Additional local housing has little effect on local housing markets

A new study has shown that new house building has little discernible and consistent impact on local house price patterns.

London Cycle Challenge

LSE is participating in the London Cycle Challenge; a fun, free competition to encourage everyone to experience first-hand the joys and benefits of riding a bike.

Tom Bates

Outside of LSE, Tom works as both an actor and director for a cooperative theatre company and is currently producing their second showcase event.

 News

 LSE in pictures

 Events

 Training and jobs

Professor Mulcahy appointed as Director of LSE's new PhD Academy

Professor Linda Mulcahy (pictured) has been appointed as the first Director of the PhD Academy, which will launch in September 2015.

Professor Mulcahy is based in the Law Department and is currently the Director of the ESRC Doctoral Training Centre (DTC). The PhD Academy is being created in response to a strong demand from PhD students for a dedicated place where they can get the information and support from centralised services, which provides dedicated space for a common room, advanced teaching and interdisciplinary workshops, and enables them to create a stronger sense of community and belonging to the LSE as a whole. The physical element of the PhD Academy is currently under construction on the fourth floor of the Library and should be completed by the end of September 2015.

As PhD Director, Professor Mulcahy will be responsible for the PhD Academy and the ESRC DTC, and will work with the Pro Director for Research, Julia Black, to ensure that the School takes full account of its PhD activity in developing its overall strategic thinking, its research strategy and the infrastructure for interdisciplinary research by our research students.

Professor Mulcahy has already been working hard to create the Academy over this past year, which we hope will provide PhD students with a wonderful opportunity to engage with each other across the School.
 

Professor Maurice Fraser (pictured), Head of LSE's European Institute, has been made Cavaliere dell’ Ordine della Stella d’ Italia, one of the highest honours conferred by the Italian state, for his services to Europe and to relations between Italy and the United Kingdom.

Professors Craig Calhoun (pictured), Director of LSE, and Tariq Madood, University of Bristol, discussed the changing nature of religion in Britain and the challenges for Higher Education at an event on Tuesday 9 June at LSE.

The discussion drew upon the complementary essays both have written on religion for the Leadership Foundation's Stimulus Paper series, entitled Religion in Britain: challenges for Higher Education.

The authors have brought together their social sciences expertise to examine the issues around the place of religion in contemporary society and what that might mean for universities. There is a particular emphasis on leaders, particularly those who provide the intellectual and academic leadership.

In his essay, Religion, the public sphere and higher education, Professor Calhoun explores how religious public issues intersect with life in universities. What are the challenges from dealing with dissent to supporting students' personal growth? Do universities help the public understand religion better? And how do university leaders, who may or may not be religious, foster incorporate religious diversity into inclusive intellectual communities? More
 

LSE achieves internationally recognised energy management standard

On Monday 1 June, LSE achieved ISO 50001 certification, an internationally recognised standard of energy management, following a recent external audit. LSE is one of only a handful of universities to achieve the standard.

This will help the School meet our carbon targets and reduce costs, by putting systems in place to continually improve our energy performance. Examples of this include designing the Centre Buildings redevelopment to stringent energy standards, enhancing heating and cooling control systems to boost energy-efficiency whilst improving comfort, and installing low-energy lighting and other equipment.

Julian Robinson, Director of Estates, thanked staff for their hard work over the last year in getting everything into place to make this achievement possible.
 

Last week Residential Services were successfully re-accredited for the Customer First Standard.

The assessor congratulated them on both the amount of evidence supplied and the enthusiasm of staff spoken to over the course of the assessment.

Staff Consultative Council discontinued

As part of a review of mechanisms for staff liaison, which included the HR Division, it has been decided to discontinue the Staff Consultative Council.

The group was set up in 2007 as an independent and impartial body to help improve the working environment for all staff. The group has done valuable work, but it has been recommended that this be absorbed into and taken up by other more integrated channels within and outside the HR Division.

The School remains committed to the values and goals embodied by the SCC, and is very grateful to all the SCC’s members - who have been written to and thanked individually - for their service on the group, in particular their commitment to speaking out on matters of interest to the community.
 

New Gearty Grilling online

A new Gearty Grilling video, part of the series of short video debates between Conor Gearty, director of the IPA and professor of human rights law, and leading researchers at LSE, is now online.

This week Pauline Barrieu (pictured), Professor in Statistics, discusses modelling and new trends in the financial markets. More
 

Did you know? The Queen, who celebrates her official birthday this Saturday, opened the New Academic Building in 2008.

But both her mother and daughter had visited LSE before her. LSE photo archives record HM the Queen Mother’s first visit in 1960. Her granddaughter Princess Anne’s first visit to LSE came in 1986.

See how much - or how little - royal visits have changed through the years from 1960 in pictures at the LSE History trivia series.

With the end of the academic year fast approaching, LSE Catering are putting on a pop-up Champagne Bar on the eighth floor of the New Academic Building this Friday (12 June).

For the next two weeks the Fourth Floor Restaurant is trialling an early breakfast service that opens at 9am until 11am.

The Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE) have announced further funding for knowledge exchange activity. A total amount of funding available in this round is £700,000, with applications due 17 August 2015 for projects starting any time from 1 October 2015. Projects must be completed by 30 June 2016.

A briefing session will be held on Wednesday 17 June from 10am-12pm in NAB LG.03. Come along and hear from colleagues in the Institute of Public Affairs, Communications, and those in Research Division working on Knowledge Exchange, and Impact. This will also be an opportunity to hear first-hand from current award holders. Applications and guidance forms will be made available for this session.

Since 2001, HEFCE has supported the development of a broad range of knowledge-based interactions between universities and colleges and the wider world, which result in economic and social benefit to the UK. HEFCE’s Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) is now in its fifth cycle.

HEIF5 runs from 2011 to 2016 and of the £9 million the School has received in this round, close to £5 million has been invested into the Bid Fund, a competitive source of internal funding available to support knowledge exchange activities and outputs based on School research. The total amount of funding available in this round is £700,000. Applications are due 17 August 2015 with project start dates anytime from 1 October 2015. Projects must be completed by 30 June 2016.

Need a nursery?

Do you have young children (three months to five years) and need a nursery near the School?

If so, please take the very short survey at surveymonkey.com/s/Y9JBLN2. We are particularly keen to hear from staff and students who could use the LSE Nursery but don’t.
 

To mark the end of the Sabbatical Officers’ year at the Student's Union, LSE Arts and the LSESU have teamed up to present a special edition of the monthly online gallery.

Each Sabbatical Officer have chosen their favourite pictures from the last year. Check it out online.

Computer Tip of the Week - Excel good practice

Audits of Excel spreadsheets often reveal alarming numbers of errors. Many of these can be avoided by implementing simple good practice. Here are three crucial tips:

1. Never type a number into a formula; use a cell reference instead. (For example, to calculate two per cent inflation, do NOT type two per cent into your formula. Instead, type the label ‘inflation rate’ into a cell, and two per cent into the adjacent cell. Then include the latter cell in your formula.)

• Spread sheets should be ‘transparent’, displaying all assumptions and values incorporated into calculations.
• Numbers may change; cell contents can be changed more easily than numbers hidden in formulas, which are easily overlooked.
• Errors in typing numbers into formulas are less likely to be spotted than if displayed on the worksheet.

2. Put all constants and assumptions at the top of the sheet, clearly labelled and separated from the main dataset.

• This makes worksheets instantly easier to understand.

3. Avoid typing cell references into a formula. Instead, click on the cell to enter its cell reference in a formula.

• Clicking is much less prone to error than typing a cell reference.

London Cycle Challenge

LSE is participating in the London Cycle Challenge; a fun, free competition to encourage everyone to experience first-hand the joys and benefits of riding a bike.

London organisations will compete against each other to see who can get the most staff to ride a bike between Monday 8 and Sunday 28 June.

The Challenge is about participation rather than who can cycle the most miles, with prizes on offer to participants. Register now to start logging your miles for the School.
 

2015 Prudential RideLondon - Surrey 100

On Sunday 2 August Ian Harvey (pictured), IMT, is taking part in the 2015 Prudential RideLondon - Surrey 100 in aid of Scope.

Celebrating the legacy for cycling created by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 will start in the new Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, then follow a 100-mile route on closed roads through the capital and into Surrey’s stunning countryside.

Scope exists to make this country a place where disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else. They provide support, information and advice to more than a quarter of a million disabled people and their families every year, and raise awareness of the issues that matter.

Flat in Gants Hill available to rent

One bedroom, furnished flat situated very close to Gants Hill Station (Central Line) now available for rent.

The flat is a part of a new build, serviced block of apartments and has been recently decorated. It is one minute walking distance from the tube station and within walking distance to Ilford station for National Rail.

Close to local shops and neighbouring with the historic Valentines Park.

For more information, pictures or to arrange the viewing, please email k.selmoun@lse.ac.uk.

Watch this space.... the Centre Buildings Redevelopment site will see Clare Market Building, East Building and part of St Clement’s demolished.

For more images like this, visit the Photography Unit.

Healthy eating, regular exercise and blood pressure and cholesterol control are among the most effective ways of managing the early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

These are the findings of a review undertaken by researchers from LSE, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust and US National Institutes of Health, published in Nature Reviews Nephrology.

A new study has shown that new house building has little discernible and consistent impact on local house price patterns.

The report by LSE London, entitled Understanding the Local Impact of New Residential Development, was jointly commissioned by Barratt Developments, the largest house builder in the UK, and the NHBC Foundation, and addressed the question of whether a new development will always reduce prices or reduce the rate of increase in prices in the immediately surrounding area.

China’s greenhouse gas emissions could peak more than five years earlier than expected, helping to avoid dangerous climate change, according to a new paper published by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy at LSE.

The authors of the paper, Fergus Green and Professor Lord Nicholas Stern, find that, although President Xi Jinping has agreed publicly to reduce emissions by 2030, China’s emissions will likely begin to decline by 2025.

The paper states: “Analysing trends in the key emitting sectors, we conclude that China’s greenhouse gas emissions are unlikely to peak as late as 2030 - the upper limit set by President Xi Jinping in November 2014 - and are much more likely to peak by 2025. They could peak even earlier than that.”

Forthcoming LSE events include....

Disinflation and Deflation: where? why? and what's next?
On: Wednesday 17 June at 6.30pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Professor Kristin Forbes (pictured)

After Your Death
On: Thursday 18 June at 6.30pm in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Speaker: Professor Sam Scheffler

Don't miss out - ticket release reminder

Above the Parapet - Women in Public Life
On: Tuesday 23 June
Speaker: Julia Gillard (pictured)
Ticket release date: Monday 15 June
 

EU Foreign Policy: the view from Bulgaria

On: Tuesday 16 June from 5.30-6.30pm in the Alumni Theatre, New Academic Building

HE Mr Daniel Mitov (pictured), Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Bulgaria, will speak at this LSEE event.

On: Wednesday 17 June from 3-6.15pm in the Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building

LSE London are hosting this event as part of their project series 'Housing in London: addressing the supply crisis'. It will offer a chance to discuss the main recommendations that have emerged from the project thus far about accelerating housing development in London.

Panellists will include Roger Madelin (Argent), David Lunts (GLA), Kate Allen (Financial Times), and Robert Booth (The Guardian). Tony Travers, Director of LSE London, will chair the discussion.

On: Wednesday 17 June from 7.30-9pm in the Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
Speakers: Andy Bagnall (pictured), CBI, and Professor Ali El-Agraa, Fukuoka University

Structural reform of the EU's sclerotic economies is at the top of national policy agendas but the political and electoral obstacles are formidable. Is the flexible, liberal approach to economics long championed by Britain the key to boosting the EU's competitiveness and its economic performance? How can Britain improve the effectiveness of its economic advocacy in the EU? A panel of economics experts will explore the options.

On: Thursday 25 June from 6.45-8.15pm on Saw Swee Hock's sixth floor
Speakers: Dr Ute Stephaen, co-author of the paper inspiring this panel; Dr Susan Liautaud, Founder and Managing Director of Susan Liautaud and Associates Limited; and Dentaa Amoateng, an award-winning British-Ghanaian entrepreneur.

This panel discussion, hosted by LSE Entrepreneurship, is inspired by recent research showing some women social entrepreneurs paying themselves as much as 29 per cent less than their male counterparts. Is this culturally determined because they undervalue themselves, or is this wise business practice and based on lifestyles choices?

Panellists will discuss how women entrepreneurs decide the value of their work. The purpose is to provoke thought, stimulate debate, and encourage women to think about self-valuation and the potential impact of society and culture on their commercial decisions.

Podcasts of public lectures and events

Irrational Exuberance: as relevant as ever
Speaker: Professor Robert J Shiller
Recorded: Monday 1 June, approx. 62 minutes

Why Are We Waiting? The Logic, Urgency and Promise of Tackling Climate Change
Speaker: Professor Lord Stern of Brentford
Recorded: Wednesday 3 June, approx. 87 minutes

Do it Like a Woman: contemporary feminist activism and how you can change the world
Speaker: Caroline Criado-Perez
Recorded: Wednesday 3 June, approx. 87 minutes

Can you get more out of your research?

Learn the skills which will help you communicate your research innovatively and effectively with LSE Shout!

LSE Shout! is back for a second year. Set in the beautiful surroundings of Cumberland Lodge, LSE Shout! offers a free series of interdisciplinary workshops designed to provide researchers with the skills that will enable them to engage people more effectively with their research through innovative communication channels.

Targeted at PhD students and early career researchers, the workshops are taught by a variety of industry practitioners from the fields of public speaking, filmmaking, and graphic design.

This year's LSE Shout! will take place from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 June. Applications are now open - you can apply via the applications page.

Please email shout@lse.ac.uk with any queries and find out more information on the website.
 

Chinese Students: culture, education and change

On Wednesday 24 June, Catherine Xiang from the Language Centre will lead this session to look at changes experienced by many Chinese students.

The workshop will look to develop understanding of some of the challenges facing Chinese students at LSE, particularly within a rapidly changing cultural context.

There will be a sandwich lunch provided prior to a prompt start at 1pm.

To attend this session, book your place via the Training and development portal. For any enquiries, email a.sandelson@lse.ac.uk.
 

Below are some of the vacancies currently being advertised:

• Research Officer, Centre for Economic Performance
• Academic Developer, Teaching and Learning Centre
• Analyst Programmer, Information Management and Technology
• Centre Manager, Centre for the Study of Human Rights
• Coordinating Language Teacher (Mandarin Chinese), Language Centre
• Coordinating Language Teacher (EAP), Language Centre
• Department Manager (Strategy and Resources), Law
• Deputy Director (internal only), Centre for Women, Peace and Security
• Faith Centre Coordinator, Teaching and Learning Centre
• Financial Planning and Analysis Manager, Finance Division
• Graduate Administrator, Geography and Environment
• Communications and Customer Service Manager, ARD: Graduate Admissions
• HR Analyst, HR
• Head of Digital Scholarship and Innovation, Library: Resources and Innovation
• Head of Purchasing (internal only), Finance Division
• Policy Communications Manager, International Growth Centre
• Fellow in International Political Economy (two posts), International Relations
• Fellow in Local Economic Development, Geography and Environment
• Fellow in Public Policy and Administration, Government
• Fellow, Gender Institute
• Fellows in Accounting, Accounting
• Office Manager (internal only), Finance Division
• Office Manager/HR Information Officer, LSE Advancement
• Programme Coordinator, Management
• Programme Coordinator (MSc Management and Exchanges), Management
• Research Officer, Centre for Analysis of Time Series
• Senior HR Analyst, HR