Epigenetics and the hygiene hypothesis in relation to intrapartum events, and associations with longer term non-communicable diseases (e.g. social support, mode of birth, spontaneous unmedicated labour, onset and progress, labour induction, pharmacological pain relief, routine use of antibiotics, skin to skin processes, breast feeding and formula feeding)

Organizational characteristics, contexts, cultures and economic costs of variation in rates of interventions in childbirth in different socio-political contexts (e.g. birth outcomes, interventions in labour, perineal trauma and care, obstetric violence, women’s experiences of intervention, human rights, intervention variation, economic analysis, birth space and architecture, health technologies)

The mechanics and bioengineering of pregnancy and labour, including the nature and consequences of, and synergies between, maternal and fetal movement (e.g. assessing and monitoring fetal movements, fetal wellbeing, maternal physiology and birth, pelvic floor dysfunction)

Observational studies of neuro-psycho-social characteristics and effects of labour events, with a particular emphasis on the effect of personal interactions and behaviours within and between maternity care staff and labouring women and their families on neurohormones specific to labour processes (e.g. physiological birth and oxytocin, prenatal psychology, women's experiences, attachment, transition to parenthood, social support, maternal mental health, communication in maternity care)

Socio-cultural phenomenon that contextualize labour and birth, including the effects of dissonance between dominant cultural social expectations and those of marginalized groups, such as migrant women (e.g social expectations and experiences, marginalised and migrant populations, migrant women’s experiences, satisfaction with birth, maternity services, ethics, birth, pregnancy, motherhood, midwifery care)

To synthesise and disseminate evidence to scientific, clinical, managerial, opinion leader, policy maker and service user stakeholders, in relation to physiological labour and birth (e.g. dissemination models; implementation of science studies; use of systematic reviews, use of new e-and m-technologies, service user involvement in research)