About
A brief description of who you are and what you do.
This section will only display on your public profile if you’ve added content.
You can update this in Pure (opens in a new tab). Select ‘Edit profile’. Under the heading and then ‘Curriculum and research description’, select ‘Add profile information’. In the dropdown menu, select - ‘About’.
Write about yourself in the third person. Aim for 100 to 150 words covering the main points about who you are and what you currently do. Clear, simple language is best. You can include specialist or technical terms.
You’ll be able to add details about your research, publications, career and academic history to other sections of your staff profile.
Research
Your current research, published research topics, projects and groups.
This section will only display on your public profile if you’ve added content.
You can update the information for this section in Pure (opens in a new tab).
Research groups
Any research groups you belong to will automatically appear on your profile. Speak to your line manager if these are incorrect. Please do not raise a ticket in Ask HR.
Research interests
Add up to 5 research interests. The first 3 will appear in your staff profile next to your name. The full list will appear on your research page. Keep these brief and focus on the keywords people may use when searching for your work. Use a different line for each one.
In Pure (opens in a new tab), select ‘Edit profile’. Under the heading 'Curriculum and research description', select 'Add profile information'. In the dropdown menu, select 'Research interests: use separate lines'.
Current research
Update this in Pure (opens in a new tab). Select ‘Edit profile’ and then ‘Curriculum and research description - Current research’.
Describe your current research in 100 to 200 words. Write in the third person. Include broad key terms to help people discover your work, for example, “sustainability” or “fashion textiles”.
Research projects
Research Council funded projects will automatically appear here. The active project name is taken from the finance system.
Publications
A list of any publications that list you as an author.
This section will only display on your public profile if you’re listed as a publication author.
Public outputs that list you as an author will appear here, once they’re validated by the ePrints Team. If you’re missing any outputs that you’ve added to Pure, they may be waiting for validation.
Supervision
A list of your current and past PhD students.
This section will only display on your public profile if content has been added.
Contact your Faculty Operating Service team to update PhD students you supervise and any you’ve previously supervised. Making this information available will help potential PhD applicants to find you.
Teaching
Laura teaches academic and professional communication to MSc students across the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences (FEPS), working in partnership with subject programmes to integrate communication development within disciplinary learning. Through close alignment with core modules, she supports students in making the academic and cultural transition to UK higher education while developing the communication skills required for success in engineering and related STEM disciplines.
Laura also delivers Presenting Your Project workshops for undergraduate and postgraduate students. These sessions provide opportunities to practise poster presentations, engage in structured peer review, and receive formative feedback to enhance confidence and performance ahead of assessment.
In addition, Laura teaches on the Intercultural Communication option within Medical Humanities. This option encourages undergraduate medical students to explore how culture shapes communication, identity and professional practice in healthcare contexts. Students examine the assumptions, values and communicative preferences they bring to interactions with patients and colleagues, developing greater intercultural awareness and culturally responsive approaches to medical practice in contemporary healthcare settings.
You can update your teaching description in Pure (opens in a new tab). Select ‘Edit profile’. Under the heading and then ‘Curriculum and research description’ , select ‘Add profile information’. In the dropdown menu, select – ‘Teaching Interests’. Describe your teaching interests and your current responsibilities. Aim for 200 words maximum.
Courses and modules
Contact the Curriculum and Quality Assurance (CQA) team for your faculty to update this section.
External roles and responsibilities
You can update your external roles and responsibilities in Pure (opens in a new tab). Select ‘+ Add content’ and then ‘Activity’, your ‘Personal’ tab and then ‘Activities’. Choose which activities you want to show on your public profile.
You can hide activities from your public profile. Set the visibility as 'Backend' to only show this information within Pure, or 'Confidential' to make it visible only to you.
Biography
Laura Duncan is a Senior Teaching Fellow in the Academic Centre for International Students (ACIS), within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Southampton, and Co-Lead for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in Humanities.
Since joining the University in 2005, Laura has been dedicated to supporting students throughout their transition into and progression through higher education. She has extensive experience working with pre-sessional, foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate students, and has particular expertise in STEM communication and academic language development.
Alongside her teaching, Laura develops innovative resources to widen access to learning. She is the creator of the English for Engineers YouTube channel, which provides flexible, on-demand support for students studying in STEM disciplines around the world.
Laura is committed to advancing professional development within higher education and contributes to national and international communities of practice. Through BALEAP, she established the STEM Special Interest Group in 2022, creating opportunities for collaboration and professional learning among practitioners working in English for Academic Purposes and related fields.
Equity, diversity and inclusion underpin Laura's teaching, leadership and professional activities. She is a member of the In-IT-Together working group, which seeks to address the underrepresentation of certain groups in National Teaching Fellowship Awards. She also contributes to sector-wide conversations on inclusive education and teaching excellence through publications and thought leadership in Advance HE and WonkHE.
You can update your biography section in Pure (opens in a new tab). Select your ‘Personal’ tab then ‘Edit profile’. Under the heading, and ‘Curriculum and research description’, select ‘Add profile information’. In the dropdown menu, select - ‘Biography’. Aim for no more than 400 words.
This section will only appear if you enter the information into Pure (opens in a new tab).
Prizes
You can update this section in Pure (opens in a new tab). Select ‘+Add content’ and then ‘Prize’. using the ‘Prizes’ section.
You can choose to hide prizes from your public profile. Set the visibility as ‘Backend’ to only show this information within Pure, or ‘Confidential’ to make it visible only to you.