Open House for Research, April 2026

This April’s Open House for Research was chaired by Prof. Mandy Robbins and, as usual, featured three engaging speakers sharing insights from very different areas of research.

First to speak in the room was Prof. Carl Hughes, a new member of staff in the Education department. Carl introduced his research on behaviour in schools, focusing on a whole-system approach to supporting positive behaviour.

His work aims to help us better understand the challenges schools are currently facing around behaviour. The programme includes four major workstreams and 24 individual projects, each exploring different aspects of behaviour and school systems.

The workstreams include reviewing existing research and theoretical perspectives on behaviour and systems, gathering practitioner insights to ensure staff voices are heard, and testing approaches in real school settings. Relationships, behaviour, engagement, and attendance are all key themes running through this work, reflecting the complex and interconnected nature of behaviour in education.

Joining us online, Dr Esnart McKenzie explored workplace wellbeing from a cultural perspective. Esnart’s research focuses on mutual gains in the workplace and questions the dominance of HR practices based largely on Western norms.

Esnart introduced the concept of ‘ubuntu’, an African philosophy centred on working together, solidarity, compassion, and a shared spirit of survival. Her work examines how ubuntu values can guide workplace practices and contribute to employee wellbeing.

A key focus of her research is understanding the extent to which five core ubuntu values support wellbeing at work, and how these values might reshape how organisations think about relationships, collaboration, and care in professional environments.

The final speaker in the room was Prof. Yuriy Vagapov, who shared highlights from the International Universities Power Engineering Conference held at Brunel University.

Yuriy discussed collaborative academic work on the design of the FAST Fan, specifically the blended wing body. These innovative aircraft designs aim to generate efficient propulsion while remaining easy to control. The research team continues to test prototypes, with ongoing work refining performance and stability, pushing forward sustainable aviation technologies.

Thank you to all our speakers for sharing their work and insights, and to Prof. Mandy Robbins for chairing another successful Open House for Research. As always, the session highlighted the breadth of research taking place across disciplines and offered valuable opportunities to learn from colleagues’ work.