WORMS seeks to develop a new mathematical tool for analysing the sensing capability of micro-robots based on the flexible multibody system and fluid mechanics, to aid the detection of hard-to-visualise cancer metastasis in the adjacent capillaries of the primary bowel cancer site. In the long term, this work will initiate a new modality for metastatic cancer diagnosis, delivering an efficient, minimally invasive procedure for early cancer patients. The unique research approach of this fellowship, a joint effort of numerical and experimental studies, will be hosted by Prof. Yang Liu from the University of Exeter with the secondment supervisor, Prof. Antoine Ferreira from INSA Centre Val de Loire, and the consulting gastroenterologist, Dr Shyam Prasad, from the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The proposed work and training will have a significant impact on the fellow's future career at multiple levels, and the host may benefit from the fellow's expertise on flexible multibody systems and contact mechanics. Furthermore, the fellow will transfer knowledge and develop networking between the hosting and the secondment universities, which will foster a long-term research partnership placing Europe at the leading edge in developing the cutting-edge techniques of medical micro-robots.

Obesity (Body Mass Index (BMI)>30kgm-2) is the leading cause of premature death (1) and an urgent public health priority. Obesity is indiscriminate but particularly affects the socially disadvantaged, and is a major risk factor for conditions such as type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease (2). Obesity is causally linked to anxiety, depression, and loneliness - in part due to repeated exposure to weight stigma (3). Ill-health effects are even more marked for people with severe obesity (BMI>40kgm-2), shortening life by 10 years (4) and being associated with increased weight stigma experiences (5). Yet, despite the exacerbated health effects and accelerating severe obesity prevalence (6), people with severe obesity remain underserved in research. Economically, obesity will cost NHS England £9.7 billion per annum by 2050 (7) and, despite its relatively small prevalence, severe obesity accounts for 24-35% of this (6); partly due to the more intensive treatments, including surgery, pharmaceuticals, and behavioural interventions (8). In short, obesity (and, increasingly, severe obesity) is common, life changing and life-limiting. Specialist NHS weight management programmes for people with obesity and severe obesity are increasingly delivered using groups (9). Group-based behavioural interventions effectively support behaviour change and weight loss in the short-to-medium term (10), reduce comorbidities risk and improve quality of life (11). However, almost 80% of programme participants regain the lost weight within 3-5 years (12). Online forums users (13) reported successful weight loss but experienced difficulty sustaining weight maintenance (both dietary and physical activity) behaviours. The resulting "weight cycling" is costly to health and the NHS due to ongoing treatment needs. Therefore, research into how the effectiveness of such specialist programmes can be extended beyond the treatment setting is needed. The current PhD aims to address this gap with an interdisciplinary approach. The Social Identity Approach to Health (14) provides the theoretical framework for this PhD and considers the health consequences of shared social identity (SSI) in members of social groups. The approach strongly implicates social identity in a range of health outcomes. In the context of group-based obesity management, it provides understanding of group treatment effects and outlines how SSI serves as a key resource supporting health-behavioural decision making and associated motivation and capability (15). Importantly, group processes have become a focus for new group interventions SOUTH WEST DOCTORAL TRAINING PARTNERSHIP FINAL 20 Oct 2022 6 supporting behavioural management of weight (16, 17) and the obesity-related cognitive and emotional stressors, including weight stigma, low self-esteem and loneliness (18), that prompt behavioural "lapses" (e.g., emotional triggers stimulating over-eating) (19). My PhD seeks to assess how the impact of losing access to a supportive group membership contributes to people's engagement with long-term weight maintenance behaviours, ongoing health cognitions and weight status. The extent that SSI is sustained when the group treatment ends and its consequence for weight maintenance behaviours is unknown, but may contribute to later weight regain by (re-) exposing and increasing susceptibility to social and environmental stressors (e.g., feeling different to family not engaging health behaviours) (20).This interdisciplinary PhD will examine nutritional (i.e., diet) and social-psychological (i.e., SSI) contributors to weight cycling in past participants of group-based behavioural interventions for obesity.

Evidence is accumulating that a father's condition can be transferred non-genetically to the next generation and affect offspring development, performance and health. To date, the mechanisms underlying such paternal condition transfer effects remain poorly understood and their evolutionary consequences are largely unexplored. In this project you will use a bird model system (Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica), in which paternal condition-transfer effects on offspring reproductive performance have previously been demonstrated, to identify the origin, function and evolutionary consequences of non-genetic paternal effects using a highly multidisciplinary and integrative approach. Using in vivo experiments, combined with state-of-the-art - omics and physiological techniques, you will test how favourable or harsh early life conditions experienced by males affect their sperm and seminal fluid composition, and how different components of the male's ejaculate mediate cross-generational effects on the daughters' reproductive performance and health. Experimental in vivo and molecular work will be complemented by evolutionary modelling to quantify the role of paternal condition-transfer effects in altering the response to selection, as well as the potential of experimental interventions to modify evolutionary trajectories of reproductive traits under selection through paternal effects. The project will provide fundamental novel insights into the mechanisms underlying paternal condition-transfer effects across generations and the potential of early life interventions to alter evolutionary trajectories, both directly relevant to the management of animal health and performance as well as our understanding of the reproductive lives of birds. During the project you will obtain interdisciplinary training in a variety of state-of-the-art approaches and techniques that are highly sought-after by employers in and outside of academia, including experimental in vivo skills, molecular techniques, bioinformatics, and mathematical modelling. You will be based in a thriving, friendly and inclusive department and benefit from the complementary expertise of a highly multidisciplinary supervisory team. Relevant papers: Pick et al (2019) doi: 10.1002/evl3.125 Immler (2018) doi: 10.1038/s41437-018-0111-0 Gawehns et al (2022) doi: 10.1111/1755-0998.1359

I am applying for the DfE Applying Behavioural Insights to Education Fellowship. My proposed research also aligns well with the Ofsted Improving Outcomes Education Research Fellowship. Education is a vital pillar of society, with the power to transform the lives of individuals and communities, and I am excited to use my expertise and passion for education to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the challenges facing educators and learners. I aim to work towards more effective and equitable education policies and practices through the application of behavioural insights to education. I believe that this fellowship presents a unique opportunity to apply research and evidence to inform strategic education policymaking, shape the country's educational landscape, and ultimately improve outcomes for children and young people. Participating in the policy fellowship program will enable me to gain valuable experience in providing high-quality advice to senior leaders and Ministers in a timely manner. As an experienced researcher, from my previous work with academic and non-academic collaborators, I can offer insights into knowledge exchange within the Government host department. Through the fellowship, I expect to conduct research that will inform policy decisions by examining existing and emerging evidence on education standards and behaviours, conducting evidence-based horizon scanning exercises, and challenging the development of assumptions based on credible evidence. Where possible, I also plan to conduct primary research with stakeholders using innovative research methods to understand the drivers of education behaviours and co-design innovative solutions. Furthermore, as an ONS-SRS accredited researcher with the necessary training and expertise, I also aim to analyze large-scale datasets to identify factors associated with education behaviour and decision-making and provide policy advice to generate new insights of relevance. I hope to gain valuable experience in providing high-quality advice to senior leaders and Ministers in a timely manner. Additionally, I am eager to gain an understanding of government ways of working and policy-making processes, particularly in how research and evidence are utilised and embedded in policymaking. I am also eager to disseminate findings and publish research outputs as academic or policy papers, support capacity development in mixed methods research by designing and organising workshops, and participate in evidence-based future thinking exercises. I firmly believe that this fellowship provides an excellent opportunity to gain proximity to topical policy and delivery decisions at a national scale, inform, influence, and understand sector ways of working to help deliver research more effectively. In conclusion, I believe that the DfE Applying Behavioural Insights to Education Fellowship offers a fantastic platform for me to contribute to education policymaking, expand my professional network, and establish myself as an expert in the utilisation of administrative data to inform evidence-based policy and practice. I would be honoured to have the opportunity to participate in the program and contribute to enhancing the lives of children and learners across the country.

The body is made up of discrete individual structures known as cells which need to communicate with one another for proper function. In the brain this need for communication between cells is highly specialised and regulated. Without this high degree of specialisation complex tasks such as learning and memory, facial recognition and the perception of emotions would not exist. In the brain, individual cells are called neurones and the specialised structures that mediate communication between them, are synapses. The synaptic contacts between neuronal cells are not generally hard wired but constantly adapt to inputs from the environment. This adaptation is known as synaptic plasticity. Plastic changes in synapses occur on several levels ranging from molecular changes (the individual proteins found in cells) to morphological changes (those that alter cell shape). In order for morphological changes to persist there needs to be a rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton which provides physical structure to cells. At a molecular level, some of the signals which act as transducers of changes in the cell?s environment are secreted from one cell and are internalised (or endocytosed) by a neighbouring cell. In this manner cell to cell signalling is achieved. Morphological changes in neurons and initial stages of endocytosis involve a deformation of lipid membranes. Thus proteins that can both deform lipids and interact with the actin cytoskeleton are likely to have key roles in regulating both synaptic architecture and function. Proteins having these attributes are the focus of this application. One goal of the application is to determine how proteins form a bridge between the lipid membranes that surround cells and the actin cytoskeleton that maintains the shape of cells and to define how these proteins regulate synaptic transmission through morphological changes. A second goal of the application is to define the molecular pathway that is needed for signal transduction to maintain synaptic contacts in the brain. In neurodegenerative diseases the strength of contact between nerve cells (the synapses) is often affected and understanding which molecules are needed to establish and maintain these contacts in normal cells is important to be able to interpret the alterations in signalling that occur in diseased cells. Loss of these connections leads to deficiencies in learning and memory, facial recognition and the ability to perceive and convey emotions; these symptoms accompany many neurodegenerative diseases. Neurodegenerative diseases are becoming more prevalent in aging populations.