The University of Exeter combines world class research with excellent student satisfaction at its campuses in Exeter and Cornwall. It is a member of the Russell Group of leading research-intensive universities. Formed in 1955, the University has 22,085 students from more than 130 different countries. Its success is built on a strong partnership with its students and a clear focus on high performance.
The University of Exeter hosts the Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health, of which Prof Manuela Barreto is a Deputy Director. This is a world-leading research centre that brings together scholars from different disciplines with non-academic partners to research ways of enabling health and wellbeing across the life course. One of the flagships of this centre is transdisciplinary work on loneliness across the lifespan, co-led by Prof Barreto (and Prof Mark Jackson), which is aligned with this project's goals and includes collaborations with Historians, Sociologists, as well as the World Health Organization (European Office), the Exeter Northcote Theatre, and the Exeter Public Library. The Centre has developed a unique way of working with publics to co-design and coproduce research (engaged research) that has true potential to affect their wellbeing and has links to policy at the local, national, and global level.
People
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Professor Manuela Barreto is a Professor of Social Psychology with expertise on social stigma and exclusion. Her work has examined the links between identity development, belongingness, social relationships, wellbeing, and aspirations. Barreto collaborated with Prof. Qualter on the BBC Loneliness Experiment, offering expertise on cultural differences in social relationships (among other things) that might affect loneliness experiences. |
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Rebecca Jefferson is the Research Fellow employed at the University of Exeter to work on this project, working closely with Prof Qualter to develop the framework that will guide the development of teaching and learning materials, and with the remaining project partners to ensure their appropriate test, as well as the development of guidance for further implementation and evaluation. |
