EDITORIAL
CONTENTS
A shared legacy
of exploration
We all experience the accelerating pace of change in the world
around us. It can be exciting and unnerving in equal measure
because change tests our capacity to adjust, to problem-solve
and to turn challenges into opportunities.
This need to adapt leads us on journeys of discovery, and
universities are at the heart of such new knowledge because
of our role in researching innovative solutions to the worlds’
biggest challenges and questions.
These journeys are the raison d’etre for a university.
Those of us who are engaged in this endeavour also have a
responsibility to communicate what we are learning. Only by
sharing our knowledge will we succeed as a community and as a
nation. This is why the University of Portsmouth is producing SOLVE
magazine – to share as scientists and educators our research and
knowledge-building that stand to make a difference to the world.
Portsmouth has been Britain’s gateway to exploration for
centuries, and the University of Portsmouth is similarly a portal
to global research that will benefit everyone. Our research
academics are world leaders in many fields, positioning not
just our local community, but also the UK, at the forefront of
sciences shaping the future – from impactful applied research
through to world-leading theoretical research.
We collaborate across the world with other research
institutions and industries to turn what we learn into practice,
to create innovative solutions to managing, sustaining and
sharing the world’s finite resources. A large body of our
research is also directed towards social wellbeing and improving
people’s lives. This is reflected in the University’s mission to
provide accessible tertiary education as the foundation on
which we build strong, confident communities, particularly
when faced with challenges as daunting as climate change and
economic globalisation.
But just as the world keeps moving, so do we. The articles
in this first issue of SOLVE cover just some of the extraordinary
work by our research teams, including world-leading advances
towards solving major environmental challengers on land and at
sea. We are also making our communities safer and fairer.
Our acclaimed gender research, for example, goes far
beyond analysing and reporting the social and economic cost
of disempowerment; it introduces functional, positive change
through innovative tools, processes, programmes and mindsets.
While the magazine highlights notable individuals, modern
research and innovation is a team sport. We take a thematic
approach that allows us to bring together cross-disciplinary
groups to maximise research performance and impact.
Since the first day we opened our doors in 1908 as a municipal
college and public library, we have looked towards the future. That
is the journey we are on and one that we invite all to join.
Professor Graham Galbraith
Vice-Chancellor
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH
03 NEWS
04 SUSTAINABILITY AND
THE ENVIRONMENT
05 Clarion call for a plastics
revolution
08 Chance for a deep blue
step change
10 Waste find brings PET to heel
14 Could car parts feed the world?
16 The world is our oyster
18 Plumbing new depths of
sustainable behaviour
20 Circular economy spins waste
into a resource
COVER PHOTO: 123RF
ENQUIRIES
Research and Innovation Services
[email protected]
PRODUCTION
Written, edited, and designed by the University of Portsmouth and
Coretext (www.coretext.com.au)
Copyright University of Portsmouth, all rights reserved
Read articles online and find out more information at www.port.ac.uk/solve
The information in this publication is correct at the time of going to print,
May 2020. Views and opinions expressed in the magazine are those of
the authors and contributors and do not necessarily represent the corporate
view of the University of Portsmouth.
University of Portsmouth
Issue 01 2020
21 The buck stops on a shop shelf
near you
22 Ecology: a new brand economy
24 Britain’s burning question
26 GENDER
27 Research lights gender equality’s
tortuous path
30 Girls’ night out on the femininity
tightrope
32 Decoding the language of
violence against women
34 Live on stage – a balancing act
extraordinaire
35 Diversity straining on its leash
The University of Portsmouth, like all universities and
research institutions, is responding decisively to the
coronavirus pandemic. As far as possible, research
and teaching has been moved online to limit the
disruption to people’s work and studies. As we meet
this unprecedented challenge we are mindful that our
responsibility to the future has never been greater.
Research and education will be two crucial bulwarks
as the world returns communities and economies to
health with confidence.
Published annually by the
University of Portsmouth,
Marketing, Advancement and
Communications Department,
Mercantile House, Hampshire Terrace,
Portsmouth, PO1 2EG, UK
SOLVE ISSN 978 1 86137 671 8 (Print);
ISSN 978 1 86137 672 5 (Online)
2
ISSUE 1 / 2020