Northumbria University, Newcastle

Jacinda Ardern’s resignation as New Zealand prime minister has sparked discussions about burnout and when is the “right time” to leave a job. Photo credit: NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization

25 January 2023 15:13

EXPERT COMMENT: Jacinda Ardern resignation has people wondering when to quit – but that’s the wrong way to think about burnout

As Jacinda Ardern leaves office as New Zealand's outgoing prime minister after citing that she no longer had “enough in the tank”, conversations about workplace burnout continue. In an article written for The Conversation, Anthony Montgomery, Professor in Occupational & Organisational Psychology, explains how thinking of burnout as an individual-level responsibility is missing the bigger picture.

4 January 2023 13:51

EXPERT COMMENT: Calling politicians ‘clowns’ is a disservice to clowns – yes, really

A recent Labour party campaign mocked short-lived prime minister Liz Truss and current chancellor Jeremy Hunt as clowns, complete with photoshopped red noses, colourful wigs and oversize bowties. These are decidedly undeserved and pejorative representations – but not of the politicians.

While the cold of winter is a threat to most wildlife, it can be endured. Image: Pixabay

19 December 2022 10:00

EXPERT COMMENT: How wildlife in ponds has evolved to survive frozen water – and how you can help more animals stay alive

When filled with ice-skaters or a clumsy Bambi on a Christmas card, a frozen pond is a merry sight. But spare a thought for the living things trapped below. The aerial wizardry of dragonflies and summer sculling of pond skaters are long gone. As the cold grips and shadows lengthen over the pond, its inhabitants face a terrible enemy: ice.

The accelerating loss of other species around the globe is so extensive that many experts now refer to it as the sixth mass extinction.

19 July 2022 13:00

EXPERT COMMENT: Conservation science still rests on how animals can benefit humans

In an article written for The Conversation, Dr Helen Kopnina, from Northumbria's Newcastle Business School, Dr Heather Alberro, Nottingham Trent University, and Professor Bron Taylor, University of Florida, discuss the need for a fundamental value shift in conservation if we are to help species thrive.

Avian flu is now prevalent in wild birds across most of northern Britain

15 July 2022 12:33

EXPERT COMMENT: Avian flu has jumped from chickens to wild birds and is spreading fast

In an article written for The Conversation, Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow Dr Andrew Suggitt discusses how avian influenza has jumped from chickens and other domestic birds to wild birds and what is needed to tackle the spread.

Hope as a stubborn desire. Onkundi Nyabuto | Unsplash, FAL

30 June 2022 15:56

EXPERT COMMENT: Hope from despair: how young people are taking action to make things better

Young people who have graduated during the pandemic have persevered in the face of immense challenges. They are already navigating issues – from racism to the climate crisis and gender fluidity – that many others are still making sense of. They are here, campaigning, starting, making, doing – learning. This is what hope as action looks like.

5 April 2022 10:00

EXPERT COMMENT: Boeing: why the Ukraine crisis could help it become the world’s number one aircraft maker again

In an article originally written for the Conversation, Joseph Mellors, Associate Lecturer in Management at Northumbria University, discusses the challenges Boeing have faced over recent years and how it could prosper amid the ongoing Ukraine crisis.

16 February 2022 10:57

EXPERT COMMENT: We reconstructed Britain of millions of years ago to see what climate breakdown will involve

Dr Matthew Pound, Associate Professor in Physical Geography, and Dr Martha Gibson, Research Fellow in Paleoclimatology at Northumbria University, explore how the climate crisis will affect the UK in an article originally written for The Conversation.

9 February 2022 15:41

EXPERT COMMENT: NFTs: WWF tried raising money with digital art but backtracked – environmental charities should follow suit

Dr Peter Howson, Senior Lecturer in International Development at Northumbria University, explores the environmental issues surrounding non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in an article originally published on The Conversation.

Heavy rainfall and degrading peatland are putting archaeological artefacts at increased risk of decay.

2 February 2022 10:56

EXPERT COMMENT: How climate change is washing away precious evidence of our distant past

Dr Rosie Everett, Lecturer in Forensic Science at Northumbria University, and Dr Gillian Taylor, Associate Professor in Archaeology at Teesside University, explore how climate change is damaging ancient artefacts and how they can be preserved for future generations in an article orginally written for The Conversation.

19 January 2022 10:41

EXPERT COMMENT: A Very British Scandal: divorce courts have been shaming women since the 1800s

Dr Jennifer Aston, Senior Lecturer in History at Northumbria University, discusses the history of shaming women and misogyny within the British legal system in an article originally written for The Conversation.

22 December 2021 13:00

EXPERT COMMENT: Is Santa’s sleigh zero carbon? The answer lies in reindeer poo

In an article originally published for The Conversation, Dr Mike Jeffries, Associate Professor in Geography and Environmental Sciences at Northumbria University, explores whether reindeer are an environmentally friendly form of transport in the lead up to Christmas.

17 December 2021 09:52

EXPERT COMMENT: Football: English fans want an independent regulator – here’s how it could help save clubs from ruin

Mark Middling, Senior Lecturer in Accounting discusses the economic risks facing smaller UK football clubs and how suggested regulations could keep them in the game for The Conversation.

1 December 2021 13:00

EXPERT COMMENT: Renewable energy is fuelling a forgotten conflict in Africa's last colony

Dr Joanna Allan, Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences at Northumbria University, discusses the exploitation of renewable energy in Africa and the disputes this has caused in an article written for The Conversation.

The Pantheon in Paris by Nikitin Mikhail (Shutterstock).

30 November 2021 14:18

EXPERT COMMENT: Josephine Baker: what it means to enter France’s hallowed Panthéon

As Josephine Baker is honoured as a national hero in France, Dr Laura O'Brien, Senior Lecturer in Modern European History at Northumbria University, provides expert commentary on the Panthéonisation process and its origins.

Sharing what you believe about vaccines could be a very simple way of dispelling vaccine hesitancy in others.

23 November 2021 09:13

EXPERT COMMENT: How to dissuade parents from believing in anti-vaxxer conspiracy theories

New research carried out by a team of psychologists has found that sharing what you believe about vaccines could be a very simple way of dispelling vaccine hesitancy in others. In an article written for The Conversation, the academics share their research and its findings.

12 November 2021 13:00

EXPERT COMMENT: Housing shortages and crowded classes: how life on campus changed after the first world war

Daniel Laqua, Associate Professor of European History and Rowan Thompson, Postdoctoral Research Associate in History at Northumbria University and Georgina Brewis, Associate Professor of the History of Education at UCL, provide expert commentary on the history of higher education after the first world war.

Does too much sleep really increase your risk of cognitive decline?

11 November 2021 09:00

EXPERT COMMENT: Sleeping longer than 6.5 hours a night associated with cognitive decline according to research – what’s really going on here?

Dr Greg Elder, Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Associate Director of Northumbria Sleep Research explores why a good night's sleep is important and how our sleeping patterns can be linked to conditions like dementia for The Conversation.

10 November 2021 09:47

EXPERT COMMENT: Disabled children still face exclusion in PE – here’s what needs to change

Kevin Dixon, Senior Lecturer in Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation at Northumbria University and Tom Gibbons, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise at Teesside University discuss the challenges faced by disabled children in physical education and the action needed to create inclusive education.

1 November 2021 10:36

EXPERT COMMENT: William Shatner oldest astronaut at 90 – here’s how space tourism could affect older people

Professor Nick Caplan of Aerospace Medicine and Rehabilitation and Professor Chris Newman of Space Law and Policy at Northumbria University provide expert commentary on the effects of space travel on older people following the news of William Shatner being the oldest person to go to space.

Categories: the conversation