RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME PROJECTS PORTFOLIO · 2021. 2. 2. · research mentorship programme...

RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

PROJECTS PORTFOLIO ALL PROJECTS ARE NOW CLOSED

CLOSED PROJECT: UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARTICIPATION IN CITY PLANNING AND URBAN GOVERNANCE 4

CLOSED PROJECT: WORKING-CLASS POLITICS: A SOCIAL HISTORY OF 1960S BRITAIN 6

CLOSED PROJECT: GENE HUNTING IN PATIENTS WITH RARE INFLAMMATORY DISEASE 7

CLOSED PROJECT: FROM BALFOUR TO BORIS: AN ANALYSIS OF UK FOREIGN POLICY IN PALESTINE AND ISRAEL 9

CLOSED PROJECT: HUMANITARIANISM AND RACE IN THE AEGEAN? 11

CLOSED PROJECT: REGENERATIVE SURGERY TO TREAT SKIN SCARRING AND FIBROSIS 12

CLOSED PROJECT: APPLICATION OF MACHINE LEARNING USED IN PARTICLE PHYSICS TO STOCK MARKETS (OR YOUR FIELD) 14

CLOSED PROJECT: GETTING READY FOR YOUR STUDIES! 16

CLOSED PROJECT: THE VARIOUS INTENTIONS OF THE MULTILINGUAL BOOK: RECEPTION, HANDLING, USES 18

CLOSED PROJECT: THE MICROBIOME IN NEUROGENERATIVE DISEASE 20

CLOSED PROJECT: ROLE OF ION CHANNELS AND MITOCHONDRIA IN CHEMOTHERAPY-INDUCED PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY 22

CLOSED PROJECT: DOING RESEARCH IN A MULTIDISCIPLINARY SUBJECT (SUCH AS CULTURAL DIPLOMACY) 24

CLOSED PROJECT: THE PUZZLE OF HIGH-RISK PARTICIPATION: HOW DO PEACE MOVEMENTS EMERGE IN THE MIDST OF WAR? 25

CLOSED PROJECT: COSMOPOLITANS AND CAPITAL(S): FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS, STUDY ABROAD, AND SOCIAL MOBILITY IN U.S. UNIVERSITIES 27


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CLOSED PROJECT: DESIGNING A SOCIO-EMOTIONAL COGNITION TASK IN A SLEEP PARADIGM FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES 29

CLOSED PROJECT: DOING INVENTIVE ETHNOGRAPHY IN POST-CONFLICT SCENARIOS: DIGITAL, COLLABORATIVE, AND APPLIED SOCIAL RESEARCH 30

CLOSED PROJECT: POLICING AND CRIME PREVENTION IN SMART CITIES 32

CLOSED PROJECT: EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGICAL DRIVERS OF ECO-FRIENDLY IDENTITIES OF EXTINCTION REBELLION ACTIVISTS AND GENERAL PUBLIC 34

CLOSED PROJECT: LITERATURE REVIEW AND DATA ANALYSIS OF LITERATURE ON SELF-HEALING INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS 36

CLOSED PROJECT: INVESTIGATING SUBJECTIVE TIME PERCEPTION CHANGES IN AGING AND DEMENTIA 41

CLOSED PROJECT: HOW TO PREVENT AN ESCAPE OF THE INESCAPABLE… READING NEUROSCIENCE PAPERS 43

CLOSED PROJECT: PROJECT-BASED RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT 45

CLOSED PROJECT: LITERATURE REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OVER THE CARBON PRICING 47

CLOSED PROJECT: INHALING GENES: A NON-INVASIVE ROUTE TO DELIVER THERAPEUTICS TO THE BODY 49

CLOSED PROJECT: NON-LINEAR URBAN DYNAMICS: A QUANTITATIVE EXPLORATION INTO THE IMPACT OF DEVELOPMENT ON URBAN GROWTH 51

CLOSED PROJECT: THE BANAL THAT IS WORTH SEEING: COLLECTING THE LIFE OF EVERYDAY OBJECTS 53

CLOSED PROJECT: UNBOXING RECIPE BOXES: USING SOCIAL MEDIA FOR GENERATING INSIGHTS INTO RECIPE BOX AND FOOD SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES 55

CLOSED PROJECT: TRANSNATIONAL MOBILITY: MATERIAL OBJECTS AND THE IDEA OF HOME 57

CLOSED PROJECT: COURTS AND STABILITY IN CONSOCIATIONAL SYSTEMS OF POWER-SHARING: THE CASE OF NORTHERN IRELAND 59

https://uclconnectedsociety.weebly.com/research-mentorship-programme.html


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CLOSED PROJECT: FORECASTING WAYFINDING TRAJECTORIES WITH MACHINE LEARNING AND AI METHODS 61

CLOSED PROJECT: EXTRATERRESTRIAL RELATIONS: EXPLORING THE MEANING OF BEYOND EARTH HUMAN HABITATION 63

CLOSED PROJECT: DEVELOPING A SEGMENTATION PIPELINE TO CHARACTERISE AND QUANTIFY RADIOMIC FEATURES OF NSCLC CT SCANS 64



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CLOSED PROJECT: Understanding the Relationship Between Participation in City Planning and Urban Governance

Aleksandra Milentijevic Bartlett School of Planning

PhD in Planning Studies

8 weeks

4 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR I am a part-time student at the Bartlett School of Planning and a local government planner with a range of experience in plan-making and plan implementation stages in London. My general interests include the social and historical development of cities, democratic development and urban politics. My research focuses on public participation in planning systems in post-socialist environments. In particular, my case study is based in Belgrade, Serbia. The aim is to understand the power issues which exist amongst different actors in planning processes and how this affects people's ability to voice their concerns.

THE MENTORSHIP I would like to explore with my mentees how public participation in planning fits into a bigger picture of urban governance in cities. This would include investigating if public participation within one part of city actions, in this case planning, has the potential to deliver a more efficient and just urban governance. Certain aspects will look at the Right to the City theory. I will aim to create a varied mentorship programme which would consists of a couple of lectures at the beginning, followed by reading activities which would feed into discussion groups and practical workshops.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS Mentees are required to be familiar with the overall aims of city planning profession. Mentees should show interest in learning and critical thinking, as well as the willingness to participate in discussions.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES Mentees would be required to carry out reading activities and parts of literature review which would subsequently be discussed at meetings with the mentor and other mentees. Interactive workshops will be organised by the mentor at the mid and end of the programme.



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WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? Mentees will gain experience in critically examining the chosen literature which will enhance their key research skills. Mentees will gain better understanding and insight in how cities work and what they can do to improve the world around them.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Working-class Politics: A Social History of 1960s Britain

Alex Hill History Department

PhD

10 weeks

1 mentee

ABOUT THE MENTOR

I'm interested in people's popular politics, and the way in which this intersects with their racial, gender and class identities. I completed an MPhil at Cambridge Uni, investigating Thatcher's trade union reforms. My PhD investigates the popular politics of the future in Britain from 1956 to 1985. I want to understand what kind of futures post-war Britons imagined, ranging from the bleak to the beautiful. The bulk of my source material comes from sociological interview transcripts. These sources give an unrivalled opportunity to investigate the ways in which 'ordinary' Britons discussed their politics. They are a fascinating source base for anyone with a passion for social history.

THE MENTORSHIP I want to run an investigation into some interview notes with working-class Britons from 1958. The interviewees were quizzed on their politics. Our weekly meetings will first examine the way that historians have worked with this kind of source material in the past. In later weeks, we will turn to the interview transcripts themselves and try to understand the dynamics at play. This project is an exciting opportunity to work on a specific source base, developing insights into post-war British politics.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS Mentees should be studying towards a degree in history.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES The mentee will be expected to complete roughly 2 hours of reading per week, in preparation for a 1 hour discussion.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? This project would be excellent preparation for a historian who is beginning to think about their undergraduate dissertation. They will be given guidance on working with source material and preparing research questions.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Gene Hunting in Patients with Rare Inflammatory Disease

Alice Burleigh Department of Population Health Sciences

PhD in Child Health

10 weeks

1 mentee

ABOUT THE MENTOR I have an interest in therapeutic research, which began in my undergraduate industrial year which I spent developing antibody drugs. I graduated in 2018 with a Masters in Biochemistry, and then worked for a pharmaceutical company for a year before starting my PhD here at UCL. I am recruiting patients UK-wide who have been provisionally diagnosed with Behçet’s Disease and sequencing their genomes to see if there is a monogenic cause of their phenotype. Rare genetic inflammatory diseases can mimic Behçet’s Disease, so I aim to identify some interesting genetic variants, and provide genetic diagnoses.

THE MENTORSHIP Behçet’s Disease is notoriously difficult to diagnose due to its diverse symptoms, and as such, rare genetic inflammatory diseases are often misdiagnosed as BD. The mentee will assist in the process of genetically sequencing and investigating BD patients- also known as gene hunting. The project will begin more theory-based, and then progress onto practical research. The exact nature of the project is flexible depending on the mentee’s preferences, however will probably be structured as a short literature review, followed by a gene hunting research project, with the aim of contributing towards the genetic diagnosis of one or more patients.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS • Studying a biological-based degree (Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical science, etc.).

• A basic understanding and interest in human genetics and translational research.

• Experience in data processing/analysis (Excel/R).

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES • Attend 1:1 discussion tutorials on topics relevant to the research project. • Produce a literature review(s) on topic(s) chosen in discussion tutorials. • Data analysis (probably genetic sequencing data, but will depend on exact project). • Literature research and potential experimental design based on data analysis findings.



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WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? • Thorough understanding of gene hunting and its importance in rare disease research • Experience in handling real patient genetic data • Opportunity to contribute to the genetic diagnosis of patients • Potential to identify new and interesting genetic variants in the field of inflammation • A friendly mentor for future science/career questions!



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CLOSED PROJECT: From Balfour to Boris: An Analysis of UK Foreign Policy in Palestine and Israel

Amina Harrath Institute of Education - Social Sciences

BSc Social Sciences with Quantitative Methods

6 weeks

1 mentee

ABOUT THE MENTOR I am a final year SSQM student, and I majored in Middle Eastern Studies at UCLA, where I studied abroad last year. I was a research intern at the Institute of Economic Affairs, and my research interests are in Foreign Policy and the Middle East, particularly Palestine and Israel. My research is focused on the analysis of the factors that influence UK foreign policy and government relations with Israel and Palestine. Through compiling and analysing data, this research will contextualise any patterns and key points of inflections, and will focus on the Conservative party and or the periods of the first and second intifadas in 1987-1998 and 2000-2005

THE MENTORSHIP 1 hour online tutorial/workshops/meeting per week, Q&A by email and a final presentation. Tutorials will be about the background and contextual knowledge of UK foreign policy, Palestine, Israel and the Middle East. Workshops will be about technical skills such as how to find and compile a data set and basic programming with R will be provided.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS Preference for those who have experience in R, or are studying/interested in International Relations, Political Science, Middle Eastern studies, Hebrew and Jewish studies

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES Interest in Foreign Policy, International Relations, and or the Middle East. Some knowledge of data analysis, R, and/or statistics.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? • Priming for your dissertations, research skills, enhancing your network.

• Experience in academic research knowledge and skills in UK Foreign Policy and the Middle East.



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• Insight into quantitative research methods, data analysis and visualisation through programming.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Humanitarianism and Race in the Aegean?

Andrew Knight Bartlett Development Planning Unit

PhD in Development Policy

8 weeks

1-2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR I am a professional aid worker currently conducting a PhD on the local/humanitarian encounter in Lesvos, Greece. With a background in international relations, I am interested in forced migration, humanitarian studies, development studies, human geography and anthropology. The aim of my research is to understand the encounter between (loosely-defined) ‘locals’ and ‘humanitarians’ in Lesvos, Greece. As these actors live, work, consume and interact with and alongside each other, this research applies an actor-oriented approach and an ethnographic methodological framework to understanding the changing relationships spatial practices that emerge from this encounter. The findings will be of interest to scholars in forced migrations studies, humanitarian studies and area studies, and of benefit policymakers, practitioners and displaced populations through its direct and indirect bearing upon humanitarian practice.

THE MENTORSHIP Meetings will consist of discussions of methodologies, data analysis and literature, presentations and feedback (yours and mine), and will provide space for mentee-specific interests.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS Research skills. An interest in critical race studies or Greek language skills would be useful although certainly not pre-requisites.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES Data collection and/or preliminary analysis and/or literature review (depending on interest and skills of mentee).

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? Tangible work experience and insights on an exciting research project with a researcher/humanitarian professional; additional support for your own studies where appropriate.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Regenerative Surgery to Treat Skin Scarring and Fibrosis

Aurora Almadori Division of Surgery and Interventional Science

PhD in Regenerative Medicine

3 -12 weeks

5 mentees (flexible)

ABOUT THE MENTOR I am a plastic surgeon with an interest in medical research. My PhD at UCL focuses on stem cells-based therapies and plastic surgery techniques to improve skin fibrosis. My research focuses on investigating the effect of adipose-derived stem cells and other adipose-based surgical treatments to treat different fibrotic conditions, including scleroderma, radiation-induced fibrosis and lichen sclerosus.

THE MENTORSHIP Interested mentees will be offered a portfolio of clinical and lab-based projects. This will include lab activities, analysis of previously collected data, and review papers. Mentees involved in the research projects will gain an authorship in an article to be published on a peer-reviewed journal, allowing the mentees to increase their cv with a scientific publication. Mentee will be also encouraged to present their work to national and international meetings, particularly aiming at awards and prizes. The mentorship will provide specific training based on the chosen project and the need of the mentee. This will include essential skills to successfully carry out the project, support and feedback during the preparation of the conference presentation and manuscript writing.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS Medical or biological background is preferred. Specific knowledge is not expected but commitment to complete the assigned tasks and willingness to learn is required.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES The mentorship will consist in an hour meeting every week using Zoom or Microsoft teams platforms. Mentees are expected to commit 2 to 4 additional hours during the week depending on the chosen project. This will include analysis of pre-collected data, lab activity, review of the literature. The mentorship has a minimum of three weeks and a maximum of 12 weeks.



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WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? The mentees will increase their research skills and enhance their CV with a scientific publication and/or conference presentation.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Application of Machine Learning Used in Particle Physics to Stock Markets (or Your Field)

Ava Lee Department of Physics and Astronomy

PhD in Physics, CDT for Data Intensive Science

12 weeks

5 mentees (flexible)

ABOUT THE MENTOR I’m a 4th year PhD Physics student with a degree in MSci Physics from UCL and training in data science. My general research interests involve neural dynamics in artificial intelligence and computational modelling. I am particularly interested in interdisciplinary research, such as applying methods from physics to fields like finance. From March, I will be undertaking a 6 months internship at one of the CDT’s partner organisations to develop my knowledge of data science applications in industry. My research focuses on the decay of the Higgs boson to a pair of bottom quarks (H->bb) at CERN. As more than 20 PB (1 PB = 1 million GB) of data are available at CERN, the analysis of H->bb involves a wide variety of big data analysis techniques (data engineering, machine learning, statistical methods). Currently, I am using deep neural network to distinguish jets originating from a b-quark to other jets.

THE MENTORSHIP The mentorship project is collaborative and is devised based on my own research and training. The structure of the project is as follows:

• Applying big data techniques using Python in my current research to gain a good understanding of machine learning (ML) and its applications

• A planning session to formulate a ML problem in a different area and develop a strategy

• Literature reviews

• Data collection and cleaning

• Creating a machine learning model to analysis our own data

• Regular meetings to evaluate project progress and tasks. The ML problems that I intend to explore are mainly those in the stock market, such as • Forecasting the trend of stock market indices • Discriminating market sentiment from market noise • Predicting stock market crashes. If an alternative ML problem can be derived from the field of studies and research interests of the mentees, then the project can also be focused towards that direction.



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The main aim would be to draw (hopefully interesting) insights from data and to learn from each other’s fields!

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS • Interest in machine learning • Interest in stock markets • Social or natural sciences background. The following are desirable as I will be carrying out the project alongside the mentees: • Basic knowledge of Python • Basic machine learning knowledge • Basic knowledge of the stock markets.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES • Literature reviews • Data analysis • Data collection and cleaning • Programming (Essentially, the points listed in the structure of the project).

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? • Develop a good understanding of ML and its applications • Experience of developing and implementing a machine learning model • Enhance (or acquire) programming skills • Knowledge of H->bb analysis • Knowledge and insights into the stock market • And a new tool to help you trade or invest!



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CLOSED PROJECT: Getting Ready for Your Studies!

Cassie Zhang Institute of Education

PhD, Education, Practice and Society

12 weeks

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR Hello, my prospective mentees! I’m Cassie, a third-year PhD candidate. I have an academic background in business and organisation studies, particularly in the higher education setting. I’m skilled in various data analysis tools including SPSS, Nvivo, Python etc. and adept in software such as video editing, photoshop etc. Before pursing my PhD study, I received LLM in international business law where I received the Certificate of Academic Standing issued by the Bar Standards Board. I am a conference committee member of the Chinese Educational Research Association (CERA). I have work experience in Marketing Communications and Social Media Management. My current PhD research examines the emergence, evolution and institutionalisation of Chinese Education Recruitment Consultancies. Due to my multidisciplinary education background and working experience, I am particularly interested in mixed methods and interdisciplinary social science research. I presented my research in several seminars, with audiences including representatives of the Normal East China University; the Chinese Embassy in London.

THE MENTORSHIP My mentorship project will equip you well in your future studies at UCL. You will receive a "tailored" learning plan to your specific needs and stages of study, which typically covers the knowledge on literature review, academic writing and reading, thinking critically, quantitative and qualitative data analysis etc. Post-tasks/pre-tasks will be occasionally assigned based on the teaching content. Group discussions and peer exchange evaluating can be included depending on the number of mentees. All teaching sessions this year are likely to be delivered online due to current government guidelines.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS No specific requirements! All applications are welcome!

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES The expectation of my prospective mentees would be authentic engagement in all synchronous and asynchronous learning activities, and proactively asking questions relevant to learning during this mentorship program.



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WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? The benefit of participating in my project is gaining both quantitative and qualitative research methods.



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CLOSED PROJECT: The Various Intentions of the Multilingual Book: Reception, Handling, Uses

Daria Chernysheva School of European Languages, Culture and Society CMII

PhD in Creative Critical Writing

8 weeks

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR I am a writer, translator and scholar interested in interdisciplinary and multilingual projects. I have experience translating contemporary literary texts for the ‘real-world’ market, but older translations, especially of works by women writers, have formed the basis of my scholarly interests. I work primarily from Russian and French into English. My doctoral project entails translating the work of the early-twentieth century French poet Cécile Sauvage. I am interested in figuring out how bilingual/multilingual presentations of texts affect our reception of such texts. Additionally, my project aims to offer an alternative, creative form to the traditional academic dissertation in the humanities.

THE MENTORSHIP Within the scope of this mentorship project, I would like to focus on the bilingual/multilingual book as object. Although it is easy to find such books in any point in history, what is more elusive, and more interesting, is any evidence that might indicate how such books were meant to be used. This evidence might come in the form of introductory prefaces, publishers’ statements, or book reviews. Our work will involve combing archives and catalogues for such documents. I suspect that there are at least three types of bi/multilingual book formats, each with different ‘intentions’ – and aim to discover more!

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS An interest in translation and proficiency in languages other than English are both desirable, but not necessary.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES The mentees will work towards assembling a literature review of secondary sources that speak to the reception of bilingual/multilingual texts. We can start with contemporary materials (for example, what publishers have issued bilingual books in the past decade, and why?). I have a short bibliography to use as starting point.



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WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? The mentees will gain skills in performing database/catalogue/archival research, as well as knowledge of how to write up a literature review. They will also gain insight into the style of humanities research and writing, as well as what a non-traditional humanities project may look like.



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CLOSED PROJECT: The Microbiome in Neurogenerative Disease

Eva Lymberopoulos Institute of Health Informatics & Institute of Neurology

MRes + PhD AI enabled Healthcare

12 weeks

1 mentee

ABOUT THE MENTOR I have a background in neuroscience and psychology and am now in a doctoral training programme for AI in healthcare. My interests span neurodegeneration, biomarker research, precision medicine in neurology and psychiatry, cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging, the gut microbiome, and obviously AI! My research is investigating the role of the human gut microbiome in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s Disease, Motor Neuron Disease, or Alzheimer’s. I use graph network and machine learning methods to account for the complexity of the relationships I analyse.

THE MENTORSHIP This project will run closely along my current research. Microbiome research for neurodegenerative disease is a relatively new, but rapidly evolving field, and our methodology has the potential to fill many gaps of the current literature. The ultimate goal is to find or develop new treatment targets that could actually modify the disease course. To that end, the project will be quite flexible to accommodate the mentee’s individual skills and interests within the larger project. The mentee will be able to partake in lab meetings and the weekly journal club we run, as well as regular one on one meetings.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS A background in neuroscience, biology, or computer science would be preferrable. It would be great if you had some experience with data handling in Python or R, but this is not a requirement.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES As mentioned above, the project will be able to accommodate for your individual skills and interests. Possible responsibilities can range from literature review, data handling, to microbiome data analysis and programming.



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WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? You will be able to work in a welcoming and engaging lab with a flat hierarchy, which will enable you to be an independent researcher and produce a self-contained piece of work within a cutting-edge project.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Role of Ion Channels and Mitochondria in Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

Fahm Deen UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology

PhD in Neurology

12 weeks

3 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR I am a final year PhD student at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology with a background in neuroscience and strong interest in employing interdisciplinary research techniques to investigate peripheral neurophysiology. My current research focuses on understanding how abnormal function of ion channels and alteration of energy metabolism leads to changes in sensory neurons that contribute to neurodegeneration and pain in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

THE MENTORSHIP This project provides an exciting opportunity to work on novel experimental data that has been collected recently or conduct independent literary research. The mentorship will include an hour of discussion, tutorial (to provide training for analytical tools/software’s) or journal club once every week. In addition, mentees are expected to commit extra time for reading and completing tasks. Overall, the mentorship can be tailored depending on the student’s interests.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS Mentees are required to have a STEM background with a passion for neuroscience and interdisciplinary research techniques. Previous experience in applied statistics and data/image analysis would be extremely favourable. Alongside, mentees are required to have an interest in writing/publishing and critical verbal discussions.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES Mentees will be involved in data/image analysis and/or literature review and critical analysis (depending on the interests and skills of the mentee). Time commitment: a minimum of 2-3 hours per week.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? • Mentees will gain substantial knowledge about interdisciplinary research and emerging

ideas in neuroscience.



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• Mentees will develop critical academic analytical skills required for independent research. • Mentees will have hands-on experience in data analysis and planning follow-up

experiments. • Mentees will receive guidance regarding careers in science and internship/post-graduate

degree applications.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Doing Research in a Multidisciplinary Subject (Such as Cultural Diplomacy)

Firdevs Bulut

Centre for Multidisciplinary and Intercultural Inquiry

PhD in European Studies

12 weeks

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR I am a final year PhD student at European Studies. I am working on the concept of cultural diplomacy, focusing on the UK and Germany's cultural policies in the 21st century. I am looking at the British Council and Goethe Institute's cultural diplomacy policies, and how these institutions transform government advice into arts and culture programs.

THE MENTORSHIP The mentorship is mostly about social science research, and it will offer guidance for mentees as to how to create their own research processes. I will mostly give examples from my own research area (European Studies) but I will try and accommodate their needs.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS Students of social sciences, preferably working on qualitative research are welcome. Apart from my own department I can be of help to Translation, Literature students because I have background in both.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES

Mentees should engage in data collection, literature review, critical and discourse analysis. I will expect them to follow what I require from them (small exercises, some reading, etc.).

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?

My mentees will learn research skills in diverse and multidisciplinary subjects of social sciences.



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CLOSED PROJECT: The Puzzle of High-Risk Participation: How do Peace Movements Emerge in the Midst of War?

Jennifer Hodge Political Science & School of Public Policy

PhD Political Science

12 weeks

4 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR I am a PhD student in the Department of Political Science, and my research focuses on how civilians initiate peace movements in the midst of war. Prior to my PhD, I completed a MSc in Conflict Studies at LSE and worked as a Strategic Advisor in central government. My doctoral study focuses on the conditions under which civilians in war-torn communities challenge the use of violence by mobilizing and participating in peace movements in their communities. I plan to test the generalisability of my theory by compiling the first regional dataset of peace communities.

THE MENTORSHIP The aim of this project is to develop the first dataset of peace communities that emerge in the midst of war. This project will consist of weekly group tutorials with detailed guidance on how to conduct high quality independent data collection and include an explanation of weekly tasks. We will discuss the meaning of key concepts such as peace communities, first movers and nonviolent methods. We will also discuss coding best practice, covering themes such as transparency, reliability and completeness of data collection. Group tutorials will allow mentees to discuss and compare their coding decisions and identify areas of disagreement.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS • Familiarity with the use of Microsoft Excel.

• Interest in peace and conflict research.

• Ideally studying in the Department of Political Science, School of Public Policy.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES Mentees will attend weekly tutorials, where we will discuss key concepts and how to conduct high quality data collection. Outside of the weekly tutorials mentees will be conduct their own independent research, following a detailed peace communities codebook and inputting their findings into Microsoft Excel.



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WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? • Enhance or develop key academic research skills.

• Knowledge of dataset compilation and coding best practice.

• A better understanding of political participation under the most severe conflict conditions.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Cosmopolitans and Capital(s): First-Generation Students, Study Abroad, and Social Mobility in U.S. Universities

Jeremy Townley Institute of Education

PhD in Education, Practice and Society

8 weeks (initially)

4 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR With extensive international experience and graduate degrees in literature (MPhil) and creative writing (MFA), I have taught university undergraduates for fifteen years. I am now working on a PhD in the sociology of education, with a focus on higher education, international student mobility, and social inequality. My project explores the motivations, experiences, and outcomes of first-generation university students in study abroad programs. I am investigating not only the social and cultural capital that these students gain from their experiences, but the sociocultural resources they invest in their overseas education as a result of their first-generation status.

THE MENTORSHIP The mentorship will include an hour-long seminar-style meeting each week to discuss research skills and evaluate theoretical and empirical articles. Mentees will commit an additional hour each week to independent research. The mentor will provide tutorials on advanced database searches, article annotation, etc., as needed.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS Mentees should have a background in arts & humanities, social & historical sciences, and/or education, as well as interest in study abroad, social class, and higher education. Although study abroad experience, additional languages, and/or first-generation status would be beneficial, none are required. I also expect them to be curious, engaged learners who ask questions and share their ideas freely.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES Mentees will primarily be responsible for collaboratively developing a literature review for this project. They will conduct advanced database searches for relevant articles, books, and dissertations; organize their results with keyword indicators; write brief annotations; and report on their findings in writing and discussion. Mentees should complete their required research tasks in a timely manner and come to seminar meetings prepared to discuss what they have learned with their peers and me in a polite, respectful way.



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WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? Mentees will gain expertise in the latest research on study abroad, social class, first-generation students, and global higher education, as well as develop or enhance research skills and techniques. They will also expand their academic and social networks.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Designing a Socio-emotional Cognition Task in a Sleep Paradigm for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Jessica Jiang Institute of Neurology

PhD in Neuropsychology

10 weeks

1 mentee

ABOUT THE MENTOR While my research now is focused on dementia, I've loved the field of research since my undergrad and actually initially began in family communications and ethics research. I'm always ready to chat and discuss any thoughts and theories that come about within research and even personal experiences. My PhD research is focused on dynamic auditory perception in Alzheimer's disease and Frontotemporal dementia

THE MENTORSHIP Past studies have found suggestions that sleep affects emotional processing, but there is a lack of objective measures to find clear results. This project looks to learn, study, and understand the present literature in this field, turning into the specific impact of sleep on emotional processing, in particular socio-emotional cognition (e.g., theory of mind), and how it is impacted in certain neurodegenerative diseases. Meetings will consist of analysing and discussing the relevant literature, presenting in meetings (e.g., journal club presentation), and building on potential frameworks to explore these within a sleep paradigm targeted at neurodegenerative diseases.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS Critical reading skills and interest in neuropsychology, but more importantly, a general interest to learn something new!

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES Writing a literature review and designing a new psychological experiment.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? A chance to design a new experiment that could potentially be used for future dementia patients.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Doing Inventive Ethnography in Post-conflict Scenarios: Digital, Collaborative, and Applied Social Research

Juan Forero Department of Anthropology

PhD in Anthropology

11 weeks

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR I am an anthropologist and a web developer. I am interested in using ethnography to understand the way digital technologies impact post-conflict policies in Colombia. I am also interested in using digital tools creatively to foster collaborations in my ethnographic research. I have previous teaching experience in ethnographic research methodologies. After the 2016 peace accords in Colombia, ICTs became a political tool not only to connect people, but also to generate social reconciliation and economic development. This research aims to investigate the way policy makers, local bureaucrats, and conflict-affected populations in Colombia craft and experience peace through digital infrastructures.

THE MENTORSHIP This mentorship project aims to explore methodological issues that lie at the intersection of digital methods, experimental ethnographic approaches, and ethical implications of studying conflict-affected contexts. It will be a great way to engage with contemporary perspectives on what it is to make anthropology and social research nowadays. The mentee will undertake academic and non-academic literature searches of the topics assigned by the mentor. The project will consist of weekly group discussions about recommended readings and updates of the mentee’s research. By the end of the Mentorship, the mentee will come up with an idea for his/her own digital/creative/collaborative research project.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS Ideally studying any undergraduate degree in social sciences or humanities. A genuine interest in digital research and topics that involve political or social issues. Proactive, independent, creative, and experimental. Interest in Latin America. Knowledge of Spanish is desired but not required.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES According to the week and stage of the mentorship, the mentee should:

3. Analyse selected readings suggested by the mentor and discuss them in the meetings 4. Do bibliographic searches and review relevant literature found in it



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5. Prepare and present an original idea of a possible experimental research project.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? The mentee will have an exciting opportunity to build analytical and search skills, while learning to think creatively and approach experimentally to ethnographic or social research. The mentee will finish the mentorship with a creative idea for a collaborative project so that he/she can develop it in the future.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Policing and Crime Prevention in Smart Cities

Julian Laufs

Department of Security and Crime Science

PhD in Security and Crime Science

10 weeks

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR

I hold a BA in International Relations from Malmö University in Sweden and an MSc in Countering Organised Crime and Terrorism from UCL. Between my studies I worked in the German Embassy in Washington D.C. as well as the Delegation of the European Union to Uganda. My research interests include smart cities, future crime, police demand, and policing during pandemics such as COVID-19. My main project focusses on the social acceptability of smart surveillance technologies for crime prevention in the future. In addition, I am working on a number of other projects, including one on policing during pandemics and one on ethics and smart surveillance.

THE MENTORSHIP If you become a mentee on this project, you will work closely with me on either of the above-mentioned projects. Details of this can be discussed. The mentorship will include several (virtual) meetings with me and the team, data analysis (don't worry, everything you need to know will be explained to you), as well as other tasks. Depending on your level of commitment, you may be able to help us with publishing some results of the studies. Other tasks can be discussed and depend on the level of involvement and skill of the individual mentee.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS • A strong command of the English language is required.

• Interest in crime and crime prevention, surveillance, and related fields.

• German language skills are a plus but not required.

• Studying towards a social science degree may be beneficial but not required.

• Previous experience in quantitative or qualitative research is a plus.


• Data analysis.

• Literature review.

• Other tasks to be decided ad-hoc and to be discussed.



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WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?

• You will get insights into some very interesting and timely research in the field of Crime Science.

• You will gain new research skills.

• You will work with leading researchers in the field of Crime Science and make valuable contacts for the future.

• Depending on your level of involvement and skill, you may co-author a publication.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Exploring Psychological Drivers of Eco-Friendly Identities of Extinction Rebellion activists and General Public

Laura Zaikauskaite

Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology

PhD in Psychology

11 weeks

10 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR

• 3rd year PhD Psychology student; MSc Industrial, Business and Organisational Psychology Demonstrator; PGTA for 2 BASc modules (eco-sociology).

• Research focused on the psychology & cognitive neuroscience of eco-(un)friendly behaviours.

• Interdisciplinary methods: qualitative, quantitative, EEG, fMRI.

THE MENTORSHIP The project that we will be working on is set to explore the social identities related to environment-friendly behaviours and pro-environmental consumption. The study aims to better understand the psychology of eco-behaviours, and why people might interpret the same environment-related information in a different manner. Our target audience is Extinction Rebellion activists and the general Public, and we will be using semi-qualitative approach to overcome biases that people might have when interviewed on eco-friendly behaviours. We will be using interviews, followed by a Q-sorts methodology which provides a subtle access to a range of attitudes that people hold towards eco-(un)friendly actions. We will go through the research project from start to finish. The meetings will include all the information necessary to complete the research project and/or address issues at hand.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS Interest in:

• Exploring the psychology of eco-friendly behaviours.

• Qualitative methodologies and willingness to collect interview and Q-sorts data according to given instructions.

• Learning data coding and analysis.

• Searching and reviewing relevant literature.

• Social science and figuring out the unknown.


• Literature reviews.



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• Learning Qualitative (thematic analysis) & Q-sorts methodologies.

• Data collection

• Data analysis.

• Data interpretation.

• Learning the psychology of pro-environmental consumption.

• Learning to conduct social identity & attitude research.

• Searching for participants and running an experiment online with at least with 2 participants (materials will be given and the procedure will be explained).

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?

• Insights into the psychology of eco-friendly behaviours.

• Practice in building theoretical frameworks from existing literature.

• Research design, data collection, analysis & interpretation skills (Qualitative, Q-sorts).

• Hands on experience in running and handling the experiments.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Literature Review and Data Analysis of Literature on Self-Healing Infrastructure Systems

Lauren McMillan Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering

PhD in Anticipatory and Self-healing Infrastructure Systems

8-12 weeks (flexible)

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR

I'm a PhD student in the Infrastructure Systems Institute, with current research interests in self-healing algorithms, resilience, and digital twins. I have an MEng in Civil Engineering, and currently work as a TA in my department. Infrastructure systems, which include energy, water, transport and telecommunications networks, are vital to our societies. When there are failures, whether a burst pipe or a landslide blocking transport, it's crucial we get systems running again as soon as possible. My research focuses on building a model that can hopefully assist in anticipating when and where failures might occur, before they happen, as well as helping the network to heal itself in the smartest possible way. The effects of policy changes or low-carbon incentives could also be modelled. This has potential use cases in urban planning, disaster management, and decarbonisation initiatives.

THE MENTORSHIP As my research is looking at all types of infrastructure systems, as well as self-healing methods (including but not limited to algorithmic approaches), meetings would typically involve a presentation on methods/challenges/examples for a particular sector (transport, energy etc.) or existing work on resilience. A mentee might then be tasked with researching a new approach (genetic algorithms, drones, machine learning etc.) and we would discuss their findings. The project could also take a data analysis perspective, based on interest. Data analysis methods would be introduced, for analysing results of a literature search. As I'm at the literature review stage, your findings will shape the methods chosen for future modelling.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS A STEM or geography background would be beneficial, particularly with an awareness of or interest in algorithms. Some knowledge of data analysis tools would be helpful but is not essential. Any experience with Gephi or similar visualisation tools would be a bonus, as would any knowledge of bibliometric tools like Bibexcel or VOS viewer. This is not at all essential, although a mentee for this task should have some confidence with data analysis, and not be afraid of trying new software.



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RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES Primarily reviewing literature, with the potential for data analysis. Data analysis would be in the context of a literature search, e.g. co-citation analysis, clustering.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? Guidance in reviewing literature, covering how/where to search, document your search, critically review and present findings, giving you more confidence in conducting your own research. If desired, you would gain data analysis experience, helpful for academia and industry. The chance to learn about emergent research in the field of infrastructure.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Interpreting Cultural Artifacts: British and German Toys and Games from the Age of Empire

Les Newsom School of European Language, Culture and Society

PhD in German

8 weeks

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR I am a first-year PhD student in SELCS researching the impact children's play and education had on the development of nationalist, imperialist and racist ideology during 'The Age of Empire'. Previously I have been a mentor for first-year undergraduates at Birkbeck College and I tutor A-level history students. My research focuses on using toys, games and children's literature as cultural artifacts. Interpreting their intention, use and impact on the development of children's viewpoints with the intention of determining the level of any deliberate policy, formal or informal, from society to promote these ideologies. It is a comparative study between Britain and Germany 1871-1914.

THE MENTORSHIP The aim of this project is to interpret and catalogue existing images of cultural artifacts collected from British as German archives. These include toy figures, models, board games and advertisements. Participants will have the chance to interpret and categorise different cultural artifacts and then discuss their interpretations during meetings. Although I am a historian, these skills will benefit anyone who is interested in using cultural artifacts or images for primary evidence. Mentees will also be able to discuss their work and projects to develop ideas, writing and study or research skills. Being a mature student who returned to full time education after a long break I can share experiences with others in the same situation.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS Participants can be from any disciplinary background that requires the interpretation of cultural artifacts and images. An interest in European history or children's history or development would be preferential but not essential.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES Main responsibilities of mentees would be sorting, analysing and cataloguing images of primary source. There may also be an opportunity of conducting some original research.



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WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? Mentees will be able to develop their critical thinking and analytical skills with interesting primary sources. They will also be able to discuss their own work and receive feedback and guidance where appropriate.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Investigating Subjective Time Perception Changes in Aging and Dementia

Mai-Carmen Raquena-Komuro Dementia Research Centre (Institute of Neurology)

PhD in Clinical Neuroscience

10 weeks

1 mentee

ABOUT THE MENTOR I have an insatiable appetite for learning. Although my PhD topic is quite conceptual and even philosophical, I first completed a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering, performing “wet lab” work and applying industry oriented ways of working. Obtaining a Master’s degree in Neuroscience from Oxford did allow me to make the bridge. My research focuses on how aging and different forms of dementia may impact subjective time perception using questionnaires and psychophysical experiments.

THE MENTORSHIP The mentorship will consist in comparing different ways of analysing psychophysical data that I’ve already collected from healthy control participants and patients. I will first deliver a couple of 1hr long seminars to introduce the research topic and the analysis methods used. The rest of the mentorship will be spent on data analysis and programming. Tutorials will be provided for non-proficient MATLAB users. No matter the mentee’s level, they will be accompanied to ensure smooth learning and increase their confidence in programming. I will also be very happy to share my broader experience in academic research.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS The mentee should have a general interest in psychology and dementia research. They should have minimum knowledge in statistical analysis and be confident in using SPSS. Basic ability to code in MATLAB is ideal but if not, they must be highly motivated to learn, as learning any programming language involves a steep learning curve.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES In the first stages, the mentee will attend 1h long seminars and will then be required to spend an extra hour for reading papers related to the project. A minimum of 2hrs/weeks will then be required for data analysis, but ultimately this will depend on the mentee’s programming proficiency.



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WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? The mentee will gain experience in conducting academic research, be more confident in data analysis and visualisation, and finally improve their programming skills.



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CLOSED PROJECT: How to Prevent an Escape of the Inescapable… Reading Neuroscience Papers

Nicole Vissers Faculty of Life Sciences

PhD in Systems Neuroscience at the SWC

6 weeks

4 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR • First Year Neuroscience PhD student with a lot of experience in performing experiments

• Wide interest in Systems Neuroscience, Complex and Dynamical Systems and Inhibition

• Besides Neuroscience, also interested in Physics, Maths and Biology

• Besides Science also interested in lots of things, such as reading books, making music, arts and sports.

My research focusses on the role of the vLGN, a nucleus in the thalamus, in the escape of a prey from a predator. This vLGN is an inhibitory nucleus that contains subgroups of inhibitory neurons. During my PhD I will specifically study the role of these inhibitory neurons in escape behaviour.

THE MENTORSHIP During our project I would like to discuss papers together in a journal club and based on your input discuss specific topics that are important in neuroscientific research, such as project planning, making a poster, writing a paper, presenting data etc. Because the project is not set it will be guided by your interest and my experience/expertise. The focus will be on systems neuroscience.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS There is no specific skill required to become a mentee. An interest in neuroscience and some experience with reading (neuro)scientific papers might come in handy. We can all learn from each other, so also students with different backgrounds are welcome to share their view on neuroscience.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES You can expect to read papers and discuss the outcomes. In addition, based on the interest of the whole group we might make a poster/presentation etc.



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WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? You will gain experience in academic research knowledge and skills that are useful in science. You will get to know other students interested in neuroscience and the possibility of asking me all the questions you have ever had about science and doing a PhD.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Project-Based Research Development

Olushade (Shade) Adepeju-Joseph The Bartlett School of Construction and Project Management

PhD, Project Management

12 weeks

6 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR I have about two decades of combined experience in marketing and project management; with exposure and competency in implementing technology strategy and governance. I am hoping to explore the implication of trust governance on public policy in the planning and development of smart cities. My doctoral research aims to respond to the need for a trust governance framework in the planning of smart cities; focussing on the implication of such a framework on public policy and urban planning strategy.

THE MENTORSHIP

• Bi-monthly workshops to teach critical thinking and communication.

• Monthly skill building group tasks to teach collaborative problem solving.

• Supporting mentees' learning in the development of sound research objectives through comprehensive bi-monthly literature review tasks.

• Inspire and nurture mentees in the area of my study which is about public policy, strategy and governance in the planning and development of smart cities.

• Have my mentees work as research assistants under a project shadowing scheme to expand their horizon and competency outside their core areas of knowledge, such as in project management, governance, and marketing.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS • An interest in project management.

• An interest in technology management or policy development.

• Skills in Public Policy; Cybersecurity; Infrastructural Financing; Urban Planning; Web Programming; Graphics Design; Data Analysis/ Statistics.


Literature Review Exercises; Critical Thinking and Communication; Data Analysis; Participation in Group Tasks; Graphic Design and Programming; Website Development; Presentations of Audio and Video Content.



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WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?

• Mentees will learn new skills in collaborative, strategic and management thinking.

• Mentees will utilise their core competency within assigned group tasks featuring real-world cases, and receive certificates of proficiency upon completion.

• Mentees will receive recommendation needed to enrol in a desired project management certification course, such as the project management professional (PMP) certification.

• Mentees will receive personalised mentoring in professionalism and leadership.

• Mentees will receive life-long learning techniques.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Literature Review and Meta-analysis Over the Carbon Pricing

Pu Yang UCL Bartlett School of Construction and Project Management

PhD in Climate Change Economics

8 weeks (initially)

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR I'm currently a third-year PhD candidate fully sponsored by UCL. I have experienced in student supervision and received a UCL Research-led Initiative Award (£1000) for Master student's supervision project. One of my students has turned his Master dissertation into journal paper and successfully published in an impactful journal. I've always been interested in energy and climate change topics, and a major interest is to price the CO2 based on cost-benefit integrated assessment modelling. Using the model developed by 2018 Economic Nobel prize laureate, I will investigate the social cost of carbon emission with substantial updates and uncertainty analysis, and then compare the social cost with the technological cost to carbon reduction to provide mitigation policy implications.

THE MENTORSHIP In this project, I would like to conduct a literature review over carbon pricing, focusing on the carbon pricing from two aspects: price the carbon on the climate damage it caused and price the carbon on the cost to replace low-carbon technologies. The literature review is an essential skill for your future research. In this project, I will share my own experience for paper reading, and teach you how to review the literature quantitatively. Together we will conduct a meta-analysis over the carbon pricing and hopefully get published afterwards.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS 1. Interest in climate change research; 2. Studying towards an energy and climate change-related research degree; 3. Open to new knowledge and eager to learn something new; 4. Have a desire for journal publication.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES You will learn to conduct a literature review and meta-analysis the results from the paper. Specifically, you will search for related publication under carbon pricing topic, review the paper in general, collect data from the papers and conduct meta-analysis.



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WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? • Learn essential skills to conduct a literature review, which will be essential if you choose

to apply for a research degree and prepare a research proposal.

• Use bibliometric and meta-analysis to conduct a literature review in a quantitative and fancy way.

• High possibility to generate a journal paper afterwards (significance***).



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CLOSED PROJECT: Inhaling Genes: A Non-invasive Route to Deliver Therapeutics to the Body

Savvas Dimiou UCL School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutics

CDT PhD in Pharmaceutics

8 weeks

1 mentee

ABOUT THE MENTOR Hi, I am Savvas and I am from Greece. I did my Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and my Master's degree in Pharmaceutical Formulation and Entrepreneurship. I am currently doing my PhD funded by UKRI in Pharmaceutics in UCL. My research interests are biochemistry, gene delivery, and biopharmaceuticals. My research is focused on the delivery of nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, in the form of spray-dried powders via lungs. Our aim is to develop a gene delivery system that is non-invasive and that further has increased stability and sterility as a spray-dried powder.

THE MENTORSHIP The aim of this research mentorship project is to investigate the advances, challenges, and perspectives in gene therapy. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic there will not be any lab-based research work in this mentorship project and it will be rather focussed on developing your academic writing skills, presentation skills and the potential of ultimately creating a manuscript for a literature review publication in which you will be part of.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS • Undergraduate Degree: Biochemistry, Pharmacy, or Chemistry.

• Skills: Proficiency in English. Microsoft Word and Powerpoint.

• Interests: gene therapy, formulation, delivery of biopharmaceuticals, biochemistry.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES Learn about gene therapy in the pharmaceutical industry by investigating the current development of gene delivery for the treatment of various diseases. This will consist of a literature review around the advances and the challenges of gene therapy with the scope of making a review manuscript for publication.



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WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? Deep understanding of the gene delivery field, enhancement of your scientific writing and presentation skills. Preparation for writing your thesis. Potential for participation in a literature review publication.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Non-linear Urban Dynamics: A Quantitative Exploration into the Impact of Development on Urban Growth

Sepehr Zhand Bartlett School of Architecture

PhD Architectural Space & Computation

12 weeks

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR I have been trained as an architect and practiced as a designer and development planner. I have also taught in Iran and the UK, and currently I am a PhD candidate at the Space Syntax Laboratory, where I am using data science methods to understand how cities grow in an unprecedented way. I am particularly interested in conducting research within domains that are traditionally done through speculation and philosophization and bring about evidence-based methods. My research looks at the cities in the developing countries and tries to question whether the development policies that are meant to improve the conditions of everyday lives are doing so or not. In my research I would argue that most of the deterministic policies in this context are failing and therefore cities grew in a way to resuscitate this condition.

THE MENTORSHIP I am specifically interested to engage with individuals who seek to cross their discipline and develop skills and knowledge in areas where they think is not present in their current field. we will have weekly meetings to develop a coherent and mutually beneficial research methodology, and evaluate it on a monthly basis. the evaluation of the method is in itself a discussion session which can benefit the research. I will also guide on the evidence-based methods and the efficient ways to reach results. the mentorship here is tailored on the basis of the students knowledge and willingness to engage with a subject.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS A basic understanding of data methods would be ideal. What matters to me the most is to engage with individuals who are willing devout a portion of their time to do a mutually interesting project. I would like them to have some kind of idea on what they are interested and are eager to share and learn their learnings. It would also be great for me to learn from students of other disciplines, especially computational social sciences.



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RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES I would expect engagement with the research and willingness to develop skills and learn through doing in the field of spatial data analysis and GIS.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? A practice into spatial data analysis and its application into the wide range of practical research.



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CLOSED PROJECT: The Banal that is Worth Seeing: Collecting the Life of Everyday Objects

Silvia Binenti Department of Geography

PhD in Human Geography

12 weeks

4 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR My research background is truly multidisciplinary! I hold a BSc in Political Economy from King's College London. In 2017, I completed an MSc in Global Migration at UCL. After two years of work experience in research and consultancy, I completed an MPhil in Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge ahead of my Geography PhD. My previous research projects focused on the imaginaries of the Remembrance Poppy (2017) and the anthropology of grocery shopping in the time of COVID-19 (2020). My PhD research aims to explore the social agency of ‘activist’ commodities - such as t-shirts reading political slogans - and their ability to enhance political affect, discourse and action. As social life has further embraced commodification and performative consumerism, public opinion seems to be a battleground of competing objects. In this context, there is a growing market for ‘wearing’ political views and communicating politically through purposefully designed products

THE MENTORSHIP The project aims to create a collection of everyday objects we can find in our homes to uncover their hidden or taken-for-granted visual, material and social meaning. Each mentee will document and unveil the ‘social life’ that their selected object expresses and the histories it may hide. The ‘theme’ of the collection will be jointly decided according to the personal and academic interests of the mentees. You might discover that you have more “feminist,” “environmental,” “racialised,” “COVID-19” objects in your house than you imagine! I will guide you through the process of data collection, ethnographic storytelling, as well as the editing and potential divulgation of the final project.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS Inquisitive and critical thinking as well as bit of creativity are the only requirements for this project. While a background in the humanities or the social sciences would most certainly help, applications from different disciplines are not only welcome but also encouraged.



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RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES You will collect primary, qualitative data as filtered through your personal experience (it’s an object in your house!) and your senses. After all, you will be able to touch, see, smell and maybe even taste the object you select. I expect mentees to take photos of their selected object and engage in critical reflection on their origins and use.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? You will have the opportunity to conduct and shape your own primary research, while taking inspiration from and contributing to the wider, group project. I will offer guidance on research methods, creative academic writing and critical analysis of material culture (including guidance on key literature students might wish to explore).



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CLOSED PROJECT: Unboxing Recipe Boxes: Using Social Media for Generating Insights into Recipe Box and Food Subscription Services

Sonja Tilly Department of Computer Science

PhD in Computer Science

8 weeks

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR I am a second year postgraduate student in Computer Science. Prior to returning to university, I spent over a decade working as analyst in financial services. I am an advisor at food start-up Farmstand, helping to set up a robust data science framework. I presented my research results my at ODSC Europe in September 2020. My research focuses on the impact of sentiment and themes from media on social systems.

THE MENTORSHIP This project looks to extract information from social media sites such as Instagram or Twitter and process the data in order to generate insights into recipe box and food subscription services (think Gousto, HelloFresh, Mindfulchef, AllPlants, etc):

• Identify trending/popular food types/recipes/dishes

• Clustering

• Identify reasons why these foods are trending

• Identify user profiles related to trending foods

• Represent the data in a network

• Visualize results.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS The mentee needs an intermediate knowledge of Python, statistics, basic knowledge of natural language processing and machine learning, an interest in data science, proactive attitude and availability of at least two hours/week.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES The first four weeks will be focused on data collection and literature review (mentees). The following four weeks will be focused on data processing and analysis (mentor and mentees). Mentees will work on the project for at least 2 hours/week.



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WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? • You will be involved in a data science project from start to finish

• You will gain a project to add to your portfolio/CV

• Publish insights/results in a blog or journal

• You will gain insights into academic research.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Transnational Mobility: Material Objects and the Idea of Home

Sofia Poulia Department of Anthropology

MSc Social and Cultural Anthropology

10 weeks

3 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR I have graduated from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Department of Communication and Media Studies. I am currently a postgraduate student in the Department of Anthropology. I am particularly interested in the concept of identity from the perspective of socio-cultural Anthropology. I have participated in a range of research Anthropology projects. In my future thesis, I would like to focus on Muslim migrants in London from former Yugoslavian countries. My research questions are at an early stage, but I am interested in national identity formation, sense of belonging, as well as Islamophobic narratives in the current Brexit context.

THE MENTORSHIP I intend to run a visual anthropology project. The key idea is to collect photographs from material objects that can be found in houses of transnational migrants, currently living in London. These objects, which will be chosen by migrants themselves, must have some connection with their place of origin and the idea of home. In addition, each of them will participate in a semi-structured interview in order to explain his/her choice. The project comprises three phases: critically explore theoretical approaches, fieldwork, and the final selection of photographs and excerpts from the interviews with a view to be presented.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS Mentees need to study a humanities/ social sciences degree. They must be interested in conducting ethnographic research and have some basic photography skills. Priority will be given to Bosnian or/and Albanian speakers

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES Mentees should expect to engage in literature review and prepare themselves for a critical discussion during our first meetings. In the second phase, mentees should expect to find potential interlocutors and to conduct semi-structured interviews with them. Finally, they



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should expect to participate in the selection of the material, as well as in the final presentation of our project.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? Mentees will gain experience in anthropological research and visual ethnography.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Courts and Stability in Consociational Systems of Power-Sharing: The Case of Northern Ireland

Sophia Schroeder Department of Law

PhD in Law

10-12 weeks

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR I am a third year PhD student in Law with a strong background in public international law and conflict resolution. I have studied in the UK, France and Germany and lived for extensive periods in the Middle East. My passion is to share knowledge and give students the right tools to pursue their research interests. My research explores the role of courts in consociational systems of power-sharing, with Northern Ireland and Lebanon as my case studies. I seek to understand how courts react to consociations and the implications of their judgments for the regulation of identity-based conflict and the broader political set-up.

THE MENTORSHIP During the first weeks, we will gain knowledge of consociationalism and the judiciary in Northern Ireland. Later on, I will encourage you to independently find relevant literature, case law and other sources. We will then embark on a case law analysis to identify how courts resolve political conflicts between the different communities and deal with human rights-based claims. We will also look at the political context to better understand the implications of the judgments for political stability. Meetings will take a seminar-style approach with discussions around key literature and case law.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS • Interest in the topic and commitment to the project are the most important requirements. • Students of law and social and political studies are welcome to apply. • Ability to work well independently. • Understanding of public law and/or human rights law is a plus. • Previous experience in qualitative research is a plus.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES You will be expected to complete the readings prior to the meetings and proactively engage in our discussions. Data collection and preliminary analysis will also require some



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independent work (but don’t worry, we will talk everything through, and you can always ask for clarification!). The workload will be around 3-4 hours/week.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? You will get an insight into interdisciplinary research approaches, in particular socio-legal studies. You will learn new research skills and the project will also be a good preparation for your dissertation (I will provide additional support where appropriate).



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CLOSED PROJECT: Forecasting Wayfinding Trajectories with Machine Learning and AI Methods

Szymon Walkowiak The Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis

PhD in Artificial Intelligence

12 weeks

3 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR I am a Ph.D. researcher in AI at the Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis and the Alan Turing Institute. I'm interested in implementation and computational optimisation of novel AI approaches applicable to large-scale datasets to predict human behaviour and explain spatial cognition. I'm the author of “Big Data Analytics with R” (2016) and consult business clients on Big Data and statistical computing solutions. My PhD project, funded by The Alan Turing Institute, aims to investigate novel machine learning and scalable (Big Data) AI approaches with the use of rich spatio-temporal data to diagnose and explain early dementia symptoms related to spatial cognition e.g. spatial disorientation and wayfinding performance.

THE MENTORSHIP Forecasting spatio-temporal data is a quickly evolving research area which combines statistical, AI and distributed computational approaches. Understanding of how people navigate may allow us to predict early symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. This mentorship project offers mentees the ability to study trajectory data representations, their features and methods suitable for forecasting of spatio-temporal data. The project will be run remotely (via Zoom), the mentor and the mentees will work as a research team and will hold two weekly meetings (1 hour each) to discuss the progress and results of the project.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS Studying towards BSc in maths /statistics /computer science /data science / psychology / neuroscience; good knowledge of Python (or R); interest in Big Data and AI; very good English language and research skills.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES The main responsibilities of mentees include: literature review (Weeks 1-4), data engineering and feature extraction (Weeks 5-8), trajectory forecasting and modelling (Weeks 9-12). This mentorship project is planned for 12 weeks and assumes 6-10 hours contribution per week.



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WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? Participating in this project will give you a chance to: a) contribute to the high impact research b) learn and implement cutting-edge machine learning and AI methods c) work in a diverse research team with shared responsibilities and common goals d) receive a letter of reference upon successful completion of the project.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Extraterrestrial Relations: Exploring the Meaning of Beyond Earth Human Habitation

William Stewart

Department of Geography

MPhil/PhD Human Geography

8 weeks

1-3 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR

I am interested in political geography and my background and experience is related to this. I am probably one of the older PhD students (mid-30s) and have practical experience in the field. My related interests are around popular culture--specifically sci-fi and fantasy--and geography as well as outer space. My research explores the geopolitics of the ISS through the use of assemblage and actor-network theories. I am interested in the blurring of boundaries and cooperation that led to the creation and continued operation of the ISS. I aim to contribute to scholarship extending the remit of human and political geography beyond the confines of the Earth.

THE MENTORSHIP I have two things I hope to create: 1) my scholarly written work, and 2) a more public-facing project that incorporates music, art, and/or non-academic writing (depending on the skillset and interest of the mentee, of course). Our meetings will consist of an initial meeting to discuss the goals of the mentee and what they hope to achieve through this experience. From there, we will develop a plan to achieve those goals and discuss a tangible product we hope to create as a result of the mentorship. We will the develop a plan of action and achieve great things! (Or at least have fun).

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS Passion; self-direction; interest in the ISS or outer space.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES This is for you! We are creating something together but it is dependent on you to know what inspires and drives you to engage with this area of research. We will harness and develop your skills.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN? You will get to create something! We will learn together. We will contribute to a growing body of work at UCL that explores the ISS in new and exciting ways.



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CLOSED PROJECT: Developing a Segmentation Pipeline to Characterise and Quantify Radiomic Features of NSCLC CT Scans

Zihao Fang Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering

Mphil/Dphil Medical Physics and Bioengineering

12 weeks

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR

I have gained both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Medical Physics at UCL prior to the start of my PhD study, with 3 years’ experiences in healthcare industry and research institution. My current research at UCL focuses on establishing an automatic segmentation pipeline to uncover radiomic biomarkers of NSCLC cancer.

THE MENTORSHIP The aim of this project is to characterise and quantify radiomic features of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) on CT scans. Mentees will have the opportunity to explore the use of clinical data such as medical images and clinical reports, and gain a better understanding of how to apply image processing and deep learning techniques to capture radiomics information from the clinical dataset. Objectives of the project will involve literature review, algorithm development, data analysis and co-authoring with peers/supervisors. The mentorship will entail an hour of tutorial/meeting per week, and the mentee/s are expected with an additional 1-hour commitment for reading and completing the assigned research tasks. Questions outside of the meeting will be answered via email.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS Mentees are expected to have a minimal knowledge in statistics/mathematics, a strong interest toward writing/publishing. Experience with programming, especially python/MATLAB is essential. Mentees with a STEM background and experiences in computer vision/artificial intelligence are preferred.


• Critically review relevant journals and conduct a meta-analysis based on the existing works.

• Develop a pipeline that investigate the stability of features for reproducibility and repeatability on the available data.

• Establishing an analytical framework that captures the statistical relationship among radiomic features.



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• Final writing up, with support provided.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN?

Mentees will gain experience on establishing an AI based image processing tool, and enhance skills in programming, data analysis and data visualization. A piece of publishable writing will be achieved, with supports provided.


RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME PROJECTS PORTFOLIO · 2021. 2. 2. · research mentorship programme...

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