Professional insight from University of Southampton

The University of Southampton drives original thinking, turns knowledge into action and impact, and creates solutions to the world’s challenges. Through our high-quality education, we help students on a journey of discovery to realise their potential.

University of Southampton campus

Child's hands holding Lego bricks

Doing outreach with children? Start with bricks, questions and storytelling

When the climate crisis dominates headlines but often feels too large for meaningful action, how can university researchers invite the next generation to engage, imagine and lead? Here, Nadera Assim shares insights from a workshop on composting

Nadera Assim

University of Southampton

Women footballers celebrating victory

Measuring the value of movement: how universities can capture the benefits of sport and physical activity

With robust, quantitative data, the higher education sector can show how its sporting activities and facilities contribute to both student and staff well-being and national health goals while strengthening the case for future investment

Phil Malatesta

University of Southampton

Trout in a river

Looking for our environmental future in the poetic past

How can studying a poem or writing a story give students the skills to imagine a healthy planetary future? Stephanie Jones explains the link between literature and environmental literacy

Stephanie Jones

University of Southampton

Group in discussion

Creating a safe space for patients and public in research

How can healthcare researchers ensure that non-researchers feel comfortable to share opinions or ask questions during project meetings?

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

Two black men shaking hands and smiling

Can peer mentoring support under-represented students into postgraduate research?

Mentoring is often seen as a silver bullet for tackling complex challenges such as unequal access to postgraduate research opportunities. So, can a peer-to-peer scheme support under-represented students into PhD study?

Maisha Islam

University of Southampton

Young female manager in a meeting

Why university leaders must listen differently in one-to-ones

Talk less and listen more should be a mantra for leaders and managers. When they acknowledge diverse perspectives, avoid dominating discussions and reflect what they have heard, it sets the tone for more inclusive, respectful dialogue

Annie Owen

University of Southampton

Are academics becoming overexposed on LinkedIn?

Social media is key to building an academic network but what about the darker side of putting your professional life on global display? Larisa Yarovaya explores the balance between polished presence and oversharing

Larisa Yarovaya

University of Southampton

Young woman looking thoughtful

Mapping employability skills across curricula

A mandatory university-wide initiative shows how mapping professional skills against all programmes can tailor students’ work readiness no matter their career path

Katy Gordon

University of Southampton

AI assistance concept illustration

AI as an access tool for neurodiverse and international staff

Used transparently and ethically, GenAI can level the playing field and lower the cognitive load of repetitive tasks for admin staff, student support and teachers

Vanessa Mar-Molinero

University of Southampton

Focus on programme leaders in higher education

Overworked and undervalued: how can we empower programme leaders in higher education?

Programme leaders are an often-undervalued part of the student learning experience. Here, Neil Ford shares advice on how peer networks and communities of practice can support programme leaders’ development and recognition

Neil Ford

University of Southampton

Female scientific researcher in wheelchair in lab

‘Think of inclusivity as the rule rather than the exception’

Cultivating an inclusivity mindset can help university researchers demystify and embrace reasonable adjustments as part of everyday practice

Jamie Wilde

University of Southampton

Teams that include AI agents and humans

How should universities teach leadership now that teams include humans and autonomous AI agents?

Trust and leadership style are emerging as key aspects of teambuilding in the age of AI. Here are ways to integrate these considerations with technology in teaching

Alex Zarifis

University of Southampton

Two employes chatting in an office

Managing upwards in higher education, part 2: relational and personal boundary skills

The second in a two-part series focuses on protecting your integrity, building goodwill across your institution and setting boundaries around your time and availability to create sustainable, constructive relationships with your manager

Tom Chapman

University of Southampton

A chess player moving a rook across the board

Managing upwards in higher education, part 1: structural and political skills

Strategies for academics on working effectively with managers while protecting their time, integrity and career trajectory

Tom Chapman

University of Southampton

Woman getting out of car

Why parents and carers networks matter to university staff

Advocacy, activities, peer support and safe spaces are among the reasons to institute a network for university faculty and staff with caring responsibilities

Claire Partridge

University of Southampton

Young person using social media

Using social media to connect cohorts

A digital poster competition that encouraged comments on social media can spark conversations between under- and postgraduate students. Here’s how it works

Sam Perry , Robert Clarke, Lucy Mannie

University of Southampton

Blocks showing two-way communication

Cut through the noise with impactful internal communications

Internal messaging needs to reach the right people and inspire action – whether that’s getting responses to a staff survey or changing recycling behaviour. Here, Kelly Hibbs explores practical strategies to build trust and clarity

Kelly Hibbs

University of Southampton

Prometheus concept of technological innovation

Cultivating a responsible innovation mindset among future tech leaders

The classroom is a perfect place to discuss the messy, real-world consequences of technological discoveries, writes Andreas Alexiou. Beyond ‘How?’, students should be asking ‘Should we…?’ and ‘What if…?’ questions around ethics and responsibility

Andreas Alexiou

University of Southampton

Jar of peanut butter

From peanut butter to effective policy impact

In a sector that often seems tasked with being everything to everyone, each university needs a policy strategy that focuses institutional expertise where it will make the most difference, writes Alistair Sackley

Alistair Sackley

University of Southampton

Students speaking at a meeting.

Principles and practicalities of partnership working with students

For effective co-creation with students, university leaders need to move beyond surveys and get them involved in decision-making. The Russell Group institutions together set out best practice steps for doing this

Deborah Gill, Simon To

University of Southampton, UCL

Multiracial hands in fist bump circle

Ubuntu philosophy: how embracing cultural heritage in the classroom can enhance teaching

Teaching that incorporates this African value system prioritises relationship building and authenticity. Here’s how to put it into practice

Chipo Simbi

University of Southampton

Illustration of an elephant in a library

‘Using GenAI is easier than asking my supervisor for support’

Doctoral researchers are turning to generative AI to assist in their research. How are they using it, and how can supervisors and candidates have frank discussions about using it responsibly?

Ross English, Rebecca Nash, Heather Mackenzie

University of Southampton

Smiling woman talking to healthcare professional

Key challenges for patient and public involvement leads

The research team member who leads on PPI must act in the interests of healthcare patients and the public as well as support the needs of the research project. Here is advice for how to succeed in this emerging role

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

Bridge concept

The impact of business relationship managers in higher education

The role that bridges the gap between digital transformation and the wider university is often misunderstood. Here, Bhupinder Siran explains what a business relationship manager does, and the position’s challenges and rewards

Bhupinder Siran

University of Southampton

Team meeting

How to use a ‘manual of me’

This team-building activity costs nothing and will help you and your staff understand each other better. Here’s a guide to using this simple tool

Alexandra Head

University of Southampton

Diamond held in tweezers

When essay feedback does more harm than good

Tired of asking for more scope, depth and flow with no improvement in students’ writing? Maybe the problem is not the students but your feedback

Alice Stinetorf

University of Southampton

An illustration of people working with a giant book

Six reasons why open institutional publishing matters

A new wave of institutional publishers is changing the way we think about academic publishing. Here’s why they’re worth watching

Philippa Grand, Suzanne Tatham

The London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Southampton

Ineffective communication concept

The perils of unheard policy

Effective communication is a core component of successful policymaking. Whether you’re a policy professional or working in communications, how you convey your message can determine whether your ideas thrive or fade

Alistair Sackley

University of Southampton

PhD supervision

Working in partnership with PhD students to enhance postgraduate research culture

With guidance on the REF 2029 assessment of People, Culture and Environment just published, how might UK universities’ approach to partnership with postgraduate research students demonstrate their engagement with the factors said to enable positive research culture?

Maisha Islam , Fabien Littel, Nandini Das

University of Southampton

Vibe Lounge event at Turner Sims at the University of Southampton

How civic arts programmes can make students feel welcome

Empowering students to co-create music events with peers can foster a sense of belonging in their university and city. Here’s how a student-community collective breathed new life into a 50-year-old venue

Jessica Santer, Carley Divish

University of Southampton

Middle-aged male patient with female doctor

Evaluating the impact of patient and public involvement in health research

Measuring the impact of involving patients and the public in healthcare research is less about proving that the practice is a ‘good thing’ and more about finding ways to do it better, writes Gary Hickey. Here, he shares eight key considerations

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

Female students sitting along in lecture hall

Empty classrooms and disconnected students in the age of AI

Universities face an urgent need to accelerate change in how they teach – and think about teaching – to reconnect students’ digital lifestyles with the way they learn, write Nic Fair and Larisa Yarovaya

Nicholas Fair , Larisa Yarovaya

University of Southampton

Clapperboard in front of greenery

Changing the climate of teaching: embedding sustainability into film and media studies

Research-led teaching can bring educators’ work and passions into the classroom, making topics such as climate change less overwhelming for students and linking learning to future skills. Here are five key takeaways

Malcolm Cook

University of Southampton

Male student concentrating at laptop

The case for rewarding hard work in higher education

Taking a cue from copyright’s ‘sweat of the brow’, Ian Solway and Shan Wang argue that recognition of effort and resilience should not be lost in a rush to maximise learning efficiency

Shan Wang, Ian Solway

University of Southampton

Female engineer in industrial setting

How to humanise engineering education and why we must

Despite years of effort across the education sector, engineering sciences are still not gender equitable. Incorporating more social sciences into engineering education could help address the imbalance

Rich McIlroy

University of Southampton

Hand playing piano

Tax Taylor Swift

Is sustainability a ‘blank space’ in professional music education? Not exactly. Music students want to make an impact and some music academics are embedding the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the curriculum

Thomas Irvine

University of Southampton

Health researcher and patient

‘Uncertainty is part of co-production’ in research

Flexibility and an open mindset can help health researchers work with healthcare professionals and patients to create better adapted services. Here, Gary Hickey shares ways to navigate through the process

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

Clapperboard

Using documentary film to communicate your social research

Film can humanise your research and make it accessible to an audience beyond your field. Here are five key takeaways from our experience of bringing sociology to life

Rosalind Edwards

University of Southampton

Hands of black woman typing on laptop

Time to write is a necessity, not a nice-to-have

How a project for academics to carve out writing time has grown from ‘power hours’ to writing retreats, community, increased well-being and higher-quality papers

Rosie Wadman, Jess Macpherson

University of Southampton

Adult colouring in

Colouring in: a big-impact, low-budget support for student well-being

The simple activity of colouring in could be an easy, budget-friendly way for university educators and professionals to help students reduce stress and improve well-being

Emma Palmer-Cooper

University of Southampton

Millennial man thinking at laptop

Online tests as a method of engagement in higher education

Continuous e-assessment helps students engage with course materials and reduce procrastination, and offers educators benefits such as automated marking

Panagiotis Giannarakis

University of Southampton

New hire shakes hands with hiring manager

Get inboarding right in five easy steps

Internal hires don’t need traditional onboarding, so how do you ensure they find their feet quickly and thrive in their new position in your university? That’s where inboarding comes in

Alexandra Head

University of Southampton

Webinar image

Campus webinar: How to present research to a wider audience for greater impact

Learn about ways to articulate and present your work to non-academic audiences from experts from Campus+ partner institutions in the UK and North America

Gregory Goldsmith, Patricia Raun, Denise Baden, Krystina Silva

University of Alberta, Virginia Tech, University of Southampton, Chapman University

Post-it notes showing smiling and frowning faces

Peer feedback: a burden for students or route to better academic writing?

Asking students to give anonymous feedback on each other’s work can not only result in better writing skills but also offer them opportunities to try new approaches and refine assessment tasks

Alison Daniell

University of Southampton

Community meeting, inclusive research

‘Doing human’: ways for researchers to make patients feel comfortable to express themselves

When patient and public involvement is done in an inclusive, safe environment, it results in more relevant, higher-quality health and social care research

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

Trust concept

Building trust to support researchers’ mental health

Principal investigators should know what challenges to trust their research team may face at each stage of a project – from team building to post-project collaboration – so they can focus support effectively

Alex Zarifis

University of Southampton

Illustration of a scholar in a lightbulb hot-air balloon

The aspiring academic’s career path from PhD to professor

If you have just finished your PhD or postdoc and realised that an academic career needs more than published papers and teaching, Jan Buermann has advice on how to kick-start progress up the ladder

Jan Buermann

University of Southampton

Academic integrity concept

Teaching international students about academic integrity

Cultural misunderstandings can lead to international students being referred for academic misconduct. An answer for university educators can be to tailor course content to bridge gaps in your students‘ understanding

Julija Jones

University of Southampton

Medical students and tutor

How to help postdoctoral researchers gain experience in teaching

Early career researchers increasingly require teaching experience for job applications or promotion. How can we create opportunities that help postdocs gain educational experience while remaining on a research grant-funded pathway?

Nicola Englyst, Delphine Boche

University of Southampton

working mother at laptop with toddler

Supporting parent academics through staff networks

The power of a combined voice can make working life easier for university faculty and staff with children. Here, Judith Lock lays out the challenges of mixing parenthood with academia and how networks lead to more family-friendly campuses

Judith Lock

University of Southampton