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The School for Cross-faculty Studies at the University of ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ is proud to be part of a diverse and inclusive community of staff and students. Our community includes many neurodivergent individuals across the spectrum, whose different perspectives, strengths, and ways of thinking enrich our learning environment and strengthen the collaborative work we do. To mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week, we spoke to one of these neurodivergent community members Ruhi - a first year GSD and Life Sciences student - about living with autism, and how the Higher Education sector still has a way to go to support neurodivergent individuals.

Click here to read Ruhi's story

A PhD candidate within our GSD doctoral programme recently presented a paper discussing the ethical and methodological challenges of her research at the Annual Western Society of Criminology Conference, which was held from 5–7 February 2026 in Denver, Colorado.

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Professor Elena Korosteleva, Director of the Institute for Global Sustainable Development (IGSD), has been invited to launch her highly acclaimed book , published by Oxford University Press in December 2025, internationally.

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The annual ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ Sustainability Forum in its third iteration took place on 2 July, bringing a community of researchers, practitioners and policy-makers together at ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ. It broke its record again(!) in terms of number :) having attracted nearly 70 participants from across the University and beyond!

For the first time, the WSF connected to the Spotlight's Sustainability Training School (STA), which was held in March 2026: the participants learned about the results of three fantastic group projects - on sustainable heritage; student retention, and green composting in the area led by the ECRs - and the support they received from Coventry City Council (Giuliana Famiglietti and her team in particular). The forum also brought three established thematic networks with their champions - Circular Economy; Sustainable Food/Agritech; RIFT - to hear about their work and plans for the future. There was an opportunity thereafter to hear new voices and submit thematic ideas/champion names for the next year. The Forum concluded with the stakeholder round-table, involving the Provost's keynote, and members of the House of Lords and local council, SOS UK, VUB HOST and experts from EU-US and UK consultancy companies.

IGSD was prominently represented there, building on the opportunities the Spotlight offers, and the expertise it connects.

The IGSD team met up in Scarman to exchange news regarding their research and funding activities; discuss how best to support the School's research environment and thematic clusters building; and to consider CPD opportunities for external partnerships.

IGSD team members have been successful in a series of funding opportunities, including British Academy, EU Horizon, and UKRI (1-stage applications). IGSD team also noted a growing success of their partnerships with the Sustainability Spotlight - a research network of 1000+ across ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ - and external partners including with China and India HEIs, EUTOPIA HEIs, and more.

The conference 'Disastrous Pasts and Sustainable Futures' organised by the Global History and Culture Centre (GHCC) with the support from IGSD and the Sustainability Spotlight, brought together a truly interdisciplinary cohort of scholars and practitioners, ranging from historians, architects, political and social scientists to life sciences and disaster studies.

Led by Dr Pierre Purseigle (GHCC) and IGSD/SCFS colleagues (Vangelis Pitidis, Camila Audia, and Marta Guerriero) the conference focused on the experience of devastated communities, and the process of urban recovery and on the manifold legacies of disaster, with a view for more sustainable futures. Speakers came from a range of UK HEIs (Loghbourgh; Oxford and Kings College London), Europe (Copenhagen, Torino, Fribourg, Tartu, Athens )and beyond (Columbia; Ghana, KwaZulu-Natal and Dakar).

We hope this important thematic initiative will continue to grow and result in relevant publications, and funding initiatives!

Our Liberal Arts programme equips students with the essential skills valued by employers across diverse industries, as demonstrated by the wide range of careers our graduates pursue. Frances joined our first ever cohort of Liberal Arts students in 2016, and her final dissertation on improving sustainability in healthcare helped towards securing her role as a Net Zero Strategy Analyst for NHS England. We caught up with Frances to recount more of her experiences as an undergraduate, and how she believes a 2,000-year-old discipline like Liberal Arts is still relevant for helping students develop skills sought out by modern employers.

Click here to read Frances' story

In our ‘Beyond the Classroom’ interview series, we speak to our Liberal Arts module convenors to reveal the deeper purpose and vision behind their academic modules. In our first entry to the series, we spoke to Dr William Rupp about his module Do you hear the people sing? Revolution and the Modern Musical.

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Dr Uribe Botta is an environmental historian whose work is deeply interdisciplinary, bridging history, cultural studies, and the material world. He specialises in the role of plants — particularly orchids — as actors in global and colonial history.

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