Internal Funding Wins

Content Accordions

• Research Development Awards: Race Equity and Inclusion Grant

  Winner: Dr Saba Ishaq, Lecturer in Accountancy and Finance in Wrexham Business School

  How Gendered Expectations Shape Business Practices for Women Entrepreneurs in Pakistan

  

  The Race Equity and Research Inclusion Award is designed to support and advance the research careers of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic academic staff and postgraduate research students at Wrexham University.

  Dr Ishaq has been awarded £2,000 to support a research project exploring the lived experiences of women entrepreneurs operating within a predominantly male-dominated business environment in Pakistan.

  The project will involve in-country fieldwork in Pakistan, including qualitative interviews and observational research within business settings. Through this work, the research seeks to develop a rich, contextualised understanding of how gendered expectations and structural inequalities shape everyday entrepreneurial practices. In particular, the study will examine how women navigate professional interactions, negotiate legitimacy, and access resources in spaces where their participation is often viewed as unconventional or exceptional.

• Research Development Awards: Research Culture Grant

  Winners: Nikki Ewing, Lecturer in Education, and Lisa Formby, Research Lead in Education.

  Doctoral School Workshops at Gladstone’s Library

  

  £1,500 was awarded to Nikki Ewing and Lisa Formby through the internal Research Culture Grant scheme. Nikki and Lisa’s project champions the professional development and well-being of staff completing an EdD or PhD alongside their academic roles. Their proposal builds on shared experiences and discussions across the faculty, highlighting a collective desire for supportive, inspiring spaces where colleagues can connect, reflect, and grow in their doctoral journeys.

• CanfodAu Awards: Innovation Grant

  Winner: Barry Johnston, Research Associate in Hydrogen Engineering

  Targeted Infrared Heating Technology

  

  Barry Johnston was awarded £10,000 (please contact Barry for more information on this project).

  The CanfodAu Innovation Grant was designed to support new research and contribute to the advancement of key areas within Engineering, such as composites, renewable energy, and power systems.

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  Winner: Dr Mobayode Akinsolu, Reader in Applied Artificial Intelligence and Electronic Engineering

  Developing a Robust and Sustainable Wearable Antenna for Future Healthcare

  

  Dr Akinsolu was awarded £10,000 to develop and validate an environmentally sustainable wearable antenna that performs reliably under real-world conditions. The project focuses on creating a key enabling component for future wearable health technologies, using biodegradable or renewable materials in place of conventional plastics.

  While many “green” electronic components demonstrate promising laboratory performance, they often degrade when exposed to everyday wearable conditions such as moisture, bending, or operation close to the body. This project addresses that challenge directly by designing the antenna to tolerate real-life variability and by rigorously testing its performance over time, rather than relying on one-off measurements.

• CanfodAu Awards: Seed Funding Grant

  Winner: Dr Omprakash Mathusamy, Postdoc in Vacuum Thin Films at the Optic Centre, St Asaph.

  Winner: Dr Chris Nyamayaro, Postdoc in Photonoics Technologies at the Optic Centre, St Asaph.

  Advancing Renewable Energy and Photonics: Multifunctional Solar Coatings and the UK’s First Laser-Induced Damage Testing Facility

  

  Two projects were awarded £5000 funding each to develop cutting-edge technologies with real-world applications.

  Dr Omprakash Muthusamy will use the funding to develop multifunctional thin-film composite coatings for renewable energy systems. His research focuses on combining broadband anti-reflection performance with enhanced mechanical durability and thermal stability, improving light absorption and energy efficiency in solar cells while maintaining optical transparency.

  Dr Chris Nyamayaro will establish the UK’s first academic and commercially targeted Laser-Induced Damage Threshold (LIDT) testing facility, enabling research and industry testing of high-power optical components. This facility will support renewable energy, power systems, and robotics by improving the durability of optics, facilitating laser-based manufacturing, and enhancing the reliability of laser sensors for energy systems and industrial automation. 

• Cyfiawnder Awards: Social Inclusion Research Grant

  Winner: Dr Dawn Jones, Senior Lecturer in Social Care.

  Understanding Poverty in Practice

   

  Dr Jones was awarded a £5,000 Social Inclusion Research Grant to support a new study exploring how child and family social workers in Wales understand and respond to poverty in their everyday safeguarding practice.

  This research comes at a crucial time. Poverty rates in Wales continue to rise, with child poverty in Wrexham increasing three times faster than the national average. In 2024, almost 8,000 children in Wrexham were living in deep poverty, and more than 1 in 10 residents relied on foodbanks for support. At the same time, evidence shows a strong correlation between deprivation and the number of children entering the care system. Despite this, little is known about how social workers recognise and respond to poverty when making decisions about child neglect and risk.

  Dr Jones’s project will explore whether socio-economic factors genuinely influence day-to-day practice, or whether poverty has, as some researchers suggest, become the unnoticed “wallpaper” of social work.

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  Winner: Dr Ian Davies-Abbott, Senior Lecturer in Nursing.

  Exploring the Wrexham Effect: Cognitive and Social Impacts of Walking Football Participation

  

  This funding will support a new study led by Dr Ian Davies-Abbott, with Sara Hilton and Dr Christopher White as co-leads. This innovative mixed-methods project will explore the motivations, experiences and cognitive health benefits associated with participating in walking football, with a particular focus on the influence of the ‘Wrexham Effect’. Through semi-structured interviews, the research will capture personal narratives about why individuals choose to take part, how socio-economic background shapes involvement, and how community identity contributes to participation.

  Alongside this, a year-long programme of cognitive assessments with walking football participants and a control group will examine whether sustained engagement in this accessible, low-impact activity supports improvements in key areas of cognitive functioning.

  The study responds to key challenges in Wales, where older adults, especially those in socio-economically disadvantaged communities, remain less likely to engage in physical activity. By deepening understanding of the drivers, barriers and potential brain-health outcomes linked to walking football, the project will generate evidence that can inform social prescribing, community sport development, and public health policy.

• Cyfiawnder Awards: Collaboration and Co-Production Grant

  Winner: Dr Tracy Simpson, Postdoc with the Ecological Citizens Project.

  Sustainable Education in Welsh schools

   

  Dr Tracy Simpson has been awarded funding through the Cyfiawnder: Collaboration and Co-production Grant to undertake a collaborative research project exploring how sustainable education is currently implemented and supported within schools across Wales. The project will examine current practice, identify challenges and opportunities, and generate evidence to help strengthen policy and practice in relation to the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act.

  The research is being led by an interdisciplinary team from Wrexham University involving Tracy, Rebecca Upton, and Daniel Knox, bringing together expertise across education, sustainability, creative practice, and research methods. Welsh schools participating in the research will also act as key collaborators, contributing their expertise and lived experience throughout the project. Teachers and school leaders will help identify priority areas for development, while pupils and eco-committee members will contribute their perspectives on what sustainable education should look like in practice.

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  Winner: Lisa Formby, Research Lead in Education.

  Impact of a Farm School on Primary School Pupils’ Wellbeing and Engagement in Learning

   

  Lisa Formby has been awarded funding through the Cyfiawnder: Collaboration and Co-production Grant to undertake a collaborative research project with a Primary School in North Wales. The project team will explore the impact of a farm school embedded within a primary school on pupils’ wellbeing and engagement in learning, with children acting as ‘mini researchers’ in all stages of the research process, from research design and data collection through to analysis and dissemination.

  The interdisciplinary research team also includes Dr Sue Horder, Dr Karen Rhys Jones, and Monty Kennard from the Department of Education and Childhood, alongside Angela Winstanley from Animal Sciences (Northop campus). The project will be delivered in close partnership with the Headteacher at the chosen Primary School, who will act as gatekeeper and project advisor. Pupils from Year 5 and Year 6 will be central to the research as co-researchers.

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  Winner: Dr Grace Thomas, Senior Research Fellow in Arts Engagement.

  Arts Accessibility and Disability in Wrexham

   

  Dr Grace Thomas, with community partners from Wrexham Miner’s Project, Emerge Community Arts, and North East Wales Mind, was awarded funding through the Cyfiawnder: Collaboration and Co-production Grant to deliver a collaborative research project exploring accessibility to the arts in Wrexham.

  The project will investigate how disabled people and carers access and experience arts provision locally, using applied arts practice and community-led research approaches. Rooted in the social model of disability, the research aims to identify barriers to participation while actively creating accessible, meaningful creative opportunities for disabled people and those who provide care.

  Building on public forums held in 2025 focused on arts accessibility and disability, the project will bring together academic and third-sector expertise to co-design research methods, deliver participatory arts activities, and analyse community feedback. Partners will work collaboratively to build a sustainable arts and wellbeing network in Wrexham, supporting knowledge sharing, community outreach, and future research development.

• Faculty of Social and Life Sciences Awards: Interdisciplinary Research Grant

  Winner: Angela Winstanley, Principal Lecturer for Animal Studies and Natural Environment.

  Link Between Animal and Human Wellbeing

  This award will fund a new cross-faculty research project exploring how professionals understand the relationship between animal abuse and human abuse. The project is led by Angela Winstanley, who is joined by a highly collaborative team including Kelly Eyre (Veterinary Nursing), Gwenan Evans (Veterinary Nursing, with Welsh language expertise), Liam Walker (Veterinary Nursing), Dr Tamsin Young (Animal Behaviour), Dr Shuba Sreenivas (Psychology), Dr Sue Horder (Education and behavioural change), and Rachel Byron (Criminology, Policing and Law), as well as a third-year Veterinary Nursing student. The project also benefits from the expertise of The Links Group, a national multi-agency organisation specialising in the connections between animal welfare, human wellbeing, and safeguarding.

  Together, this interdisciplinary team will examine how professionals in areas such as health, social care, policing, veterinary medicine, psychology, and education recognise and interpret the connections between harm to animals and harm to people. Using the One Health and One Welfare frameworks, which emphasise that human, animal, and community wellbeing are interconnected, the study will explore current knowledge, attitudes, confidence levels, and potential gaps in awareness across sectors.

• Faculty of Social and Life Sciences Awards: Small Research Personal Development Grant

  Dr Chelsea Batty, Principal Lecturer in Exercise Physiology / Professional Lead Peripatetic

  Chelsea will deliver a case study exploring an exercise intervention for a patient with a rare form of leukaemia, guided by the American College of Sports Medicine’s cancer rehabilitation framework. As many UK rehabilitation centres do not accept patients with rare cancers, this project addresses a significant gap in provision. Funding will support gym access, travel and dissemination at the Rehabilitation in Oncology and Cancer Survivorship Conference. The study will generate important feasibility and safety data, strengthening research and practice in oncology rehabilitation and informing future policy.

   

  Dr David Crighton, Senior Lecturer in Post-Compulsory Education and Training, and Dr Kirsty Fuller, Senior Lecturer in Education (Qualified Teacher Status)

  The funding will extend their research on academic intrapreneurship and institutional barriers in UK higher education by piloting a new governance-focused strand. Building on earlier work in Wales, Scotland and England, the project will analyse how formal governance documents frame commercial, financial and student priorities. Collaborative research visits to Manchester with Professor Steve Jones will refine documentary methods and strengthen the foundations for future publications and funding bids.

   

  Dr Tegan Brierley-Sollis, Senior Lecturer in Policing, Criminology, and Trauma-Informed Approaches, and Natalie Saunders, Lecturer in Criminology

  Tegan and Natalie will present an interactive workshop at the Justice as Trauma Conference, Canada, drawing on research in neurodiversity and trauma-informed practice. Their session will explore how trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming research can be embedded within higher education programmes preparing students for criminal justice careers. International engagement will deepen comparative insights and support future global research collaborations.

   

  Dr Gwennan Barton, Senior Lecturer in Cognitive Psychology

  Gwennan will use the funding to advance research exploring the relationship between psychological type and sense of direction. The study addresses a gap in the literature by examining whether psychological type theory relates to self-reported navigation ability. Funding will support data collection, dissemination at the British Psychological Society Cognitive Section Annual Conference 2026, specialist training and key research resources, strengthening methodological expertise in psychometrics and individual differences research.

   

  Dr Paige Tynan, Senior Lecturer in Biosciences

  Paige will use the funding to expand their doctoral research platform, Decompanion, by developing a 3D digital model library using photogrammetry. Funding will support specialist imaging equipment, infrastructure improvements and student-supported data creation. This enhancement will strengthen forensic taphonomy research, improve cross-institutional comparability and further establish Decompanion as a shared digital research and teaching resource.

  

• Faculty of Arts, Computing, and Engineering Awards: Interdisciplinary Research Grant

  Winner: Dr Linglin Li, Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering

  Sustainable Road Materials Research

  

  £5,000 FACE Interdisciplinary Grant was awarded to a cross-faculty project exploring a new, greener way to build and repair our roads. The project is led by Dr Linglin Li, working alongside Dr Jixin Yang, Dr David Sprake, and Professor Xiangming Zhou from Brunel University London. This diverse team brings expertise in built environment, chemistry, engineering, and sustainability.

  The research aims to transform something ordinary, leftover straw, into something extraordinary: a renewable, self-healing binder that could one day replace traditional, fossil-based bitumen used in road surfaces. Dr Yang will focus on converting the straw into a usable bio-oil, Dr Sprake will assess how environmentally friendly and cost-effective the approach is, and Professor Zhou will help understand how the new material behaves when mixed with existing road materials and how it heals itself over time. Dr Li will coordinate all elements of the project focusing on the focusing on bio-bitumen characterisation and bituminous material performance.

   

• Faculty of Arts, Computing, and Engineering Awards: Small Research Personal Development Grant

  Professor Alec Shepley, Professor of Arts and Society

  Alec was awarded funding for Community Mapping Workshops for Children and Young People in Wrexham’s Urban Room. As part of the Public Map Platform collaboration, the project will pilot creative, arts-based approaches to participatory planning, generating new insights into how young people understand and shape their local built environment.

   

  Dr Grace Thomas, Senior Research Fellow in Arts Engagement

  Grace will develop accessibility arts research through strengthening partnerships with organisations including Wrexham Miners Project, Emerge Community Arts, North East Wales Mind and Disability Arts Cymru. Her work advances co-designed, participatory approaches to disability, arts and community research.

   

  Karolina Athena Skorek, PGR student in Art

  Karolina will undertake site-responsive fieldwork in post-industrial Silesia, including engagement with the Silesian Museum, to further develop their interdisciplinary visual PhD exploring grief, memory and landscape.

   

  Dmitrii Iarovoi, PGR student in Computing

  Dmitrii has received support to attend Oxford Machine Learning Summer School (OxML 2026). Dmitrii’s PhD develops an ethical, inclusive AI agent for the Welsh heritage sector, and this training will strengthen his expertise in generative AI, representation learning and safe, scalable AI systems.

   

  Dr Adam Knowles, Senior Lecturer in Cyber and Computing

  This funding will advance Adam’s research at the intersection of astrophysics and machine learning, targeting publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and supporting analysis of data from surveys such as WEAVE-StePS and MOONRISE. Funding for dedicated computational resources will enhance research capacity across staff and students.