice, equipping learners with practical skills for real-world data applications.

This course is delivered by the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM), which is based in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Find out more and apply: https://www.ncrm.ac.uk/training/show.php?article=14361

Who Runs this session: Research & Innovation Services (RIS)

Who can attend:  All staff and PGR's 

This session provides an overview and starting-point for those new to Public Engagement with Research (PER) and working with Children and Safeguarding. We will explore ideas, best practice and how to evaluate working with children to engage them with your research. We will also sign-post to further support and opportunities.

Learning Outcomes: 

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of different methods to successfully engage children with science

• Demonstrate understanding of best practice when engaging with children

• Define and understand the importance of safeguarding when working with children

• Show evidence of planning realistic and achievable ways to engage with children

If you have any questions relating to the session, please contact the facilitator. 

If you have any questions relating to booking on to the session, please contact CHEP@Soton.ac.uk and one of the team will assist you. 

This training session is designed to prepare researchers to participate in the Meet the Scientist component of  LifeLab 

The aspects covered and the skills developed will be also useful in other engagement contexts.  

This course is suitable for:

 - Academic staff
 - Research staff
 - Doctoral researchers from any discipline - Researchers (PhDs, Post docs, academic staff)
 - Technical staff from any level and any discipline - anyone who wants to find out more and become more confident in talking about their work

Further Information
You can book to attend this session via staffbook. 
if you have any queries relating to the booking process please contact: CHEP@soton.ac.uk
If you have any queries relating to the session itself please contact the event facilitator listed below

Learn to systematically categorise qualitative data using outcomes from your Theory of Change. Particularly useful for analysing free-text survey data.

Objectives:

1. To understand the purpose, principles and key steps of Content Analysis

2. To recognise how Content Analysis can support evaluation (and its limitations)

3. To practice applying systematic coding to free-text survey data, and using those codes to answer an evaluation question

Whether you’re looking for opportunities with global or national recruiters, SMEs, third sector or charity organisations, the Engineering & Physical Sciences Spring Careers Fair will offer you a vibrant mix of employers to discover.

Why Attend?

• Explore opportunities: Discover a variety of work experience vacancies and graduate roles.
• Network: An invaluable opportunity to connect with employers and find out more about company culture, learning and development opportunities and gain an insight into available roles

To receive reminder emails, updates, exhibitor information and more, book onto the event via MyCareer.

Accessibility, Support and Inclusion:

To ensure inclusivity, the first hour (10:30 – 11:30) is an Accessible Hour dedicated to students with accessibility needs. Bookings are capped during this hour to offer a calmer environment. You can benefit from additional support available from Careers staff when you arrive at the fair. Please note that students booking this hour without accessibility needs will be kindly asked to return during general access hours. If you have any additional support needs, please email careers@soton.ac.uk ahead of the event and we will be happy to discuss any individual requirements.

Accessible Hour Booking: 10:30 – 11:30
General Access: 11:30 – 15:30 

https://www.turnersims.co.uk/whats-on/uos-music-presents-spring-festival/

Webpage link TBC. Please check the ‘What’s On' page on the Turner Sims website for further details.

In this online one day course (taught over two mornings) you will learn what GIS is, how it works and how you can use it to create maps. We assume no prior knowledge of GIS and you will learn how to get data into the GIS, how to produce maps using your own data and what you can and cannot do with spatial data. You will gain practical experience in data importation, map creation, and analysis techniques, empowering them to enhance their research insights with compelling spatial visualisations.

This course is delivered by the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM), which is based in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Find out more and apply: https://www.ncrm.ac.uk/training/show.php?article=14368

This session examines the theoretical and practical considerations essential for successful online course delivery. Participants will explore fundamental distinctions between traditional face-to-face and online environments, with primary emphasis on pedagogical approaches specific to online education. Topics include asynchronous learning design principles, virtual community formation, multimodal content integration, and authentic assessment strategies. Drawing from current research in educational technology and distance learning theory, this session provides academic staff with comprehensive frameworks for developing pedagogically sound online courses that enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.

By the end of this event, participants should be able to:

• Recognise the differences between face to face and online course designs 

• Appraise online learning design pedagogies 

• Apply appropriate online learning design to a specific lesson

All staff, students and friends of the University are warmly invited to this year's annual Southampton Stonewall Lecture, taking place at Avenue Campus (Lecture Theatre B) and online.

Please register for free online and in person tickets via Eventbrite.

"Radical Bookshops in Queer Lives, 1980-2025"

The 'Stonewall Lecture' this year is a lively panel discussion about LGBTQ readerships and the queer bookstores of modern Britain. Over the past 40 years there has been a vibrant alternative bookstore movement in the UK, challenging conventional reading habits and providing a focus for social and political activism. The bookstores have overcome many obstacles: not least the Conservative government's homophobic Section 28 (1988) and the seizure of queer literature by British customs officials. But while facing abuse, they have also been prominent in fostering queer community. That community has gradually evolved: its diversity including trans is now far more openly celebrated than in the 1980s. Our bookstores have reflected those changes while fostering social cohesion and a healthy curiosity in all forms of sexual and gender diversity.

This panel will discuss the past and present situation of alternative bookshops in the UK. What have been the highs and lows? How have readerships changed since the 1980s? What role have bookshops played in challenging prejudice and aiding social cohesion? What is their future role in the current hostile world?

Our three panellists are Jim MacSweeney (the current London bookstore Gay's the Word); Gay Jones (the Plymouth bookstore In Other Words, 1982-97); and Jane Cholmeley (the feminist bookstore Silver Moon, 1984-2001). The panel will be chaired by Matt Cook, the Jonathan Cooper Professor of the History of Sexuality, University of Oxford.

Please contact fahevent@soton.ac.uk with any queries.

This series of short courses will explore the process of analysing complex large-scale survey data using traditional statistical methods and AI-supported approaches. It will be delivered in a hybrid format – offering participants the chance to join online or in person – between 2 and 5 March 2026.

Participants can choose between four courses on a variety of topics. A discount is available for participants attending all four courses.

This spring school is delivered by the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM), which is based in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Find out more and apply: https://www.ncrm.ac.uk/training/AI2025

Improve the efficiency and reliability of your research with this introductory course. Learn foundational computational skills including automating tasks using the command line on your computer, tracking changes to your work using version control and building simple programs using the programming language python. These skills are the foundation of many powerful data analysis techniques including using Artificial Intelligence or High Performance Computing.

This course is delivered by the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM), which is based in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Find out more and apply: https://www.ncrm.ac.uk/training/show.php?article=14333

Outline: This session provides an overview and starting point for those new to Evaluation, with a focus on evaluating Public Engagement with Research (PER).

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this session you will be able to:
- Define and understand the importance of evaluation
- Demonstrate knowledge of different methods for evaluating Public Engagement activity
- Demonstrate understanding of best practice in evaluating Public Engagement activity
- Show evidence of planning realistic and achievable ways to evaluate Public Engagement activity.

Holding workplace stress conversations for managers

You know the importance of addressing workplace stress and are familiar with the workplace stress assessments having read the guidance and/or having done the training. You just need some extra tips on things to look out for when having a workplace stress conversation. 

This course will help you to:

·       Know the different responses you might get when having a workplace stress conversation.

·       Put in place mitigations for common challenges you may face.

·       Know the skills needed for a successful workplace stress conversation.

·       Know what support is available to all staff.

Important information:

·       Please be in a suitable space for cameras to be on and to talk in group discussions.

·       Due to the sensitivity of discussions, this training will not be recorded. This includes the use of AI meeting notes which will be removed from the session. Training materials will be sent to attendees after the session.

·       We have lots of content to get through so we will use all the time. While we recognise that you may have other priorities come up, if you are unable to attend enough of the course your trainer will not be able to mark this course as completed.  

·       If you are no longer able to attend the session, please cancel your booking. Our sessions have a minimum of 8 attendees. If the session does not reach this, we will cancel and provide an alternative to those who have booked.

WSA's free Artist Book and Zine Fair, Into the Fold, returns for its third year in the Westside building on our Winchester Campus.

More information will be added in due course.

If you have any questions, please contact wsaabf@soton.ac.uk. 

This session demonstrates how the Theory of Change helps create purposeful project plans for KEE activities, connecting your aims to outcomes, impact and evaluation. 

In this one-day online training workshop you will be introduced to four qualitative research methods to better understand diverse lives - Photo Go-Alongs, Collage, Life History Interviews and Participant Packs. When researching social groups, researchers may focus on categories such as age, gender, sexuality and so on. These categories can turn catch-all terms into catch-all agendas.

Treating groups of people with one shared characteristic as homogenous risks a cookie-cutter approach which overlooks diverse lives and needs. Given the complexity of what it means to be a person, a one-size fits all approach to engagement cannot suffice. The methods introduced in this training workshop are beneficial in exploring diverse lives and can be used when researching with any group. 

This course is delivered by the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM), which is based in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Find out more and apply: https://www.ncrm.ac.uk/training/show.php?article=14358

An Introduction to using Thematic Analysis for Project Evaluation: Exploring Patterns of Meaning and Interpreting Key Themes in Qualitative Data

Learn to identify and interpret patterns across multiple perspectives in qualitative data. Particularly useful for long, rich interviews and focus groups.
 

Objectives:

1. To understand the purpose, principles and key steps of Thematic Analysis

2. To recognise when and how Thematic Analysis can support evaluation (and its limitations)

3. To practice applying coding to interview data, and using those codes to develop themes which answer an evaluation question

The aim of this session is to provide information on networking both online and in-person. This workshop will provide you with an overview of LinkedIn and how you can use it to connect with prospective employers, colleagues and companies you would like to work with. There will also be information around networking in person and how you can prepare for those initial interactions.

Upon completing this workshop, you should be able to:

• Set up a LinkedIn profile and make connections

• Use LinkedIn and email to network with employers

• Talk about your PhD in different networking contexts in a way that makes your experience highly relevant to your audience

• Find events and conferences where you can start building your network

This session is part of the ‘Beyond the Doctorate’ programme for postgraduate and early career researchers. The Beyond the Doctorate programme is a series of careers activities which aim to empower Postgraduate Researchers (PGRS) and Early Career Researchers (ECRS) to proactively shape their career pathways by developing their skills, confidence and networks necessary to succeed within and beyond academia.

If you wish to attend this session and you have any additional support needs please contact Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise to let us know (email careers@soton.ac.uk or phone 023 8059 3501).

Please note: These workshops are exclusively for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) who are within six years of starting their first academic role. If this applies to you, please log in to the mycareer.soton.ac.uk Early Career Research page on MyCareer

https://www.turnersims.co.uk/whats-on/uos-music-presents-details-to-be-confirmed-6/

A one day introduction to machine learning using Scikit Learn in Python.  Learners will be introduced to several machine learning techniques including regression, clustering, dimensionality reduction, and neural networks.  The course also includes a brief overview of the ethics and implications of machine learning.

This course is delivered by the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM), which is based in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Find out more and apply: https://www.ncrm.ac.uk/training/show.php?article=14328

Join us for the Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences' Inaugural Lectures to celebrate the careers of our new Professors. 

At our next event on Wednesday 18 March 2026, Professor Mari Carmen Portillo (School of Health Sciences) and Professor Andrew Power (School of Geography and Environmental Science) will be presenting their research.

Please join us from 3.30pm for registration and refreshments before the lecture starts at 4pm. It will be followed by a post-even reception and canapés.

Book your place

Rethinking research strategy and partnerships to tackle challenges in Long-Term Conditions - Professor Mari Carmen Portillo

Long-term conditions have become a global challenge. Traditional researcher led approaches to long-term conditions are less effective and a conceptual shifting towards multisectoral inclusive strategies is needed to reconcile individual and system drivers at national and international levels. Person centred approaches and optimised support and resources in community neighbourhoods need to be prioritised.

Mari Carmen Portillo is Professor of Long-Term Conditions at the University of Southampton and the Long-Term Conditions theme lead for the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Wessex. Portillo is a mixed methods nurse researcher with wide experience in applied research, leading sustainable research programmes and multidisciplinary teams national and internationally in relation to living with Long-Term Conditions, personalised care, complex interventions and community social support. 

Navigating the Geographies of Care: Disability, Support and the Making of Place – Professor Andrew Power

Care is often viewed as altruistic and benign, yet for many people who rely on support it can also be disruptive, intrusive, and controlling. For disabled people, the home may become a workplace for care staff, turning it into a space of both comfort and intrusion. In community settings, care is shaped by boundaries that can unintentionally disempower those it is meant to support.

Professor Power’s inaugural lecture explores the spaces in which care is lived, experienced, and negotiated. He will reflect on his collaborative, person-centred research with disabled people and others, and on his career journey, highlighting how research, practice, and lived experience can come together to support more just and inclusive lives.

Andrew (‘Andy’) Power is Professor of Social Geography in the School of Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Southampton. His research includes several collaborative projects with adults with learning disabilities, notably an ESRC-funded study exploring how people build lives together in the community, and an NIHR School for Social Care Research–funded study focused on shared homes.

RYA Sea Survival

Gain essential survival skills and increase your confidence at sea with the RYA Sea Survival course. This course is designed to equip sailors and powerboaters with the knowledge and techniques to survive in the unlikely event of an emergency at sea.  

About the course

Taught over a single day, this course combines practical exercises and theory to help you understand how to stay safe in challenging conditions. You’ll gain hands-on experience with survival equipment, lifejackets, and liferafts, as well as learn strategies for remaining calm and making effective decisions in an emergency.

Course content

• Understanding sea survival and the risks at sea

• Use of lifejackets and personal safety equipment

• Correct use of liferafts and life-saving appliances

• Entering and surviving in a liferaft

• Techniques to stay warm and safe in cold water

• Group survival and signaling for help

• Shore-based training, pool, and life raft use

Courses are taught with a maximum ratio of 1 instructor to 6 students for practical exercises, ensuring everyone receives thorough guidance and practice.

Required Experience

This course is suitable for sailors and powerboaters of all experience levels. No prior training is required.

Phone: +44 (0)23 8059 0110

Email: watersports@soton.ac.uk

This online course on questionnaire design, explores question wording issues and the questionnaire as a whole with a focus on web surveys and mobile-friendly web surveys. The course is full of practical advice. It also provides tips for anyone moving from interviewer-administered surveys to web surveys. Mirroring in-person training, there course will be interactive. There will also be 6 small group workshops to facilitate putting the course concepts into practice.

This course is delivered by the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM), which is based in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Find out more and apply: https://www.ncrm.ac.uk/training/show.php?article=14371

Colleagues and students across the university are invited to join an exciting event on 25 March 2026 exploring how to turn innovative MedTech, engineering, science or healthcare ideas into meaningful real-world outcomes.

Whether you’re an academic, a researcher, or a student curious about starting a small business or spin-out, this event will give you practical insight into how the university can support you at every stage of your innovation journey.

Hosted by the Faculty of Medicine’s Professor Karl Staples, Associate Dean (KEE), the free session at the University of Southampton Science Park will highlight the strength of the University of Southampton’s (UoS) Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise (KEE) ecosystem. You’ll hear from teams across Research and Innovation Services (RIS), FutureWorlds, and the Catalyst Programme, gaining a clear overview of the mentoring, guidance, and resources available to help bring your ideas to life.

The afternoon event features:

• Talks from leaders across the university’s enterprise community

• Real case studies from successful innovators

• A pitch opportunity, where attendees can present a three-minute idea to a Dragons’ Den style panel for the chance to win support such as Catalyst mentoring or promotional opportunities

• A networking lunch to connect with like-minded colleagues, potential collaborators, and enterprise experts.

No matter where you are in your thinking, from early curiosity to developing a concrete product, this event will equip you with the connections, confidence, and know-how to take your next step in MedTech innovation.

There are only 200 spaces available, so to secure your place at this free event, or for more information, visit our Eventbrite page.

Learn to input Excel data into Power BI and get started with building visualisations. Useful for creating attractive, interactive dashboards which can be used for decision-making.

Objectives:

1. To familiarise yourself the Power BI workspace and components

2. To perform data transformation using Power Query

3. To critically analyse data modelling fundamentals

4. To create your own dashboard

Exploring economic growth through KE activities across the disciplines, and ways in which social and cultural impact can be foundational to economic growth. Case studies/illustrations of what the 'growth' imperative can look like for arts and humanities, but also beyond that, what it can look like if we open up the concept a bit more.

More information about this session to follow soon. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies have rapidly become embedded across a wide range of social, economic and political contexts. These systems are increasingly relied upon to help make decisions that have far-reaching impacts on individuals and communities. This includes predictive algorithms used in policing and healthcare, to the automation of immigration welfare systems, and governance of workplaces through algorithmic management systems. In addition to supposed efficiency and productivity gains, these tools are sometimes claimed to help identify and eradicate bias and inequality. Often, however, they have the effect of replicating and even exacerbating social inequalities.

Against this background, the Research Centre for Law and Technology and Stefan Cross Centre for Women, Equality and Law at the University of Southampton invite critical reflections on the equality impacts of AI, alongside assessments of current and emerging legal and regulatory responses to address these harms.

This one-day workshop will bring together scholars and practitioners from across disciplines to interrogate algorithmic biases and consider frameworks and strategies to build more inclusive, rights-based, and participatory AI systems.

Confirmed speakers include:

Vanessa Ho, Queen Mary University London, UK

Monique Munarini, University of Pisa, Italy

Anastasia Karagianni, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

Tsachi Keren-Paz and Maria Tzanou, University of Sheffield, UK

Holli Sargeant, St John's College, Cambridge, UK

Raphaële Xenidis, Sciences Po Law School, France

Call for Abstracts:

Themes and questions

We welcome submissions that engage with the broad theme of AI, Equality and the Law. Papers may address, but need not be limited to, the following themes and questions:

Women, Equality and AI:

Feminist perspectives on AI ethics and governance; gendered impacts of AI in the context of reproductive health, domestic work, or caregiving.

Labour market inequality and AI:

The distributive impacts of workplace AI; the regulation of platform work and algorithmic management; algorithms and the right to equal pay for equal work.

AI as a solution to inequality:

Applying AI to achieve equality through accountability, transparency, and explainability in AI systems.

AI and discrimination:

AI and its relationship to any form of discrimination; intersectionality and AI; de-colonial approaches to AI governance and accountability; racialised impacts and uses of AI; challenges and opportunities of AI for securing disability justice

Submission Guidelines

The organising committee invites abstract submissions (max 500 words) to scclaw@soton.ac.uk

The deadline for submission is 5^th Jan 2026.

Acceptance decisions will be communicated by the end of January.

Further information

There is no fee for attending the workshop. Limited travel and accommodation expenses may be available for participants who lack access to institutional funds.

For any queries, please contact the Conference Organizing Committee at scclaw@soton.ac.uk

Register now for attendance: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/new-technology-ai-and-equality-problems-and-solutions-tickets-1974970744662 

Addressing workplace stress training for all staff and managers

Stress will impact how we feel physically, emotionally and the way we process information. Without a break or recovery from it, it will impact our health long term. Stopping or reducing the causes of stress is the most effective action we can take. The sooner we take action; the sooner we prevent illness. 

At the university, we all have a responsibility to assess and manage workplace stressors. To put people at the core of what we do, it’s important that we look after our health and wellbeing at work. We also have a legal duty of care to assess and manage workplace stress, and this training will show you how. 

This course will help you to:

• Know what workplace stress is and the consequences it brings.
• Use a stress assessment to identify the causes of workplace stress and plan actions to reduce it.
• Know how to use the tools during times of workplace uncertainty and change.
• Know what support is available to you when you need it.

Important information:

• Please be in a suitable space for cameras to be on and to talk in group discussions.
• Due to the sensitivity of discussions, this training will not be recorded. This includes the use of AI meeting notes which will be removed from the session. Training materials will be sent to attendees after the session.
• We have lots of content to get through so we will use all the time. While we recognise that you may have other priorities come up, if you are unable to attend enough of the course your trainer will not be able to mark this course as completed.  
• If you are no longer able to attend the session, please cancel your booking. Our sessions have a minimum of 8 attendees. If the session does not reach this, we will cancel and provide an alternative to those who have booked.

Please note: this training can be requested for teams. If by request, it can be in person or online, and on a day and time and place suitable for you. To submit a request, please complete this workplace stress training request form. 

An Introduction to Writing Up Quantitative Findings for Project Evaluation: Including Statistical Rigor in Your Reports

Create write-ups of quantitative analyses, and recognise what makes statistical reporting look the way it does. Use Microsoft Word to build a table of results in APA format and write accurate summaries of quantitative findings. Very useful for not only writing your own reports, but also how to read and interpret statistical results published in papers/journal articles/etc.
 

Objectives

1. To understand key data terminology and concepts essential for writing up quantitative reports

2. To analyse what elements of analysis are best to report in certain contexts

3. To evaluate knowledge of quantitative analysis and evaluation requirements to design quantitative reports based off of statistical results

An Introduction to Writing Up Qualitative Findings for Project Evaluation: Crafting Compelling Stories from Participant Experiences

Learn to transform qualitative findings into clear, compelling,  narratives that bring participants' voices to life and demonstrate project impact. Discover how to structure themes, effecively integrate quotes , and avoid common pitfalls. 
 

Objectives:

1. To understand  the principles of effective qualitative reporting

2. To identify common pitfalls in qualitative reporting

3. To craft a narrative that is tailored to the audience, which highlights project impact and participant voice

In this one day online course (taught over 2 mornings) we will explore how to use R to import, manage and process spatial data. We will also cover the process of making choropleth maps, as well as some basic spatial analysis. Finally, we will cover the use of loops to make multiple maps quickly and easily, one of the major benefits of using a scripting language to make maps, rather than traditional graphic point-and-click interface.

This course is delivered by the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM), which is based in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Find out more and apply: https://www.ncrm.ac.uk/training/show.php?article=14372

Workshop outline 

In this workshop aimed at those new to examining research degree students, we will consider best practice for examining the doctoral thesis. Participants will learn from experienced examiners about how to prepare for and conduct the viva voce examination, the regulations at the University of Southampton, and the potential outcomes of a viva. We will also consider the roles and responsibilities of doctoral examiners from receipt of the submitted thesis through to final submission. 

Workshop learning outcomes:

• Prepare effectively for examining a doctoral thesis 

• Understand the roles and responsibilities of the doctoral examiners, and how to work effectively as an internal or external examiner 

• Demonstrate awareness of the University of Southampton regulations for the doctoral examination (including recent changes allowing for vivas by video-conference)

• Identify the potential outcomes of a viva, and understand how to apply these in practice

Outline: This session provides an overview and starting-point for those new to Public Engagement with Research (PER). We will explore the dynamic contexts of PER within higher education, potential purposes and publics, methods of engaging, and key considerations for planning and evaluating - taking a life-cycle approach. We will also sign-post to further support and opportunities.

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this session you will be able to:
- Define public engagement and its significance in the higher education context.
- Appreciate the range of motivations for engaging and how these are applicable to your context.
- Describe the public engagement lifecycle and what’s needed for high quality engagement.
- Identify appropriate audiences/publics to engage with in your context.
- Demonstrate knowledge of different activities/approaches that might be effective when engaging with different audiences/publics.
- Consider ways to evaluate the success of your engagement.
- Access additional tools, resources and support.
 

More information coming soon

In this online course, run over two mornings, we will show you how to prepare and conduct spatial analysis on a variety of spatial data in R, including a range of spatial overlays and data processing techniques. We will also cover how to use GeoDa to perform exploratory spatial data analysis, including making use of linked displays and measures of spatial autocorrelation and clustering.

This course is delivered by the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM), which is based in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Find out more and apply: https://www.ncrm.ac.uk/training/show.php?article=14377

Working with peers and invited facilitators to develop your KE ideas. 

This online workshop aims to give participants a range of practical approaches they can adopt when writing about methodology in the social sciences, with a particular focus on writing a PhD methodology chapter. Using a range of exercises throughout, the course focuses on 20 or so writing strategies and thought experiments designed to provide more clarity and power to the often-difficult challenge of writing about methods. The course also looks at common mistakes and how to avoid them when writing about methods. The focus throughout is on building confidence and increasing our repertoire of writing strategies and skills.

This course is delivered by the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM), which is based in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Find out more and apply: https://www.ncrm.ac.uk/training/show.php?article=14431

This training session is designed to prepare researchers to participate in the Meet the Scientist component of  LifeLab 

The aspects covered and the skills developed will be also useful in other engagement contexts.  

This course is suitable for:

 - Academic staff
 - Research staff
 - Doctoral researchers from any discipline - Researchers (PhDs, Post docs, academic staff)
 - Technical staff from any level and any discipline - anyone who wants to find out more and become more confident in talking about their work

Further Information
You can book to attend this session via staffbook. 
if you have any queries relating to the booking process please contact: CHEP@soton.ac.uk
If you have any queries relating to the session itself please contact the event facilitator listed below

RYA Sea Survival

Gain essential survival skills and increase your confidence at sea with the RYA Sea Survival course. This course is designed to equip sailors and powerboaters with the knowledge and techniques to survive in the unlikely event of an emergency at sea.  

About the course

Taught over a single day, this course combines practical exercises and theory to help you understand how to stay safe in challenging conditions. You’ll gain hands-on experience with survival equipment, lifejackets, and liferafts, as well as learn strategies for remaining calm and making effective decisions in an emergency.

Course content

• Understanding sea survival and the risks at sea

• Use of lifejackets and personal safety equipment

• Correct use of liferafts and life-saving appliances

• Entering and surviving in a liferaft

• Techniques to stay warm and safe in cold water

• Group survival and signaling for help

• Shore-based training, pool, and life raft use

Courses are taught with a maximum ratio of 1 instructor to 6 students for practical exercises, ensuring everyone receives thorough guidance and practice.

Required Experience

This course is suitable for sailors and powerboaters of all experience levels. No prior training is required.

Phone: +44 (0)23 8059 0110

Email: watersports@soton.ac.uk

Join us for the Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences' Inaugural Lectures to celebrate the careers of our new Professors. 

At our next event on Wednesday 10 June 2026, Professor Lyn Ellett (School of Psychology) and Professor Owen Rackham (School of Biological Sciences) will be presenting their research.

Please join us from 3.30pm for registration and refreshments before the lecture starts at 4pm. It will be followed by a post-event reception and canapés.

Book your place via Eventbrite 

Event abstracts

Are we all paranoid? A journey into the psychology of paranoia - Professor Lyn Ellett

Paranoia - often experienced as a sense of threat, mistrust or suspicion about the intentions of others - can be understood not just as a symptom of mental health conditions such as psychosis and schizophrenia, but also as a common human experience that exists on a continuum. In this inaugural lecture, Professor Lyn Ellett will show how the findings from her research have helped to challenge the idea of paranoia as an “all or nothing” clinical phenomenon and instead position it as a phenomenon influenced by everyday psychological processes

Lyn joined UoS in 2022 and is now a Professor of Psychology and Mental Health in the School of Psychology and recently gained Principal Fellowship of the HEA. She also serves as Deputy Head of the School (Education).

She has over 20 years of experience in academic research and clinical practice where she has made internationally leading contributions to understanding paranoia and developing mindfulness-based therapy for people with psychosis.

Learning the Rules of Life: Using Data to Map, Model and Shape the Cells - Professor Owen Rackham

Cells are extraordinary systems, capable of sensing their environment, regulating themselves, communicating with their neighbours and working together to build and maintain the human body. The same control systems that guide healthy growth and repair can, under pressure from the environment or subtle molecular changes, drift away from their intended paths, leading cells towards disease.

Owen’s research aims to uncover the rules that govern cell identity and behaviour, and to use this understanding to reprogramme cells, restore failing functions and open new possibilities for discovery and therapy.

Professor Owen Rackham is Professor of AI for the Life Sciences at the University of Southampton, where he leads the Data Driven Biology group.

His research focuses on what defines human cells and how their phenotype emerges from the interactions between the genome, the transcriptome and the environment. His group combines experimental and computational approaches to create tools that reveal how cells make decisions and how these decisions can be engineered.

Outline: This session provides an overview and starting point for those new to Evaluation, with a focus on evaluating Public Engagement with Research (PER).

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this session you will be able to:
- Define and understand the importance of evaluation
- Demonstrate knowledge of different methods for evaluating Public Engagement activity
- Demonstrate understanding of best practice in evaluating Public Engagement activity
- Show evidence of planning realistic and achievable ways to evaluate Public Engagement activity
 

This session clarifies connections between Knowledge Exchange and the REF, including exploring Impact Case Studies, PCE components and connections to funding. 

Considering barriers to collaboration with Industry including contrasting values, methodologies and forms of language. Finding the right fit on a spectrum of possible collaboration from public to private sector partnership work. 

This session explores various forms of knowledge exchange and offers practical ways to translate our research to KE activities. 

Exploring creative solutions to existing barriers for successful partnership work such as workload, systems and processes, skillsets and sector drivers. For example, considering forms of collaboration which allow entrepreneurial, research and operational skillsets to work effectively alongside one another, and operational considerations including working with university systems. 

This session explores principles and practices of good partnership work with Industry, the Public Sector and Community groups. 

 How can we best translate our research knowledge for outside audiences through consultancy and CPD courses? What skills do we need to thrive in these areas of activity? 

This session clarifies connections between Knowledge Exchange and the REF, including exploring Impact Case Studies, PCE components and connections to funding. 

Working with peers and invited facilitators to develop your KE ideas. 

RYA Sea Survival

Gain essential survival skills and increase your confidence at sea with the RYA Sea Survival course. This course is designed to equip sailors and powerboaters with the knowledge and techniques to survive in the unlikely event of an emergency at sea.  

About the course

Taught over a single day, this course combines practical exercises and theory to help you understand how to stay safe in challenging conditions. You’ll gain hands-on experience with survival equipment, lifejackets, and liferafts, as well as learn strategies for remaining calm and making effective decisions in an emergency.

Course content

• Understanding sea survival and the risks at sea

• Use of lifejackets and personal safety equipment

• Correct use of liferafts and life-saving appliances

• Entering and surviving in a liferaft

• Techniques to stay warm and safe in cold water

• Group survival and signaling for help

• Shore-based training, pool, and life raft use

Courses are taught with a maximum ratio of 1 instructor to 6 students for practical exercises, ensuring everyone receives thorough guidance and practice.

Required Experience

This course is suitable for sailors and powerboaters of all experience levels. No prior training is required.

Phone: +44 (0)23 8059 0110

Email: watersports@soton.ac.uk

More Information to follow Shortly

With economic growth an essential component of the Industrial Strategy and HE resources increasingly tight, exploring how we might creatively and sustainably fund and develop a balanced portfolio of KEE activities, including looking at private and social entrepreneurship. 

More Information to follow shortly

KEE CoP Training: Exploring ways to get in front of investors and developing our bidding skills

This session clarifies connections between Knowledge Exchange and the REF, including exploring Impact Case Studies, PCE components and connections to funding.