Daisy Fancourt selected as New Generation Thinker

Friday 17 March 2017

Royal College of Music Research Fellow Daisy Fancourt has been chosen for the 2017 New Generation Thinkers programme.

The ten New Generation Thinkers 2017 have been selected from hundreds of applications after a nationwide search by BBC Radio 3 and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) for the best academic ideas with the potential to be shared through broadcast.

The successful applicants will have the opportunity to make programmes for Radio 3, BBC Four and other outlets. The scheme has been a successful first step for many academics, with previous thinkers going on to appear across radio and television.

Daisy Fancourt is a Research Fellow in the Centre for Performance Science, a cross-institutional partnership between the RCM and Imperial College London. Her research focuses on the effects of the arts on neuroendocrine and immune response, the use of music within clinical settings and the impact of arts and cultural engagement on public health.

Daisy comments: 'I'm really excited to be part of the BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinkers scheme! The selection process was quite daunting as everybody had such interesting research to present, so I'm honoured to have been chosen.'

Alan Davey, Controller, BBC Radio 3 comments: ‘A key part of our mission at BBC Radio 3 is to support and nurture outstanding talent and new generations of academics. The New Generation Thinkers scheme is a central part of this. At Radio 3 we look to connect our audiences with pioneering music and culture and I am thrilled that Radio 3 continues to offer a platform for the broadcasters of tomorrow to present their challenging and thought-provoking ideas to our listeners across the UK and the world.’

Find out more about the New Generation Thinkers programme.