Philip Leverhulme Prizes

Energy technologies
As global greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO2, continue to rise at an alarming rate due to the expanding use of fossil fuels, efficient mitigation strategies are increasingly imperative to reduce the consequences of global warming. The solution to this problem is very challenging, as we need to make sure that we protect the planet and continue to enjoy a high standard of living without ruining our economy and potentially leading to an energy famine. Read full article.

Forgotten Geographies: the black presence in Victorian Britain
My research focuses on the presence of black men and women in Victorian Britain, particularly London. Although there is a wealth of material available on the Victorians, recovering the lives of black men and women during this period is not easy. This is because, although the Victorians oversaw an increase in the surveillance of society (through national census returns for example), they did not routinely record the colour of a person’s skin. Other ways have to be found into the archives, and new methods, such as using photographs attached to institutions like prisons, are essential in my research. Read full article.

How the Middle Ages are perceived
The Middle Ages are always news. Anila Baig writes in The Sun that the burka to her ‘represents a medieval, narrow-minded and harsh side of Islam’. MLA Danny Kennedy describes the living conditions of a group of Polish casual workers in a tent in Newry (County Down) as ‘medieval and completely unacceptable’. And the De Moines Register observes: ‘It is 2010, no longer the Middle Ages. Iowa must be ready to recognize and treat psychotic behavior rather than incarcerate those who experience it’. Read full article.