Disruptive Voices from UCL Grand Challenges

In this special episode for Mental Health Awareness Week, host Siobhan Morris is joined by UCL academics Patrizia Pezzoli and Rochelle Burgess to discuss an innovative project focused on promoting safe adolescent relationships and tackling intimate partner violence (IPV) among young people.

With research showing that nearly half of teenagers in romantic relationships have experienced violent or controlling behaviours, the project explores the mental health impacts of IPV through a cross-disciplinary, co-produced approach.

The episode highlights the importance of involving young people in the research process and, in keeping with this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week theme of Action, reflects on the potential long-term impact this vital work could have on young people’s lives.

Featured in this episode:

Presenter: Siobhan Morris

Guests: Dr Patrizia Pezzoli & Professor Rochelle Burgess 

Producer: Annabelle Buckland

For more information about UCL Grand Challenges and our ongoing efforts, please visit UCL Grand Challenges.

Disruptive Voices is proudly produced by Decibelle Creative / @decibelle_creative 

In this episode, host Jade Hunter delves into Grand Challenges-funded project, Visible CoSpace Study - a youth-led, co-produced study aimed at addressing the health inequalities faced by young people from marginalised communities.  

Joined by project co-leads Dr Keri Wong and Dr Lusi Morhayim, the discussion uncovers the critical role of youth clubs and community spaces in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of 14 to 25-year-olds.  As they explore the impact of reduced funding and the closure of youth clubs across the UK, the conversation highlights the insights gained from interviews with young people and community youth workers, revealing how these spaces serve as essential safe havens for vulnerable youth.  

This episode also examines how the project's findings are influencing policy discussions around youth wellbeing and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in research. 

In this episode, host Jade Hunter is joined by UCL Professor of Anthropology, Jo Cook, to explore AnthropoloJOY, an ambitious project examining how joy is experienced, expressed and understood across different cultures. AnthropoloJOY is the first long-term qualitative research project of its kind, investigating what joy means in the UK and beyond. Professor Cook shares how the absence of joy during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the project’s creation, and why it’s time to rethink the way we talk about human emotions. The episode explores the project’s innovative research methods, including: participant observation, micro-phenomenological interviews, and photovoice. Together, these approaches aim to deepen our understanding of joy’s role in strengthening resilience, connection and wellbeing. 

Featured in this episode: 
Presenter: Jade Hunter; 
Guest: Professor Joanna Cook;
Producer: Decibelle Creative

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.