Cardiff University and Mississippi State University formally recognise collaboration

Cardiff University has renewed its longstanding agreement with Mississippi State University in a formal commitment to pursue joint research projects, staff exchanges and study abroad opportunities for students.

The memorandum of understanding with Mississippi State University was signed in Cardiff by the Pro-Vice Chancellor for the College of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Professor Karen Holford, and the MSU Provost and Executive Vice President Jerry Gilbert, to further develop opportunities for research and teaching collaboration.

The agreement outlines the intentions of both universities to develop joint research projects spanning academic disciplines, collaborate to organize seminars, conferences or workshops, and exchange academic materials and publications in fields of interest for both parties.

The delegation from MSU travelled to Cardiff to sign the agreement and to explore opportunities to develop activities in the School of Engineering, the Business School and the School of Social Sciences. It included MSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development, David Shaw, and Giles Distinguished Professor and Executive Director for the Institute of Computational Research in Engineering and Science, Roger King. Professor King is an alumnus of Cardiff University and obtained his doctorate in 1988 from what was then the University of Wales.

Professor Holford said that the agreement was actually a renewal of a longstanding collaboration in which the two universities had already collaborated on a number of projects. Dr Mike Jones from the School of Engineering has been working with the MSU’s agricultural and biological engineering department to investigate paediatric brain injuries, while researchers at MSU are also working with Cardiff University on research into hydrokinetics.

Mississippi State University is a recognised research university and is a leading university in the provision of undergraduate and postgraduate student opportunities. It is hoped that the two universities can develop student exchanges and other student opportunities, as well as the joint research activities that have already been established.

MSU Provost and Executive Vice President Jerry Gilbert said Cardiff is an outstanding university that matches up very closely to MSU in many areas.