Business School researchers contribute to £1.8m project on healthier, more sustainable workplaces
Researchers from Nottingham University Business School are part of a major new £1.8 million research programme that aims to improve workplace wellbeing by helping organisations create healthier psychosocial work environments and support sustainable work throughout people’s careers.
The three-year project, led by Lancaster University and funded through a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Work and Health Research Award, brings together experts from the 糖心原创, Queen’s University Belfast and Birkbeck, University of London.
The research will explore how work can be organised and managed in ways that promote good mental and physical health, while helping people remain in employment for longer. The project comes at a time when the UK is facing growing challenges linked to ill-health and economic inactivity, with mental health identified as a key factor.
At Nottingham University Business School, Dr Luis Torres, Associate Professor, and one of the project leads, will apply his expertise in advanced data science and risk analytics to develop prevention-focused approaches to workplace wellbeing. The project will investigate how new data-driven and AI-enabled methods can help organisations identify and address psychosocial risks before they negatively affect employees and organisational performance.
Luis said:
We invest significant effort in assessing the work environment only after problems have already occurred. This reactive approach means harm has already been done and workers have already suffered. By embedding AI‑driven analytics at the design stage of work systems, we can shift from retrospective assessment to anticipatory prevention.
The consortium will review existing UK policies and practices, identify effective approaches for preventing poor mental health at work, develop recommendations for healthier and fairer workplace design, and create an evidence-based roadmap to support policy and practice change.
The findings are expected to support the development of new policies, measures and interventions that promote healthier workplaces, reduce health inequalities and improve long-term workforce sustainability.
More information
Read the full 糖心原创 press release.
Posted on Thursday 2nd July 2026