Kingston University research shortlisted in Times Higher Education Awards

Two innovative research projects from Kingston University have been shortlisted in the prestigious Times Higher Education Awards 2025. 

Widely recognised as the Oscars of higher education, the annual awards celebrate the talent, dedication and innovation of individuals and teams across the sector. 

A team of researchers within the Faculty of Health, Science, Social Care and Education is behind a project which has been named a finalist in the Research Project of the Year: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences category.

Through a two-year research project funded by the National Institute for Health Research, they have developed a toolkit that supports people with learning disabilities to have conversations about death and end-of-life care planning. The team includes four researchers with a learning disability, who help ensure the resources are accessible, inclusive and engage the target stakeholders – people with a learning disability and their carers.

“There are around one million people with learning disabilities in England. They are often excluded from knowing about dying and from attending funerals for fear it is too upsetting or not knowing what words to use,” project lead Professor Irene Tuffrey-Wijne explained. “This exclusion can lead to severe distress and complex grief disorders. Our toolkit aims to make it easier to involve them in these conversations from an early stage.”

The team actively involved more than 200 people, including 36 people with learning disabilities, families, care staff, managers, doctors and nurses, in focus groups, co-production groups and research advisory groups. Together, they developed conversation starter pictures about funerals, picture cards to help people think and talk about being ill and dying, and interactive guides for staff.

They held webinars throughout the project, co-presented by people with learning disabilities and viewed by more than 6,000 people. They also created YouTube videos led by people with learning disabilities, demonstrating how to talk about dying together.

“This project has been truly collaborative, with people with learning disabilities at the heart of every stage – from the initial research to co-designing the resources and co-presenting webinars,” Professor Tuffrey-Wijne said. “Being named a finalist is a testament to the power of working together to break down barriers and ensure everyone can be part of these vital conversations.”

Marie Curie, the UK’s leading end-of-life charity, has funded the toolkit as a print and deliver service which was launched this month, while it is also being widely used by learning disability services. Requests for translation led the team to also work with a Swiss research group to deliver a German version which will be launched shortly, demonstrating its international potential.

Within the Faculty of Engineering, Computing and the Environment, an academic is behind a suite of pioneering projects using artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to recycle textile waste, which has been shortlisted in the Research Project of the Year: STEM category. 

Professor Vasilis Argyriou, an expert in computer vision and AI, recently secured £3 million in funding from Innovate UK to support three major projects tackling the growing problem of textile waste.

The first project, AI4Fibres, launched in September 2023, explored the use of advanced AI systems to automatically analyse and sort textiles. Portable-AiFibres began in April 2024 and aims to develop the world’s first portable, easy-to-use recycling system for clothing and fabrics, using AI, robotics, and sensors. ReFibres started in May 2024 and focuses on creating a full recycling system for soft materials like garments.

Professor Argyriou is now working on integrating all these technologies into a full recycling system with over 92 per cent accuracy in sorting different types of textiles. Between 2023 and 2024, four pilot trials were completed, each successfully scanning, sorting, and separating more than 10 tonnes of clothing waste per week.

The system uses advanced AI and robotics to sort clothes by type, colour, and fabric in just two seconds per item. It also includes UV sterilisation to kill bacteria, computer vision to spot and remove things like zippers and buckles, and a fabric puller that extracts long fibres for reuse. A robotic sorting line organises the waste even further and a specialised binder composition lab creates materials that enhance the structural integrity of recycled fabrics. 

“What sets this system apart is its ability to handle up to 16 different fabric types – including blended materials – in a portable setup, which is a first in the industry,” Professor Argyriou explained. “It’s a real honour to be shortlisted for this award, which recognises the potential of cutting-edge AI and robotics to transform how we tackle textile waste through scalable solutions. By preventing clothes from ending up in landfill, this technology is opening a whole new market. Old garments can now be turned into useful commercial products such as loft insulation, carpet underlay, and jacket padding.” 

The winners of the Times Higher Education awards will be announced at a ceremony on Thursday 13 November.

• Find out more about the Times Higher Education Awards 2025.