Exploring Global Problems Swansea University

In this episode, in discussion with host Dr Sam Blaxland, Dr Luca Trenta uncovers states’ use of covert action, with a spotlight on the US Governments involvement in state-sponsored assassinations. Spanning the time period from the Cold War through to contemporary times, Dr Trenta unearths the intricate dimensions of these clandestine operations.
Dr Luca Trenta is an Associate Professor in International Relations at Swansea University. Luca moved to the UK in 2009 to study a Master’s in International Studies at Durham University, followed by a PhD, that led him to a chance encounter to cook dinner for former US President Jimmy Carter. Dr Luca Trenta’s research centres around two main areas: the degree of state secrecy and state-sponsored assassinations. This research relies heavily on history and international relations scholarship on norms. It evaluates the US government’s degree of involvement in state-sponsored assassinations and the way in which these were debated, decided upon, and justified over the last 70 years.

In this episode Professor Brian Garrod in conversation with Dr Sam Blaxland, sheds light on the hurdles faced by neurodivergent children and their families on holiday and delves into how the tourism industry could adapt to be more accessible and welcoming.
Brian Garrod is a tourism marketing and management expert and professor at Swansea University. His teaching focus is on sustainable tourism. He is the author of eight textbooks and more than 50 research articles.
Professor Garrod’s most recent research has focused on neurodiversity: a topic familiar to him as the father of an autistic son. Generally, research on this topic has focused on schooling or the workplace, and little attention has been focused on leisure activities, such as a family holiday.

Joanne Davies discusses how highly trained educators and sim technologies; high-tech mannequins and the world's largest installation of immersive wall technology simulation are advancing healthcare education.

Dr Gabriela Jiga-Boy explores the concept of trust. With the danger posed by disinformation during societal crises (such as the pandemic or climate change), trust in facts and science seems more important now than ever. Does the public trust politicians and scientific experts? Conversely how much does the public feel trusted by those in power?
 
Dr Gabriela Jiga-Boy gained a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. After studying at Université Grenoble Alpes in France as an Erasmus exchange student, she fell in love with social psychology. Gabriela went on to gain a master’s degree and then a PhD degree in 2008 in experimental social psychology at Université Grenoble Alpes.Gabriela worked as a Research Assistant at Cardiff University before developing as a 3-year Postdoctoral Researcher at Swansea University in 2009, then becoming a Lecturer at Swansea University in 2012, promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2016.

With almost 60% of all plastic ever produced still polluting our planet, there are enormous issues posed by the massive volume of plastic waste present in our environment. However, by repurposing this massive stockpile of plastic waste into something more valuable we can turn this problem into a solution that benefits us all and paves the way for a brighter, cleaner future
In this episode, in discussion with Dr Sam Blaxland,  Dr Alvin Orbaek White, formerly an Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, unveils the incredible power of plastic waste. As one of the world's foremost experts on nanoengineering, Dr. Orbaek White discusses the ground-breaking potential of waste plastic, and how it can be transformed into valuable materials such as hydrogen gas and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). These powerful and versatile materials are the future of innovation, used in everything from cables and batteries to MRI scanners.
Dr Alvin Orbaek White is formerly an Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering and former Welsh Government Sêr Cymru II Fellow at Swansea University. He is also an entrepreneur having recently started up his own company TrimTabs to commercialise the sustainable energy knowledge that he has discovered.

In this episode, Professor Gareth Jenkins, in discussion with Dr Sam Blaxland, reveals how DNA can be mutated, how these mutations cause cancer, and how the chemicals around us, our lifestyle choices and our habits can increase or decrease the likelihood of our DNA mutating and developing into cancer.
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. Figures suggest 1 in 2 of us will get cancer in our lifetime. Despite these statistics, there are measures we can take to protect ourselves by reducing exposure to carcinogenic chemicals which cause DNA mutations.
Professor Gareth Jenkins, Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Swansea University, is a leading global expert in this field. We also learn of the huge advancements in cancer diagnostic technologies such as liquid biopsies and the identification of biomarkers that flag pre-cancerous conditions. Discover how Gareth's research is pushing innovation to enable the early detection of cancer – the Holy Grail in cancer research for better patient outcomes.