Aston University: Aston University launches Research Centre for the Humanities

Aston University is launching a new research centre which aims to make innovative, interdisciplinary connections across its College of Business and Social Sciences, and wider University, as well as enabling smaller groups to come together to plan and develop research goals.

The Research Centre for the Humanities (REACH) will formally launch on 22 September with an event and the first lecture in an ongoing series.

REACH’s work will be applied and sensitive to the needs of the wider community, committed to providing high-quality research as a way of solving real-world problems.

The lecture series is dedicated to fostering connections with other universities, centres, institutions, or business, while showcasing the ground-breaking humanities research at Aston University with a particular interested in applied, interdisciplinary research.

The first lecture series topic will be ‘The Gothic Humanities in the Biosciences’. The speakers for the first in that series will be Dr Ann B Vernallis (senior lecturer in cell biology, College of Health and Life Sciences, Aston University): ‘Frankenstein and Biosciences’ and Dr David Shuker (senior lecturer in behavioural ecology, School of Biology, University of St Andrews): ‘Evolutionary Gothic’.

Dr Abigail Boucher, director of REACH, said:

“We are delighted that Aston University is investing in its humanities provision and recognises the applied, interdisciplinary, real-world value that humanities subjects hold.

“The centre will highlight the world-leading humanities research already being undertaken across all three University Colleges.

“Some subjects of our upcoming lecture talks include ‘history, accountancy, and empire’, ‘business ethics taught through film’, ‘substance abuse and addiction in science and popular culture’ and ‘menopause and ageing in medicine and fiction’.

“I am looking forward to seeing academics and enthusiasts alike at our launch event on 22 September.”