QMU Podcast

Practice makes perfect - discussing creative practice research at QMU.
 
In this episode of the Queen Margaret University podcast series, members of the QMU Creative Practice Research Cluster discuss different interpretations of creative practice research and how art can "count" as research. Topics covered include the difference between art and research, advice for researchers and students considering working in this area, and personal experiences of balancing multiple identities such as practitioner, artist, researcher, academic, and pracademic.
 
This podcast features contributions from Lecturer in Media Practice and doctoral candidate Andrew Rooke, Assistant Lecturer and filmmaker Regina Mosch, Lecturer in Drama and Performance Bianca Mastrominico, and Reader of Arts Management and Cultural Policy Dr Anthony Schrag.
 

No-one in the world knows more about the history of Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh than Dr Tom Begg, author of the book ‘The Excellent Women’. Dr Begg, a former economics lecturer at Queen Margaret College, agreed to share his encyclopaedic knowledge in the first podcast ever recorded about the history of our institution. Interviewed by Professor Richard Butt, Deputy Principal of QMU, Dr Begg gives a fascinating insight into the work of the founders of the Edinburgh School of Cookery (later to become Queen Margaret College) and discusses the contribution that the institution made to the health of the nation and women’s educational and career opportunities. This special podcast has been created specifically to mark the institution’s 150th anniversary in 2025.

Queen Margaret University (QMU) has a proud history relating to food, cooking and nutrition dating back to its inception in 1875. In this podcast, lecturer Donald Reid interviews Dr Ana Tominc, Reader in Media and Communication at QMU and Dr Kevin Geddes, QMU MSc Gastronomy graduate, about food and cooking programmes on TV – where they started in UK and across Europe, their development, and how they have grown in popularity to become an important part of modern culture.

Dr Tominc specialises in food, media and communication, and in 2022, she edited a collection of essays and articles on food and cooking in early TV in Europe (Routledge), which was shortlisted for MeCCSA Outstanding Achievement Award 2023. Dr Geddes, whose recent PhD from Edinburgh Napier University looks at early food TV in Britain, was a contributor to the book.ook.

The topic of migration is one of the most challenging and divisive subjects of our time. Gianluca Palombo from the Institute for Global Health and Development at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh talks to research colleagues about how we can reframe the topic of global migration, challenge hostility in the media and politics, rediscover our humanity and create a more welcoming community.

In this episode, our researchers will talk about human migration – its history; media and political messaging, what research actually tells us about migration; and how we can build a stronger, more inclusive and welcoming society now and in the future. Sharing their research, thoughts and personals experiences are Dr Arek Dakessian, from the Institute for Global Health and Development at Queen Margaret University, and Dr Hyab Yohannes, from the University of Glasgow.

We sat down with Prof. Paul Miller, the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) & Anti Racism Adviser to QMU's Principal, Sir Paul Grice, to talk about inclusive leadership.

What does it mean and how does it apply specifically to QMU?

In his role at the University, Paul is providing advice and guidance on the further advancement of equality, diversity and inclusion and fostering an anti-racism culture of understanding.

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This podcast recording is part of a range of initiatives across Queen Margaret University to highlight and communicate the work being undertaken by Paul in his role as DEI & Anti-Racism Adviser to the Principal and the activities of QMU's Equality and Diversity Committee and the Race Equality Steering Group.

In May this year, QMU launched its first Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing (DIW) Calendar, reflecting each month on key social justice themes. The calendar highlights key dates, related events and activities taking place both at QMU and in the wider community, as well as articles and reflections contributed by staff and students.

The calendar is designed to act as the focus of communications, events and initiatives associated with its themes, which for this month of August is all about Fostering an Inclusive Environment.

LINKS:

Paul Miller's appointment to QMU: https://www.qmu.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2022/20220601-paul-miller-appointment/

QMU's Equality and Diversity strategy: https://www.qmu.ac.uk/about-the-university/equality-and-diversity/

QMU's Diversity, Wellbeing and Inclusion calendar: https://www.qmu.ac.uk/media/5lhbvhwh/qmu-equality-calendar-2022.pdf

In this QMU Podcast episode, Walid Salhab, now an award-winning filmmaker and media practice lecturer at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, shares his early experiences as a refugee and immigrant fleeing war torn Lebanon and how it felt to find that no-one wanted to hear his stories once he reached safety in the UK. He is speaking out now to influence the current discourse about refugees and their right to sanctuary. His lived experience has influenced his short films which give voice to the marginalized and dispossessed and have won accolades at film festivals worldwide.

During this intimate and emotional interview, Walid opens up to his friend and colleague Emma Wood, Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication at Queen Margaret University, about the impact of the start of the war in Lebanon, his time spent as a child in Iraq and his work retrieving injured soldiers from the fighting. Walid also discusses his varied work as short filmmaker, on projects such as The Kelpies and Avaritia, and his passion for producing thought-provoking films which tell the stories of refugees and migrants.

View the trailer of Walid’s latest film ‘The Sea of Hope’ at: https://vimeo.com/661266501

How do we make decisions about faces, and why is this important in relation to police lineup procedures?

In this episode of the QMU Podcast, Dr Stephen Darling from the University's Division of Psychology, Sociology and Education sits down with his colleague Dr Jamal Mansour to discuss her research in this fascinating area. Find out more about Dr Mansour's research at https://www.qmu.ac.uk/schools-and-divisions/psychology-sociology-and-education/mansour-lab.

How do we encourage more women to develop as entrepreneurs, and why do we need them? In this episode of the QMU Podcast, Dr Majella Sweeney, Head of the Queen Margaret Business School, talks to Carolyn Currie, the University’s first Entrepreneur in Residence, about what barriers need to be overcome to encourage and support women to develop as entrepreneurs, the importance of female entrepreneurship to the economy, and QMU’s ambitions to establish a Women’s Business Centre.

LINKS:
Women's Business Centre – https://womensbusinesscentre.com
Queen Margaret Business School – https://www.qmu.ac.uk/schools-and-divisions/business-school

This QMU podcast discusses Queen Margaret University’s research into the loneliness and isolation that our refugee community in Scotland has experienced during the pandemic, the real impact it has had on their lives and how it has affected their ability to integrate and contribute to their new communities. Importantly, we will look at the impact that loneliness and isolation can have on forgotten groups of people in society, and what lessons can be learned for the future to help support people with their integration into a new country, ensuring that they become valued and engaged members of society.

Contributing to the discussion from Queen Margaret University’s Institute for Global Health and Development are Senior Research Fellow Dr Alison Strang, Research Assistant Dr Nicole Vidal, and Lecturer Oonagh O’Brien. Dr Olivia Sagan, Head of the Division of Psychology, Sociology and Education at Queen Margaret University also provides an insight into the subject of loneliness.

In the first QMU Podcast episode of 2021, Keith hands over the reins to Nik Terrell from the Student Recruitment team, who chats with postgraduate students Alice Thomson and Charlotte Cranston about their university experiences ahead of the upcoming 'Meet the Postgrads' events on 17 & 19 February.

BONUS CONTENT: Nik, Charlotte and Alice share their Netflix recommendations for those dark winter evenings (it's all about 'Bridgerton' right now!)