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In this opening episode of "Gerrin' on wi' it," hosts Paul Hayes and Dr Andy Mycock set the stage for exploring collaboration across Yorkshire and the Humber - a region they argue is England's trailblazer for academic-policy engagement. Paul and Andy discuss the origins of the Yorkshire and Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network (Y-PERN) and the Yorkshire Policy Innovation Partnership (YPIP), born from a 2021 memorandum of understanding between Yorkshire Universities and Yorkshire & Humber Councils. They reflect on how COVID-19 became a catalyst for collaboration, revealing the power of bringing together universities, local authorities, combined authorities, and communities around shared challenges. The conversation explores what makes collaboration work: building trust through sustained relationships, understanding different institutional cultures, and creating a "network of networks" that maximises regional capacity. From Early Years education to economic growth, they discuss how partnership working has evolved from coffee conversations to formal compacts and community engagement. This episode introduces the “Gerrin’ on wit’ it” series as a space to speak to people who are making things happen in the region and driving things forward with collaboration at the forefront. This episode was recorded on 9 December 2025. If you would like to get in touch, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available. Y-PERN is funded by the UKRI’s Research England Development (RED) Fund; YPIP is funded by the UKRI’s Economic and Social Research Council. Acronyms explained: Y-PERN – Yorkshire and Humber Policy and Engagement Network YPIP – Yorkshire Policy Innovation Partnership UPEN – Universities Policy Engagement Network YU – Yorkshire Universities YHC – Yorkshire and Humber Councils ESRC – Economic and Social Research Council Helpful links: https://www.n8research.org.uk/ https://whiterose.ac.uk/ a href="https://yorkshireuniversities.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/137/2025/04/YH-Councils-and-YU-MoU-2025.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

Professor Vera Trappmann speaks to senior researcher Dario Azzellini about his research on Colombia’s approach to just transition in this latest episode of the “Just transitions – a global exploration” series. Dario gives an overview of Colombia’s holistic and community-driven approach to just transition – where unions, activities and communities push for a post-extractivist future, despite immense risks and structural challenges. This project is funded by the Hans Böckler Foundation – Just Transition: Aktivitäten im internationalen Vergleich 2021-582-2. Visit the project webpage. This podcast episode was recorded remotely in November 2025. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available. About the speakers: Vera Trappmann is Professor of Comparative Employment Relations at Leeds University Business School. She studies the transformation of work and its impact on workers with a particular focus on climate change, just transition and the green economy. Dario Azzellini is a senior researcher in the Department of Sociology at the University Duisburg-Essen. His research interests focus on labour studies, sustainable work and Just Transition, and workers’ self-management.

In this episode of the Research and Innovation Podcast, Rashik Parmar MBE, and Professor Mehmet Dogar explore advances in artificial intelligence, responsible computing, and robotics. They discuss why responsible computing is becoming urgent, the challenges of making digital systems ethical and sustainable, and the ambition to position the UK as a world-leader in this space. Mehmet shares insights from the University of Leeds Robotics Lab, including why robotics lags behind other areas of AI and how researchers are tackling complex tasks like multi-object packing and physical interaction. Together, they look ahead to what responsible, trustworthy computing and more capable robots could mean for society in the coming years.  Both Rashik and Mehmet presented on these topics at the Leeds Digital Festival event - “The future is now: tech driving UK industry” - which was co-hosted by Leeds University Business School and the School of Computer Science.   Mehmet’s research is supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [EP/V052659/1]  This episode was recorded on 8 December 2025. If you would like to get in touch regarding this episode, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available.  About the speakers:  Rashik Parmar MBE is a member of Leeds University Business School’s Research International Advisory Board. Previously, Rashik was Group CEO of the British Computer Society (BCS), and the IBM Fellow and Vice President responsible for creating and driving IBM’s European technical strategy. Rashik is a member of the Open University Council and also chairs the Industry Advisory Board for Digit Lab.  Professor Mehmet Dogar is Professor of Robotics & AI at the University of Leeds. His research focuses on autonomous robotic manipulation. Mehmet is an EPSRC Fellow, and an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Robotics Research, and an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Robotics.  Related journal articles by Professor Dogar and colleagues:  Tracking and Control of Multiple Objects During Nonprehensile Manipulation in Clutter Goal-Conditioned Model Simplification for 1-D and 2-D Deformable Object Manipulation Sampling-Based Model Predictive Control for Dexterous Manipulation on a Biomimetic Tendon-Driven Hand 

In this introductory episode, Professor Helen Hughes and Emma Findlay explain the purpose of the Surgical Care Observatory and why successful surgical innovation is about far more than the tech itself. They discuss system readiness, and how sociotechnical frameworks can help the NHS implement new technologies safely, effectively, and sustainably. This episode was recorded on 24th November 2025. If you would like to get in touch regarding this episode, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available. Visit the project webpage. This project is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). About the speakers: Dr Helen Hughes is an Associate Professor at Leeds University Business School and Director of the Behaviour Lab. Helen in an interdisciplinary researcher, whose research spans aerospace to healthcare sectors.  Helen is currently an Associate Editor at Ergonomics journal, and a Co-Investigator within the NIHR-funded Surgical Health-Tech Research Centre, where she leads the ‘Surgical Observatory’ workstream. Emma Findlay is a Research Officer at Leeds University Business School, working in the Surgical Care Observatory theme of the HealthTech Research Centre in Accelerated Surgical Care.  Her research explores the underpinning psychology of complex systems; including medtech implementation, surgical sustainability and multiteam system functioning. Articles mentioned in this episode and related reading: “Organisational psychologists – essential to saving the NHS”, The Psychologist, 31 October 2025, Helen Hughes and Emma Findlay  “The Principles of Sociotechnical Design”, Human Relations, Albert Cherns, 1976  “Sociotechnical principles for system design”, Applied Ergonomics, Chris Clegg, 2000“Leveraging socio-technical systems to tackle grand challenges: Reflections on human-robot teams, hybrid workplaces, med-tech, and digital transformation”, Ergonomics, Matthew Davis, Helen Hughes, Mark Robinson, Jeffery Scales, Shankar Sankaran, Dikai Liu, Emma Findlay and Emma Gritt, 2025

In this episode, Professor Magda Osman and Dr Sarah Jenkins discuss risk communication, exploring what role the social sciences play in risk communications, whether it can ever be objective, how people perceive and tolerate risk differently, and how trade-offs and context shape the risk decisions people make.  This episode was recorded on 4th August 2025. If you would like to get in touch regarding this episode, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available.   About the speakers:   Magda Osman holds a Visiting Professor of Impact Position at Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds, and is a Research Professor at the Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge. She is a psychologist by training, with a specific interest in decision-making under risk and uncertainty, risk analysis and causal analysis, folk beliefs in the manipulation of the unconscious, as well as an interest in examining effectiveness of methods of behavioural change.  Dr Sarah Jenkins is a Lecturer in Applied Decision-Making and a cognitive psychologist, with extensive experience of conducting applied research focusing on how people understand, communicate and make decisions concerning risk and uncertainty. She holds a joint post between the Centre for Decision Research at Leeds University Business School, and the Met Office, where she is applying social science techniques to deliver high-impact decision research in areas related to weather and climate.   

Addi Manolopoulou speaks to Professors Shima Amini and Abdul Mohamed about their recent research on how climate change risk affects the performance of newly listed firms in the US. The discussion highlights how drought exposure, investor sentiment, and mandatory climate disclosures influence Initial Public Offerings (IPO) outcomes. With implications for investors, policy makers, and company leaders, the findings position climate risk as a financial concern, not just an environmental one.  This episode was recorded in July 2025. If you would like to get in touch regarding this episode, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available.   Read the journal article: “Climate change risk, investor sentiment, and the performance of new entrant firms”, Small Business Economics.  About the speakers:  Addi Manolopoulou is the Departmental Manager for the Accounting and Finance Department at Leeds University Business School. She is committed to translating complex research into real-world impact.    Professor Shima Amini is Chair in Entrepreneurial Finance. Her research is focused on entrepreneurial finance, initial public offering, venture capital, private equity, corporate finance, behavioural finance, and market microstructure.    Professor Abdul Mohamed is Chair in Accounting and Finance. His research interests are in the area of corporate finance, venture capital, bankruptcy, and market-based accounting research. 

After delivering insightful presentations at the Legal Tech in Leeds 2025 conference, Dr Virág Blazsek and Professor Danat Valizade have come together on our podcast to share some of the key themes they discussed at the event. In this episode, they talk about how legal tech growth is shaped by two main areas - workforce change and energy policy.  This episode was recorded on 24th June 2025. If you would like to get in touch regarding this episode, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available.   About the speakers:   Dr Virág Blazsek is a Lecturer in Commercial, Corporate, and Banking Law and a Deputy Director of the Centre for Business Law and Practice (CBLP) at the University of Leeds School of Law. Her recent research, supported by the Michael Beverley Innovation Fellowship, examines FinTech hub development and financial sector transformation in secondary financial centres, focusing on Leeds, the US, and Singapore. The project highlighted the vital role of regional legal and tech clusters - like Leeds - in strengthening the UK’s LegalTech sector, largely due to their strong underlying real economies.  Danat Valizade is Professor of Quantitative Employment Research at Leeds University Business School. His research focuses on labour market inequalities and the future of work; job quality; advanced econometrics, and machine learning. 

Addi Manolopoulou speaks to Professor Steve Toms about his latest book - “Systems of Deceit – Financial Fraud and Scandal in the United Kingdon, 1700-2010.” Professor Toms explains the historical roots and systemic causes of financial crime in the UK, revealing how economic structures, deregulation, and shifting sectoral dominance have shaped fraud over the past 300 years.  This episode was recorded in May 2025. If you would like to get in touch regarding this episode, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available.   Read the book: “Systems of Deceit - Financial Fraud and Scandal in the United Kingdom, 1700–2010”, Steven Toms   About the speakers:  Addi Manolopoulou is the Departmental Manager for the Accounting and Finance Department at Leeds University Business School. She is committed to translating complex research into real-world impact.    Professor Steve Toms is Chair in Accounting. His research interests cover the role of accounting (including forensic accounting), accountability, and corporate governance in the development of organisations, particularly from a historical perspective. 

Dr Alexander Beresford speaks to Dr Temitayo Odeyemi about Temitayo’s research, exploring the key complexities and challenges of just transition in Nigeria. They discuss the involvement of Nigeria’s labour unions and sector-specific unions in shaping government policies around just transitions, and the different conversations that are happening at a national and subnational level when it comes to just transitions and the concept of decent work.  This project is funded by the Hans Böckler Foundation – Just Transition: Aktivitäten im internationalen Vergleich 2021-582-2.  Visit the project webpage.  This podcast episode was recorded remotely in May 2025. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available.  About the speakers:   Dr Alexander Beresford is an Associate Professor in African Politics, and Director of Research and Innovation for the School of Politics and International Studies at the University of Leeds. His research provides a multi-layered insight into how global normative order is mediated and contested within and between two interwoven spaces - political struggles over inequality, power and corruption from everyday sites of politics through to the highest tables of power in South Africa; and the global diplomatic contestation of vaccine access, conflict resolution and climate change led by South Africa as an emerging power.  Dr Temitayo Odeyemi is a Visiting Research Fellow at the School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds, and Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Parliamentary Research, Berlin, Germany. His PhD research at the University of Leeds (2024) explored the public engagement repertoires of the Nigerian national and subnational Lagos State legislatures. This built on his wider interest in how key democratic institutions drive resilience and sustainability through connections with non-state actors and everyday citizens, particularly in Sub-Saharan African contexts. 

Dr Felix Schulz speaks to Professor Melanie Laroche and Jonathan Michaud from the University of Montreal about how the concept of just transitions is understood and implemented in Quebec, Canada. In the episode, they cover the province's unique industrial relations system, proactive and reactive union strategies for addressing the climate crisis, and challenges in equipping union representatives with climate expertise.  This project is funded by the Hans Böckler Foundation – Just Transition: Aktivitäten im internationalen Vergleich 2021-582-2. Visit the project webpage.  This podcast episode was recorded remotely in December 2024. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast episode or the project, please contact [email protected].   A transcript of this episode is available.  You can listen to the rest of the episodes in this series.  About the speakers:   Felix Schulz is an interdisciplinary researcher at Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS). Prior to joining LUCSUS, he worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Employment Relations, Innovation and Change (CERIC), the Digital Futures at Work (digit) Research Centre and the Hans-Böckler-Foundation funded Competence Centre on social-ecological transformations at the University of Leeds, where he remains as Visiting Research Fellow  Melanie Laroche is a professor at the Université de Montréal's...

Professor Nick Williams speaks to Dr Lee Wainwright about Lee’s research on how restorative entrepreneurship can empower marginalised individuals to reclaim social and economic standing. They discuss ableist workplace norms, the parallels between societal treatment of disabled individuals and other marginalised groups, and recommendations for creating a more inclusive workplace.  This episode was recorded on 5th March 2025. If you would like to get in touch regarding this episode, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available. Read the book: The Routledge Companion to Disability and Work, Edited by Oana Branzei, Anica Zeyen. Lee Wainwright’s chapter: Disability and Restoration Work.  About the speakers: Nick Williams is Professor of Entrepreneurship at Leeds University Business School. His research mainly focuses on entrepreneurship in challenging contexts, and he has particular interests in the role of entrepreneurial activity in crises. Lee Wainwright is a Lecturer in Entrepreneurship Studies at Leeds University Business School. His research focuses on how entrepreneurship can act as a process to take people out of restrictive or oppressive contexts. 

Drs Lauren Machon and Helen Hughes talk about the behaviour lab at Leeds University Business School, and how it can help organisations solve real-world challenges. In this episode, they discuss how the Behaviour Lab can be used by companies to test consumer reactions, optimise workplace design, and refine communication strategies using eye-tracking, virtual reality, and other state-of-the-art tools.   Visit the Behaviour Lab webpage for equipment details and further information, or contact the team via [email protected].  This episode was recorded on 31st March 2025. If you would like to get in touch regarding this episode, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available.   About the speakers: Dr Lauren Machon is the Behaviour Lab Manager. Her research interests lie in innovation adoption and technology acceptance. Dr Helen Hughes is the Behaviour Lab Director and is an Associate Professor at Leeds University Business School. Her research focuses on the social dynamics of workplace relationships, as well as graduate employability and early career transitions to the workplace. 

In this episode, Addi Manolopoulou speaks to Dr Costas Lambrinoudakis and Elliot (Zhengfa) Zhang about their recent paper – The Impact of Social Media Influencers on the Financial Market Performance of Firms. They discuss high-profile cases, including Rihanna and Kylie Jenner, and examine whether other social media stars have the power to influence stock prices.   This episode was recorded on 25th March 2025. If you would like to get in touch regarding this episode, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available.   Read the journal article: The impact of social media influencers on the financial market performance of firms, European Financial Management. Kevin Keasey, Costas Lambrinoudakis, Danilo V. Mascia, Zhengfa Zhang.  About the speakers:  Addi Manolopoulou is the Departmental Manager for the Accounting and Finance Department at Leeds University Business School. She is committed to translating complex research into real-world impact.    Costas Lambrinoudakis is Assistant Professor of Finance at Leeds University Business School. His research interests lie in corporate finance, financial markets, social networks, and big data.  Zhengfa (Elliot) Zhang is a postgraduate researcher in the Centre for Advanced Studies in Finance. His main research areas are financial markets, textual analysis, LLMs, behavioural finance, and empirical asset pricing. 

In this episode, Drs Bianca Orsi, Peter Hughes and Juliane Scheffel talk about their project “WISE - Women into Studying Economics” - a research project that is tackling the gender imbalance in economics. They discuss why so few women choose to study economics, the stereotypes that discourage them, and the impact a lack of diversity in the field has on policy and society. Through school visits and conversations with students, the team is uncovering key barriers and working to change perceptions.   Visit the project webpage.  This episode was recorded on 26th February 2025. If you would like to get in touch regarding this episode, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available.  About the speakers:  Dr Bianca Orsi is a lecturer in economics at Leeds University Business School. Her main research interests are on monetary policy, monetary policy transmission mechanism, inflation, capital controls, interest rate, exchange rate, currency internationalization and currency hierarchy, and financial integration.   Dr Peter Hughes is also a lecturer in economics at Leeds University Business School. His areas of expertise are: monetary economics, behavioural economics, institutional economics, money, history of economic thought, and economic methodology.  Dr Juliane Scheffel is an associate professor in economics at the Business School. Her research interests are in: labour economics, development economics, migration, education, and elderly care.

David Loseby, Visiting Professor of Research Impact at Leeds University Business School, interviews Frank Lee, Chief Executive Officer at the Institute for Collaborative Working, asking what makes a great partner, and how value can be created through collaboration.  Both David and Frank spoke at the “Ideas in Practice: Supply Chain Summit 2024”, which was co-hosted by Leeds University Business School and the Institute for Collaborative Working. The event, held in November 2024, explored how managing complex supply chains is increasingly vital to all organisations.  Additional note: In the episode, David and Frank mention ISO 44000 and ISO 44001. These are standards, created by the International Organization for Standardization, that provide frameworks for successful collaborative business relationship management.  This episode was recorded on 3rd February 2025. If you would like to get in touch regarding this episode, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available.  About the speakers:  David Loseby is Professor of Research Impact in Supply Chain Management at Leeds University Business School. He is a modern-day “pracademic” that has spent over three decades in procurement and supply chain roles internationally across a diverse set of sectors from pharmaceuticals, banking, retail, manufacturing, and public sector (NHS and Westminster City Council) and more recently as the Group CPO for Rolls Royce. He is also a visiting scholar at the University of East Anglia involved in Executive MBA and MSc programmes, as well as his own active research portfolio in Behavioural Science.   Frank Lee is the Chief Executive Officer at the Institute for Collaborative Working (ICW), a role he has held since early 2023. He joined ICW after more than 30 years with the British Standards Institution (BSI), where he held various leadership roles. Frank has been instrumental in establishing a new vision and purpose for ICW, transforming it into a modern, agile, and outward-focused institution.