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Play in the Academy: What if we took play seriously at work?

Play in the Academy: What if we took play seriously at work?

Posted on 29 June 2026 by hayleytrowbridge

What role does play have in our professional lives? Play can help us to think differently, support learning, build collaboration, and spark joy. And yet, in many university settings – […]

From Research to Action: Why Social Science Needs Design

From Research to Action: Why Social Science Needs Design

Posted on 20 April 2026 by christaylor

Governments, universities and public institutions produce vast amounts of research on society’s most pressing challenges – from climate transition and housing shortages to public service reform and democratic trust. Yet […]

Doing Research Differently: Principles for equity in creative and participatory research settings

Doing Research Differently: Principles for equity in creative and participatory research settings

Posted on 27 November 2025 by hayleytrowbridge

In April 2025, a group of researchers, practitioners and creatives came together at a Method Hackathon hosted by the Creative and Innovative Research Methods Community of Practice and SPARK. The […]

SPARKing Data Use: Introducing Social Data Science and Platforms

SPARKing Data Use: Introducing Social Data Science and Platforms

Posted on 27 October 2025 by Katy Huxley

SPARK is currently running our first run of a new series of talks and demonstrations, under the banner of ‘SPARKing Data Use, Introducing…’. In our first series of 8 sessions, […]

The Role of Social Sciences in Creating a Wiser Society – Part 3: Towards a Wiser Society: A Roadmap for SPARK

The Role of Social Sciences in Creating a Wiser Society – Part 3: Towards a Wiser Society: A Roadmap for SPARK

Posted on 21 August 2025 by christaylor

How do you build a place – and a culture – where wisdom can grow? The final blog in the series brings the discussion home to SPARK, Cardiff University’s Social […]

Creative Disruption: A brief guide to convening a method hackathon

Creative Disruption: A brief guide to convening a method hackathon

Posted on 7 August 2025 by hayleytrowbridge

In April 2025, the Creative and Participatory Research Methods Community of Practice hosted a method hackathon with SPARK. The event explored how to challenge knowledge hierarchies, amplify underrepresented voices, and […]

The Role of Social Sciences in Creating a Wiser Society – Part 2: Progress and Obstacles to a Wiser Society

The Role of Social Sciences in Creating a Wiser Society – Part 2: Progress and Obstacles to a Wiser Society

Posted on 4 August 2025 by christaylor

Why does wisdom remain on the margins of research—and what’s stopping us from putting it centre stage? In the second instalment of the series, we shift from vision to reality. […]

The Role of Social Sciences in Creating a Wiser Society – Part 1: The Need for a Wiser Society

The Role of Social Sciences in Creating a Wiser Society – Part 1: The Need for a Wiser Society

Posted on 24 July 2025 by christaylor

In this powerful opening to our blog series, Professor Chris Taylor asks what it would mean for universities and social science communities to move beyond generating knowledge, and instead commit […]

Using administrative data to create impact: Engaging with the Senedd

Using administrative data to create impact: Engaging with the Senedd

Posted on 14 July 2025 by Katy Huxley

Katy Huxley is a Research Fellow for the ADR Wales Skills and Employability research theme and at SPARK based out of Cardiff University. Here, Katy describes the process of giving […]

Three is the magic number: A Cross-Centre Seminar on Global Migration and Exploitation

Three is the magic number: A Cross-Centre Seminar on Global Migration and Exploitation

Posted on 27 June 2025 by Blogs Admin

On March 21, three Cardiff University research entities - the Migration, Ethnicity, Race and Diversity (MEAD) Research Group, the Modern Slavery and Social Sustainability Research Group (MSSS RG) and the […]