New Future Leaders Fellow

Medieval archaeologist Dr Karen Dempsey is among 68 of the most promising research leaders who will benefit from £104 million to tackle major global issues and to commercialise their innovations in the UK.

UKRI’s flagship Future Leaders Fellowships allow universities and businesses to develop their most talented early career researchers and innovators and to attract new people to their organisations, including from overseas.

Dr Karen Dempsey, Lecturer in Medieval Archaeology at the School of History, Archaeology and Religion joins a growing community of Future Leader Fellows at the University, taking the total number to an impressive 14 fellows.

These fellows benefit from tailored support resulting in high quality proposals evidenced by these UKRI awards.

As a partner in the Future Leaders Fellowships Development Network, the University is actively involved in supporting the next generation of research leaders across the UK.

Dr Dempsey is Principal Investigator of Medieval Green Lives: material health practices and human-plant relations in Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England 1100-1600 AD. This new strand of research spans archaeology, history, botany and heritage.

The multidisciplinary project includes historian Dr Rebecca Thomas and artist Paul Evans as well as project partners Cadw, Amgueddfa Cymru / Museum Wales, Caring for God's Acre, the conservation department of the Church of England, the Heritage Council of Ireland and Transport Infrastructure Ireland. Together they will advocate for underappreciated green heritage which helps us to understand the past and also to protect the future.

Dr Dempsey, who specialises in studies of castles, typically focuses on the daily lives of people, in particular women. They are often left out of narratives of the medieval past which tend to have an economic focus.

She said: “Green health and wellness may sound like 21st-century ideas; but medieval people believed strongly that having access to gardens and plants was an essential part of taking care of themselves and others. My multidisciplinary team will investigate just how and why medieval people engaged with gardens and plants in the maintenance of health in later medieval Britain and Ireland, from everyday living in ordinary homes to life in religious houses and castles.

“This innovative ‘green perspective’ enables a richer understanding of medieval lived experiences, treats plants as dynamic in the medieval world and as an important part of present-day green heritage in the form of surviving ancestral plants (relicts). Incorporating relict plants into studies of the past will draw attention to under-appreciated green heritage and activate these concepts within wider European heritage and health policy for example the Well-being of Future Generations Act (Wales) 2015.

“This research reflects on notions of contemporary ‘wellness’ as a manifestation of an older idea and emphasises the importance of green space in healthy practices today.”

Professor Roger Whitaker, Pro Vice-Chancellor Research, Innovation and Enterprise said: “Congratulations to Karen on her success with this prestigious and highly competitive fellowship scheme. She’s joining our growing community of UKRI Future Leaders Fellows and will have the opportunity to make valuable contributions to knowledge, research visibility, and research leadership.

“I look forward to following the progress of Medieval Green Lives - a great project that links the past, present and future in fascinating ways. Karen’s work highlights the importance of green health and wellness to society throughout history. These themes resonate strongly today, including on our own campus as is evident in the drive towards sustainability in our new university strategy.”

UKRI Chief Executive, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, said: “UKRI’s Future Leaders Fellowships provide researchers and innovators with long-term support and training to develop ambitious, transformative ideas.”

“The programme supports the research and innovation leaders of the future to transcend disciplinary and sector boundaries, bridging the gap between academia and business.

The fellows announced today demonstrate how these awards continue to drive excellence, and to shorten the distance from discovery to prosperity and public good.”

The scheme helps universities and businesses in the UK recruit, develop and retain the world’s best researchers and innovators, regardless of their background. Researchers can apply for substantial long-term funding to support their research or innovation and develop their careers, with each fellowship lasting four to seven years.