Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences' Inaugural Lecture series

Join us for an exciting event in room 4013 in the Centenary Building at the University of Southampton, where we will be hosting a series of engaging lectures from newly appointed Professors at the Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences.

During the event, our Professors will present a lecture to highlight their research, real-world impact and future research directions.

At our next event on Friday 20 June 2025, Professor Hanna Kovshoff from the School of Psychology and Professor Pete Worsley from the School of Health Sciences will be presenting their research.

Professor Hanna Kovshoff co-directs the Autism Community Research Network @Southampton [ACoRNS] – a unique research-practice partnership that brings together researchers, practitioners, and experts by experience to jointly develop projects of direct relevance to autism practice and policy.

ACoRNS focuses primarily on the educational and lifecourse transitions and trajectories of autistic children and young people, and places autistic children’s views and voices at the centre of this work.

She joined the University of Southampton in 2001 as a Research Assistant on the first local authority funded early intervention evaluation trial, earned her PhD here, and has stayed ever since! Through her initial training in School Psychology at McGill University in Canada, to her current work in understanding educational experiences of neurodivergent children and families, the focus of her research has consistently been on identifying, understanding, and ameliorating barriers to educational attainment and positive educational experiences for children and young people with neurodevelopmental differences.

Professor Pete Worsley is a Professor of Assistive Technology and Tissue Health in the School of Health Sciences, at the University of Southampton. He is a qualified physiotherapist (2007) with a PhD in bioengineering (2011), where he developed his interest in medical device innovation.

His PhD evaluated functional recovery following knee replacements and this was followed by a post-doctoral project exploring the mechanisms associated with shoulder rehabilitation, both of which were mentored by Professor Maria Stokes. In 2012 he joined Professor Dan Bader to establish a new research group in Skin Health, which he has co-led since 2020.  

 The group has since been renamed to the ‘Skin Sensing Research Group’ based in the Clinical Academic Facility at Southampton General Hospital. With colleagues he has established a specialist laboratory with clinical research facilities, working with an inter-disciplinary team to evaluate new skin device technologies. His work is funded through major national and international funding bodies, with a focus on co-development and clinical evaluation of novel sensors and skin device interfaces.  He is part of national and international policy groups to enable the translation of assistive technologies in health and social care.