Dr Ana Catalano Weeks, from the Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies, is addressing the gender disparity in political engagement that is still evident across democracies, with women less politically active and ambitious than men. These gender gaps are especially pronounced among parents, yet the role of domestic responsibilities in producing them remains poorly understood.

Through the Future Leader Fellowship, she is leading a new frontier in gender and politics research focused on an important but often overlooked aspect of domestic labour: the mental load. This is the continuous but often invisible thinking work required to manage household life, including anticipating, planning, and remembering what needs to be done, which falls disproportionately to mothers. Dr Catalano Weeks says:

We currently lack a validated way to measure the domestic mental load across countries or to understand its consequences for political engagement. My research will make this hidden work visible and investigate whether – and under what circumstances – it limits people’s time, energy and capacity to participate in political life.

The FLF will address how the mental load shapes decisions about political engagement among parents in different social, cultural, and political contexts. This will result in the publication of a book and policy briefs on gender equality and democratic participation, equipping policy makers with the tools to challenge hidden gender inequalities.

Also awarded a Future Leader Fellowship is Dr Olivia Brown, from the School of Management, who is using digital data to understand, predict and prevent extremist violence.

Despite growing and global concerns about harmful online content, there remains a significant gap in understanding the connection between online activity and real-world violence. Dr Brown says:

We still know little about when and how someone moves from online engagement to offline violence. Through the Future Leader Fellowship, we can address this challenge by investigating how digital data can help us detect early indicators of violent intent and the psychological and behavioural mechanisms behind it.

As part of the project, Dr Brown is also analysing the role of influencers and their mobilisation of social media in acts of terrorism, posing harm to young people in normalising violence. This understanding, especially in response to real-world events, is crucial for developing strategies to mitigate harmful narratives before they take hold.

Kirsty Grainer, Director of Research and Impact Services (RIS) at the University of Bath who previously led the Future Leaders Fellowships scheme at UKRI, says:

The Future Leaders Fellowships scheme is a highly competitive programme that enables exceptional researchers and innovators to pursue ambitious ideas and deliver transformative advances with the potential to change lives. It is an absolute delight to see a further two University of Bath researchers awarded UKRI funding in recognition of their leadership potential as they transition to research independence.

This success reflects the talent, ambition and dedication of the fellows, combined with a collective effort that underpins every Future Leaders Fellowship application. I would like to thank Dr Jon Nightingale and Sarah Jones for their contribution. It is particularly rewarding to see the partnership between our academics and research professionals in RIS contribute to another successful outcome.

Both Dr Catalano Weeks and Dr Brown worked in partnership with research professionals across RIS to develop every aspect of their application and prepare for their interview. Members of the Research Development team utilised their knowledge of the FLF scheme and proposal development to advise on both the content and approach of the fellowship plans, as well as supporting strategic responses to reviewers' comments and leading on interview preparation. The Pre-Award team provided expert advice on the complexities of the funding model for FLF and ensured full benefit was made of the budget.

Contact the Research Development team in Research and Impact Services (RIS) for further information: resdev@bath.ac.uk.