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Future Research Leaders 2026

Responding to Bristol's Housing Crisis

In 2026 the Future Research Leaders are researching Bristol’s Housing Crisis to produce practical, evidence-based recommendations while gaining skills and experience to become future research leaders. Find out more about the project, the project aims, and who’s involved here.

Overview

In 2026, the Future Research Leaders, in collaboration with the Bristol SU’s research team, University of Bristol, and local housing organisations, are conducting impactful, real-world research on Bristol’s housing crisis.

At Bristol SU, we know finding affordable, safe and reliable accommodation in Bristol is difficult and according to Housing Matters Bristol has become the most expensive city to rent in England outside of London. The number of people living in temporary accommodation has more than doubled since the pandemic, a reality that is getting worse by the fact that the waiting list for social housing has hit a record high of 21,500 households with only 1,500 properties to allocate each year.

In summary, the national and international housing crisis has hit Bristol and its residents, including students, quite badly.

To understand the problem more, our Future Research Leaders will develop an original piece of research exploring the most pressing issues related to the housing crisis in Bristol and its impact on students. This group, made up of six students with varied backgrounds, are exploring the challenges that students from lower socio-economic backgrounds face in securing and living in housing in Bristol. This research will support housing organisations and policymakers in Bristol to improve housing for communities in the city.

Who are the Future Research Leaders?

FRL Image

The Future Research Leaders Project is a UKRI-funded program, led by UoB Student’s Union. The goal is to encourage students to develop research leadership skills through a hands-on project, tackling real-world problems.

In 2025, the previous Future Research Leaders completed a compelling piece of research exploring the barriers that men of colour face in accessing mental health support. This year’s Future Research Leaders (Max Graham, Ishika Mora, Magdalene Ng, Eva Rabin-Holmes, Mia Mohammad Rosli, and Jacobus Petrus van der Merwe) are taking on Bristol’s housing crisis.

Meet the Team

  • Mia Mohammad Rosli (she/they)

    Mia is a Malaysian future research leader at Bristol SU, committed to equality and inclusive student representation. In her spare time, she loves storytelling through Vampire: The Masquerade and other tabletop games, as well as writing and making art.

  • Eva Rabin-Holmes (she/her)

    Eva is currently in final year Sociology. She is interested in social justice, especially in relation to class and gender. In her spare time, she enjoys journalling and collaging.

  • Ishika Mora (she/her)

    Ishika is a first-year Law student and a Future Research Leader. Her interests include intersectional feminism and south Asian history. When she's not trying to keep up with seminar readings, you'll probably find her listening to music, reading manga, or playing rhythm games.

  • Jacobus Petrus Van der Merwe (he/him)

    Jacobus is a collaborative student leader from Namibia. In between hosting equity events, designing student experience initiatives and representing the University of Bristol’s Business School, he’s usually watching old horror movies or collecting achievements in video games.

  • Magdelene Ng (she/her)

    Magdalene is a Future Research Leader studying BSc International Social and Public Policy. Passionate about social issues and development research, she aims to connect with local partners to better understand Bristol’s housing landscape as an FRL. Outside her work and academics, Magdalene enjoys theatre and bouldering.

  • Max Graham (he/him)

    Max is a Philosophy student at Bristol. He is excited to contribute to the FRL project since the widespread housing issues within Bristol point to urgent cost-of-living pressures that need to be addressed and tackled.

Research Updates

You can follow the progress of the research below

Future Research Leaders Meet with Housing Partners

Student researchers on this year’s Future Research Leaders Project recently met with community partners as they begin their research into how housing insecurity impacts student and non-student residents in Bristol. Having already started their training in social research, this meeting with community partners was a crucial step in developing a socially impactful research project.

This year, the Future Research Leaders welcomed Councillor Barry Parsons, Chair of Bristol City Council’s Homes and Housing Delivery Policy Committee, and Nancy Caston-Hawkes from Housing Matters. In a wide-ranging conversation, fuelled by coffee, snacks, and drive to improve Bristol’s homes, these community partners joined the student researchers and Bristol SU staff to exchange expertise and insights into the housing crisis.

More updates to follow.