In this blog post, Dr Kim Barker and Dr Olga Jurasz, both Senior Lecturers in Law at The Open University, discuss the challenges posed to women’s rights during the COVID-19 pandemic
The current pandemic has brought both threats and opportunities, overturning economic and social norms but also pointing towards new ways of doing things. In the OU’s Business and Law Schools, our response has been: what can we learn?
Laura Noakes, a PhD student in the OU Law School, reflects on her experience of studying for a PhD during lockdown. She shares some insights into the feelings of isolation, felt by so many during this period, and reminds us all to be kinder to ourselves
Professor Mark Fenton O’Creevy from The Open University Business School and Dr Erica Thompson from LSE highlight the dangers of investing scientific models with phantastic (wished-for but unrealistic) power to resolve uncertainty during the pandemic
Allison Wolfreys is a Lecturer in Law in The Open University's Law School. In her blog written specifically for this series, she outlines the family court's transition to online hearings and the immediate impact of this new, remote approach
Dr Fidele Mutwarasibo, Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership at The Open University, reflects on the challenges and opportunities COVID-19 has presented for online, facilitated engagement
Calls to domestic violence hotlines have soared during lockdown. In response, The Open University’s Open Justice team has collaborated with charity Support Through Court to launch a free open online resource
During the COVID-19 outbreak, vast numbers are working remotely. But can working from home have an impact on menopause symptoms? Joanna Brewis, Professor of People and Organisations in The Open University's Business School, explores
Ten law students from The Open University are taking part in a four-week project that will consider the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on civil liberties. The ‘Civil Liberties in the Lockdown’ project is being run by the Freedom Law Clinic
The OU had a virtual stand at the CIPD’s Festival of Work, a two-day event looking at what is happening in the L&D and HR space, which took place virtually this year.

Wednesday, September 2, 2026 - 09:00 to Friday, September 4, 2026 - 17:00
University of Donja Gorica, Oktoih 1, Podgorica 81000, Montenegro
This academic conference hopes to draw feminist scholars, activists and communities together to consider what caring feminism across borders might mean now and for the future.
Thursday, March 4, 2027 to Friday, March 5, 2027
The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, United Kingdom
Contact SOMF 2027 Team
The annual European convening of the service operations management research community; an event designed for deep discussion, new collaborations, and the open exchange of work-in-progress alongside finished research.