When it comes to media focus on Muslims and Islam, news is often limited to ‘Islamic extremism’ or 'conservative Muslims'. In our latest podcast Sunderland academic and Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, Dr Geoffrey Nash, discusses with his PhD student Mohammed Shafiq a less well known school of Islam that Mohammed believes could be key in changing perceptions. 

For our latest podcast, we sat down with Dr Sarah Pickup, a Senior Lecturer in Health, Safety and Wellbeing here at the University of Sunderland for her insight on the rising number of new cases of stress, anxiety and depression being reported in the workplace every year.

The term 'body image' has become commonplace in the media recently with rising concerns into how it affects one's mental health.
With body image as the theme of this year's Mental Health Awareness Week, we sat down with Dr Helen Driscoll, an evolutionary psychologist and Principal Lecturer in Psychology here at the University, to get her view on the link between body image and mental health and what additional factors in our society can also play a part.

Prevent is one of four strands of the government's counter-terrorism strategy, known as Contest. It is designed to support people at risk of joining extremist groups and carrying out terrorist activities. Whilst Prevent has attracted criticism since its implementation in 2006, the need to rethink the radicalisation agenda - as well as the entire Prevent strategy has recently gained traction. In this podcast, we speak with Dr Paul Dresser, whose research highlights a number of organisational barriers towards achieving the successful aims of the Prevent agenda, developed to safeguard individuals and communities from the threat of terrorism.

For our latest podcast, we're joined by Head of Law Caroline Gibby to discuss the biggest shake up to legal education in decades, the introduction of the new Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE). Here we cover why and when the change is taking place, what to expect from the new assessment method and how this will affect both current and future students.

As MMR vaccine uptake rates decline in many countries despite the wake of measles outbreaks in recent months, it’s no shock that vaccines are back in the news again.
The debate continues on what the right decision is between medical professionals and parents and with many influenced by "anti-vax" material on social media and the growing trend of celebrity influencers and fake news, we asked Dr. Sophie Hodgetts to reveal the truth about vaccines.

Drew Dalton, a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Sunderland, talks us through the history of HIV, the common misconceptions and how those living with the virus are able to live relatively normal lives thanks to the help and medications now available.

Gain an insight into the engineering industry with Dave Knapton, Principal Lecturer and the Engineering Academic Team Leader within the Faculty of Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing here at the University. From the national skills shortage, to where the industry stands on gender imbalance, we also delve into Sunderland's rich heritage.

With an ever growing concern for remaining safe online, cybersecurity has never been more relevant. In this podcast, we speak to Colin Gray, a Senior Lecturer in Computer Forensics who spent 20 years with Northumbria Police pioneering the use of reconstruction and forensic analysis of digital evidence in solving crime.