Meet some of our academics and researchers

Professor Stephen Serjeant  talks about his research into dark matter and warped space, he also discusses his work on '60 Second Adventures in Astronomy'.

Professor Andrew Norton explains how we find exoplanets orbiting other stars and talks about his research into binary stars. He also discusses how our students use a remote-controlled telescope in their studies.

Dr Vicky Taylor describes her work with Asian elephants and how the partnership with Woburn Safari Park contributes to our courses. Vicky was an academic consultant on the BBC programmes The Hunt and Life Story

Delivering treatments for conditions such as Parkinson's is extremely challenging. Professor David Male's research team, including Radka Gromnicova, is looking for ways of delivering drugs right into the brain. David was an academic consultant on the BBC programme, Catching History’s Criminals: The Forensic Story

Professor Nacho Romero is investigating the blood-brain barrier which is key to our understanding of neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.

As a Neuroscientist, Dr Claire Rostron is researching links between the brain and behaviour and attention, which could contribute to better treatments for conditions such as Parkinson’s. Claire also talks about being an Academic Adviser for the BBC/OU series Countdown to Life:The Extraordinary Making of you

Professor Claire Turner and her team are working on breath tests for major diseases. She describes how analytical science is incorporated in OU courses

Dr James Bruce is an Organic Chemist who works with a range of companies providing solutions that that will improve lives and keep people safe.

Computer scientist Professor Blaine Price discusses his research into cyber security and privacy, with particular reference to social media crimes. He describes a tool that will allow people to maintain their privacy whilst preparing evidence from their Facebook timeline that is 'forensically sound' and will stand up in a court of investigation.

Professor Arosha Bandara and his colleagues work in cyber security and human behaviour - investigating ways of building security and privacy into the systems that are an integral part of our everyday lives. He demonstrates the Privacy Band, a device developed at the OU to help people manage their privacy more effectively in a world that combines cyber-physical-social systems.

John Bouchard is Professor of materials for Energy. He has spent 30 years working in the aerospace and nuclear industries and now researches structural integrity and the process of designing against failure. Manmade components often carry residual stress that can cause failure, but apparently so does a stick of rhubarb.

Claudia Eckert, Professor of Design talks about her research into design practice over such wide ranging themes from knitwear to helicopter design. She outlines surprising similarities between both. Fitting a sleeve into a jumper is remarkably similar to changing components on a helicopter.

As a Plant Ecologist, Dr Julia Cooke looks at the strategies of plants to grow, reproduce and survive. Here, Julia describes the role of silica, used by plants for different purposes including defence.

Nigel Harris is a professor of Tectonics. In the video he describes his research into 'mountain building', how this impacts climate, and how it informs our earth science teaching.

Dr Andrey Umerski, in the School of Mathematics and Statistics is a theoretical physicist whose research into 'spintronics’ has impacted on each and every one of us who carries a device with a hard drive, from computers to mobile phones. Find out more about a new type of solid state memory called MRAM which will change the future for us all.

Dr Heather Whitaker, Senior Lecturer in statistics, talks about her research in medical statistics, particularly epidemiology or population health. She reveals how statistical methods can be used by epidemiologists and public health authorities to assess the safety of vaccines and prescription drugs.

Dr Sam Eden is looking at the effect of radiation on fundamental biological molecules, such as the building blocks of DNA. Hear how Sam's research informs our Physics and Medical Physics courses.

Dr Silvia Bergamini discusses her research into quantum mechanics and the importance of using super-cold atoms.

Scientists are still trying to answer fundamental questions about the universe, such as how planets are formed. Hear how astrochemist Dr Helen Fraser and her multi-disciplinary team are investigating this puzzling mystery.

Filmed before she had completed her PhD at the OU, Dr Phillipa Smith talks about her research with space sensors.