Margot C. Finn | Lightnews

Margot Finn

@eicathomefinn.bsky.social

17K followers 4.5K following 10K posts

Historian of Britain and colonialism, material culture, the EIC. Also works on equalities, museums, open access & research policy. Download the EIC @ Home open access volume here: https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/88277 (or individual chapters via JSTOR) .. more

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Margot C. Finn is a British historian and academic who specialises in Britain and the British colonial world during the long nineteenth century. She has been Professor of Modern British History at the University College, London (UCL) since 2012. Finn was previously the President of the Royal Historical Society and a trustee of the Victoria & Albert Museum. .. more

Political science 31%

Economics 26%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 10h

CFP for 5-minute lightening talk proposals (due 13 March) for the IHR's British History in the Long 18th Century seminar is now live. Come introduce your PhD project to an enthusiastic group of fellow historians. Contact Brendan Tam ([email protected] ) for more details. #Skystorians

IHR British History in the Long C18th Seminar @long18thsem.bsky.social · 10h

18TH CENTURY BRITISH HISTORY PHD LIGHTNING TALKS CFP

Are you at the start of your PhD? Want to tell an eager and engaged audience about it in 5 mins? We want to hear the best PGR research about 18th Britain at our #LightningTalks event 29 April 2026.

Please see the poster for further information!

Reposted by Margot C. Finn, Tim Hitchcock

IHR British History in the Long C18th Seminar @long18thsem.bsky.social · 10h

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 11h

'The Labour government has announced plans to cut graduate visas from two years to 18 months and proposed a new levy of 6 per cent on international tuition fees since coming into power – moves that many fear will further damage the UK’s ability to attract students.' 2/2

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 11h

'UK universities have experienced their worst January for international student recruitment in at least four years, new visa figures indicate.' Figure is 31% down from a tear ago. 1/2

Falling study visas a ‘sharp warning’ to UK government

January visa applications hit lowest level in four years, prompting further concern about university finances

www.timeshighereducation.com

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 12h

'Health officials fear Palantir’s reputation will hinder the delivery of a “vital” £330m NHS contract, according to briefings seen by the Guardian, sparking fresh calls for the deal to be scrapped.'

NHS deal with AI firm Palantir called into question after officials’ concerns revealed

Exclusive: in 2025 briefing to Wes Streeting, officials warned reputation of tech firm behind US ICE operations would hinder rollout of data system in UK

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

Jenni Adams @jenniad.bsky.social · 1d

“Without coordinated action, [open research] frameworks shaped largely around STEM research could further marginalise AHSS disciplines and leave researchers without the support needed to put openness into practice.”

New report urges broader definition of “open research" to include arts, humanities and social science practices

As Open Research gains traction across the research landscape, a new report challenges funders and institutions to expand their understanding of openness to better reflect arts, humanities and social ...

www.lib.cam.ac.uk

Reposted by Elizabeth Stokoe

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d

UK Humanities and Social Science researchers: If you want DSIT's metascience agenda to include your disciplines and subject areas, this is the prompt to apply by 23 April for up to £350,000 to make that happen. Don't be left out in the cold. #Skystorians

Metascience research grants: round two

Apply for funding to undertake cutting-edge Metascience research into more effective ways of conducting and supporting research and development (R&D), including the impact of artificial intelligence (...

www.ukri.org

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d

Two ‘things’, the other being his cousin-wife.

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

Suzanne Karr Schmidt @drkarrschmidt.bsky.social · 1d

Apply! Our Summer Paleography Institute is in Italian this year!

#NewberryLibrary
www.newberry.org/calendar/sum...

2026 Summer Institute in Italian Paleography

An intensive course on reading and transcribing Italian manuscripts from the late medieval though the early modern periods.

www.newberry.org

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

Chris Terry-Enescu @cjterry.bsky.social · 1d

My lawyers have instructed me not to comment on this story.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Reform candidate calls for ‘young girls’ to be given ‘biological reality’ check

Exclusive: Matt Goodwin argued ‘young girls’ should be explained ‘the biological reality’ that ‘many women in Britain are having children much too late in life’

www.independent.co.uk

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 1d

While there was an uptick in early 2025, with visa applications over a 12-month period showing a steady rise, that recovery has now reversed. The total number of student visa applications in the year to January 2026 was 417,400, compared with 485,400 in January 2023.

Reposted by Robert Bickers

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d

The 20th-century globe, as 'colonised by immigrants'.

Map of the British empire in the 20th century, prior to decolonisation. Canada, significant portions of Africa, India, Australia, NZ etc in red, with areas not then (20th c.) colonised by British depicted in white, with blue oceanic background.

Reposted by Will Jennings, Christopher McCabe, Margot C. Finn , and 1 more Will Jennings, Christopher McCabe, Margot C. Finn, Catriona Seth

Omar Khan @omaromalleykhan.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks to all the charlatans, quacks and fools who've allowed measles to reach my child's secondary school in London

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d

Basically the answer still appears to be 'Yes'.

Does ROI add up for the MBA?

Potential students are more closely scrutinising return on investment in a patchy jobs market

www.ft.com

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d

'The party has, however, also pledged to bring in a new law to enshrine a free speech duty on universities in Wales, threatening financial penalties or withdrawing financial support if they do not comply, should it win the next Senedd election.' 2/2

Reposted by Elizabeth Stokoe

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d

'In a BBC Wales debate Francesca O'Brien distanced herself from the party's head of policy, Zia Yusuf, who suggested Bangor University could have its funding stripped because a debating society refused an invitation to hear from a Reform MP.' 1/2

Reform will not defund Bangor university, politician says

Reform politician says party will not strip university of cash in row over free speech.

www.bbc.co.uk

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d

On Thursday 26 March, the Royal Historical Society will be holding an online meeting for Directors of Research / REF Leads to discuss preparations by historians for the REF.

Contact [email protected] to participate.

Rectangular image featuring (on the left) 2 piles of leather-bound book, then the stone head of a medieval man (statue) then a vertical row of old books. In the foreground is a red carpet. To avoid REF lopping heads off historians, send a delegate to this online meeting.

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Margot C. Finn, Kate Bradley

Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 1d

On 16 April, we co-host 'History and Archives in Practice, 2026' with @ihr.bsky.social, The National Archives, and University of Sheffield Library.

For #HAP26 our theme is: ‘Shaping Societies, Improving Lives: the Impact of Archives and Historical Research’ bit.ly/4tvKUnX. Booking now #Skystorians

‘Shaping Societies, Improving Lives’: programme and booking for ‘History and Archives in Practice, 2026’ now available - RHS

On Thursday 16 April 2026, the Royal Historical Society joins with The National Archives, Institute ofHistorical Research and University of Sheffield Library to co-host the this year’s History and Arc...

bit.ly

Reposted by Rebecca Sear

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d

'Patterns of genetic diversity on the X and Y chromosomes suggested that European-farmer ancestry seemed to arrive mostly through females.

“We really do think that the bits and pieces of the farming lifestyle that were incorporated by these hunter-gathering groups came in through...women".'

Hunter-gatherers took refuge in European 'water world' for millennia

Ancient inhabitants of the Rhine-Meuse river delta resisted population shifts that transformed most of Europe — until they helped catalyse the expansion of ‘Bell Beaker’ culture.

www.nature.com

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d

And encouraging your students to read instead of relying on chatbot summaries may have longer-term benefits than you know.

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d

'France’s Health Data Hub, which houses medical data for research use, will move from non‑EU servers provided by Microsoft to an EU‑based platform by the end of the year, the government has said.'

Craig Nicholson @clanicholson.bsky.social · 2d

France news: Health research data to be moved to EU servers

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d

'The interaction between the £39,160 lifetime tuition fee cap and previous study is going to generate enormous confusion. And the bit about deducting “today’s equivalent value” if you previously studied without fees is a nightmare waiting to happen'. 2/2

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d

'The credit-based funding model means every student’s entitlement is now a bespoke calculation depending on how many credits they’re studying, what kind of provider they’re at, what TEF rating it has, what type of OfS registration it holds, where in the UK they’re studying....' 1/2

DfE attempts to explain the LLE to applicants. Badly

The Westminster government has published some "student facing" material on loan funding under the new Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) system.

wonkhe.com

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d

It would be interesting to compare Liverpool's approach to REF, as detailed here, with the detailed summaries provided by the Business and Management Studies Sub-panel report, referenced nowhere here, but available open access since 2021: 2021.ref.ac.uk/media/1912/m...

‘Toxic culture’ caused by REF pressure to target top journals

Staff at management school say they feel forced to publish in ‘narrow’ subset of elite journals to boost REF standing, restricting types of research they can pursue

www.timeshighereducation.com

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d

'A limitation was that participants reported details about their early and midlife experiences later in life, so may not have remembered everything accurately. The study also did not prove that lifelong learning reduces the risk of dementia, as it only showed an association.' 2/2

Associations of Lifetime Cognitive Enrichment With Incident Alzheimer Disease Dementia, Cognitive Aging, and Cognitive Resilience | Neurology

Background and ObjectivesThe effects of lifetime cognitive enrichment on later-life cognitive outcomes are not comprehensively investigated. The aim of this study was to test the association of lifeti...

www.neurology.org

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d

'Reading, writing and learning a language or two can lower your risk of dementia by almost 40%, according to a study that suggests millions of people could prevent or delay the condition.' 1/2

Reading and writing can lower dementia risk by almost 40%, study finds

Cognitive health in later life is ‘strongly influenced’ by lifelong exposure to intellectually stimulating environments, say researchers

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Tim Bale, Margot C. Finn, Catriona Seth

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 1d

The initiative will provide €325 (£283) a week to 2,000 eligible artists based in the Republic of Ireland. This follows a pilot (for which 2,000 artists were randomly selected from 8,000 applicants).

‘The scheme recouped more than its net cost of €72m’
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

Ireland’s basic income for the arts scheme becomes permanent

When piloted, initiative that provided €325 a week to eligible artists recouped more than its net cost, study shows

www.theguardian.com

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d

'Some 50 per cent of complaints this year were deemed not justified and 20 per cent judged as not eligible, with a further 9 per cent of grievances withdrawn or terminated, the report says.' 20% resolved in favour of student complainant.