Meliora: a podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute
Welcome to the Meliora Podcast from the Sustainability and Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton!
This podcast explores the greatest and most wicked problem that is sustainability, whilst looking at how we are collectively addressing this critical global challenge.
Sustainability needs to be addressed by understanding how the economy, society, culture, politics and environment intersect, and this is the focus that informs each episode of the Meliora podcast.
In each episode, host Professor Simon Kemp and guest hosts are joined by a variety of guests, including academics, students, staff, researchers, alumni, community groups and business leaders.
The aim of the podcast is to shine a light on the vast range of topics surrounding sustainability and to allow listeners to learn about the critical challenges we face, as well as how they can be part of the solution. We also ensure our fantastic students have the opportunity to share their brilliant work with the world.
Podcast host: Professor Simon Kemp, Deputy Director of the Sustainability & Resilience Institute, University of Southampton
Podcast editors: Lily Killner, Sophie Green, Libby Kale, Jack Dinham, Ellie Howell, School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton
Podcast communications: Hannah Parish, Alexander Ayerst, Maya Stevens, University of Southampton
Please do get in touch to discuss this podcast and any of the issues we raise by emailing sri@soton.ac.uk
Follow us on instagram and X: @meliorapodcast
Meliora: a podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute
DRAGON-Mekong Institute and the Sustainability & Resilience Institute Research Exchange Programme - episode 1
In the summer of 2025 the DRAGON-Mekong Institute at Can Tho University Viet Nam and the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton UK worked together on a research exchange programme for undergraduates, masters students, postgraduate research students, and early career academics. This programme is all about transformative impact in the broadest fields of sustainability centred around the climate change and adaptation challenges facing communities along the Mekong River Delta.
In episode 1 we address the opening visit where nine students and researchers from the University of Southampton visited the DRAGON-Mekong Institute at Can Tho University Viet Nam to collaborate on climate change research projects and undertake cultural exchange activities to develop an understanding of the people and the environment of the region.
We recognise that some may feel flying to a region to collaborate on climate and sustainability research is counterintuitive, possibly even hypocritical. However, conducting partnership research on these crucial challenges can only be authentic if it is achieved by understanding the real-life complexities facing people and working with these communities, and not by researchers stating what the possible solutions may be from a wholly different part of the world.
Episode host: Prof Simon Kemp
Episode guests: Angelina Spilnyk, Daniel Locke, Irene Ruiz Espejo, Jamie Robinson, Lily Rudduck, Massimo Risoli, Samuel Inkster, Stefania-Myrto Staiculescu
Episode producer: Jack Dinham
Episode editor: Ellie Howell
