Beckett Talks

In this episode, Tanya Arnold dives into the groundbreaking technology of instrumented mouthguards. These cutting-edge devices measure head acceleration to help detect and prevent head injuries in rugby. Professor Ben Jones (Leeds Beckett University), Ross Tucker (World Rugby), and Karl Hogan (Prevent Biometrics), reveal how reveal how this technology works, the science that proves it, and what it means for the future of the sport.

Discover why real-time data is changing concussion protocols, what adoption of this technology looks like across men’s and women’s rugby, and how this innovation could shape the future of contact sports worldwide. From elite athletes to grassroots players, this conversation reveals the long-term vision for reducing risk and protecting players.

Listen now to learn how technology, research, and sport are coming together to tackle one of rugby’s biggest challenges.

Join Tanya Arnold as she brings you a very special episode, we celebrate the remarkable people who’ve passed through the doors of the Leeds Beckett University. Nearly 40 alumni have been inducted into our first Sport Hall of Fame, including Alistair Brownlee, Laura Weightman, Emily Campbell and Paul Heckingbottom, to name just a few. Tanya had a chance to chat to a few of our inductees at the launch, listen now to hear their stories, insights, and inspirations as we honour their lasting impact on impact on sport and society.

Hannah Cockroft is a nine-time Paralympic champion. Nearly twenty years into her career, she’s still finding ways to get faster. In this conversation, she talks about how biomechanical analysis has helped her make small but meaningful changes. The kind of changes that give her those marginal gains… that keep her at the top of her sport.

In this episodeTanya Arnold is in conversation with para-athlete Hannah Cockroft, her coach Paul Moseley and Biomechanics Researcher, Dr Gareth Nicholson at Carnegie School of Sport.

• Dr Gareth Nicholson | Leeds Beckett University
• Carnegie School of Sport | Leeds Beckett University

How is Leeds City Council driving the play agenda? Ali Long, course leader of playwork and childhood development at Leeds Beckett University, talks to Leeds City Council’s playwork strategy officer, Jen Rutherford about the impact of Child Friendly Leeds, the opportunity for the sector presented by the Play Festival, the power of play streets and, of course, our wonderful students.

Emma Bearman of Playful Anywhere is a driving force advocating for all things force for playful and creative in Leeds. In this episode Ali Long talks about Emma's role as Chief of Play, Galaxy Division, what the festival of play means for the city and what the city can expect during the fun-filled week.

Leeds is hosting its first ever festival of play and creativity. Drs Ali Long and Mike Wragg from Leeds Beckett University’s playwork and childhood development course outline why its important, what it means for the sector and the movers and the shakers to come in future episodes.

In the latest Leeds Law School podcast Dr Jill Dickinson, Reader of Law at Leeds Beckett is joined by Teri-Lisa Griffiths, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Sheffield Hallam University and Dr Lousia Ashley, Head of Subject (Postgraduate) at Leeds Beckett University to discuss Professional Development for Practitioners in Academia.

Dr Louisa Ashley, Head of Subject (Postgraduate) interviews Dr Jill Dickinson, Dr Agata Fijalkowski, Dr Suzzie Oyakhire, and Dr Anne-Marie Greenslade around the projects they’re working on, their motivations behind them, benefits and challenges to their research, and next steps for their work.

We are delighted to announce that the Obesity Institute and Obesity UK have just been awarded an NIHR grant to work together with South Asian women and the LGBTQ+ community to codevelop much needed tailored support groups and more inclusive research.

In the latest episode of the We Inspire series, Dr Fiona Fylan from the School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing talks about the science of behavioural changes and how we can use research to determine people to make more sustainable choices.