Our 2025 research and innovation roundup

8 December 2025 | By: Newcastle University | 6 min read

2025 was a year of great accomplishments for Newcastle University's research community.

From breakthroughs that deepen our understanding of the environment and the power of data, to discoveries improving health, supporting communities, and driving medical innovation, our researchers are making ground-breaking progress.

Read on for a snapshot of our work shaping healthier lives, protecting our planet’s future, and finding solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges.

Helping people live healthier, happier, longer lives
Ensuring there is enough for everyone, forever
Enriching the future through arts and culture
Helping to build sustainable communities fit for the future
Unlocking the power of data to discover solutions and drive innovation
Collaborating with partners and businesses
Research for the future

Helping people live healthier, happier, longer lives

In 2025, we made significant breakthroughs in our Ageing and Health research, culminating in us receiving the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Education in recognition of our work transforming the understanding, diagnosis, and care of people with Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). From a pioneering IVF technique that reduces the risk of serious inherited disorders to engineering tissue to heal the human body, these stories highlight how we're helping to improve health and wellbeing for all.

Royal recognition for dementia research

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Newcastle researchers and Nigel and Heather Thomas discuss the impact of 30 years of research into Dementia with Lewy bodies.

At Newcastle University, our researchers have spent decades advancing the understanding of Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

Their pioneering work has redefined DLB as a distinct and common cause of dementia, improving diagnosis and treatment worldwide. This dedication has now been recognised with the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Prize for Higher and Further Education.

We spoke to Nigel Thomas from South Tyneside and his wife Heather, who shared their experience of Nigel’s diagnosis and the care they have received.

A researcher using a microscope in a lab

Engineering the next medical breakthroughs

Being able to engineer tissue to heal the human body is quickly becoming a reality thanks to innovative interdisciplinary research.

Newcastle University’s Dr Ana Ferreira Duarte, Reader in Regenerative Engineering, and Professor Kenneth Dalgarno, Professor of Manufacturing Engineering, are undertaking ground-breaking work in bioprinting, regenerative medicine, and sustainable biomedical innovation.

From treating chronic wounds to shaping the future of implant coatings, their research is helping to build a healthier, more personalised future in healthcare.

How Newcastle experts are advancing rare disease research

For over 70 years, Newcastle has been a world leader in rare disease research and clinical care.

Our pioneering work in areas such as neuromuscular disease, immunodeficiency, rare liver conditions, and mitochondrial disorders has transformed patient outcomes. Through strong collaborations, we continue to push the boundaries of science and medicine to improve the lives of those affected by rare diseases.

Eight babies born after Mitochondrial donation in groundbreaking IVF procedure

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Patients and researchers discuss how the UK’s pioneering licensed IVF technique to reduce the risk of mitochondrial diseases carried out in Newcastle has seen eight babies born.

In a major medical breakthrough, babies in the UK and US have been born free from serious inherited disorders thanks to mitochondrial donation IVF.

The technique, developed by a team at Newcastle University and the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, replaces faulty mitochondria with healthy donor ones, preventing the transmission of rare but often fatal genetic diseases.

This cutting-edge approach offers new hope to families previously facing the risk of incurable mitochondrial DNA diseases.

Ensuring there is enough for everyone, forever

From clownfish that shrink for survival, to understanding why glaciers worldwide should be preserved: our One Planet research highlights how our experts are addressing environmental challenges to work towards a better and fairer world. Scroll through to read more One Planet stories:

Why should we preserve glaciers?

Glaciers matter. They play a crucial role in regulating Earth’s climate, storing freshwater, and sustaining ecosystems.

For the UN's International Year of Glaciers' Preservation, experts from Newcastle explain why glaciers are vital to our planet, how we can slow their retreat, and the consequences of inaction in a warming world.

Why is climate change supercharging Europe's biggest hail?

New research shows that as the climate warms, hailstorms across Europe may become less frequent. But when they do occur, they could be more destructive than ever, especially in the south.

New findings from Newcastle University and the UK Met Office show that climate change is reshaping the nature of severe hail, with significant consequences for people, infrastructure and agriculture across the continent.

Shrinking Nemo - the unusual way clownfish adapt to survive

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Fascinating new research reveals that clownfish reduce their size during marine heatwaves, increasing their chances of survival by up to 78%. They’re even more likely to survive when they shrink in sync with their breeding partner.

Animals are the masters of adaptation within rapidly changing environments, especially when faced with the risks of climate change. Some are known to shift to lighter colourations to absorb less heat, while others expand the size of their beaks or feet to cool down faster.

However, scientists Melissa Versteeg and Dr Theresa Rueger from our School of Natural and Environmental Sciences have observed a fascinating way that coral reef clownfish have adapted to survive heat stress while avoiding social conflict – they shrink. Read on to find out why changing their size could help these iconic fish adapt to a warming ocean.

Enriching the future through arts and culture

Our Culture and Creative Arts stories explore how arts research and practice helps us engage with the world and shape a more informed future. Whether exploring the morality behind true-crime media or preserving challenging histories for future generations, these stories reveal how arts and culture enrich experience, deepen understanding and inspire meaningful dialogue. Explore the full stories below.

Creating a new code of conduct for true crime content

Crime content is everywhere. It snakes across platforms, influences how we view others and ourselves, fixes societal boundaries, and helps to construct and sustain our sense of right and wrong.

But as we scroll our smartphones or streaming services, flick through digital TV channels or tune into the latest podcasts, how often do we think about the societal impacts of how it was produced and how we engage with true crime and crime journalism?

A Newcastle University Civic Journalism Lab project is working with producers, victims, and audiences to rethink ethics and campaign for change.

Preserving memory and justice: global partnerships for a better future

Sites of Conscience are classed as historic sites, museums, and memorials that are dedicated to promoting and protecting human rights across the world.

A Site of Conscience is a place of memory. A place that prevents history erasure from happening in order to foster more just and humane societies today.

Linda Norris, Senior Specialist in Methodology and Practice at the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, discusses the nature of these historic sites and the importance of the Coalition’s partnership with Newcastle University.

Read more Culture and Creative Arts stories

Helping to build sustainable communities fit for the future

Whether the research stories are local or international, we're helping to develop innovative solutions to expand social and economic opportunities: from adapting local public transport by engaging with customers to the story of sailors from Beiyan in a Newcastle cemetery.

Metro Futures: rethinking public transport through engagement

When we think about public transport, we often think of infrastructure. Rails, stations, carriages. But how often do we consider the people who use it? Do you think about the spaces you inhabit while travelling between places?

The Metro Futures project – a collaboration between Newcastle University, Nexus, and Stadler – set out to change this by reimagining the Tyne and Wear Metro with the people who rely on the service to get from place to place.

Graphic of children working together in school

How should we tackle racism in schools?

Racism is still a pressing issue in schools - but what can be done about it?

Professor Peter Hopkins from our School of Geography, Politics and Sociology and Professor Heather Smith from our School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences reflect on their collaborative work about tackling racism in schools and promoting a culture of anti-racism.

Bridging seas and centuries: remembering the Beiyang sailors in Newcastle

How do six nineteenth-century gravestones in a Newcastle upon Tyne cemetery bring together two nations?

Here, Dr Yin Liang – Lecturer in Human Resource Management – writes about how the legacy left by six Chinese sailors who never made the journey home reveals that their story isn’t a closed chapter after all.

Unlocking the power of data to discover solutions and drive innovation

Our Data research allows us to glimpse into the future of technology. We're unlocking the power of data to discover solutions and drive innovation, from a podcast series all about AI to how experts are enhancing data privacy through deduplication. Swipe through the images and click to read the full stories:

Can we trust AI and algorithms to hire people fairly and inclusively?

Algorithms make decisions about events in our lives every day, from how much we pay for car insurance to what we see online.

Here, Dr Emily Yarrow at Newcastle University Business School writes about how AI algorithms now often influence how we’re hired to do our jobs, too.

Privacy-preserving deduplication to enhance federated learning

As machine learning models become increasingly reliant on large-scale, distributed datasets, ensuring data quality and privacy has never been more critical.

Dr Aydin Abadi, Lecturer in Cybersecurity at our School of Computing, discusses these challenges, a solution, and real-world implications.

From Newcastle Podcast: Artificial Intelligence

In the latest series of our ‘From Newcastle’ podcast, we explore the rise of artificial intelligence and how it’s shaping our lives.

From creativity and education to ethics and the environment, Newcastle University experts help us make sense of it all.

Research for the future

We're also examining how research happens: what are the roles of the culture and systems that surround research? From creating environments where people can do their best thinking to making co-production sustainable, we’re exploring how culture, structures, and everyday practice come together to move research forward.

How do we create environments where people can do their best thinking?

What does it take to create an environment where truly great thinking happens? In a world full of distractions, time to think is more valuable than ever.

Professor Peter Hopkins from our School of Geography, Politics and Sociology reflects on collaborative work with colleagues and students to enable them to do their very best thinking.

5 key steps to effective survey design in academic research

Effective surveys can provide high-quality and wide-ranging data for academics and researchers to use when drawing conclusions and contributing to their field.

Here, Sarah Tubbs and Professor Per Berggren share their top recommendations for successful surveys, based on lessons learnt from assessing marine mammal bycatch questionnaire studies.

Groups of researchers discussing a project

Co-production matters more than ever - here's how to make it sustainable

The idea of co-producing research was not so long ago a fringe interest for academics.

Originating in more radical areas of the social sciences, it’s now mainstream: used in diverse fields including medicine, climate science and AI, with major funders committing resources to support it.

Essential to this work is ongoing dialogue with external partners about how we work together. Professor Rachel Pain, Dean of Social Justice and Professor of Human Geography, speaks about Newcastle University’s long history of collaborating with industry, public, and voluntary sector partners.