A delegation from the University of Georgia visited the University marking a further step in the long-standing collaboration between the two institutions.
The visit provided an opportunity to further cement a shared commitment to expand research partnerships.
Professor Fiona Beveridge, Exectuive Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, welcomed the delegation to Liverpool at a workshop to explore inter-institution collaborative opportunities with researchers from the Faculty and from across the University.
The UGA delegation included Dr Martin Kagel, Associate Provost for Global Engagement, Dr Anna Stenport, Dean of Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and Brian Watkins, Director of Strategic Initiatives alongside five researchers.
These included Dr Katherine Melcher, Dr Daniel Gibbs, Prof Isiah Lavendar and Dr Magdelena Zurawski. They will each be exploring new research partnerships with the University in a variety of fields including use of AI in the child welfare system, the future of public spaces, and two areas of creative writing including how science fiction can help us think through social problems.
Dr Tracey Johnson, Professor of History at UGA was part of the visiting group and is working with Liverpool on a newly awarded British Academy grant of £300k with Katherine Roscoe and Barry Godfrey in the School of Law and Social Justice.
The project `Ethical Digital Public Histories: Prisoners and the Legacy of Enslavement, 1817-1970′ draws on digital methodologies to explore the histories of formerly enslaved people and their experiences of the US penitentiary system.
During their visit, the delegation toured the University’s Digital Innovation Facility, a Centre of Excellence in emerging digital technologies to find out how it helps understand and inform the public realm
Professor Richard Benjamin, co-director of the Centre for the Study of International Slavery, a partnership between the University and National Museums Liverpool hosted the visitors at the International Slavery Museum. Michelle Charters OBE, gave an inspiring talk of her role in the creation of the museum and the next stage of the museum’s development.
Professor Robert Blackwood, Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Global Engagement and Partnerships with the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome staff from the University of Georgia to the University and to Liverpool. The visit provided the opportunity to connect researchers from the two organisations with each other, and to discuss ideas and opportunities for new collaborative research projects face to face, as well as being able to meet with some of our other partners in the city. I look forward to the next phase of the partnership which will be an online symposium in February 2025.”
The visit reciprocates a recent visit to UGA during the summer by a team from HLS which explored potential areas for collaboration in infectious diseases and pharmacology as well as belatedly celebrating the ten year anniversary of the Liverpool-Georgia partnership.