Junior Research Fellows’ Activities The pandemic has had an impact on all aspects of our activity, including the research of our Junior Research Fellows (JRFs). We have extended the tenure of our existing non-stipendiary JRFs (i.e. those who have a postdoc independently of the College) from the normal two years to three, so we will have 24 JRFs in total for the next two years. We have invited our JRFs to send us reports on their research but we are conscious that these are difficult times, especially for our early career researchers, so we have not added to their burden by chasing everyone for a report. What follows is, therefore, a somewhat more select overview of our JRFs’ research than might normally be covered in the annual report. Susan Dunning works in Classics, investigating how common (as opposed to Imperial) Romans portrayed themselves or others as gods in funerary monuments and literary contexts. To pursue this, Sarah has been compiling datasets of several hundred examples of such ‘divine associations’ across different media. Susan’s progress has been limited by constraints on travel and reduced access to sources other than those available in the Ashmolean or online. Following discussion with our Ancient History Fellow, Beate Dignas, Susan has expanded the scope of her research to include the Greek practice of ‘heroisation’ and its influence on Roman funerary monuments. Susan delivered a paper at the Ancient History Seminar in Oxford and has actively contributed to College life, including participating in a workshop in which JRFs offered advice to current students about how to get research fellowships. Susan has made a great video entitled ‘Did the Romans Believe in their Gods?’, lodged at Did the Romans believe in their gods? | L.I.S.A. WISSENSCHAFTSPORTAL GERDA HENKEL STIFTUNG (gerda-henkel-stiftung.de). Ferenc Mózes works in the Radcliffe Department of Medicine, investigating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD can cause serious scarring of the liver (termed advanced fibrosis). There are currently no drugs available to treat NAFLD but there are a number of clinical trials taking place. To assess suitability for participation in trials, patients are currently required to undergo a needle biopsy, which is invasive, carries risks, and has uncertain outcomes. Ferenc is investigating noninvasive alternative assessment options. Liver stiffness can be measured using something called vibration-controlled transient elastography. If this is combined with blood-based markers, the proportion of patients requiring a needle biopsy can be reduced from 33% to 19%. Ferenc’s work is likely to change clinical policy in the diagnosis of patients with advanced fibrosis. Godelinde Perk examines how female medieval authors reconfigure the liturgy (the Divine Office and the Mass) by way of memoria, the medieval art of memory. Godelinde focuses on six female-authored texts from the Low Countries, German-speaking lands and the British Isles. During lockdown, opportunities to travel have been more limited. Indeed, lockdown has had features in common with the medieval practice of enclosure, in which a nun might confine herself to her cell for religious reasons. Godelinde has been able to call upon the experience and the comparison to produce an article
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on nuns, fashion and memory. Godelinde is also working on a monograph which will be the first book-length study to consider how theology and literature interplay in the works of Julian of Norwich (1343-1416), the earliest English women writer, most famous for writing ‘All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well’, a remarkable vision for someone who had lived through the black death in her early childhood. Hussam Hussein works in the Department of Politics and International Relations. His research focuses on analysing possibilities for transboundary resources management in the Jordan and Nile basins. In addition, Hussam has explored how and why transboundary freshwater agreements change over time. Hussam has also conducted research on the political economy of water scarcity in the Middle East, aiming to collect the findings into a manuscript for a book project. Hussam has received a 2021 departmental award for academic research having policy impact and was elected in 2021 to the Board of Trustees of the Arab Council for the Social Sciences. Hussam has been particularly active in College, contributing to the undergraduate admissions interviews for PPE and giving presentations to Somerville students on how to publish in academic journals. Eoghan Mulholland works in the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics. Eoghan’s research explores the genetic and cellular architecture of colorectal cancers. To date, research tells us that it isn’t just the genetic defects in the cancer cells that influences how a cancer behaves, but also how the supporting (stromal) and immune cells interact within it. Current understanding is lacking in how these ‘cell conversations’ initiate and develop but using cutting-edge research methodologies we can have the opportunity to ‘eavesdrop’. Eoghan has published several manuscripts over the past year in Journals including Nature Reviews Cancer and Gastroenterology. Eoghan was awarded the Lee Placito Research Fellowship by the University of Oxford in May 2021 which will commence in October for a 3 year period. Jesus Aguirre Gutierrez works in the Department of Plant Sciences. investigating the impact of a changing environment on the plant functional composition of forests across the tropics. Jesus does this by carrying out field-based assessment collecting plant trait data such as leaf nutrients and morphology (shape) and also using drone remote sensing technology. Back at the office Jesus carries out statistical analysis based on the field collections and plant databases making also use of satellite remote sensing imagery. Over the last year Jesus has been also working with temperate forests in Chile. In collaboration with research partners from Chile, Jesus is working on a project investigating how climate change is affecting the distribution of these forests and which species may be more resilient to further climate changes in the near future. Jesus has published his findings so far in journals such as Remote Sensing in the Environment and Nature Communications. DR STEVE RAYNER, Senior Tutor
