New opportunities were forged, and long-standing relationships strengthened in a recent visit to Indonesia. A delegation, led by Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, Professor Mike Shipman, visited Indonesia in July 2024. We expanded our global network and explored opportunities to strengthen our established connections and partnerships in the region.

Dr Juraj Medzihorsky is an Assistant Professor in our School of Government and International Affairs and part of the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project. The V-Dem project compiles and analyses data to offer a deeper insight into global democracy and the integrity of the election process.

A unique collection of family memorabilia from the Oriental Museum is being exhibited at the National Museum of Japanese History in Sakura, Chiba. This special exhibition ‘Memories of the Squire Family – Mementoes of a British Engineer’, offers a glimpse into the life of a British engineering family who lived in Japan in the early 20th century.

Diversifying skillsets only enhances employee performance if individuals become experts in the new fields they branch into, and only if they limit how many new fields they focus on, according to recent research by the School.

International Day of Friendship is celebrated annually on 30 July. Lottie Thompson, a Postgraduate Research Student from our Department of English Studies, explains how friendship was a key theme of the work of Lawrence of Durham.

Ariadna Calcines Rosario, Head of Optical Design at Durham’s Centre for Advanced Instrumentation (CfAI), has received the Award to the Best Oral Presentation of the over 100 given at the SPIE Astronomical Telescopes & Instrumentation Conference in Yokohama, Japan.

We’re playing a key part in the UK’s drive to develop quantum technology to benefit a wide range of areas including healthcare, computing and security.

We have worked with a leading autism charity to produce specialised training to help organisations provide better support for people who are neurodivergent.

Dr Allegra Franchino, an assistant professor from our Department of Chemistry, has been recognised in a national fellowship scheme.

The new government has created Great British Energy as part of its pledge to try and achieve zero-carbon electricity production by 2030. Professor Jon Gluyas and Dr Andrew Crossland, from the Durham Energy Institute as well as working in the Departments of Earth Sciences and Engineering respectively, assess whether that ambition is realistic.

Scientists have long believed that big animals will tend to have big brains, but a new study involving Professor Robert Barton, from our Department of Anthropology, has found that may not be the case.

Congratulations to Canon Professor Michael Snape and Professor Janet Montgomery who have been recognised for their contribution to the humanities and social sciences.