Different Conversations

Prof Steve Greenfield is a member of the Westminster Law School at the University of Westminster. He is part of the Centre for Law, Society and Popular Culture and the founding editor of the Entertainment and Sports Law Journal (ESLJ). He also has a huge passion for sports.

In the aftermath of the failed European Super League, Brad talks to Steve about how the announcement of the ESL was such a PR disaster, as well as some of the wider issues of sport as a commodity, and the growth of law in the entertainment industry.

During the conversation, they talk about:

• The story behind the failed European Super League

• The study of law with other academic disciplines

• How football fits into English culture and identity

• The growth of law in the entertainment industry due to changes in technology

• Broadcasting rights in cricket and the birth of the Indian Premier League

• Venture capital investing in New Zealand’s international rugby union team

Learn more about Steve Greenfield:

Lewis Dartnell is an author, presenter and Professor of Science Communication at the University of Westminster. He is best known to the public as a popular science writer, especially for The Knowledge: How to Rebuild our World from Scratch.

In this episode of the Different Conversations Podcast, Brad talks to Lewis about the recent moves NASA has made in space exploration. They also discuss how the Perseverance Rover landing on Mars has been an impressive and exciting step towards understanding more about the Red Planet.

During the conversation, they also talk about:

• NASA's Mars Exploration Programme and the challenges currently being faced.

• What will the findings of NASA's Mars Rover mean for us?

• The techniques scientists will use to explore the surface of Mars.

Prof Catherine Loveday is a principal lecturer and teaching fellow of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Westminster. She is a memory scientist and her research covers autobiographical memory, musical memories and memory ageing.

On International Women’s Day, Brad talks to Catherine about her work in memory science, how our brains change over time, and her love of music and how it has a profound impact on our memory. She also talks about myth-busting in her book, The Secret World of the Brain.

During the conversation, they also talk about:

· Prof Loveday’s background in memory science

· Are male and female brains fundamentally different?

· How our environment can change our brain

· What does it mean to be conscious?

· Why important memories in our lives are linked to music?

· The idea that music taps into basic human emotions

· How our memory is affected by ageing

Dr Francis Ray White is a senior lecturer in Sociology at the University of Westminster. Dr White focuses their work on the area of gender studies and the discourse around gender-neutrality and the body.

For LGBT History Month, Brad talks to Francis about their work around gender identity and the intersection between gender, sexuality and sociology. They bring up the topics of de-gendering institutional facilities and the idea of feminist biology.

During their conversation, they also discuss:

• Gender as a binary concept

• The legal issues around gender-neutral pronouns

• Non-binary people in higher education

• The history and development of gender-neutral bathrooms

• The historical and cultural notions of gender

• The idea of a division between sex and gender

• Dr White’s research in fat studies and fat people

Professor Miriam Dwek is a cancer researcher and a professor of cancer biology at the University of Westminster. She also has many other interests including art and pushing forward the diversity and inclusion agenda.

To highlight World Cancer Awareness Day 2021, Brad talks to Miriam about the current science around cancer research, how this has changed over the decades, and how she has contributed to the development of new treatments.

During their conversation they also talk about:

• Will there ever be a cure for cancer?

• Breast cancer survival rates and how this has changed

• Professor Dwek’s contribution to the treatment of cancers

• The Breast Cancer Cookbook

• The intersection of art and science

• Work-life balance in academia

• Professor Dwek’s work in diversity and inclusion in the workplace

Find out more about World Cancer Awareness Day here:

Justin Haroun is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Westminster. He established the Westminster Centre for Resilience, which aims to transform stress and negative patterns into resilience using physiological and behavioural biometrics. 

For most of 2020, stress and how we cope has been at the forefront of people’s minds. Brad and Justin discuss the flip side and look at ideas of resilience, contemplation and mindfulness and how this can be channelled to deal with stressful situations to bounce forward rather than bounce back. 

During the conversation they also talk about:

• What is resilience?

• Why Christmas is bad for stress and wellbeing?

• Different industries that need resilience training

• The idea of a common human experience

• How to deal with uncertainty

• Different techniques to deal with stress

Dr Jay-Marie Mackenzie is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Westminster. The topic of mental health is very much in the public consciousness due to the events of 2020 with the various lockdowns because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Brad examines these issues with Dr Mackenzie and has a discussion around some difficult topics such as suicide, self-harm and mental health at university. 

During the conversation they also talk about:

• Suicide prevention and how to help people struggling with suicidal thoughts

• Dr Mackenzie’s research around suicide and her work with the Samaritans  • Mental health problems in general and a greater understanding of these issues 

• How the COVID-19 pandemic could see an increase in mental health problems • The positives of the COVID-19 pandemic for better community relations

• The issue of university students who self-harm 

Below is the website about self-harm that Dr Mackenzie mentions in the podcast 

Fat. Seemingly no one likes it. But has fat been given a bad name?

Join Brad Elliott in a Different Conversation with Louise Thomas, Professor of Metabolic Imaging about her career researching different types of fat, understanding individual differences in fat, wet toes, artificial intelligence, stand-up comedians and unexpected social influences.

Find Professor Louise Thomas on twitter at @ImagingFat

**Explicit language warning for this week’s podcast**

In a conversation that starts and ends on sexuality and the law, but weaves in consent, mistresses, covertly observing public sex acts in the South of France, and the finer points of procedural ethics, this week has Brad Elliott joined by Dr Victoria Brooks, Senior Lecturer in Law. Join us for this Different Conversation.

Find Victoria on twitter @V_Eleuteria

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, a handful of rapidly assembled ‘Mega-Labs’ were put together to process the 100,000’s of COVID-19 tests. Staffed by individuals with a wide variety of individuals, these facilities worked 24/7. This week Brad Elliott has a Different Conversation with Dr Oliver Hayworth, Lecturer in Biochemistry in the School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, about his time working night shifts in one of these labs in parallel with his ‘day job’ at the University of Westminster. They discuss sleep deprivation and holding down two full time jobs, how people came together during a national crisis, and the parallels between ultra-endurance running and the academic lifestyle.

Conversations with Professor Lewis Dartnell are always wide ranging and lead in unexpected directions. In short, they’re Different Conversations. Lewis is Professor of Science Communication at the University of Westminster, leads a research programme on how to find life on Mars, is a noted science communicator and award-wining author. Join Brad Elliott and Lewis Dartnell in this Different Conversation about lockdown recipes, the bizarre complexity of simple objects like pencils, and biological teleportation.

Find Professor Lewis Dartnell on Twitter - @Lewis_Dartnell

Guy Osborn is Professor of Law in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, University of Westminster and a passionate advocate of music and theatre for all. Guy’s research, activism and plain hard work have kept alive the alternative music and theatre history of the University of Westminster. join Brad Elliott and Guy Osborn in this Different Conversation about Jimi Hendrix, Disrupting the Everyday, and subversive performances inside a basement carpark.

Find Professor Guy Osborn online - @prof_guy_osborn

Dr David Gaze’s research into heart disease and health is wide ranging. The type of person you sit down to talk about biomarkers of heart failure, and why they’d possibly be elevated in COVID19 patients, and you end up discussing the Jane Goodall Foundation and the hazards of trying to diagnose gorillas.  Join Brad Elliott and David Gaze in this Different Conversation about COVID19, heath health and 160 kg cousins.

Mykaell Riley's background is as interesting and diverse as his current research programme. Join Brad Elliott as he has a Different Conversation with Mykaell about the British music scene in the 70's, 80's, and 90's, casual racism throughout his career, and touring with Steel Pulse, the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra and Bob Marley.