Students from over 120 countries choose to study at Aston University - a safe and friendly campus enjoyed by a global, multicultural community. Birmingham is one of the UK’s most diverse cities and home to an unrivalled cultural heritage, top sporting events, music, performing arts and outstanding world cuisine.

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As customer demand for low carbon goods and services is rising, it is becoming increasingly important for suppliers to demonstrate their carbon footprint. More and more businesses are reviewing their supply chain emissions.
 
All of these factors will drive growth in the low carbon market sectors including bioenergy, energy-from-waste, energy systems and bioproducts.
 
The Energy & Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI) at Aston University can help you explore these increasingly important, vibrant market. Our new two-day Value from Waste Master Class course provides exclusive content for entrepreneurs and business leaders, covering the technical and commercial fundamentals of these market sectors. Over previous years this course has been highly acclaimed by the West Midlands business community. (96% of attendees have rated it ‘Excellent’ or ‘Very Good’.)
 
Discover more from EBRI Director of Engagement, Tim Miller about how we can help you.
 
www.aston.ac.uk/ebri
www.bioenergy-for-business.org

EBRI – Helping your business on the path to Net Zero

Jonathan Hemus, Managing Director of Crisis Management consultancy Insignia explains what crisis management involves and why it is vital for businesses.

What is Crisis Management?

Aston University is the Official University Partner of Aston Villa Football Club. Watch Aston Villa footballers Marvelous Nakamba, Tom Heaton and Frederic Guilbert discuss moving to Birmingham, easy travel to London and Manchester, and the famous Library of Birmingham. Find out more about our location: https://www2.aston.ac.uk/birmingham

Aston Villa players on living in Birmingham

Birmingham Enterprise Community (BEC) supports the next generation of entrepreneurs in the UK’s second-largest city. Watch Aston graduate and BEC founder Daniel Evans introduce the network. Find out about the start-ups of Aston graduates and BEC entrepreneurs Mubasher Ahmed (Founder, HiERD) and Danielle Roberts (Founder, Unlimited You), as well as current student Mohammed Ali (Freelance Photographer). 



Find out more about BEC: http://www.birminghamenterprisecommunity.co.uk/


Find out more about study opportunities for future entrepreneurs at Aston University: https://www2.aston.ac.uk/study/enterprise

Birmingham Enterprise Community – meet the next generation of entrepreneurs

Watch how Aston graduate and entrepreneur Adil Delwar from Bangladesh founded biodegradable tableware manufacturer Palm Life, how his Aston master’s helped him to develop entrepreneurial skills and international business strategies, and how he started his business with the support of the BSEEN programme #wedobusiness #entrepreneur https://www2.aston.ac.uk/study/enterprise

How I became an entrepreneur – Adil Delwar’s story

Watch how Aston graduate and entrepreneur Shivang Mehra from India founded sportswear brand Kryjer, how the work placement year in his Aston degree helped him to decide to be an entrepreneur, and how he started his business with the support of the BSEEN programme #wedobusiness #entrepreneur https://www2.aston.ac.uk/business/aston-enterprise/start-a-business-bseen/index

How I became an entrepreneur – Shivang Mehra’s story

See how international student Raveena Shekhar from India gained global advantage at Aston Business School. Our professional development programme gave her the opportunity to work as an Audit Assistant at KPMG in Birmingham. Raveena studied our MSc International Accounting and Finance #WeDoBusiness 

https://www2.aston.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught-programmes/abs/the-aston-global-advantage/index

The Aston Global Advantage - Raveena's story

The role of doctors in the fight  against Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

The role of  nurses in the fight against Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR

How can the public fight the threat of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

Margarita takes you through her experience of studying BSc Business & Management.

You can find more detail, including fees, modules, study modes etc here: https://www2.aston.ac.uk/study/courses/business-and-management-bsc

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact our admissions team: ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk

HERE IS BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT

Linglin takes you through her experience of studying International Business & Management as an international student.

You can find more detail, including international fees, courses, visas etc here: www.aston.ac.uk/international

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact our admissions team: ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk

HERE IS INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT

Aslaug takes you through her experience of studying BSc International Business & Management.

You can find more detail, including fees, modules, study modes etc here: https://www2.aston.ac.uk/study/courses/international-business-and-management-bsc

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact our admissions team: ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk

Amelia takes you through her experience of studying at Aston Business School.

You can find more detail, including fees, modules, study modes etc here: https://www2.aston.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/abs/index

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact our admissions team: ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk

HERE IS ASTON BUSINESS SCHOOL

Ella takes you through her experience of studying International Business & Modern Languages.

You can find more detail, including fees, modules, study modes etc here: https://www2.aston.ac.uk/study/courses/international-business-and-modern-languages-bsc

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact our admissions team: ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk

HERE IS INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS & MODERN LANGUAGES

major-trial-shows-increasing-bone-density-fails-to-cut-fracture-risk-in-brittle-bone-disease

Major trial shows increasing bone density fails to cut fracture risk in brittle bone disease

  An international clinical trial involving Aston University researchers has challenged long held assumptions about how brittle bone disease is treated in adults, after finding that substantially increasing bone density did not reduce the risk of fractures.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), examined whether a two stage treatment using the bone building drug teriparatide followed by the bone preserving drug zoledronic acid could reduce fractures in adults with osteogenesis imperfecta, often referred to as brittle bone disease, a rare genetic condition that causes bones to break easily throughout life.

Researchers followed 349 adults treated at 27 specialist centres across the UK and Europe. While the treatment led to clear increases in bone density in the spine and hip, fracture rates were no lower than among patients receiving standard care, suggesting that bone quality may matter more than bone density alone in preventing fractures in people with the condition.

The findings underline a key distinction between brittle bone disease and more common bone conditions such as osteoporosis, where increasing bone density is known to reduce fracture risk.
In osteogenesis imperfecta, the study suggests that bones can become denser without becoming less likely to break, indicating that the underlying quality and structure of bone tissue may play a greater role in fracture risk than density alone.

Dr Zaki Hassan Smith, an endocrinologist at Aston Medical School who contributed to the research, said:

“This study shows that in osteogenesis imperfecta, simply increasing bone density doesn’t necessarily translate into fewer fractures. That’s important, because it tells us that the disease is more complex than what we see on a scan. The findings help shift the focus towards understanding bone quality and how bones behave in real life, which is essential if we are to develop more effective treatments that genuinely reduce harm for patients.”  Osteogenesis imperfecta is a genetic condition that affects collagen, leaving bones fragile and prone to fracture throughout life. There is currently no licensed treatment specifically approved to prevent fractures in adults with the condition, and patients often experience repeated fractures, chronic pain and long term disability.

The trial tested a sequential treatment strategy commonly used in osteoporosis, where a bone building drug is followed by a treatment designed to preserve gains in bone strength. Although this approach successfully increased bone density in people with osteogenesis imperfecta, it did not reduce fracture rates, suggesting that treatment strategies effective in osteoporosis may not directly translate to rare bone diseases.

Researchers did observe improvements in some quality of life measures among participants receiving the treatment, including reduced pain interference and improved mobility. However, fracture prevention remained unchanged, reinforcing the need for new approaches that target the fundamental properties of bone in osteogenesis imperfecta rather than density alone.

The study was led by the University of Edinburgh and funded by the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. Aston University contributed clinical and academic expertise through Aston Medical School as part of the large international collaboration, which involved specialist centres across the UK and Europe.

The study was led by the University of Edinburgh, with Aston University contributing clinical and academic expertise as part of a wider international collaboration involving multiple specialist centres across the UK and Europe. The research was funded by the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

Researchers say the findings provide important guidance for future research, helping to steer efforts towards treatments that focus on bone quality, strength and resilience in everyday life. They also highlight the value of large scale clinical trials in rare diseases, where learning what does not reduce harm is an essential step towards better care.

The paper, Teriparatide Plus Zoledronic Acid for Osteogenesis Imperfecta, is published in JAMA.

  
https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2026.6889




why-disaster-recovery-in-the-himalayas-needs-a-rethink

Why disaster recovery in the Himalayas needs a rethink

  After five weeks of fieldwork across Nepal, Bhutan and Northwest India, Aston University researcher Dr Komal Raj Aryal is calling for a more locally grounded approach to resilience and post-disaster recovery in one of the world’s most hazard-prone regions.

What happens after the headlines fade from a disaster? That question sits at the heart of new field research led by Dr Komal Raj Aryal, Lecturer in Crisis and Disaster Management at Aston Business School. After returning from a five-week research visit across Nepal, Bhutan and Northwest India, Dr Aryal says the evidence points to a troubling reality: many communities remain highly vulnerable long after major recovery programmes are supposed to have helped them rebuild.

The trip brought together field visits, stakeholder consultations and community observations linked to ongoing UKRI, NERC and ISPF-supported research on earthquake risk, disaster governance, resilience and post-disaster recovery in the Himalayan region. The aim was not only to understand current conditions, but to ask why repeated losses continue despite years of international development assistance, scientific research and investment.

Across the region, the research found that resilience is being undermined by a combination of persistent governance challenges, fragmented institutions, weak local preparedness systems, livelihood insecurity and mounting environmental pressures. In other words, recovery is not simply about rebuilding infrastructure; it is about whether communities are genuinely better equipped to cope with the next shock.

This challenge is especially striking in places still living with the legacy of the 2015 Nepal earthquakes, where long-term vulnerabilities remain visible despite the scale of international support directed towards recovery and reconstruction.

Reflecting on his findings, Dr Aryal said:

“One of the most striking observations from the field is that many communities affected by the 2015 Nepal Earthquakes continue to face similar vulnerabilities today, despite significant international support allocated for recovery and reconstruction. This raises important questions about how disaster recovery is planned, implemented, and sustained over time.”  The fieldwork also highlighted the growing complexity of future disaster risks in the Himalayas. Large-scale earthquakes do not exist in isolation; they interact with environmental degradation, cascading hazards, climate-related stresses and rapid urbanisation in fragile mountain settings.

He added:

“The Himalayan region is entering a period of growing uncertainty where environmental change, socio-economic inequality, weak governance systems, and seismic risks are becoming increasingly interconnected. There is an urgent need to rethink conventional development approaches and invest more seriously in locally grounded, community-centred resilience strategies.”  For Aston University, this work reflects a broader commitment to international research on disaster risk reduction, resilience governance and humanitarian response across South Asia. Aston researchers are working with government agencies, local authorities, universities, emergency responders and humanitarian organisations to strengthen evidence-based approaches to preparedness and recovery.

The findings feed into wider international debates about sustainable development, climate resilience, risk communication and the future of disaster governance in vulnerable mountain regions. They also underline the importance of moving beyond short-term recovery models towards approaches that are participatory, practical and rooted in local knowledge.

Dr Aryal’s research emphasises the value of integrating community knowledge, participatory governance, youth engagement and long-term livelihood security into resilience planning. As future collaborations and policy discussions develop, these themes are likely to be central to how the region prepares for the risks ahead.

The recent fieldwork is expected to inform future international research partnerships, policy dialogue and resilience-focused initiatives between the UK and South Asian partners.





exploring-everyday-finance-gender-and-the-future-of-pensions

Exploring everyday finance, gender, and the future of pensions

Dr Hayley James of Aston University explores how life experiences - from parenthood to income volatility — shape how people save, borrow, and plan for their financial future.

Senior Research Fellow

Lifecourse

Economic Sociology

Financial Wellbeing

Gender and Finance

 Money in everyday life  For Dr Hayley James, finance isn’t just numbers on a balance sheet - it’s woven into the realities of everyday life. From saving and borrowing to the challenge of long-term pension planning, her work at Aston University’s Centre for Personal Financial Wellbeing (CPFW) explores how financial decisions are shaped by family, gender, life stage, and stability of income.

Her research stems from her PhD, which examined how people make decisions after being automatically enrolled into workplace pensions - a starting point that sparked her continuing focus on pensions and everyday financial behaviour.

 “Finance is often portrayed as objective, but in reality, our money decisions are tied up with all the other meaningful factors in our lives.” – Hayley James  At CPFW, Dr. James and her colleagues have observed a shift in policy and industry thinking. Where once the focus was on pushing people to act in “rational” financial ways, attention is now turning to redesigning systems that reflect how people actually manage money.


Gender and the pension gap  A key focus of Dr. James’ research has been pensions, particularly how gender and life events shape saving habits. She has found that parenthood has very different impacts on men and women’s retirement planning:
Motherhood often discourages pension saving - reducing both capacity and perceived importance. Fatherhood often encourages saving - reinforcing traditional financial roles.  While many assume household specialisation balances out, reality shows otherwise: separation or divorce often leaves women financially disadvantaged.
 These insights underpin her book Pension Saving in a Gendered Lifecourse (2025), which argues for pension systems that move beyond gender neutral models to become gender friendly - systems that acknowledge the very different realities men and women face across their life course.


Tracking real lives: the “Real Accounts” project  Beyond pensions, Dr James has led research into how people actually manage day-to-day finances. In the Real Accounts project, she and colleagues followed UK households for 10 months, recording income and spending in real time.

The findings reveal how income volatility — sudden drops, irregular hours, unexpected bills — creates stress and undermines financial stability. These insights are helping policymakers and providers rethink how products like pensions, credit, and debt advice are designed.

Collaboration and impact  Dr. James’ work bridges academia, policy, and practice. Partnerships include:
Nest Insight – public-benefit research centre, co-leads on Real Accounts. Glasgow Caledonian University – joint research on household finances. Christians Against Poverty – literature review on measuring the impact of debt advice, aimed at improving frontline support for the most vulnerable.  Through these collaborations, her findings are already shaping practical change in how organisations design support for households under financial strain.

Looking ahead  With her British Academy Innovation Fellowship concluding, Dr. James is turning to new questions: How do diverse households — across sexuality, ability, ethnicity, and household structure — navigate finance? How can financial systems evolve to reflect real lives, not abstract models?

Her book sets out a roadmap for rethinking pensions through a gendered lens — offering policymakers, providers, and households a new way to understand and prepare for later life.

 Selected publications  For readers who want to explore her research in more depth, here are a few recent publications:
	•	James, H. (2022). Everyday finance and the politics of financial subjectivity. Review of International Political Economy. •	James, H. (2022). Financial wellbeing and the lived experience of income volatility. New Political Economy. •	James, H. (2023). Household finance and the gendered lifecourse: Reframing pensions research. In Handbook on Everyday Finance (Edward Elgar). Available via RePEc. ⸻

About Dr. Hayley James Dr. Hayley James is a Senior Research Fellow at Aston University’s Centre for Personal Financial Wellbeing. Her research spans pensions, household finance, and the social context of money. She has published widely and works closely with policy and community partners to translate research into action. To explore more of the Centre’s work and access project reports, visit the CPFW Projects page at Aston University. Connect with Hayley by clicking the profile icon below.


aston-university-economists-say-prime-minister-can-reduce-uk-trade-vulnerability-with-china-visit

Aston University economists say Prime Minister can reduce UK trade vulnerability with China visit

Professor of Economics

Economics

Trade

Senior Lecturer, Economics, Finance and Entrepreneurship

Spatial Economics

Productivity

International Trade

HB Economic Theory

Trade Policy

Firms

 Greenland episode exposed UK’s lack of effective response to economic coercion from allies Research shows tariff retaliation would have cost the average UK household up to £324 per year Economists say China visit is “portfolio risk management” – diversification reduces vulnerability.  The Prime Minister’s visit to China – the first by a British PM since 2018 – is an opportunity to reduce the UK’s vulnerability to economic coercion, according to new research from Aston University.  

A policy paper from Aston Business School’s Centre for Business Prosperity analyses the January 2026 Greenland tariff episode, when President Trump threatened and then withdrew tariffs on eight European countries. The researchers found that the UK had no good options: retaliation would have made Britain worse off, while absorbing the tariffs left Europe without credible deterrence.

Director of the centre for business prosperity, Professor Jun Du, said: “The Greenland episode was a wake-up call. When your principal security ally threatens economic coercion, the old assumptions about who is safe and who is dangerous no longer hold. “The PM’s China visit should be framed as portfolio risk management – building diversified trading relationships that reduce the UK’s exposure to any single partner. Just as investors don’t put all their money in one stock, countries shouldn’t put all their trade into one basket. A UK with multiple strong partnerships is harder to pressure, whether the pressure comes from Washington or Beijing.”  The research found that coordinated UK–EU tariff retaliation would have cost British households up to £324 per year – the worst outcome modelled. But the authors argue that Europe has untapped leverage elsewhere: the US runs a €148 billion annual services surplus with the EU, and mutual investment exceeds €5.3 trillion.

Associate professor of economics and co-author, Dr Oleksandr Shepotylo, said: “Tariff retaliation fails because it hurts consumers and distorts the economy – the retaliator suffers similarly to the target. But Europe has cards it isn’t playing. Services, investment screening, and regulatory access are pressure points where Europe can respond effectively.”

UK exports to China fell by 10.4% in the year to Q2 2025, with goods exports down 23.1% – the sharpest decline among major trading partners. The researchers argue that this closes off the UK’s largest alternative market at precisely the moment US reliability is in question.

The paper identifies three priorities for UK policy:

Recognise the permanent incentives behind US tariffs. US tariff revenue hit $264 billion in 2025. Trade negotiations alone cannot resolve revenue-driven policy. Build UK–EU coordination on non-tariff instruments. Services, investment, procurement, and regulation offer leverage that tariffs do not. Treat China engagement as portfolio risk management. Concentration in any single market creates vulnerability. Diversification is not about picking sides – it’s about resilience.  Professor Du added: “The question for the Prime Minister is whether to use this breathing space to build resilience – or wait for the next Greenland.”  To read the policy paper in full, click on this link:  

medication-adherence-why-it-matters-and-how-we-can-improve-it-public-lecture-by-professor-ian-maidment

Medication adherence: Why it matters and how we can improve it – public lecture by Professor Ian Maidment

Professor in Clinical Pharmacy

Medication Optimisation

Mental Health

Community Pharmacy

Realist Research Methods

Dementia

Healthcare of Older People

Qualitative Research

Primary Care

 Professor Ian Maidment is a professor in clinical pharmacy at Aston Pharmacy School
His inaugural lecture will explain why patients struggle with taking medication and present possible solutions to the problem
Professor Maidment is a former practising pharmacist and an expert in medication optimisation and management in mental health and dementia.

Professor Ian Maidment, professor in clinical pharmacy at Aston Pharmacy School, will give a public lecture about his life’s work on 5 February 2025.

In his inaugural lecture, Professor Maidment will reflect on his journey from a childhood in Kent to becoming a leading researcher in clinical pharmacy. After more than two decades working in the NHS, in community pharmacy, mental health, dementia care, and leadership roles, he joined Aston University in 2012. His research focuses on the real-world challenges of medication optimisation for patients, carers, and healthcare professionals.

The title of Professor Maidment’s lecture is ‘Medication adherence: Why it matters and how we can improve it’. Every year, the UK spends nearly £21 billion on medicines. Yet up to half of people with long-term conditions do not take their medication as prescribed—a problem known as non-adherence. This has profound clinical consequences and significant financial implications for the NHS.

Professor Maidment will draw on his experience to explore how factors such as medication burden and side-effects influence adherence, the challenges posed by conditions such as dementia and severe mental illness, the role of pharmacy in supporting adherence and why tackling non-adherence requires a system-wide approach. He will also offer practical solutions to one of healthcare’s most persistent problems.

Professor Maidment said:

“We need to understand why patients struggle to take their medication and then develop and test solutions that work well.”

The lecture on Thursday 5 February 2026 will take place at Aston Business School. In-person tickets are available from Eventbrite. The public lecture will begin at 18:00 GMT with refreshments served from 17:30 GMT. It is free of charge and will be followed by a drinks reception. The lecture will also be streamed online.


new-research-partnership-to-develop-biodegradable-gloves-from-food-waste-for-healthcare-sector

New research partnership to develop biodegradable gloves from food waste for healthcare sector

Director of Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence

Polymer Science

Block Copolymers

Electrospinning

Biodegradable Polymers

X-ray Scattering

  Knowledge Transfer Partnership between Aston University and PFE Medical to develop a biodegradable clinical glove from food waste
The gloves will provide a low-cost, convenient and sustainable alternative to the 1.4bn disposable gloves used in the NHS each year
The innovation will reduce clinical waste and costs and help the NHS reach its net zero goals.

Aston University and Midlands-based company PFE Medical are teaming up to create biodegradable gloves made from food waste for use in the NHS.

They will offer a low-cost, convenient alternative to disposable gloves without compromising patient safety. More than 1.4bn disposable gloves are used by the NHS each year. They create large volumes of clinical waste which has both an environmental and economic cost.

The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project will develop a more sustainable alternative made from polymers derived from food waste such as orange peel, able to degrade naturally. The gloves will initially be for use during low-risk tasks such as ultrasound scans, rather than in more critical situations such as operating theatres.

The gloves would be designed to not only reduce clinical waste and costs in the NHS, but also carbon emissions, helping the NHS reach its goal to be the world’s first net-zero health service. With most personal protective equipment (PPE) currently sourced from Chinese manufacturers, the goal is to develop a biodegradable glove that can be manufactured using a UK supply chain.

The challenging project draws on Aston University’s expertise in sustainable polymer chemistry, centred at Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME). Aston University has one of the largest research groups of polymer chemists in the UK. The project will be led at the University by Professor Paul Topham, director of AIME, and Dr James Wilson, AIME associate member.

The research team have chosen to focus on polymers from food waste in order to ensure that the final product can be manufactured sustainably. Most polymers are currently made from petroleum. Polymers made from food waste, ranging from fruit waste to corn or dairy products, have the potential for antioxidant and antibacterial properties if designed appropriately. The team will manipulate the polymer molecules so that they include the right monomers (the smaller units which make up the molecules) in the right location to achieve the properties they require.

Critical to the success of the project will be PFE Medical’s commercial and clinical experience of taking new innovations into medical use. It will be the third KTP between Aston University and PFE, following on from successful projects to develop an automated endoscope cleaner, now in use across University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB).

Professor Topham said: “At Aston University, we have a long history of working with industry, of translating fundamental research into solutions for real world problems. This project with PFE Medical provides us with that route, to take our science and engineering and make a difference to peoples’ lives. That’s exactly where, as researchers, we want to be.”

Rob Hartley, CEO of PFE Medical, said: “Our previous KTP with Aston University was a phenomenal success, thanks to the brilliant team we had on board. I’m just as excited by this project, which is looking to solve an equally long-standing problem. If we can achieve our goal, then the implications are huge, going far beyond the NHS to all the other situations where people are wearing disposable gloves.”

KTPs, funded by Innovate UK, are collaborations between a business, a university and a highly qualified research associate. The UK-wide programme helps businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills. Aston University is a sector-leading KTP provider, ranked first for project quality, and joint first for the volume of active projects.

For further details about this KTP, visit the webpage: www.aston.ac.uk/business/collaborate-with-us/knowledge-transfer-partnership/at-work/pfe-medical.


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