Humanities and Social Sciences

Plastic pollution could linger at ocean surfaces for over a century, new research finds

Scientists from the Department of Geography and Environmental Science at Queen Mary University of London have developed a simple model to show how buoyant plastic can settle through the water column and they predict it could take over 100 years to remove plastic waste from the ocean’s surface.

Queen Mary film-maker and neurodiverse collective win BFI and Chanel Filmmaker Award

A collective of autistic artists co-led by Professor Steven Eastwood, Professor of Film Practice at Queen Mary University of London, has won one of this year’s BFI and Chanel Filmmaker Awards: Celebrating Creative Audacity, which recognise film-makers whose work pushes the boundaries of storytelling.

Queen Mary historians’ Cockney Yiddish Podcast wins Independent Podcast Award

A podcast that uncovers London’s hidden Cockney Yiddish culture, hosted by Queen Mary historians Professor Nadia Valman and Dr Vivi Lachs, has won Best Culture Podcast at the Independent Podcast Awards 2025, held at Kings Place in London on 15 October and hosted by comedian Harriet Kemsley.

Queen Mary and Barking and Dagenham Council establish landmark partnership to improve community health

Queen Mary University of London and Barking and Dagenham Council have launched a major new partnership to tackle local health and wellbeing challenges in the community. 

Queen Mary Professor wins Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism

Professor Andrea Brady, from Queen Mary University of London’s School of the Arts, has been awarded the Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism in Memory of Newton Arvin for her book Poetry and Bondage: A History and Theory of Lyric Constraint.

New report highlights British corporate links to environmental destruction in West Papua

A new report from the Centre for Climate Crime and Climate Justice at Queen Mary University of London has been launched in Parliament, drawing attention to the role of British companies and investors in environmental damage and human rights issues in West Papua.

New book investigates the militarisation of British democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan

A new book by Queen Mary University of London academic Professor Paul Dixon explores how senior military leaders, not just politicians, played a decisive role in driving Britain into the Iraq and Afghan wars.

Queen Mary partners on Bengali heritage walk marking 25 years of the Swadhinata Trust

A new local heritage walk celebrating Bengali history in East London will be launched this summer as part of South Asian Heritage Month and to mark the 25th anniversary of the Swadhinata Trust.

New digital resource launched to showcase the contributions of South Asians to British life

A major new digital resource exploring how South Asians have shaped British life over the past two centuries has been launched to mark South Asian Heritage Month 2025.

New international project explores how remittances can boost climate resilience in Africa

Queen Mary researchers join global team to address climate change impacts on food security and livelihoods

Blog: Britain’s plan for defence AI risks the ethical and legal integrity of the military

Elke Schwarz, Professor of Political Theory in the School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary University of London has written for 'The Conversation' on how Britain’s plan for defence AI risks the ethical and legal integrity of the military

Blog: England is expanding free school meals – here’s what could happen if they were given to all children

Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, Professor of Development Economics in the School of Business and Management at Queen Mary University of London has written for 'The Conversation' on what could happen if free school meals were given to all children in England

New study reveals triple disadvantage for workers from lower socio-economic backgrounds

Workers from lower socio-economic backgrounds face a triple disadvantage in the workplace, according to new research by Queen Mary University of London and the Institute for Employment Studies

Pride, Politics and Inclusion: The Transfeminist Agenda Reshaping International Relations

Dr Alexander Stoffel, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Politics and International Relations, is pioneering a transfeminist approach to global politics that centres inclusion, collaboration and the lived realities of trans people

Ground-breaking ceremony marks start of new School of Business and Management building at Queen Mary

An exciting step forward for Queen Mary and the East London community

Action needed to protect our creative future in the age of Generative AI

Launched today at SXSW London, a new report from Queen Mary University of London, the Institute for the Future of Work, and The Alan Turing Institute reveals how Generative AI is already having profound impacts on the UK’s creative economy and calls for urgent action to protect creative workers.

Supporting sustainability in film: Queen Mary academic leads cultural-environmental impact in Argentina

Dr Paula Serafini visited Argentina for Pasturas, a unique film festival focused on transhumance, to present new sustainability tools and pilot a consultancy supporting the festival’s environmental goals

Blog: Moomin merchandise and fashion: 80 years of ultra-savvy marketing that taps into childhood nostalgia

Professor Kiera Vaclavik, Director of the Centre for Childhood Cultures, Queen Mary University of London has written for 'The Conversation' on Moomin merchandise and fashion

Peopling the Palaces Festival returns with five-day celebration of resistance through art, performance and conversation

Peopling the Palaces Festival returns to Queen Mary University of London this June with a vibrant five-day programme of live art, performance, film screenings, workshops and conversation. Taking place from 4 to 8 June 2025, this year’s festival is curated around the theme of resistance.

Queen Mary professor to open European energy law conference on hydrogen and gas market reform

Professor Peter Cameron, Chair in Energy and Climate Law at Queen Mary University of London, will help launch a European conference on energy law in Brussels on 3 June 2025, exploring the future of hydrogen and gas market regulation

Blog: Cockney Yiddish: how two languages influenced each other in London’s East End

Nadia Valman, Professor of Urban Literature, and Vivi Lachs, Research Fellow, from the School of the Arts has written for 'The Conversation' on how two languages influenced each other in London’s East End

Blog: Could the assisted dying bill fall at the next hurdle?

Daniel Gover, Senior Lecturer in British Politics from the School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary University of London has written for 'The Conversation' on if the assisted dying bill fall at the next hurdle

Ian Parkes receives Honorary Fellowship at Queen Mary Graduation

Ian Parkes, formerly Chief Executive of the East London Business Alliance (ELBA) and Director of London Works, has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship at Queen Mary’s Spring graduation ceremony.

Why History Matters: Highlights from History East – A Festival of History

Last month, Queen Mary University of London hosted History East: A Festival of History, a public celebration of the ways that history continues to shape literature, politics and culture.

BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street are the real power behind Big Oil’s climate retreat, report finds

A small group of powerful investment firms is quietly fuelling the global oil industry’s retreat from climate targets, according to a new report published today by the Centre for Climate Crime and Climate Justice at Queen Mary University of London.

Venice Biennale 2025: New details revealed for British Pavilion co-curated by Professor Kathryn Yusoff

Further details have been announced for the British Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia 2025, where Professor Kathryn Yusoff from Queen Mary University of London is one of four curators leading the UK’s contribution.

Blog: Babe at 30: why this much-loved film is one of the best cinematic translations of a children’s book

Kiera Vaclavik, Professor of Children's Literature & Childhood Culture in the School of Arts at Queen Mary University of London has written for 'The Conversation' on why 'Babe' is one of the best cinematic translations of a children’s book.

Blog: Land reparations are possible − and over 225 US communities are already working to make amends for slavery and colonization

Elsa Noterman, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at the School of Geography, Queen Mary University of London, along with Sara Safransky, Associate Professor in the Department of Human and Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University, and Madeleine Lewis, Doctoral Student in the same department, have written for The Conversation on how land reparations are possible.

Blog: Inner London residents told me their food waste problems – composting definitely isn’t the answer

Sayed Elhoushy, Senior Lecturer in Marketing in the School of Business and Management at Queen Mary University of London has written for 'The Conversation' on Inner London residents food waste problems.

Heritage science takes centre stage in Bhutan

International collaboration brings innovative conservation techniques to Bhutanese museums