In this episode, Jade Hunter explores a pioneering Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) project focused on early detection and support for university students. Joined by Dr Georgina Krebs, Dr Thomas Kador and Dr Thomas Osborn, the conversation highlights a Grand Challenges-funded project developing scalable digital tools to identify BDD symptoms and deliver accessible interventions. Co-designed with students, the project aims to prevent escalation of this often-overlooked condition and offers a model for tackling wider mental health challenges among young adults.

In this episode, Jade Hunter explores the Grand Challenge-funded project "Embodying the Social: ‘The Challenge of Urban Violence and Inequalities in the Era of the Exposome’ with the project’s co-leads: Professor Sahra Gibbon, Rosie Mathers, and Professor James Kirkbride. This interdisciplinary research initiative brings together experts from anthropology, epidemiology, and psychiatry to investigate how various exposures throughout life shape the mental health of young women living in urban settings.

In this episode, host Ethne James Souch speaks with Professor Mette Louise Berg, Dr Judith Spirig, Faith Nyamakanga, and Nelson Gomez about the lived realities of asylum housing in the UK, and the wider political and policy landscape that shapes them. Drawing from a Grand Challenges-funded participatory research project focused on asylum dispersal areas in Yorkshire, the episode explores how narratives of "deservingness," local resource pressures, and privatised housing systems intersect with the everyday experiences of people seeking sanctuary in the UK. With co-researchers Faith and Nelson sharing their experiences navigating the asylum process and housing insecurity, this conversation amplifies voices that are often left out of public discourse while also offering concrete insights into how policy and public attitudes might change. 

 Date of episode recording: 2025-08-25
 Duration: 00:31:00
 Language of episode: English
 Presenter: Ethne James Souch
 Guests: Professor Mette Louise Berg; Dr. Judith Spirig, Faith Nyamakanga and Nelson Gomez
 Producer: Annabelle Buckland
 Podcast Owners:  Annabelle Buckland; Daisy Harvey, Ethne James Souch and Siobhan Morris

In this episode, host Ethne James Souch is joined by Professor Sara Mole, Noël Caliste, and Dr Sinead Murphy to explore how UCL is fostering inclusion and equity through intersectional initiatives focused on protected characteristics, mental health, and institutional change. This conversation highlights the work of Grand Challenges-funded projects such as Safer Space Conversations and Heads Together, designed to address the experiences of staff and students related to gender, LGBTQ+ identity, disability, and mental health. The episode also touches on frameworks like Athena Swan and the Race Equality Charter and discusses how lived experience and co-production are shaping more thoughtful, resilient approaches to equity at UCL.

 Date of episode recording: 2025-08-05
 Duration: 00:27:55
 Language of episode: English
 Presenter: Ethne James Souch
 Guests: Sara Mole; Noel Caliste; Sinead Murphy
 Producer: Annabelle Buckland
 Podcast owner: Ethne James Souch; Daisy Harvey; Siobhan Morris; Annabelle Buckland

In the first episode of our Inequalities mini-series, host Ethne James Souch is joined by Prof Jessica Ringrose, Dr Marc Tibber, and Sophie Wilson to delve into the complex intersection of social media, mental health, and regulation. The conversation spans topics from online safety and digital literacy to phone bans in schools and the lived experiences of neurodivergent communities. It explores how we can better support young people in navigating digital spaces without reinforcing inequalities. Drawing from research, policy, and lived experience, this episode offers a rich and nuanced discussion on what it means to build an inclusive and just digital future. With insights from two UCL Grand Challenges-funded projects, Ethne and guests consider the risks and possibilities of online life, the evolving landscape of regulation, and the power of co-production in developing ethical and effective interventions.

 Date of episode recording: 2025-07-31
 Duration: 00:33:15
 Language of episode: English
 Presenter: Ethne James Souch
 Guests: Prof Jessica Ringrose; Dr Marc Tibber; Sophie Wilson
 Producer: Annabelle Buckland

In the fourth episode of our Mental Health & Wellbeing mini-series, host Jade Hunter is joined by UCL's Pro-Vice Provosts for Mental Health & Wellbeing, Professors Essi Viding and Argyris Stringaris to discuss the findings of a significant new survey conducted in partnership with YouGov. 

This survey, which gathered responses from 1,545 young adults aged 16 to 25, sheds light on the pressing mental health challenges faced by young people across Britain. 

This episode delves into the survey's key insights, exploring the perceptions of mental health support and the urgent need for effective early intervention and prevention strategies. Essi and Argyris discuss the implications of the findings, including the high percentage of young individuals seeking help and the dissatisfaction with current support systems.

Date of episode recording: 2025-08-19
Duration: 00:14:00
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Jade Hunter
Guests: Essi Viding and Argyris Stringaris
Producer: Annabelle Buckland

In the third episode of our Mental Health & Wellbeing mini-series, host Jade Hunter speaks with Dr Flaminia Ronca, Evie Watson, and Katie Sykes about the Active Minds Project at UCL, an innovative pilot exploring how students’ physical activity and lifestyle habits impact their mental wellbeing and cognitive function.

Through wearable technology and behavioural insights, the team is working to refine interventions that can motivate students to move more, sleep better, and thrive both academically and personally. Together, they unpack the data-driven approach behind the project and how it aims to foster a healthier, more supportive university environment.

This dynamic conversation touches on the real-world challenges facing students today and the ways in which physical fitness can serve as a pathway to mental resilience.

In the second episode of our Mental Health and Wellbeing mini-series, host Jade Hunter sits down with Professor Hugo Spiers, Dr Fiona Zisch, and Isabelle Charval,  the trailblazing team behind the world’s first international centre for neuroarchitecture and neurodesign. Together, they delve into how neuroscience and the built environment are converging to shape healthier, more inclusive spaces for everyone. 

This wide-ranging conversation touches on the potential of this pioneering field to transform sectors such as healthcare, education, and urban planning. With deep insights from research and practice, the episode explores how our brains respond to the spaces we inhabit, and how better design can enhance wellbeing, accessibility, and human connection.

Featured in this episode:

Host: Jade Hunter – Coordinator, UCL’s Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing
With special thanks to our guests:
Professor Hugo Spiers – UCL Department of Experimental Psychology
Dr Fiona Zisch – Lecturer in Architecture, UCL Bartlett School of Architecture
Isabelle Charval – Design Strategist and Co-Founder, Centre for Neuroarchitecture

In this special episode for Mental Health Awareness Week, host Jade Hunter is joined by Professor John Tomaney, Dr. Dimitrios Panayotopoulos-Tsiros, and James Fildes, founder of Space North East. Together, they explore a growing public health crisis: rising rates of male suicide in the UK, particularly in post-industrial regions like the North East.

This conversation examines how non-clinical, community-led interventions are filling critical gaps in mental health support for working-class men in the North East of England. Drawing on lived experience, academic research, and grassroots activism, this episode highlights the importance of belonging, place-based identity, and social infrastructure in men’s mental wellbeing.
 
Featured in this episode:
Host: Jade Hunter – Coordinator, UCL’s Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing
With special thanks to our guests: 
Professor John Tomaney – UCL Bartlett School of Planning, Pro-Provost for Regional Communities
Dr. Dimitrios Panayotopoulos-Tsiros – Research Associate and Honorary Research Fellow, UCL
James Fildes – Founder and Managing Director, Space North East
 
Resources:
Learn more about UCL Grand Challenges https://www.ucl.ac.uk/grand-challenges/
Visit Space North East https://spacenortheast.org/
Read about the project’s progress and future outputs via the Grand Challenges Mental Health and Wellbeing page https://www.ucl.ac.uk/grand-challenges/themes/mental-health-wellbeing

Dr Meena Khatwa and Dr Kelly Dickson delve into the bio-psychosocial impacts of menopause with special guests Lauren Chiren (CEO, Women of a Certain Stage); Sonia Abrams (UCL Head of Events OPVA) and Josephine Falade (Associate Professor, UCL School of Pharmacy). Together, they explore menopause awareness, acceptance, and the transition process.

 This podcast is part of the wider UCL Grand Challenges funded project ‘Coping with Menopause: exploring women’s lived experiences of work and the multigenerational squeeze’.

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/grand-challenges/impacts-and-outputs/podcasts

Date of episode recording: 2024-07-25T00:00:00Z
Duration: 00:40:48
Language of episode: English (UK)
Presenter:Meena Khatwa; Kelly Dickson
Guests: Sonia Abrams; Lauren Chiren; Josephine Falade
Producer: Phil Mason, Meena Khatwa, Kelly Dickson

Transcription link: 
https://otter.ai/u/CDPELeb9YvZIcxTBpUu5z11ZJMw?utm_source=copy_url