News

Grant success

Professor Miriam Glucksmann from the Department of Sociology has secured an €810,000 grant from the highly competitive and prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Investigator scheme.

The project, Consumption Work and Societal Divisions of Labour, aims to radically revise the concept of ‘the division of labour’ by situating traditional understandings of the technical allocation of tasks within an expanded theoretical framework.

Assembling flat pack furniture, booking rail or plane tickets, arranging holidays are all examples of work nowadays undertaken by consumers that used to be done by paid employees. The expansion of such ‘consumption work’ involves not only a shift from paid to unpaid labour but also a new division of labour and responsibility between manufacturers, retailers and consumers.

The research will examine the work undertaken by consumers in order to purchase, use, re-use and dispose of consumption goods and aims to develop a better understanding of the overall dynamics and variety of changing worlds of work. Analysis will be carried out on five varied socio-economies: UK, Sweden, France, Taiwan, and South Korea.

It’s the first time a researcher from Essex has received an award from this Europe-wide scheme which funds world-class researchers and ‘frontier’ scientific projects only. Professor Glucksmann’s proposal includes funding for four post-doctoral researchers.

 

Top research showcased during lunchtime specials 

The Faculty of Science and Engineering showcased some its top research during a series of lunchtime special events.
 
Held as part of Science and Engineering Week, the Faculty opened its doors to all staff and students, inviting them to see first-hand how our scientists are shaping our future.
 
Events ranged from flying robot demonstrations and 3D film shows to highlighting research into coral reefs, creating a blood substitute and how athletes are making the most out of their training schedules.
 
Faculty manager Alex Seabrook said: ‘We wanted our colleagues to discover for themselves some of the world-leading work hidden away here on campus. ‘Staff and students I spoke to were amazed by the cutting-edge technology and advances in science displayed.’ 

HEFCE funding maintained

The University has received a 1.1 per cent increase in its funding allocation from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) for 2010-11.
 
Although representing a below-inflation increase, this was the seventh highest increase among research-intensive universities and compares with a sector-wide increase of just 0.4 per cent.
 
Essex’s allocation, which is made up of teaching and research block grants, and includes elements for widening participation and innovation, totals £42.1 million.
 
Teaching income increases by around four per cent, reflecting the additional student numbers that the University has successfully recruited. Less positively, the University’s Research Assessment Exercise (RAE)-related income fell by 2.8 per cent, reflecting loss of moderation funding received last year to smooth the transition from the previous RAE funding regime.
 
Essex also lost out on funding which correlates with its number of postgraduate research (PGR) students, and is seeking to reverse the steady decline in PGR recruitment of recent years through its new graduate strategy.
 
Overall, the settlement was better than expected and, with a number of cost-cutting measures having already been implemented recently, should not lead to any further unexpected measures.
 

Also in the printed May edition of Wyvern:

• Nightline celebrates 40th anniversary
• Minister for Armed Forces visits University
• Wi-Fi hotspot with your double expresso?