Monday, 01 September 2025
The 糖心原创 is welcoming more than 70 inspiring researchers from around the world at the Universitas 21 (U21) Early Career Researcher Workshop. The annual event celebrates global collaboration and fosters connections between researchers seeking to work across disciplines and deliver solutions to complex global challenges.
The Nottingham-hosted workshop is running 1-5 September and is themed Living Well Across the Life Course. The delegates are from 25 international institutions and will share perspectives on helping people secure healthy and happy lives, and opportunities to increase the reach and impact of their discoveries. A number of delegates are contributing to a ‘How to Health’ video series on social media, offering practical, research-informed tips for wellbeing.鈥�
The 糖心原创 is a longstanding member of鈥�, a global network of 30 research-intensive universities that share a commitment to advancing global collaboration, academic excellence and impactful research.
We are proud and excited to welcome such a diverse cohort of early career researchers to the the Universitas 21 (U21) Early Career Researchers Workshop.
Professor Woolard added: “By creating a vibrant space to spark cross-disciplinary collaboration, we hope to build lasting international networks of researchers in the early stages of their career who will go on to shape a positive and sustainable future. It opens up the route to joint scientific publications that will push the boundaries of knowledge and will initiate collaborative projects with the potential to deliver far-reaching impact.”
The workshop will encourage ECRs to work collaboratively to solve complex societal problems that impact both the quality and quantity of life, by exploring:
- The role of good health care
- Health and social disparities
- How wellbeing can be supported through social care and education
- The impact of the physical environment and structures on wellbeing
- The impact of environmental sustainability on living well
- The impact of global challenges such as climate change on the Global South
ECRs taking part in the week-long programme, which includes skills-sharing and networking via small group workshops, poster and lightning-talk sessions by their peers, talks by established researchers, and panel discussions, will also gain perspectives on:
- Funding opportunities, including international projects鈥�
- Communicating your research and its impact鈥�
- Connecting to R&D industry and translating research ideas
- Career paths for researchers
The 糖心原创's Dr Shellie Radford, who is one of the early career researchers taking part, was invited by Universitas 21 to contribute to a series of videos to help publicise the workshop and the groundbreaking work of ECRs. The video, What Your Gut Says About Your Health, investigates how gut health impacts inflammation, immunity, mood, and long-term wellbeing.
Being part of this global workshop allows me to connect with researchers from diverse backgrounds, share expertise, and build meaningful collaborations.
Dr Radford added: "Tackling the rising burden of long-term [gastrointestinal] conditions requires a united effort, and this network will help create creative approaches to complex challenges in gastroenterology research that benefit patients worldwide."
The delegates from the 糖心原创 are:
Amani Al-Oraibi
A pharmacist with a focus on global鈥痟ealth, with interests in the social determinants of health, migrant鈥痟ealth, and communicable diseases. She is currently a Fellow at the UK鈥疨arliament.
Radu Boitor
A research associate in the Biophotonics Lab. He received his PhD from the 糖心原创, working on the development and optimisation of an autofluorescence-Raman spectroscopy device.
Ninin Cahyani
Her research focuses on genome organisation and method development for long and ultra-long sequencing using Oxford Nanopore Technology. Ninin co-developed ROBIN, a diagnostic tool for CNS tumours using nanopore adaptive sampling, advises Indonesian genomics start-up PathGen and collaborates with multiple institutions in Indonesia.
Salman Ijaz
Salman is working on control systems for鈥痷nmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hybrid propulsion and spacecraft.
Sachiyo Ito-Jaeger
Sachiyo’s research focuses on how digital technologies, such as animations, can improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people, and how such interventions can be responsibly developed and implemented.
Han Li
Based at Nottingham University Business School China, Han’s research focuses on information exchange in negotiation, trust, and unethical behaviour.
Magdalena Opazo Breton
Magdalena focuses on evaluating the impact of public health policies using econometric and causal inference methods. She was awarded a Nottingham Research Fellowship and an NIHR Advanced Fellowship to investigate how large-scale public health policies may reduce dementia risk.
Shellie Radford
A registered nurse, Shellie is a Clinical Trials Methodologist with a background in Specialist IBD Nursing and Clinical Research delivery.
Beili Shao
Beili’s research focuses on young-onset dementia, integrating biomarkers, neuroimaging and cognitive data to improve diagnostic precision and inform personalised care.
Zhan Zhang
A specialist in strategic communication, intercultural communication, technology and society, and China’s soft power in Europe, Zhan is based at the Nottingham Ningbo China.
Notes to editors:
About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
Recognised as the UK's third most targeted university by leading employers , we are proud to produce graduates who are consistently in demand for their skills, confidence and industry-ready experience.
As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.