(L-R): Dr Charlotte Rae and Dr Donal Brown

Two Sussex researchers have been awarded prestigious seven-year fellowships in the latest round of a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) scheme.

Dr Charlotte Rae, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology, and Dr Donal Brown, a Research Fellow in the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex Business School, have both been awarded Future Leaders Fellowships.

The Future Leaders Fellowship scheme aims to develop world-class research and innovation leaders in academia and business.

Charlotte’s programme of work is called ‘How do healthy brains drive a healthy economy? A novel occupational neuroscience approach’. Charlotte will be looking to recruit interested employers as part of a strand of work helping employers trial a four-day working week.

On receiving the fellowship, Charlotte said: “We’ll be studying how a four-day working week can change mind, brain and body. By combining MRI brain scans with trials of the four-day week, we will discover the science behind why a four-day week improves staff wellbeing and workplace performance. This is a multi-disciplinary project involving researchers across the School of Psychology, University of Sussex Business School, and Brighton and Sussex Medical School. I’m really excited that we can carry out this work at Sussex.”

Donal's project, titled ‘Beyond experiments: scaling transformative, sustainable business models in the UK’, will benefit from his experiences across academia and industry.

Donal commented: “This ambitious fellowship will focus on upscaling five sustainable business models, which could transform key sectors of the United Kingdom’s economy, namely, energy supply, housing, finance, food and transport. Through secondments with industry partners and extensive engagement with policymakers, this unique project will provide direct and transferable insights for the design of UK innovation policy towards a more sustainable economy.”

Charlotte and Donal are the third and fourth Sussex researchers to be awarded Future Leaders Fellowships. Dr Beth Nicholls (School of Life Sciences) and Dr Simon Mitchell (Brighton and Sussex Medical School) successfully joined the scheme in 2020.

Professor Keith Jones, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise), said: “I am delighted that Charlotte and Donal have received UKRI funding to take forward their research at Sussex. Their projects very much hit the mark expected of the scheme in being both ambitious and challenging. I look forward to hearing how their projects develop over the course of the award.”

UKRI Chief Executive, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, said: “UKRI’s Future Leaders Fellowships provide researchers and innovators with long-term support and training, giving them the freedom to explore adventurous new ideas, and to build dynamic careers that break down the boundaries between sectors and disciplines. 

“The fellows announced today illustrate how this scheme empowers talented researchers and innovators to build the diverse and connected research and innovation system we need to shorten the distance between discovery and prosperity across the UK.”

Find out more about research at Sussex, or see the UKRI website for more information about the Future Leaders Fellowship scheme.