Dr Jiachen Shi speaks to Dr Clare Richardson‑Barlow about Malaysia’s evolving approach to a just energy transition. In this episode, they discuss how Malaysia frames its energy transition through economic growth and the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), and examine why labour voices - particularly trade unions - remain limited in shaping policy. The conversation highlights emerging opportunities, key institutional challenges, and what more inclusive worker participation would require as Malaysia moves toward a low‑carbon future.

This project is funded by the Hans Böckler Foundation – Just Transition: Aktivitäten im internationalen Vergleich 2021-582-2.

Visit the project webpage.

This podcast episode was recorded remotely in March 2026. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available.

About the speakers:

Dr Jiachen Shi is a Lecturer in Management Consulting and HRM at Leeds University Business School and a member of the Centre for Employment Relations, Innovation and Change (CERIC). Her research focuses on the role of the Chinese state in shaping economic and labour transitions, examining how climate and energy transition policies and labour institutions interact within national planning frameworks to shape China’s approach to a just transition.

Dr Clare Richardson-Barlow is a Lecturer in the Global Politics of China in the School of Politics and International Studies. She is also co-chair of the University of Leeds’ Just Transition Taskforce and Co-Director of International in the School of Politics and International Studies at the University of Leeds. Her research focuses on industrial decarbonisation and just transitions and China’s role in these processes.

Dr Clare Richardson‑Barlow speaks to Dr Jiachen Shi about China’s approach to just transition. Drawing on Jiachen’s research, they discuss China’s state‑led, “orderly transition” model, where renewable capacity is built before phasing down coal, and explore how national planning frameworks shape climate and energy policy. The episode also examines the integrative role of workers and trade unions within this transition system, as well as the achievements and challenges of ensuring a fair transition across regions and sectors.

This project is funded by the Hans Böckler Foundation – Just Transition: Aktivitäten im internationalen Vergleich 2021-582-2.

Visit the project webpage.

This podcast episode was recorded remotely in March 2026. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available.

About the speakers:

Dr Clare Richardson-Barlow is a Lecturer in the Global Politics of China in the School of Politics and International Studies. She is also co-chair of the University of Leeds’ Just Transition Taskforce and Co-Director of International in the School of Politics and International Studies at the University of Leeds. Her research focuses on industrial decarbonisation and just transitions and China’s role in these processes.

Dr Jiachen Shi is a Lecturer in Management Consulting and HRM at Leeds University Business School and a member of the Centre for Employment Relations, Innovation and Change (CERIC). Her research focuses on the role of the state in shaping economic and labour transitions, examining how climate and energy transition policies and labour institutions interact within national planning frameworks to shape China’s approach to a just transition.

In this episode of Gerrin’ On Wit’ It, host Lauren Cox sits down with Kayleigh Renberg-Fawcett, Place Team Lead at the Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN), to explore the Yorkshire and Humber “Network of Networks” initiative.

Together, they unpack how a growing number of academic–policy partnerships across the region are coming together to better connect research with real-world decision-making. Kayleigh explains how the initiative aims to move beyond siloed working—bringing universities, local authorities, NHS partners and more into a shared, strategic approach that strengthens evidence-informed policy across Yorkshire and Humber.

The conversation dives into the origins of the Network of Networks, the key challenges identified—such as knowledge mobilisation, data sharing, and aligning research with policy needs—and the practical steps already being taken to address them. From building a regional community of practice to developing shared “Areas of Research Interest,” this episode highlights how collaboration can create greater collective impact.

Lauren and Kayleigh also reflect on what it takes to make collaboration “business as usual,” discussing the importance of incentives, clear value for partners, and building on existing work rather than starting from scratch. They also tackle the long-term challenge of sustainability, exploring why lasting infrastructure and institutional memory are key to making this work stick.

Whether you’re working in academia, policy, or partnership roles, this episode offers insights into how stronger connections—and a shared regional vision—can tackle complex challenges more effectively.

This episode was recorded on Tuesday 14 April 2026. If you would like to get in touch, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available. Y-PERN is funded by the UKRI’s Research England Development (RED) Fund; YPIP is funded by the UKRI’s Economic and Social Research Council.

About the speakers:

Kayleigh is the Place Team Lead for The Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN). With over 8 years' experience on academic policy engagement initiatives, she has worked on collaborations between universities, local & combined authorities and national policy bodies to bridge research, knowledge and decision-making.

Drawing on her experience as Y-PERN senior programme manager, CAPE project coordinator and UPEN network manager, Kayleigh’s expertise spans, fellowships & secondments, knowledge exchange & co-production, project & governance design, programme management, strategic planning and cross-institutional collaborations. Passionate about inclusive growth, democracy and evidenced-informed policy making, Kayleigh works to ensure academic insight translates into real world impact.

Lauren is the Communications and Engagement Manager for The Yorkshire Policy Innovation Partnership (YPIP). She has over 5 years of experience working with the voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector across Luton and Bedfordshire in roles with the local authority and within a criminal justice charity. Lauren’s career has been centred around collaboration and partnerships and facilitating spaces and environments for voices to be heard.

Lauren will be joining Leeds Institute for Societal Futures in July 2026 as the External Engagement Manager.

Related content / relevant links:

UPEN = Universities Policy Engagement Network

YPIP = Yorkshire Policy Innovation Partnership

Y-PERN = Yorkshire and Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network

NIHR YHARC = The NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Yorkshire and Humber

YHCC = Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission

YU = Yorkshire Universities

YH Councils – Yorkshire and Humber Councils

HDRC = Health Determinant Research Collaborations

• Bradford HDRC
• North Yorkshire HDRC
• Doncaster HDRC
• Wakefield HDRC

ARIs – Areas of Research Interest

Knowledge Mobilisation

Community of Practice

What can organisations learn from hostage negotiation? In this episode of our “Work in progress” series, Dr Sanjay Popat speaks with former hostage negotiator Nigel Taberner about the psychological realities of working under extreme pressure. Drawing on more than 130 life-at-risk incidents, Nigel reflects on stress, emotional control, communication in high-pressure environments, and what leaders and organisations can learn from professions where every interaction matters.

This episode was recorded on 28th April 2026. A transcript of the episode is available. If you would like to get in touch regarding the episode or podcast, email [email protected]. Visit the podcast webpage for further information.

About the speakers:

Nigel Taberner is a former UK hostage negotiator and expert speaker on communication, influence, and negotiation. During his 10-year career as a negotiator, he saved over 130 lives, successfully resolving highly volatile armed sieges, domestic and international kidnaps and high-risk suicide interventions. As a passionate and engaging speaker, Nigel brings to life, through his stories, subjects such as elite-level listening, emotional intelligence and how to influence people and negotiate when you have nothing to give away.

Dr Sanjay Popat is a Chartered Organisational Psychologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow specialising in occupational stress, well-being and mental health. His work focuses on how these phenomena occur over time and how time might influence whether we adapt to stressors or reach a breaking point.

Professor Alice Owen (Sustainability Research Institute, University of Leeds), Felix Kumi-Ampofo (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) and Professor Gary Dymski (Leeds University Business School) discuss what it really means for a regional economy to be successful, looking beyond headline growth figures to questions of inclusion and sustainability. Drawing on UK and US experience, they discuss devolution, fiscal powers, and the challenges of aligning national policy with local priorities in shaping economies fit for the future.

Visit the MetroCentral Capacity for Growth project webpage.

Read the briefing - “Governance for inclusive economic growth in UK cities.”

The project discussed in this episode is funded by the UK Innovation Caucus.

This podcast episode was recorded remotely on 7 May 2026. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available.

Speaker bios:

Professor Alice Owen is Director of Leeds’ Sustainability Research Institute, the largest group of sustainability researchers in the UK. She brings her experience across policy and business to her research which focuses on how to delivery sustainable construction, and place-based approaches to sustainability.

Felix Kumi-Ampofo is Director of Inclusive Economy, Skills, and Culture at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Felix has over 25 years of experience in policy-making and delivery. Prior to his current role at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Felix’s career had spanned both the public and private sectors including academia, local government, regional development, and international consultancy.

Professor Gary Dymski is Professor of Applied Economics at Leeds University Business School. He has participated in national projects about how to rebuild macroeconomics and about the productivity paradox in the UK, and is currently the principal investigator of the URKI-funded Yorkshire Policy Innovation Partnership.

Our special guest this episode is Tom Dickinson, founder of Tom's Talks. The episode centres around Tom's personal experience of losing his brother to suicide and how that shaped the work he does today, speaking in schools and workplaces about mental health and wellbeing. In this episode, we explore the intersections between suicide, masculinity, and work and reflect on what organisations can learn in supporting mental health and preventing harm.

This episode was recorded on 18 March 2026. A transcript of the episode is available. If you would like to get in touch regarding the episode or podcast, email [email protected]. Visit the podcast webpage for further information.

If you have been affected by anything you’ve heard, support is available. You can contact Samaritans, who offer free, confidential listening support 24/7, on 116 123 or in person or via online chat.

If you are in the UK and need urgent mental health support, you can call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option to be directed to your local crisis service. If you are in immediate danger, please call 999.

About the speakers:

Tom is the founder of Toms Talks, a mental health initiative focused on breaking the stigma around suicide and men’s mental health. Following the loss of his brother to suicide, Tom now works across schools and organisations, delivering powerful talks that combine lived experience with practical insights. He has built a large online following of nearly 250,000 on TikTok and has inspired millions through his content, helping to open up conversations around mental health.

Dr Sanjay Popat is a Chartered Organisational Psychologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow specialising in occupational stress, well-being and mental health. His work focuses on how these phenomena occur over time and how time might influence whether we adapt to stressors or reach a breaking point.

Tony Morgan and Dr Lena Jaspersen discuss experiential and team-based learning in this episode, sharing insights from both their classroom practice and their pedagogical research. They discuss the diverge-converge approach, how to include students with varying levels of confidence, language proficiency or neurodiversity, and their approach to building resilience in students. In this episode, they also introduce their “Learning in Tandem” framework, offering practical guidance for educators who wish to design meaningful, inclusive, and research-informed experiential learning.

This podcast episode was recorded remotely in March 2026. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available.

Useful resources:

• LITE Research Project
• Diverging and Converging for Team-Based Learning
• Design Thinking for Student Projects book
• Learning in Tandem framework

About the speakers:

Lena Jaspersen is a Lecturer in Innovation and Qualitative Research Methods at Leeds University Business School. Her expertise includes interdisciplinary teaching and research in technology and social innovation, organization theory, global development, cross-sector partnerships, sustainability research, and qualitative research methods. Lena is co-author of the bestselling textbook ‘Management and Business Research’ and co-author, with Tony, of ‘Design Thinking for Student Projects’, a textbook focused on experiential learning and employability skills development.

Tony Morgan (FHEA) is an Associate Professor in Innovation Management Practice at the University of Leeds in the UK, where he teaches interdisciplinary and team-based innovation modules at Undergraduate, Masters and MBA levels. He previously held senior innovation and technology roles at IBM. Research areas include how students learn when working in diverse and interdisciplinary teams. Tony is the author of multiple books, and co-author, with Lena, of ‘Design Thinking for Student Projects’.

In this episode, Dr Sanjay Popat speaks to former child actor Brandon Baker, best known for Johnny Tsunami and other Disney Channel hits. They explore Brandon’s mental health journey in the context of how early career success shapes identity, the psychological impact of career transitions, and what it took for him to find meaningful work.

This episode was recorded on 4 March 2026. A transcript of the episode is available. If you would like to get in touch regarding the episode or podcast, email [email protected]. Visit the podcast webpage for further information.

About the speakers:

Brandon Baker rose to fame on Disney Channel’s “Johnny Tsunami”, following earlier roles in “The Jungle Book: Mowgli’s Story” and later appearing in “Even Stevens”. Despite his success, he realised acting didn’t feel authentic to him and stepped away to explore other passions, including music and officiating weddings, bringing his energy and creativity to ventures beyond Hollywood.

Dr Sanjay Popat is a Chartered Organisational Psychologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow specialising in occupational stress, well-being and mental health. His work focuses on how these phenomena occur over time and how time might influence whether we adapt to stressors or reach a breaking point.

In this episode of “Gerrin’ on wit’ it”, Paul Hayes speaks with Kersten England CBE about how collaboration drives meaningful change across Yorkshire and the Humber. Kersten reflects on major moments in her long career within local government and contributing to local, regional, and national conversations to influence decision-making processes. These candid reflections provide examples that emphasise why collaboration isn’t optional when tackling complex social situations - what works, what doesn’t, and what she would do differently as the region continues to build a more collaborative future.

Kersten explains why effective partnerships require deep listening, shared incentives, and a commitment to long‑term relationships. Paul and Kersten discuss the impact of initiatives such as YPIP and Y‑PERN, and they explore how universities, local authorities, and communities can work together more effectively.

Paul and Kersten unpack how to balance academic incentives with place-based needs to strengthen collaboration and how to embed genuine, non-transactional relationships across sectors. The conversation highlights the importance of governance, strong networks, capacity building, and sustainable resourcing.

This episode was recorded on 9 December 2025. If you would like to get in touch, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available.

About the speakers:

Kersten England CBE currently serves as Chair of Bradford 2025 (UK City of Culture) and Chair of the Young Foundation – having recently stepped down as Chief Executive of Bradford Council and Chair of Yorkshire & Humber Councils. She has over 30 years of experience in local government leadership across Kirklees, Calderdale, and York.

Paul Hayes is Senior Policy Engagement Fellow at Leeds University Business School, supporting academic colleagues in developing impacts from their work and in engaging with the policy community and public bodies. He was formerly corporate policy manager at Wakefield Council and policy lead for the Key Cities Group, an association of 27 mid-size UK cities. This role encompassed policy advisory work to local, regional and national politicians; development and authorship of local and regional strategies and plans; engagement with and representation on working groups of UK government and national bodies; and responses to consultations. The role also included scoping, commissioning, and joint development of academic and think tank research and engagement with business and voluntary and community sectors.

Terms and acronyms:

1. YPIP – Yorkshire Policy Innovation Partnership
2. Bradford 2025 City of Culture
3. The Young Foundation
4. REF – Research Excellence Framework
5. Y-PERN – Yorkshire and Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network
6. Yorkshire Engagement Portal (YEP)
7. Yorkshire and Humber Office for Data Analytics (YHODA)
8. Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC)

In this episode of Gerrin’ on wi’ it, Paul Hayes sits down with community leader Kate Macdonald to explore what genuine cross‑sector collaboration really looks like in Yorkshire and the Humber. Drawing on decades of experience in academia, the NHS, and grassroots community projects, Kate discusses the challenges faced by the voluntary and community sector - from short‑term funding cycles to power imbalances and cultural misunderstandings. Together, they unpack why relationship‑building, trust, and equitable knowledge exchange are essential ingredients for meaningful co‑production, sustainable partnerships, and place‑based change.

This episode was recorded on 18 February 2026. If you would like to get in touch, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available.

About the speakers:

Kate Macdonald has over 30 years of experience in academia, NHS mental health services, and grassroots community projects. She has improved mental health services locally and regionally, including early psychosis care, and uses relational practice and systems thinking to foster trust, equitable collaboration, and human-centred solutions. She founded TimeBank Hull and East Riding, co-facilitates Hull Poverty Truth Commission, and is Development Coordinator for the Ideas Fund, connecting communities and researchers. She also leads the Community Panel for the Yorkshire Policy Innovation Partnership, championing inclusive approaches that enable communities to shape policy and co-create solutions.

Paul Hayes is Senior Policy Engagement Fellow at Leeds University Business School, supporting academic colleagues in developing impacts from their work and in engaging with the policy community and public bodies. He was formerly corporate policy manager at Wakefield Council and policy lead for the Key Cities Group, an association of 27 mid-size UK cities. This role encompassed policy advisory work to local, regional and national politicians; development and authorship of local and regional strategies and plans; engagement with and representation on working groups of UK government and national bodies; and responses to consultations. The role also included scoping, commissioning, and joint development of academic and think tank research and engagement with business and voluntary and community sectors.

Terms and acronyms:

1. Y-PERN – Yorkshire and Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network
2. YPIP – Yorkshire Policy Innovation Partnership
3. Timebank Hull and East Riding
4. Hull Poverty Truth Commission
5. The Ideas Fund
6. YPIP Community Panel
7. ‘Not another toolkit’