On the 30 June and 1 July, the 15th WISERD Annual Conference took place at Aberystwyth University, welcoming over 130 delegates. The agenda comprised 14 paper sessions, two panels, and three symposia and workshops under the theme of ‘Participation and partnership in a time of precarity and polarisation’.
For the first time, this year’s agenda featured a pre-conference event for new researchers. Jointly sponsored by the Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences and the Learned Society of Wales Early Career Network, it reflected WISERD’s commitment to the future of social science research in Wales and the importance of building cross-sector relationships at all career stages.
Professors Angela Hatton, Adam Hedgecoe and Irene Hardill (left to right)
Professor Angela Hatton, Pro Vice Chancellor (Research) at Aberystwyth University, opened the conference and welcomed this year’s keynote speaker, Professor Irene Hardill, from Northumbria University. Professor Hardill’s presentation addressed key societal issues, such as volunteer participation during the Covid-19 pandemic, the partnership between state and civil society, welfare and co-production and the possibility of a brighter, fairer future for Welsh civil society.
Parallel sessions addressed both parts of this year’s conference theme, setting out the challenges of precarity and polarisation, with papers on unfair work, social exclusion, and other areas of persistent inequality, but also providing an overwhelming volume of work on potential solutions to the societal issues being faced in Wales and beyond. This research explored areas such as participatory and deliberative democracy, collaborative governance, citizen science, culture-based development and more.
Professor Michael Woods
Day one drew to a close with the launch of the Cymru Wledig LPIP Rural Wales first annual report, which took place at Aberystwyth Arts Centre and was supported by the Department of Research, Business and Innovation at Aberystwyth University. Cymru Wledig LPIP Rural Wales Director, Professor Michael Woods, shared highlights of the past year and introduced some of the latest research projects, which provoked an interesting evening of discussions around potential future collaborations.
Special thanks go to our exhibitors who kindly supported us with the event and shared their time speaking with delegates: ADR Wales, the ESRC Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences, the Learned Society of Wales, Rural Health and Care Wales and the Social Research Association. Special thanks also go to Clare Donnison, WISERD’s first conference poet, who wrote and performed original poetry, reflecting on presentations throughout the event.
Dr Jesse Heley, WISERD co-director at Aberystwyth University, said: “As with previous WISERD conferences, this year’s event was no exception in terms of pulling together researchers and civil society organisations from across Wales and beyond to explore the key issues facing our communities today. Against a challenging financial and political backdrop, there was a strong emphasis on practical interventions and pathways for change, and a very strong suite of contributions from new researchers.”
Professor Adam Hedgecoe, WISERD director, said: “This was my first WISERD annual conference as the new director, and I was deeply impressed by the breadth of work on display, the depth of people’s ideas and the friendly and collaborative mood that underpinned the whole conference.”
The WISERD Annual Conference takes place at a different one of our five partner universities each year (Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff, South Wales and Swansea). It brings together researchers at all stages of their careers, with policymakers and practitioners from many different sectors across the UK and beyond. The event highlights the range of important interdisciplinary work being done in the social sciences and provides opportunities for us to work better together to effect change and achieve a fairer society. The 2026 WISERD Annual Conference will take place at Cardiff University.
Image credit: anthony pugh photography