RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

SELECTION OF PROJECTS FROM OUR 2022/2023 RMP

ALL PROJECTS RUNNING FOR THE 2022/23 ACADEMIC YEAR AND ARE OPEN FOR
APPLICATIONS

Index (per subject area)

Clinical transla on 2
Educa on 3-6
Engineering 7-8
Poli cs 9-13
Psychology 14-15
 RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Clinical transla on
Strategies for Bridging the Gap Between Research
and Practice

Aya Tarabeine
Queen Square Ins tute of Neurology
MRes Transla onal Neuroscience

6 weeks mixed (online and in-person)

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR

I am an MRes student in Transla onal Neuroscience, with keen interest in transla onal neurology and
regenera ve medicine. As an ac ve member of the Pitceathly lab, I am conduc ng research on
primary mitochondrial diseases. I invest considerable me in external services to apply my academic
experiences for scien fic dissemina on. Hos ng my podcast pla orm, known as the “Your Brain
Uncovered Show”, is my goal to bring zero cost consumer informa on to the public.

THE MENTORSHIP
The project aims to bridge the gap between research and clinical transla on. Mentees will examine
the role of UK regulatory frameworks, highlight the main ethical considera ons revolving research
integrity, explore current barriers to clinical transla on, and offer poten al solu ons to overcome
these challenges. Throughout the project, mentees will have an opportunity to develop skills
including but not limited to: primary/ secondary research, source cri que and evalua on, and
presenta on.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
Consistency in showing up to one-on-one mee ngs.
Ability to work efficiently to meet set deadlines.
Openness to collaborate with me and fellow students.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
Data analysis using SPSS and STATA. Literature synthesis. Ethical and regulatory considera ons

WHAT WILL MENTEES GAIN?

Ability to effec vely summarize and cri que scien fic work.
Transferable research skills.

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 RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Educa on
Core topics and research techniques in Aesthetic
Education
Michael Cai
IOE Department of Educa on, Prac ce & Society
MA Philosophy of Educa on

8 weeks preferably in-person

4 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR

My main research field focuses on Aesthe c Educa on, which is a cross-discipline of philosophical
aesthe cs and philosophical educa on. I have already published a high-level thesis 'Is Aesthe c
educa on an educa on by others or self-educa on' in a CSSCI journal. I am going to do a PhD in the
near future.

THE MENTORSHIP
On the one hand, I will use my own exis ng research thinking, ideas and knowledge to guide
par cipants in discussing several key topics in the field of aesthe c educa on, encourage members to
discuss and share ideas and skills with each other, and lead an understanding of some basic skills in
literature search, review, paper conceptualisa on and output in the field. I am also available to
support par cipants if they have personal plans for wri ng and publishing a relevant paper. On the
other hand, I hope that mentees will bring me some inspira on.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
I welcome par cipants with some background in philosophy, literature, art or other cross-disciplinary
disciplines who are interested in aesthe c educa on and its research, preferably with some research
experience or a research programme of their own. Please note that my academic experience is
primarily focused on the Chinese academic community, as I received my Bachelor's degree in China
and intend to return to China in the future to pursue a PhD. This programme may be more beneficial
for those interested in further study in China, but of course this is not a mandatory requirement.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
Mainly including literature review, group discussion, paper wri ng, and presenta on.

WHAT WILL MENTEES GAIN?

Mentees will have the opportunity to learn about several core topics in aesthe c educa on, engage
in meaningful discussions with peers, and acquire some research methods and techniques about the
Chinese academic community. If our discussions are mature enough, we can also conduct research
together and even produce a disserta on.

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 RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Educa on
Exploring different frameworks of primary and
secondary school mathematics teachers’ ICT
competencies from an international scope

Bohan Liu
IOE Department of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
PhD Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment

6 weeks flexible mode of delivery

5 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR

I am a Year 1 PhD student at the Ins tute of Educa on. I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in
Mathema cs with Sta s cs at Imperial College London and an MA degree in Mathema cs Educa on
at UCL. While I chase my academic progress, I have been part- mely teaching primary and secondary
mathema cs and science subjects for five years, including one year of placement for a QTS status
during my PGCE year at Durham University.

My research is about secondary mathema cs teachers’ knowledge and ICT competencies, and I seek
to be er understand their work in professional learning communi es and provide support to their
teaching accordingly.

THE MENTORSHIP
The project aims to explore and evaluate different frameworks for assessing school (primary and
secondary) mathema cs teachers’ ICT competencies through a compara ve lens during individual
research and group discussions. It welcomes you to bring along your own educa onal background,
ICT competency framework(s) of interest used in an educa on system at the na onal, provincial,
county, district, or school levels, and compare the features of different criteria in the frameworks.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
Interest in teachers’ knowledge and competencies related to digital technology in classrooms
(especially in STEM subjects); Some background or teaching experiences in STEM disciplines and
educa on.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
Individual research on frameworks, document analysis, literature review, group discussion.

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 RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

WHAT WILL MENTEES GAIN?

Obtaining an overview of primary or secondary mathema cs teachers’ knowledge and na onal/local
policies for developing teachers’ ICT competencies;
Enhancing compara ve study skills and interna onal visions based on your own contextual
backgrounds;
Developing basic research skills in literature reading and review, document analysis, independent and
cri cal thinking, communica on, and collabora on.

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 RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Educa on
The Use of Digital Technologies in Mathematics
Education at UK Universities: Mathematical
Communication Competency
Wenfei Du
IOE Department of Curriculum, Pedagogy and
Assessment
PhD Mathema cs Educa on

12 weeks preferably in-person

7 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR

I am a first-year PhD student in the Department of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment at UCL-IOE.
My educa onal and voca onal background is Bachelor of Mathema cs at Imperial College London
(2017~2020), Master of Mathema cs Educa on at UCL-IOE (2020~2021), Part- me Teaching Assistant
and Consultant in two Educa onal Companies (2021~2022), Full- me PhD student at UCL-IOE (2022).

I am conduc ng my PhD research on the development of mathema cal communica on skills in

university mathema cs educa on in the United Kingdom. It is my intent to explore how digital
competency can be u lized to facilitate undergraduates learning mathema cs and to support
mathema cians in presen ng their work. In this scheme, I will provide mentees with necessary
training on addi onal mathema cal communica on skills (e.g., so ware and applets for taking notes)
as well as experience with collabora ve learning.

THE MENTORSHIP
My current PhD study focuses primarily on literature review followed by methodology. So, I intend to
organise the mentor scheme into three phases. A review of relevant literature is conducted during
the first phase (6 weeks). The second phase (4 weeks) focuses on the development of a methodology.
The final phase of the pilot study (2 weeks) depends on the approval of the ethical commi ee.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
Mentees with passion for mathema cs educa on (mathema cs majors are preferred).

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
Literature review, data collec on, construc on of methodology (e.g., design of ques onnaire).

WHAT WILL MENTEES GAIN?

This project is beneficial to mentees who plan to become secondary school mathema cs teachers or
postgraduate mathema cs educators.
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 RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Engineering
Systematic Literature Reviews of Sustainable
Infrastructure Investment

Jie He
Department of Civil, Environment and Engineering
PhD Infrastructure System

8 weeks preferably online

4 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR

I’m a PhD student in the Infrastructure System Ins tute, with current research interest in
cross-disciplinary studies regarding ESG, global sustainable development and green infrastructure. My
research focuses on inves ga ng “the business case for sustainable infrastructure investment?”
which would look at the economics of infrastructure across its lifecycle and the value of sustainability
and affordability.

Sustainable infrastructure investment and ESG management are cri cal. The significance of the
research includes two aspects: i) how to promote green infrastructure investment to build back
be er post-COVID – towards resilience and sustainable economic development goals; and ii) analysis
of investment decision-making factors in socio-techno-economic perspec ve of sustainable
infrastructure investment.

THE MENTORSHIP
The core is the interdisciplinary studies of sustainable infrastructure investment and ESG
management. The primary focus of this mentoring is literature review, with the opportunity of data
analysis. In the context of a literature search, data analysis might include, for example, content
analysis, co-cita on analysis, and clustering. You will read the relevant ar cles, which would then be
discussed with the mentor and other mentees. The mentor will organise mid- and end-program
sessions.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
Beginner research skills in performing database/catalogue.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
The primary responsibility of mentees will include preparing a joint literature review by performing
sophis cated database searches for relevant ar cles, books, and disserta on. You will be expected to
arrange the results with keyword indica ons, compose brief comments, and present findings in
wri ng and debate.

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WHAT WILL MENTEES GAIN?

This is an excellent opportunity to acquire data analysis skills that are applicable in both the academic
and professional world. Mentees will have the opportunity to explore cu ng-edge research in the
growing field of sustainable urban design and construc on. Moreover, the project will help mentees
feel comfortable searching for relevant ar cles, documen ng their search, cri cally assessing ar cles,
and presen ng their findings, which are essen al skills that will allow mentees to conduct their own
research in the future.

Summary of mentees' benefits:

- Acquire abili es in doing database/catalogue/archival research as well as the ability to
produce a literature review.
- Obtain research skills in broad and transdisciplinary topics pertaining to investments in
sustainable infrastructure.
- Gain knowledge about academic research and publish insights on a blog or in a journal.

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 RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Poli cs
How Can Political Theorists Define Legitimacy in
Today’s Society?

Lydia Lynn
Department of Poli cal Science
MA Legal and Poli cal Theory

6 weeks flexible mode of delivery

4 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR

I did my undergraduate degree in History and Poli cs back in 2019 where I focused on colonial history
and poli cal theory. During this me, I became interested in some of the classical theories that the
discipline has been founded on and felt that they o en don’t answer some of the ques ons we have
presently in our society. In my final year, I wrote my disserta on on legi macy in a modus vivendi
(which is La n for a divided society). I’m currently on the MA and am revisi ng, somewhat
sympathe cally, Rawls. With a lot of literature coming from the realist side of poli cal philosophy, this
seems like a good me to have a look at how we can cri que some of their ideas. I’m interested to
hear what you think!

THE MENTORSHIP
I’m looking to run a fairly relaxed series of discussion-based seminars. I’ll provide you with all the
reading that you need and you can choose how we’ll answer this ques on based on which authors
you think have the most credible arguments. We’ll assess the benefits of realist poli cal theory as a
whole, wondering if it works to answer the problems we have in today’s society. During the project,
aspiring theorists will gain the skills that are needed to excel in theory courses or a disserta on. The
project will present a cri que of some theories flota on around about legi macy that are coming hot
off the publishing press! We’ll assess whether the theory is compa ble with our society.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
A generally good understanding of basic poli cal theory and a willingness to read.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
Organised enough to meet deadlines, a willingness to read, readiness to form opinions and to be able
to write up their sec on of the project on me and accurately.

WHAT WILL MENTEES GAIN?

This will be a fantas c basis for further work in poli cal theory or philosophy - especially a
disserta on! You’ll get lots of qualita ve analysis skills that can be put to good use in class as well as
some exposure to exci ng and emerging areas of poli cal theory.
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 RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Poli cs
Social Media's Role in Poland's Abortion Rights
Movement

Nadia AlAjmi
School of Slavonic and East European Studies
MA Poli cal Analysis (Russia + Eastern Europe)

9 weeks flexible mode of delivery

4 mentees (flexible)

ABOUT THE MENTOR

Hi! I'm Nadia and I'm a postgraduate student with research interests in Eastern European poli cs,
women's rights movements and poli cal psychology. I did my undergrad at UC Berkeley where I
majored in Poli cal Science and Media studies. I have over three years of research experience
through appren ceships and fellowships, which I have conducted in both the UK and US. I can also
speak Arabic and Polish fluently and I'm planning on learning Russian next!

THE MENTORSHIP
This research project will focus on social media and its implica ons on the abor on rights movement
in Poland, with a focus on #StrajkKobiet. Furthermore, our research will analyze the benefits and
effects that come with weaponizing social media as a tool of poli cal change and advocacy when it
comes to women's rights. More precisely, we will inves gate pla orms like Instagram and Twi er and
their influence on the movement.

My project will consist of us researching the impacts that social media has had on Poland's abor on
right movement, with a focus on #StrajkKobiet. Through mee ngs and weekly assigned tasks, we will
be working towards figuring out the effec veness and impacts of weaponizing social media as a tool
of change in women's rights movements. During our mee ngs, we will have group discussions and
workshops hosted by me where I will help my mentees jump-start their weekly tasks and answer any
ques ons about the project or research in general. Furthermore, I will offer mentees personal
one-on-one mentorship when it comes to their own personal research skills and goals, in order to
ensure that this is a beneficial learning experience for them.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
My desired mentees should be comfortable with general analysis skills (quan ta ve and qualita ve)
and should be ready to challenge themselves to fully reach their poten al and explore our research
topic in depth.

There will be preference given to those that speak Polish and/or have studied women's rights
movements in Poland/Eastern Europe in the past.

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MENTEE REQUIREMENTS (cont)

Furthermore, those studying poli cs, sociology, gender studies, and other similar subjects are
strongly encouraged to apply. However, anyone with an overall interest in Polish poli cs, women's
rights movements or social media impacts within poli cs is also welcome to apply.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
data collec on, literature review, quan ta ve and qualita ve analysis, report wri ng, excellent (oral
and wri en) communica on and occasional group assignments that include data collec on and
discourse analysis.

WHAT WILL MENTEES GAIN?

Mentees will be exposed to a thought-provoking research topic while being effec vely trained in
cri cal research skills and approaches through engaging tasks and immersive workshops. As a result,
you will complete our project as well-rounded researchers with deeply developed skills and exposure
to the field of research within the realm of Gender Studies, Poli cs and Eastern European Studies.

As someone with years of experience in research, I am planning to make this a mutually beneficial
project that will allow us both to learn from one another, while also providing you with the right
support and knowledge to jumpstart your own personal research goals and interests.

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 RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Poli cs
To what extent has Animal Rebellion played a
first-level and second-level media agenda-setting
role?

Vaania Achuthan
Department of Poli cal Science
BSc Poli cs and Interna onal Rela ons

10 weeks flexible mode of delivery

5 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR

I am a Senior Undergraduate and I specialise in quan ta ve methods, with an interest in
sustainability, climate change, climate mi ga on and environmental social movements. I have been a
research mentee for the last 2 years, working on two separate projects which is why I am extremely
excited to take my experience and serve as a Mentor instead this year.

In line with the agenda se ng theory, my research paper examines two ques ons rela ng to Animal
Rebellion- a sister organisa on to Ex nc on Rebellion, an environmental social movement group
based in the UK. I a empt to understand the impact that media discourse has on public opinion
about this group. I use quan ta ve methods- specifically quan ta ve language processing, text
mining and sen ment analysis to extrapolate the answer to my research ques on.

THE MENTORSHIP
The extant literature on the agenda-se ng impact of Non-Violent Direct Ac on (NVDA) says that
NVDA is effec ve in capturing and drawing media a en on. However, the literature tends to overlook
whether this a en on is drawn to the group that adopts NVDA or to the cause that the NVDA group
is figh ng for. Moreover, the current literature fails to account for the media’s emo onal-affec ve
agenda- that is, whether media coverage about NVDA is posi ve, nega ve or neutral in emo onal
tone. Therefore, this research project seeks to understand the first level and second level agenda
se ng role of the media by using Animal Rebellion as a case study, a group that adopts NVDA to
demand the government to transi on to a just and sustainable plant-based food system. By using
quan ta ve methods such as text mining and sen ment analysis, this research paper seeks to
understand 2 ques ons: (1) whether media coverage of Animal Rebellion is limited to the group itself
(Animal Rebellion) or extends to the cause that the group is figh ng for (a plant-based future) and (2)
differences in emo onal tone of media coverage about Animal Rebellion.

Mentees will be given weekly tasks to complete, and mee ngs will consist of group discussions about
these tasks, dwelling deeper into topics like sustainable development, environmental social
movements, public opinion and its impact on climate policy, etc.

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MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
Interest in climate change;
Interest in quan ta ve research methods;
Experience with quan ta ve research methods (desirable but not essen al, as you will also learn
research methods through this project);
Pa ence, as quan ta ve research requires that;
Good me-management skills, as my research project has a strict deadline by which it needs to be
completed!

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
The mentorship will be split into 2 parts- roughly 1 to 2 mentees will be working on a literature
review on environmental social movements/ climate protests by Animal Rebellion and its
implica ons. Simultaneously, 2 to 4 mentees will be working on data collec on, crea ng a database
of over 5000 newspaper ar cles, that will then be used by myself for coding. Therefore, you could
either work on the literature review or on data collec on, based on your interest!

WHAT WILL MENTEES GAIN?

Enhanced research skills, par cularly quan ta ve methods;
Knowledge on climate protests and environmental social movements;
Insight into wri ng a research paper;
Literature analysis skills, which will help with other university projects as well as wri ng a
disserta on.

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 RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Psychology and Policy

Exploring Attitudes Towards Colorectal Cancer
Screening in Genetically Predisposed Individuals

Katrina Solares
Ins tute of Epidemiology and Health Care
MSc Health Psychology

10 weeks preferably online

2 mentees

ABOUT THE MENTOR

I am a current Master's student with general research interests in epigene cs and psychobiology. I
have previous research experience studying the effects of childhood trauma on epigene cs at UC
Berkeley, as well as experience studying the effects of hoarding and anxiety on decision-making, and
experience implemen ng health knowledge in underserved communi es at the University of Miami. I
have also previously done research on experimental molecular gene cs at Harvard.

THE MENTORSHIP
The project is set to explore individual a tudes related to my current disserta on project - which will
be reviewing how par cipants discuss barriers against bowel cancer screening with knowledge of a
gene c predisposi on in a conversa onal manner using both online surveys and in-person
interviews. This current project will focus solely on quan ta ve data sourced from an in-depth
literature review. This research will aid in understanding and comparing how individuals gene cally
predisposed to colorectal cancer (CRC) compare in a tudes to their counterparts. We will also be
looking at demographic data to analyse whether gender and race/ethnicity play a media ng role in
CRC screening.

We will have weekly one-hour mee ngs. At the beginning of the mentorship, I will use these
mee ngs to provide more informa on surrounding the topic and its rela on to gene cs. As the
mentorship con nues, these mee ngs will be used as more of a check-in regarding our current
research. Depending on varying tasks, I presume the weekly me requirement to average around 2-5
hours.

MENTEE REQUIREMENTS
Preferably a background in biological science, gene cs, or psychology. Experience with EndNote and
SPSS. Experience with searing and reviewing relevant literature.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEES
Literature reviews, data analysis, and data interpreta on.

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WHAT WILL MENTEES GAIN?

Insight into how a tudes can shape our health and help-seeking behaviours;
Prac ce conduc ng literature reviews;
Data analysis and interpreta on skills;
Connec ons with other researchers in the IEHC department;
Research experience!

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