Science Together: Exeter DPhil student and community partners collaborate to support dementia care through music
What would it look like if you bring together researchers and community members to work on a community-led project? This is a question that Science Together has set out to answer.
Science Together is an initiative of the University of Oxford, hosted within the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS) Division. The programme aims to bring together University staff, researchers, and local community organisations to work on a project that is steered by the community partners.
The initiative also aims for collaborations to “facilitate knowledge exchange, develop skills, support innovation and explore what can be achieved to improve the lives of local people when expertise is shared.”
In the 2024-2025 round of Science Together, Exeter College student Jumana Baghabrah (2022, DPhil Computer Science) is a facilitator for one of the projects and has been collaborating with other University members from diverse disciplines and community partners: Danielle Battigelli (Community Partner: Sound Resource), Lynda Ware (Community Partner: Sound Resource), Hannah Grove (University Researcher: Global Centre on Healthcare & Urbanisation at Kellogg College), and Laura Flenley (a Worcester College student [2022, MBiol in the Department of Biology]).
Together, the team has been working at Exeter’s Cohen Quad on assessing the value and impact of Sound Resource’s Moving Music concerts for people with dementia and their carers. People living with dementia, and those who care for them, face daily challenges that can make shared moments of joy feel rare. These concerts offer a much-needed space where they can simply enjoy being together, free from the usual pressures or concerns. The team is working together in support of these concerts to assess their value using different qualitative and quantitative approaches such as storytelling and social impact evaluation. This is important because securing funding for these concerts often requires communicating their impact and value, yet there’s a kind of impact that doesn’t lend itself easily to measurement or to being summed up in words or numbers. This is where the team has put together their diverse set of expertise in order to tell the story of the Moving Music concerts.
Jumana described her experience:
“Working on this project alongside such inspiring women, from both the University and community partners, has been a truly rewarding experience. One of the main reasons I chose to pursue a DPhil was to deepen my understanding and practice of public and community engagement, which I believe is a vital yet often undervalued aspect of academic research. This project has given me the chance to step outside the focus of my doctorate, explore broader issues, and form meaningful new friendships. It’s been genuinely heartening to see the whole team come together, with each member bringing her unique skills and perspectives to the table.
“As a facilitator, my role is to oversee the project’s progress and ensure that everything stays on track. I also try to focus on fostering connection and engagement within the team. Hosting our meetings at Cohen Quad made a real difference. It provided a welcoming, creative environment that encouraged open and imaginative thinking. I’m truly grateful to Exeter College for its generous support in making that possible.”
On 4 June, all the different Science Together projects are gathering for a Summer Showcase and Celebration and you are invited to attend! For details and to register your interest in attending, please RSVP here.
