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• Annual Research Review
• Research review 2008
• Research in the sciences
• Introduction

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• Research in the sciences
• • Introduction
  • Research in the Clinical Imaging Sciences Centre
  • Grasses bite back
  • Non-invasive measurement technology
  • Is the universe tied up with cosmic string?

Research in life sciences encompasses a range of disciplines concerned with the emergent properties of living systems, social systems, ecosystems and the fundamental molecular and cellular processes that are essential to life.

Science and technology research works at the frontiers of artificial intelligence, astronomy, computing, engineering, design, mathematics and physics. This research is motivated by social, economic, industrial and scientific needs.

Within Brighton and Sussex Medical School a key part of our mission is developing a strong and vibrant research programme. Our students are taught in a research-rich environment on programmes that embrace basic and applied aspects of clinical science.

Our annual research budgets in the sciences, won competitively from research councils, charities and industrial sponsors, underpin our contributions to solving real-world problems. Modern-day research does not respect conventional boundaries. Indeed our research flourishes where traditional disciplines come together, such as in our Centre for the Study of Chemical Biology; our Space Science Centre; and our Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics.

Much research is successful because of external collaboration. For example, in developing our medical research strategy we have been careful to concentrate on areas where the combined expertise of the Medical School and the Universities of Sussex and Brighton, as well as our NHS partners, can create a critical mass that allows us to make a significant contribution. Sussex is forging new links with leading external national institutions, recently signing a strategic partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. We have also recently formed a regional partnership to sustain and develop research and teaching in physics with other universities in the South East.

Over the years, we have developed strong links with local and national industry. The Thermo-Fluid Mechanics Research Centre, also known as the Rolls-Royce-supported University Technology Centre for Aero-Thermal Systems, has received research grants in excess of £10 million over the last 10 years from research councils, major engineering companies including Rolls-Royce and Siemens, and the European Union.

Our highly developed research infrastructure, combined with our progressive research strategy, helps facilitate innovative and interdisciplinary work. These rich research collaborations, together with our lively and critical student population, make for a highly stimulating and successful research culture.

Major research grants in 2007 included:

• £2,215,760 from Cancer Research UK for Supportive Interventions in Cancer Care
  Lesley Fallowfield (Psychosocial Oncology Group)
• £1,812,263 from the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) for Low-energy Searches for Symmetry Violations and for Particle Physics Beyond the Standard Model using Neutrons, Neutrinos and Slow Light
  Philip Harris (physics)
• £1,686,174 from the Medical Research Council for Molecular Characterisation of Single-Strand Repair and Related Responses and their Role in Neuroprotection
  Keith Caldecott (biochemistry)
• £762,187 from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for The Electric Potential Sensor - a Basic Technology for Measurement Science
  Robert Prance (engineering)
• £398,340 from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Jaguar for Adaptive Cylinder Pressure Reconstruction for Production Engines
  Julian Dunne (engineering)