REF 2014 Impact Case Studies

Research conducted at Birkbeck’s VASARI Centre helped form the basis for establishing the first National Collection of Computer Art at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A).

Based at Birkbeck, The London Screen Studies Collection has played a key role in preserving historic moving images of London in the twentieth century.

Research led to a popular, acclaimed exhibition at the Wellcome Collection and the Wien Museum, ‘Madness and Modernity: Mental Illness and the Visual Arts in Vienna 1900’.

Research by Marianne Odlyha and her group has led to the development of minimally invasive analytical methods and tools for assessing damage to historical artefacts.

DICHROWEB provides access to computational tools for the determination of protein secondary structure from data obtained through CD and SRCD spectroscopy.

Developed in the laboratory of Dr Renos Savva, Combinatorial Domain Hunting is a technique for producing fragments of proteins for biophysical analysis.

Research conducted by the Birkbeck Sport Business Centre has informed the development of a voluntary code adopted by more than 60 National Governing Bodies of Sport.

Research into innovation by Dr Marion Frenz led the British Government and the OECD to measure and collect data on innovation in better ways.

Professor Helen Lawton Smith's research into entrepreneurship, innovation and regional growth led to the establishment of the Oxfordshire Economic Observatory.

Research by Professor Linda Trenberth and colleagues into workplace bullying and stress in New Zealand contributed to a change in government policy.

Research into designing constructionist tools that support learners and teachers, resulting in software used in several schools, colleges and universities worldwide.

Research by Dr Nigel Martin, Dr Roger Johnson and colleagues at UCL produced techniques to manage complex, heterogeneous life sciences data.

Research has helped establish a participatory approach to cyber-physical computing as the predominant methodology for mobile and pervasive systems.

Research on improved mapping of seismic hazards has led to changes in working practices at Italian civil service institutions and the Bank of Greece.

Research led to the development of remote sensing and geophysical/geochronological methods to determine the movements of sand dunes.

Research by Professor Hélyette Geman identified complex options and derivatives for commodities with applications for energy and mining companies.

Research by Dr Walter Beckert on microeconometric demand has been used by the Competition Commission and the Co-Operation and Competition Panel of the Department of Health.

Professor Anne Sibert's research has increased participation on monetary policy committees at the Bank of England and the European Central Bank.

Research by Professor Anthony Garratt on uncertainty in macroeconomic forecasts has been used by Central Banks in their forecasting and policy analyses.

Colin Teevan is an influential playwright and screenwriter, based in Birkbeck's Department of English and Humanities.

Birkbeck’s Centre for Nineteenth-Century Studies has pioneered a reassessment of Victorian sentimentality, a maligned cultural phenomenon.

The work of Roger Luckhurst, an internationally recognised expert in Gothic and science fiction, has increased interest in popular Gothic fiction.

Voiceworks is a collaboration between poets, composers and singers from Birkbeck, the Guildhall Conservatoire and Wigmore Hall that creates new works for voice.

Professor David Feldman’s research has influenced thinking about antisemitism, racism and multiculturalism among a range of organisations and policy makers.

Professor Matt Cook’s research on domestic queer cultures has enabled lesbian and gay organisations and individuals to engage with oral histories and archival material.

Dr Sunil Amrith’s research has enhanced understanding of the historical roots of many contemporary public health problems in south and southeast Asia.

Professor Orlando Figes’s research on private lives in Soviet Russia has played a significant role in transforming public understanding of Soviet history.

Dr Julia Lovell’s research in Chinese culture and history from 1800 has influenced international media and public discourse on Chinese cultural history.

Professor Moran’s research on sexual orientation in the justice and legal services sector has informed policy development, reform initiatives and operational practice.

Professor Patrick McAuslan’s research has changed the international development community’s view about the role of land law reform.

Professor Weait’s research has informed policy development on criminal liability for HIV transmission and exposure by UNAIDS.

Research by Professor Mike Hough and Dr Mai Sato into public trust in the police and courts has influenced the Metropolitan Police and been disseminated across government.

Professor Li Wei’s research on transnational and minority ethnic children in complementary schools has increased awareness and influenced policies and practices.

Undertaken with Raleigh International, Professor Zhu Hua’s research was the basis of a training programme for volunteer programme managers.

Dr Silke Arnold-de Simine’s research on mediating memory in the museum has influenced the development of permanent exhibitions on the German Democratic Republic.

Undertaken in partnership with Instituto de Lengua y Cultura Aymara in Bolivia, this project created new systems to catalogue and digitise Andean textiles.

Professor Ken Gemes and visiting professor Simon May used Nietzsche’s discussion of nihilism to explore current-day political crises.

Professor Barry C. Smith’s research on the objectivity of taste and tasting has made a substantial ongoing impact on the food and drinks industry.

Research by Professor Joni Lovenduski and Dr Rosie Campbell has influenced understanding of, and policies about, women's roles in politics.

Professor Eric Kaufmann's research into religion, demography and politics has contributed to public awareness and has informed American foreign policy.

Annette Karmiloff-Smith worked with Procter & Gamble and designed and wrote booklets, DVDs, and articles on different aspects
of child development.

The Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) project, led by Edward Melhuish, produced major government policy changes.

Jacqueline Barnes’s evaluations of government initiatives for vulnerable families have directly affected major policy decisions.

Together with Tate Britain, Tim J. Smith used eyetracking to help restore John Martin’s 1821 painting ‘Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum’.

Dr Sian Sullivan’s research challenges neoliberal approaches to biodiversity conservation and has been used by environmental policymakers and advocacy groups internationally.

Professor Claire Callender’s research has informed the policy debate about financial support for part-time undergraduates in England.

Dr Penny Vera-Sanso’s research has had a significant impact on public debate and public policy in relation to the rights and wellbeing of older people in India.

Professor Sasha Roseneil’s sociological research on social movements has become a central reference point for journalists, filmmakers, writers, artists, curators, archaeologists, and activists.