On 28th November OxTalks will move to the new Halo platform and will become 'Oxford Events' (full details are available on the Staff Gateway).
There will be an OxTalks freeze beginning on Friday 14th November. This means you will need to publish any of your known events to OxTalks by then as there will be no facility to publish or edit events in that fortnight. During the freeze, all events will be migrated to the new Oxford Events site. It will still be possible to view events on OxTalks during this time.
If you have any questions, please contact halo@digital.ox.ac.uk
How can art historians explore, understand, or even ‘feel’ the material evidence of the past? How can we approach the problem of historical distance, of our anachronistic nostalgia and our intellectual desire for pre-modern periods and artefacts? Can we inhabit the time of past artworks, or do artworks constantly re-construct their own times? And what role do contemporary concerns play in our interpretations of the ancient, medieval, and early modern periods? Numerous recent publications have explored the study of the past through different lenses. They have complicated the idea of ‘historical contexts’ by showing the ability of artworks to simultaneously refer to various time periods. They have also encouraged cross-temporal and sometimes ahistorical interpretations of premodern artefacts in the light of modern theories and concerns. This conference will bridge the ‘historicist’ and ‘anachronist’ camp in an attempt to theorise the thorny issue of time which sits at the core of both history and art history. The conference is organised in celebration of the scholarship of Professor Gervase Rosser and in honour of his retirement from the University of Oxford. One aspect of Rosser’s career that we particularly want to celebrate is his prominence as both historian and art historian, and his inspirational interrogation of both disciplines. Speakers include: Armin Bergmeier (University of Leipzig); Saida Bondini (Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz); Donal Cooper (University of Cambridge); Heiko Droste (Stockholm University); Jas Elsner (University of Oxford); Michael Ann Holly (Clark Institute); Maria Loh (Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton); Keith Moxey (Barnard College); Susie Nash (The Courtauld Institute of Art); Caspar Pearson (The Warburg Institute); Hannah Skoda (University of Oxford); Nancy Thebaut (University of Oxford); Ben Thomas (Trinity College Dublin). The conference is organised by Costanza Beltrami (Stockholm University), Lia Costiner (Utrecht University), Elena Lichmanova (University of Oxford/British Library) and Michael W Kwakkelstein (NIKI/Utrecht University). View the programme here: https://www.niki-florence.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/HistoricalDistance_BrochureRev5.pdf Register for online attendance here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/d1b5a80a-1602-45de-9990-5ea8d491aaf0@d72758a0-a446-4e0f-a0aa-4bf95a4a10e7
Enhance your critical thinking and research skills in this practical workshop designed for undergraduate students. Learn to question assumptions, analyse sources critically, and develop information discovery and search strategies that will set you apart in your academic studies. By the end of this session, you will be able to: describe what critical thinking is; understand a critical thinking method; apply the method to your academic work; and explain the fundamentals of conducting research, including how to evaluate information sources in SOLO. Intended audience: Taught student
Sharpen your grant-winning skills in an interactive session delivered by Dr Justin Hutchence. Learn what funders expect, how to structure compelling proposals, avoid common pitfalls, and review applications effectively. Tailored for research staff seeking external funding, you'll leave with practical guidance and confidence to plan, write, and submit stronger bids that win.
Join Chris Morrison (Copyright & Licensing Specialist) and Georgina Kiddy (Digital Services Librarian) to play Copyright the Card Game. This interactive, games-based session introduces you to the key concepts of copyright law and allows you to apply them in practice. No prior knowledge is required, and the session caters for all whatever their level of experience with copyright. At the end of the session participants will be able to: explore how copyright really works in practice; interpret the legislation and apply the relevant legal concepts to their own work; practice using the exceptions and licences in sector-specific examples; and discuss the role of risk management in making decisions about the ethical creation and use of copyright material. Intended audience: Researcher & research student; Staff
COURSE DETAILS Discover what elements of storytelling and narrative can be used to enhance a profession in the sciences. Craft compelling and moving stories from your experiences as a scientist using these key story elements: character, conflict, structure, metaphor and description. Apply these storytelling and narrative skills to working in the sciences: communicating research to a range of audiences (including publics, media and funding bodies); enhancing presentation skills; telling scientific stories across a range of media. LEARNING OUTCOMES The aim of the course is: To increase understanding of the essential elements of a compelling narrative. To increase understanding of how to draw an audience into a story and keep them involved. To increase understanding of how to use narrative skills to make an effective ‘pitch’.
This session provides doctoral students in the third year and above with information about the viva, guidance on planning a proactive approach to it, and opportunities to practise. COURSE DETAILS The course will look at the rules and expectations of the viva exam and identify and practise practical ways to prepare. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of the session participants will be able to: Develop their awareness and understanding of the rules and expectations of the viva exam. Use tools and strategies to prepare for the exam. Develop an awareness of the examiner's perspective. Know what to expect of the exam.
The event organised by Dana Jalobeanu (Technische Universität Nürnberg), Daniel Garber (Princeton University), Mogens Laerke (CNRS, IHRIM/MFO) and Alan Stewart (Columbia University) as part of the NOTCOM activities programme. The workshop focuses on key-questions relating to the idols of the mind, Bacon's new sciences, the organisation of knowledge and the new methods of inquiry proposed in the De augmentis scientiarum. November 6 11.00-11.30. Introduction: Stéphane van Damme, Dana Jalobeanu, Mogens Lærke 11.30-13.00. Richard Serjeantson (Cambridge), Francis Bacon and John Case on defending, supporting, and reforming universities Chair: Niall Dilucia (CNRS, MFO) 13.00-14.00. Lunch 14.00-16.00. Alan Stewart (Columbia), On translating De augmentis scientiarum: Challenges and discoveries Chair : Miklos Redei (UTN, Nuremberg/ LSE, London) 16.00-16.30. Coffee 16.30-18.00. Round-table discussion moderated by Claudia Dumitru (Yale), De augmentis scientiarum and the ‘world of sciences’ November 7 9.30-11.00. Dana Jalobeanu (UTN, Nuremberg/University of Bucharest), Poetics, mythography and philosophy according to the parables in De augmentis scientiarum Chair: Robert Illife (Linacre, Oxford) 11.00-11.30. Coffee 11.30-12.30. Louis Rouquayrol (CNRS, IHRIM), Bacon, Descartes, and the Duty to Know Chair : Michael Jaworcyn (CNRS, MFO) 12.30-14.00. Lunch 14.00-16.00. Daniel Garber (Princeton), De augmentis scientiarum, method and historia literata Chair: Susan Paul (Princeton) 16.00-16.30. Coffee 16.30-18.00. Round-table discussion moderated by Mogens Laerke (CNRS, IHRIM/MFO).
In this 60-minute online workshop you will be introduced to the methodologies and principles underpinning the conduct of literature searches for systematic reviews, scoping reviews and other evidence reviews. The session will cover: formulating a focused research question; preparing a protocol; developing a search strategy to address that research question; choosing appropriate databases and search engines; searching for grey literature and ongoing studies; storing and managing references; and documenting and reporting your search. Intended audience: Medicine and NHS; Researcher and research student
Since its nineteenth-century rediscovery, the _Très Riches Heures_ has been endowed with mythic status, its cultural capital facilitated by serial reproductions. A 2025 exhibition in Chantilly, publicized as a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to see the manuscript in person, contributed further to this proliferation of replications and to the book’s attendant aura. One image looms especially large in this procession of fragmentary simulacra: the opening miniature, representing January, which has become a totem for the entire book. Queering this page, by suggesting that (for example) it encodes homoerotic meanings, effectively entails that the _Très Riches Heures_ itself be queered. Inspired by a 2001 article by Michael Camille on the manuscript’s medieval patron, Jean de Berry—his contribution to a volume on queer collecting—this talk follows Camille in interpreting the January page as containing a Ganymede allusion. Focusing on the implications of representing dogs as witnesses to the youth’s abduction in this context, I also turn in conclusion to another modern effort to queer an icon of European premodernity, namely Shakespeare, through the reworking of the January page via one of its countless reproductions. This serves to highlight intersections between queering as an interpretive tactic and wider efforts to subvert cultural icons.
This talk blends history, ecology, and personal experience to explore the long relationship between people, sled dogs, and salmon along the Yukon River watershed in Alaska and western Canada. As dogsledding and fishing have long been deeply intertwined parts of living close to the land, this talk looks at the stakes of a changing environment and climate—changes that could alter where we live and the animals we live with and the rivers that are their home. Bathsheba Demuth is the Dean’s Associate Professor of History and Environment and Society, and the Director of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative at Brown University. Author of the award-winning Floating Coast: An Environmental History of the Bering Strait (2019), she is an environmental historian, specializing in the lands and seas of the Russian and North American Arctic. From the archive to the dog sled, she is interested in the how the histories of people, ideas, places, and non-human species intersect.
A seeming contradiction in terms, remote eldercare is an emerging industry where workers in the Philippines monitor and interact with elderly United States-based clients, via a computer tablet and mediated by an avatar of an animated dog or cat. Using remote eldercare as a case study, I examine how internet and communications technologies (ICTs) reconfigure an international division of reproductive labour by engendering extraction of Southeast Asian workers’ intimate labour to sustain the lives of people in the Global North, this time without migration. In addition to labour time, I build on Neferti Tadiar’s concept of “remaindered lives” to frame remote carework as the transnational commodification of the vitality and life-times of careworkers. Through their situated testimonies and cultural production, I theorize how remote careworkers use ICTs to assert the materiality and affective complexity of their labour, and ultimately to craft modes of life-making that defy capitalist capture.
We apply techniques of exponential asymptotics to the KdV equation to derive the small-time behaviour for dispersive waves that propagate in one direction. The results demonstrate how the amplitude, wavelength and speed of these waves depend on the strength and location of complex-plane singularities of the initial condition. Using matched asymptotic expansions, we show how the small-time dynamics of complex singularities of the time-dependent solution are dictated by a Painlevé II problem with decreasing tritronquée solutions. We relate these dynamics to the solution on the real line.
This project is driven by the question ‘How can curriculum designers provide better Net Zero education to the next generation?’ Funded by UKRI / NERC, NetZeroED is a collaboration between researchers from across a wide range of disciplines, practitioners, and policy makers. It is part of the Agile initiative of research ‘sprints’; distinctive, policy-oriented projects seeking to produce environmental research rapidly in response to urgent policy challenges. This presentation will introduce the sprint model and then highlight some of the challenges associated with interdisciplinary research in this context. It will explore the methods of; critical interdisciplinary discussion of teaching resources, lesson observations, and interviews with teachers. Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3286933723625?p=RaUW7UUBDEijwtvxRN
Following the very successful seminars series on J. R. R. Tolkien in 2023 and 2024 (for recordings see: https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/series/fantasy-literature) we are pleased to announce a new round of presentations by Oxford academics on fantasy literature to run this Michaelmas Term (2025). These talks are aimed at students and members of the public and act as introductions to a range of writers and texts in the field of fantasy literature/weird fiction. The series is organised by the Faculty of English and hosted by Exeter College. All talks will be held in the Fitzhugh Lecture Theatre, Cohen Quad, Walton Street, Oxford (Exeter College’s annex), and run 1.00-2.00pm. Attendance is free of charge but we ask you to register using the link: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/seminar-series-the-weird-and-the-wonderful-4530103
David Pellman's laboratory investigates how errors in cell division lead to catastrophic mutational events, genome instability, and cancer. His group has uncovered mechanisms linking nuclear architecture to chromothripsis and other major genomic rearrangements, revealing how abnormal nuclear structures contribute to tumour evolution. Their recent work explores how nuclear atypia can cause heritable changes in chromatin organisation and gene expression, advancing our understanding of genome instability in human disease.
In this talk I will tell you about my PhD project on nature-based interventions for at risk youth in Norway. I am a psychologist from Denmark, doing my PhD in social work in Norway, and very happy to be visiting geography here at Oxford. I am doing a multi-site case study of existing nature-based interventions in Norway, where I conduct participatory observations and interviews with participants (age 12-30) and practitioners. Additionally, I am currently working on a scoping review where I attempt to map the field of nature-based interventions for at-risk youth in Denmark, Norway and Sweden (including literature in English, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish). I will be sharing preliminary findings from my project, theoretical considerations and practical implications.
Building a career in academia involves more than research and teaching; it requires deliberate positioning, and an understanding of how academic advancement is assessed and achieved. In this second instalment of the Insight into Academia series, we will focus on how to develop and demonstrate the profile needed to move forward in an academic career. Intended for Masters and Doctoral researchers considering academic pathways, this session will explore how individuals can prepare for academic roles and begin to position themselves for future progression — even at the early stages of their career. We will cover: * How academic progression typically works in the UK (from postdoc to professor) * Common expectations and indicators of academic potential * Building your academic identity and track record across research, teaching, and engagement * The importance of visibility, networks, and strategic choices for positioning and reflection on the academic job market * We will also offer practical tools and reflective prompts to help you identify development areas and take action to strengthen your positioning. This series accompanies the "Academia and Higher Education sector briefing":https://www.careers.ox.ac.uk/academia available on the Careers Service website. Other sessions in the series: Insight into Academia: Myths and Realities of Academic Careers Panel Event (13-Nov-25) Insight into Academia: Academic Application Materials (17-Nov-25)
Recent theoretical and empirical advances in neuroscience suggest that geometries of neural population codes can implement simultaneous generalization and differentiation. That is, they can allow brains to represent both the general features of categories and, at the same time, maintain a separate representation, as would be needed for category membership. I will explore how these principles can help resolve three outstanding issues in neuroeconomics. First, the need to compute abstract values during evaluation. Second, the need to flexibly bind values with actions during choice. Third, the need to flexibly bind outcomes and the choices that produced them. I will argue that these principles are even more important in naturalistic choices, such as those characterized by continuous and interactive decisions. In particular, I will examine relevance of coding geometry for the context of prey-pursuit problems. Bio: Benjamin Y. Hayden is Professor of Neurosurgery (and McNair Scholar) at Baylor College of Medicine. His lab investigates neural mechanisms of reward, decision-making, executive control, and flexibility, often in naturalistic contexts and with human intracranial recordings; he also examines how these neural processes relate to psychiatric disorders (e.g. depression, anxiety, addiction).
esson of the week, clinical cases and research. All clinical and academic staff and students welcome. Coffee, Tea and Cake will be served.
Are you baffled by open, confused by embargoes? Does the mention of the colour gold or green catapult you into a realm of perplexed irritation? Come to this session, where we’ll break down open access and all its many jargon terms, confusing publishing structures and hint at the advantages you can reap by publishing open. The session will cover: what is open access? Key terms – Gold, Green, Article Processing Charges; where to get more information and help; where to look for open access material; and useful tools to assist you in publishing open access. Intended audience: Researcher & research student; Staff
Please note: in week 4, the seminar will take place at the earlier time of 3 pm, still at the Okinaga Room, Wadham College. The aim of the seminar is to foster a dynamic and interdisciplinary research culture supportive of individual scholarship. Finalists, M.St. and D.Phil. students, lecturers, fellows, scholars from across the university community – all are welcome. If you’d like to appear on the seminar mailing list, please email martha.swift@ell.ox.ac.uk OR hannah.fagan@mansfield.ox.ac.uk
‘What if music theory is terminally enchanted?’ With this powerful rhetorical question, posed in his plenary talk at the SMT’s 2017 Annual Conference (published in Music Theory Online 24/1), Steven Rings put the diagnostic finger on a spot that has been smarting the discipline for decades. While in the face of the horrors and bleakness of the modern day, the figure of the critical theorist stands ever ready to demystify and deconstruct – in short, disenchant – in the service of ideology critique, the figure of the music theorist, though of course no less entangled in the way of the world, tends to launch their inquiries unapologetically from a place of enchantment: that of music’s magic and its material apparatuses for the incommensurable production of presence and ephemerality. However exaggerated for heuristic purposes, Rings’s juxtaposition between the disenchanted critical theorist and the enchanted music theorist offers a pertinent starting point to reopen the wound of the precarious relationship between critical theory and music theory. Put in slightly provocative terms, to what extent can analytical insights gained from modern music-theoretical edifices – such as the New Formenlehre, transformational approaches to harmony, voice leading and rhythm, topic theory, pitch-class set aggregates, or Klumpenhouwer networks, just to name but a few – provide the ferment for a genuine critique of the social, if at all? Fuelling Rings’s argumentative manoeuvre that enchantment can be critical after all, this talk will present a personal account of my own meanderings (and trials and tribulations) in the arena of music theory and analysis. Drawing on some of my analytical work on Anton Webern whose compositions I have been studying for many years, with ears both mesmerised by their sound-worlds and attuned to critical theory and hermeneutics, I will ask: what if music theory is not only terminally enchanted but finds its criticality in its ability to terminally enchant?
Using detailed microdata, we document that households often use "stimulus'' checks to pay down debt, especially those with low net wealth-to-income ratios. To rationalize these patterns, we introduce an empirically plausible borrowing price schedule into an otherwise standard incomplete markets model. Because interest rates rise with debt, borrowers have increasingly larger incentives to use an additional dollar to reduce debt service payments rather than consume. Using our calibrated model, we then study whether and how this marginal propensity to repay debt (MPRD) alters the aggregate implications of fiscal transfers. We uncover a trade-off between stimulus and insurance, as high--debt individuals gain considerably from transfers, but consume relatively little immediately. This mechanism lowers the immediate stimulus effect of fiscal transfers, but sustains aggregate consumption for longer.
In order to survive and reproduce animals need to acquire and respond to information from their environment. The ability of organisms to learn, represent and use temporal information is critical for most major cognitive processes and for adaptive behaviour. Examples of these are the ability to detect contingency between events, which is essential to exploit the relation between cause and effect or knowing when to select and perform the right set of actions at the appropriate time. In a series of example studies with mammals, birds and fish I will show how offering animals choices, under systematic variations of their environment’s temporal contingencies, while looking at their responses and/or movement profiles, can provide unexplored opportunities to investigate behaviour and tap into animals’ cognitive capabilities.
This two-hour participatory music production workshop explores the digital technologies that musicians use to create contemporary music, and how these technologies can interact with visual art in new ways. Join experienced music practitioners, led by Oxford-based artist Rawz (Urban Music Foundation), for a hands-on demonstration of the latest music industry hardware and software, and have a go at co-producing new music. Discover how these production techniques can interact with emerging digital and visual tools, including generative AI, to create visual artworks connected to the music. A hands-on workshop exploring technology, music production and visual art interaction. The workshop is a fantastic opportunity to identify innovative ways art, music, and digital technologies can interact, engage and inspire, with an additional focus on how digital tools, when combined with music, function as an expression of human emotion. This is a relaxed, informal event, and no prior knowledge of music production is required. Light refreshments provided.
Do you need help managing your references? Do you need help citing references in your documents? This online session will introduce you to EndNote, a subscription software programme which can help you to store, organise and retrieve your references and PDFs, as well as cite references in documents and create bibliographies quickly and easily. On completing the workshop you will be able to: understand the main features and benefits of EndNote; set up an EndNote account; import references from different sources into EndNote; organise your references in EndNote; insert citations into documents; and create a bibliography/reference list. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Taught student; Researcher & research student.
Ethnic stacking, or recruiting and promoting soldiers based on shared identity, is a prolific form of coup proofing in autocratic regimes. Leaders attempt to ensure the loyalty of security institutions through a triple bind of ethnic affinity, ethnically-based patronage, and publicly tied fates. Yet, the process of building a coethnic army can backfire as it both discriminates against existing out-group officers and provokes tensions between sub-groups—igniting preemptive coups and competition for control over security institutions. This article leverages new data on ethnic stacking practices in Africa to conduct the first large-N analysis of how ascriptive coup proofing impacts leader tenure. I find that ethnically restructuring the armed forces does indeed create a strong backlash, with coup risk increasing in autocracies by nearly 200% over the first three years of such efforts. However, ethnic stacking still significantly extends leader tenure (by around 65%), in part by decreasing the long-term risk of coup attempts (by over 30%). Thus, if autocratic leaders can survive the process of building an ethnic army, they can obviate threats emanating from within the military and deeply entrench their rule.
Peter joins Matt Cook to mark the Bodleian's acquisition of Peter's personal papers by discussing the archive and the significance of queer collecting. Join us at the Weston Library to hear Matt Cook, Jonathan Cooper Professor of the History of Sexuality at the University of Oxford in conversation with Peter Tatchell, the renowned human rights campaigner and one of the UK’s most prominent advocates for LGBTQ+ rights. This event marks Bodleian Libraries' acquisition of Peter's personal archive, which has now been catalogued and made available for research. They will discuss aspects of Peter's 5 decades of campaigning work as represented in his archive, and its potential value for researchers of LGBTQ+, British and activist histories.
Critical Reflections on Social Mixing Strategies and Their Relevance for Migrants' Access to Housing. This seminar is hybrid. Join us in person at Berliner Institut für empirische Integrations- und Migrationsforschung (BIM), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, or participate online via Zoom by registering here: https://hu-berlin.zoom-x.de/meeting/register/0n3Ek7B7TYOZSIud3r8i3g
The Oxford Conservative Thought (OCT) Reading Group is a non-partisan group devoted to academic exploration of small-c conservative political thought. We welcome, and actively encourage, viewpoint diversity and constructive engagement across ideological divides (all good-willed participants are welcome!) Each week we read one assigned text, and we recommend more for anyone who is very keen! Week 4 focuses on conservative views of migration, with a reading from Eric Kaufmann. Find our reading list here: —> bit.ly/OCTMT25
In this seminar Professor Devakumar will describe how racism and xenophobia affect health across the world. The talk will describe some of the historical and political roots, health outcomes and a systems approach to interventions. He will draw on the Lancet Commission on Migration and Health and The Lancet series on Racism, Xenophobia, Discrimination and Health, and will also include information from the upcoming Lancet Commission on Global Racisms and Child Health. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Speaker bio: Delan Devakumar is a Professor of Global Child Health in University College London. He is a public health consultant with clinical experience in paediatrics and in humanitarian contexts. He is Director of the UCL Centre for the Health of Women, Children and Adolescents and the UCL Race & Health group. Delan is chair of the Lancet Commission on Racism and Child Health. He led the Lancet Series on ‘racism, xenophobia, discrimination and health’ and was a commissioner and steering group member of the UCL-Lancet Commission on Migration. He has held many committee positions in the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Faculty of Public Health in global health and in advocacy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Booking is required for people outside of the Department of Social Policy and Intervention (DSPI). DSPI Members do not need to register.
TIDE Seminar | Lessons from Green Industrial Policy in Germany How can industrial policy support the green transition while fostering innovation and competitiveness? This seminar explores lessons from Germany’s green industrial policies, focusing on how policy design can influence firm behaviour and how public demand can drive technological transformation. Pedro Llanos Paredes (Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford) and Keno Havercamp (Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge) will reflect on what Germany’s experience reveals about designing effective and inclusive policies for sustainable industrial transformation. 📅 Thursday, 6 November 2025 🕓 16:00–17:30 📍 Seminar Room 1, Oxford Department of International Development (Queen Elizabeth House)
Olle Grännö is a resident in clinical microbiology at Örebro University Hospital, Sweden. He defended his PhD thesis in May 2025, titled "Characterising the Phases of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: From Genetic Predisposition to Established Disease". Olle is studying the circulating proteome and the gut microbiome in Nordic population-based cohorts, aiming to identify biomarkers capable of: (1) predict a future diagnosis of IBD and (2) forecast the early disease course in newly diagnosed patients. He is currently visiting Prof. Jack Satsangi’s research group at the Translational Gastroenterology and Liver Unit to work on the INTERCEPT project – a multicentre study aiming to explore the possibility of preventing the onset of Crohn’s disease.
2025 Annual Uehiro Lectures: Reproductive Rights (Lecture 1/3) Lecture 1: Male Reproductive Dependency Lecture followed by a drinks reception These three lectures scrutinize different profiles of reproductive rights. The first lecture focuses on men. It examines men’s gestational inability and consequent dependency on others for reproduction and parenting opportunities. The second lecture focuses on women. It looks at the ramifications of reproductive dependency, first, for fertile women’s personal relationships with gestationally dependent partners and, second, for women’s relations to their society and to the species, which also depend on them taking on the risky labour of gestating. That lecture explains that we may acknowledge the normative significance of dependency without overstepping a key line in the sand, that women have a categorical right to control their own gestational labour. The final lecture focuses on girls. It shows that girls’ concerns are distinct in key ways from women’s concerns. It defends girls’ rights as children to be protected from gestational labour.
Alanna Skuse, _Surgery and Selfhood in Early Modern England_ (2021), ch. 4 ‘Acting the Part: Prosthetic Limbs’, 81-108; David Turner and Alan Withey, 'Technologies of the Body', _History_ 99 (2014), 775-96
The discussion will focus on the book’s central themes of debt, gender and housing precarity, exploring how austerity, welfare reform and housing policy shape family life and everyday experiences of insecurity in Britain. The session will take place ahead of the authors’ book presentation the following week. Participants are encouraged to read Chapters 1, 2 and 3 in advance.
In his new book 'Portals to a New Reality', Prof Vlatko Vedral argues that we are on the brink of a new revolution in physics. In this talk, he will describe a number of key thought experiments that test the foundations of physics, namely the interface between quantum physics and general relativity. Some of the thought experiments aim to test how quantum physics alters the concepts of space and time that are fundamental to understanding general relativity, while others explore how the key principle of general relativity —the so-called equivalence principle —could impact quantum physics and lead to its modification. They are all underpinned by our understanding of what quantum physics is telling us about reality and how it applies to macroscopic objects. Our rapid development of quantum technologies has now put us within a close range of performing these experiments, and rewriting our understanding of the Universe.
This seminar features two talks by Professors Chung-Min Tsai and Yen-Pin Su from National Chengchi University in Taipei, Taiwan. Professor Tsai will speak on “From Power Politics to Norms: Theoretical Reflections on Taiwan’s Semiconductor Industry and East Asian Security,” followed by Professor Su’s presentation on “Democratic Support and Public Attitudes Toward Transitional Justice Policies in Taiwan.” Together, these talks reassess Taiwan’s evolving role in the East Asian order—both as a high-tech powerhouse central to global geopolitics and as a democratic society grappling with the legacies of its authoritarian past. Abstracts: From Power Politics to Norms: Theoretical Reflections on Taiwan’s Semiconductor Industry and East Asian Security Professor Chung-Min Tsai To what extent can Taiwan’s “silicon shield” safeguard its security, and how might U.S. high-tech sanctions on China reshape Taiwan’s strategic position? Taiwan has long been a flashpoint in East Asian geopolitics, particularly because of its dominant semiconductor industry. The current regional landscape provides a critical testing ground for IR theory. From a realist perspective, semiconductors are strategic assets: Taiwan’s dominance in advanced chipmaking enhances its geostrategic value, drawing U.S. security commitments while provoking China’s pursuit of technological self-sufficiency. A liberal view highlights Taiwan’s integration into global supply chains, showing how interdependence fosters cooperation—through export controls, R&D partnerships, and supply-chain alliances with the U.S., Japan, and Europe that reflect institutionalised efforts to manage technological security collectively. Constructivism emphasises identity and norms: Taiwan’s high-tech prowess represents not only material capability but also the normative values of democracy, resilience, and peace, shaping how other states justify support for Taiwan despite its contested sovereignty. We argue that Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is a strategic arena where the competing logics of realism, liberalism, and constructivism converge—placing it at the centre of both East Asia’s balance of power and the evolving norms of global economic governance. Democratic Support and Public Attitudes Toward Transitional Justice Policies in Taiwan Professor Yen-Pin Su Since 2016, Taiwan has established institutions and legal frameworks to pursue transitional justice. While several policy achievements have been made, surprisingly little research has systematically examined how political attitudes shape support for different transitional justice policies. To fill this gap, this study uses survey data to investigate how democratic support influences public attitudes toward transitional justice. The first empirical finding shows that citizens with higher levels of democratic support tend to favour policies related to truth investigation, prosecution of perpetrators, settlement of ill-gotten party assets, and the removal of authoritarian statues and symbols from currency. This paper makes two main contributions. First, it adds to the literature on transitional justice by providing robust evidence about public attitudes toward different policy measures. Second, it offers important implications for how governments can pursue the broader goals of transitional justice. About the Speakers: Professor Chung-Min Tsai is Professor in the Department of Political Science at National Chengchi University and President of the Taiwanese Political Science Association (2025–2026). He obtained his BA and MA from National Taiwan University and his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. At NCCU, he has served as Deputy Director of the Institute of International Relations (IIR, 2018–2020), Chair of the Department of Political Science (2019–2021), and Associate Dean of the College of Social Sciences (2021–2023). He was also Editor of the Taiwanese Political Science Review (2020–2024). His research interests include comparative politics, political economy, and East Asian politics, with a focus on China. Professor Yen-Pin Su is Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at National Chengchi University, Taiwan. His research focuses on party politics, social movements, electoral institutions, democratisation, and human rights politics in Latin America and East Asia. His work has appeared in Comparative Politics, International Political Science Review, European Political Science Review, Party Politics, Latin American Research Review, Latin American Politics and Society, and Representation. He has conducted field research in Belize (2024), Guatemala (2024), Argentina (2023), Chile (2018), Costa Rica (2016), Panama (2016), Colombia (2015), Peru (2012), and Mexico (2010), interviewing legislators, party officials, and social movement activists for his research on party politics and institutional change. He received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh and holds a BA and MA in Political Science from National Taiwan University.
We’re a day too late for Mr. Fawkes, but plenty of sparks still flying tonight. Join us, on the one-year anniversary of Suzuki Izumi’s most recent anglophone rebirth, as we delve into the process of translating emotions and psyches through words and movement. Alice Baldock and Helen O’Horan will be in conversation about the avant-garde in 1970s–1980s Japan, bodies and gender across languages, working with modern classics, Japanese sci-fi, and speculative “fiction.” And trashy dating shows! The session will also be a chance to hear about the practicalities of professional translation in a range of creative and technical fields.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the emergence of bacterial strains that survive antibiotic treatments, is a major global public health concern, causing more than 1.2 million deaths each year and threatening a return to a pre-antibiotic era. Tackling AMR is a multi-faceted problem that involves actions and interventions from the understanding of AMR mechanisms to the development of new antibiotics and diagnostic tests. A panel of AMR specialists will discuss the problem and the action that is needed to slow down this "silent epidemic". DISCUSSION PANEL MEMBERS: Professor Achilles Kapanidis, Professor of Biological Physics, University of Oxford (CHAIR) Professor Timothy Walsh OBE, Director of Biology, Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research Professor Hermine Mkrtchyan, Director of the Centre for Innovation in Genomics and Microbiome Sciences, University of West London Professor William Gaze, Professor of Microbiology, University of Exeter Professor Nicole Stoesser, Associate Professor in Infectious Diseases, University of Oxford and Consultant Clinician at John Radcliffe Hospital Dr Michael Dawson, Oxford Drug Design There will be a drinks reception following the talk to which everyone is welcome. If you'd like to attend this event, please register at: https://www.stx.ox.ac.uk/event/discussion-panel-on-novel-perspectives-on-how-to-combat-antimicrobial-resistance-with-professo Everyone is very welcome.
As governments worldwide deploy artificial intelligence across public services—from benefits administration to infrastructure planning and climate response—they face a defining challenge: how to regulate AI effectively while relying on these same systems to deliver essential services. This dual role blurs the boundary between regulator and user, raising urgent questions about accountability, transparency, and democratic oversight. Governments now stand at a crossroads: they must both set the rules for AI use across society and determine how to responsibly implement these technologies within their own operations. From automated social welfare decisions and public safety to AI-assisted legislative drafting and public communication, these systems are reshaping the relationship between states and citizens. How can democratic institutions sustain public trust when algorithms mediate access to rights, resources, and representation? This event, organized by the AI Policy and Governance Working Group, brings together policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to examine comparative experiences, assess implementation challenges, and identify principles for accountable AI governance in the public sector. We will have an Introduction from Dr. Caroline Emmer De Albuquerque Green, Director of Research and Head of Public Engagement, Institute for Ethics in AI, University of Oxford. Following the introduction, Professor Alondra Nelson, Fellow in the Accelerator Programme at the Institute for Ethics in AI, University of Oxford, and Harold F. Linder Chair at the Institute for Advanced Study (US), will moderate a discussion on the challenges and opportunities of government AI deployment. She will be joined by a distinguished panel representing diverse perspectives on AI governance: Cassandra Madison, Executive Director of the Center for Civic Futures (US); Dr. James Phillips, Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy at University College London and former Special Adviser to the UK Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Science and Technology; Andrew Strait, Head of Societal Resilience at the UK AI Security Institute; and Elham Tebassi, Director of the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative at the Brookings Institution (US) and former Chief AI Advisor at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology. Together, the panel will examine how governments can balance technology uptake and accountability as AI is used in public services and policymaking, offering perspectives from civic innovation, science policy, standards development, and AI risk governance.
In this event we celebrate the publication of Magadh with the collection's translator, Rahul Soni. The discussion will be chaired by Mantra Mukim. Magadh, Shrikant Verma’s masterpiece, was first published in Hindi in 1984 and is widely regarded as one of the most important works of modern Indian poetry. A chorus of narrators – commoners, statesmen, nameless wanderers – pieces together the histories of ancient cities and kingdoms on the Indian subcontinent, their rise to splendour, their decline and eventual fall. In poems that are stark and urgent yet arch and richly allusive, Verma lays bare their tales of corruption, guilt, ignorance and arrogance. Rahul Soni’s landmark translation stays faithful to the spare, haunting, incantatory cadences of the original, revealing how startlingly prescient and relevant Magadh remains today. Rahul Soni is a writer, editor and translator. He has edited Home from a Distance, an anthology of Hindi poetry in English translation, and translated Shrikant Verma’s collection of poetry Magadh, Geetanjali Shree’s novel The Roof Beneath Their Feet (forthcoming from And Other Stories in 2026), a selection of Ashok Vajpeyi’s poetry A Name for Every Leaf and Pankaj Kapur’s novella Dopehri. Mantra Mukim is an incoming Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the Faculty of English, University of Oxford. Previously a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at ÚMR Heritages, Paris, his research interests include global modernism, critical theory, decolonisation, and twentieth-century Hindi poetry. His research articles have appeared in Textual Practice, Interventions, Journal of Modern Literature, and English among other place. His first monograph, Samuel Beckett’s Lyric Failure (Bloomsbury), came out in 2025.
The Celtic Seminar is held jointly by Oxford and the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (CAWCS), Aberystwyth. All Oxford seminars will be at 5.15 pm on Thursdays either hybrid (online and in person) or online-only via Microsoft Teams. When in person, they are in Room 30.022 of the Schwarzman Centre, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road. Please contact david.willis@ling-phil.ox.ac.uk if you need a link to join online. All CAWCS seminars will be held online at 5.00 pm on Thursdays via Zoom, and, for hybrid seminars, in person at the National Library of Wales or at CAWCS. Please contact a.elias@wales.ac.uk for the link.
Join Worcester College Provost, David Isaac CBE, as he interviews leading role models about their lives and careers. Trailblazing sport and media executive Dawn Airey CBE joins us in conversation with David Isaac. Chancellor of Edge Hill University since 2023, Dawn has built an international career in the broadcast and media industries. She has served as CEO of Channel 4, Channel 5 and Getty Images and has worked at the highest levels within ITV, Sky and Yahoo. Dawn ‘came out’ in the 2000s and since then has championed the LGBTQ+ community and mentored other queer women. Dawn is Chair of Women’s Super League Football and, during her tenure, women’s football has been watched live by a record number of viewers thanks to a landmark broadcast deal with the BBC and Sky. She also Chairs the National Youth Theatre and Digital Theatre+. In 2024, Dawn was appointed a CBE for services to theatre and charity. She is a Fellow and Vice President of the Royal Television Society and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Edge Hill University in 2018 for her outstanding contribution to the media industry. Join us at Worcester College to hear Dawn in conversation. All are welcome to join for drinks after the event. Please note that entry to the venue is via the Worcester College Porters’ Lodge on Walton Street.
The T J Clark Seminar at Keble Poems about paintings have long been part of literary tradition, and many such poems go on being written. Why? What is hoped for from them? What is involved in the passage from picture to word? This seminar series will look at particular poems and paintings, ancient and modern, with such questions in mind. Professor Timothy Clark is one of the world’s most renowned art historians. He taught for many years at the University of California, Berkeley, and is the author of several books, including The Painting of Modern Life: Paris in the Art of Manet and his Followers (1985), Farewell to an Idea: Episodes from a History of Modernism (1999), The Sight of Death: An Experiment in Art Writing (2006), Picasso and Truth: From Cubism to Guernica (2013), Heaven on Earth: Painting and the Life to Come (2018), and If These Apples Should Fall: Cézanne and the Present (2022). The Poetry & Painting seminars will take place three times a year. There are no sign-up lists or reserved places (free entry, and all are welcome). A few weeks in advance of each seminar a handout will be made available via a downloadable link which will feature the poetry and painting to be discussed. At the seminar Clark will introduce the material and lead the discussion. Questions to be explored will include: Is this poem ‘about’ the picture it says it is about? What does ‘about’ mean in this case? Is it clear what, in or about the picture, provoked the poem? Why write a poem about a picture? Or, is writing a poem about a picture different from writing one about, say, the scene or situation that the picture is ‘of’? Does the poem we’re reading propose an answer to these questions? What would failure in a poem about a picture be like? And success? Is there a moment in the poem when you sense the resistance of the ‘visual’ or ‘pictorial’ to poetic translation producing poetry (or the opposite)? How many of these questions are reversible? That is, do we have strong cases of pictures that are, or claim to be, about poems? Does this poem, whether or not we think it successful in describing or evoking the picture it says it’s about, make a difference to our understanding of the picture? Does it alter our seeing of it? How much does this poet care about painting (or sculpting etc.)? Does it matter if the answer is ‘not much’? i.e. does it matter to the poetry? How do we approach poems that are clearly homages to painting, even to particular paintings, but seem deliberately to refuse a one-to-one (descriptive) ‘aboutness’? How indirect can a poem about a painting be before the painting disappears? Or is ‘disappearance’ necessary (to poetry)? The next seminar, entitled Poems About Cezanne, will take place in the Pusey Room at 5.30 pm on 6 November. Professor Clark writes: “Not for the first time in this series, the word ‘about’ in my title will be a matter for discussion. Are the poems I’ve chosen about Cézanne? If so, how? These questions fold into a further one: What are Cézanne’s paintings about? In particular the paintings of his last years, when death was imminent. (That might have meant ‘death’ was the last thing his art would be about. [Read that sentence whichever way you like.] But death seems to figure largely in writing about him.) Wordplay aside – and it’s striking that Cezanne’s art does bring on wordplay – I for one need help deciding on the relation of several of the poems chosen to Cézanne. The Charles Wright ‘Homage’ is the central, difficult case. But so is the Gertrude Stein ‘Cézanne’, and even the Carlos Williams. Which raises the question: Why do poems about Cézanne tend to put ‘aboutness’ so markedly in question? I have included a poem of my own, which will inevitably seem pedestrian, not to say naïve, alongside the others. I stand by the poem; but it may well suggest to many of you why poems ‘about Cézanne’ don’t go in for the kind of description mine does. Cézanne seems to provoke poetry in English not French. This is strange. As compensation, I add a tremendous poem by René Char on Courbet’s Stonebreakers, which Samuel Beckett proved to be untranslatable.” A link to the handout is available below. Free entry, all welcome, no tickets or booking required. Enquiries: please contact Matthew Bevis.
In order to participate in this lecture via Zoom, please register at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/AzgkbRIJSs-F3V1LTd-qhQ
Artist Talk by Emma Coleman-Jones on her exhibtion at Wolfson College, Oxford, Dispatches from the Floods - drawings from the Thames & Cherwell
Cicero, like other Romans of his class, owned numerous slaves. His attitude to and relationship with his slaves and ex-slaves have come under scrutiny in some recent studies. Others have offered important insights into ideas of freedom and slavery in the Roman political sphere more generally – and in Cicero’s work in particular. This lecture aims to probe the relationship between Cicero’s experiences as a slaver and the figure of slavery in his political thinking. Cicero was well aware that the power exercised by Rome over its subject territories might be figured as slavery. In his letters, Cicero terms his own position vis-à-vis Pompey, Caesar and Crassus a kind of enslavement. The figure of slavery is one he invokes with still greater frequency in coming to terms with Julius Caesar’s dictatorship – and, after the Ides of March, in attacking Mark Antony. The power Antony exercised over his fellow Romans was worse than that of Caesar, according to Cicero, for his own character was that of a slave. The lecture will explore the slippery ways in which Cicero’s reflections on the political sphere interact with, reinforce or challenge the brutal realities of literal enslavement.
Dr James Clark is prize fellow and lecturer at the Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath. Deep in geological time, certain algae began the process of terrestrialisation and a new lineage arose: the land plants. This fundamentally shaped the Earth's own evolution and resulted in the formation of a terrestrial biosphere. Our understanding of this event relies on our ability to retrace the evolution of plants from those alive today all the way back to their earliest ancestors. This is no small task and underpinning it is the "tree of life" that describes how the major groups of plants are related to each other, from flowering plants to diminuitive mosses. James will discuss how insights from the genomics revolution, new scientific approaches and the earliest plant fossils have fundamentally shifted our view of plant evolution all the way back to the first plants.
Professor Peter McCulloch's surgical career has been centred on surgical oncology, initially in breast cancer and latterly in gastro-oesophageal cancer. He graduated from Aberdeen University and trained in surgery and did his doctoral research in Glasgow before becoming a Senior lecturer at Liverpool University. He moved to Oxford in 2004 and was appointed Professor of Surgical Science & Practice in 2013. He is an NIHR Senior Investigator and runs two research groups within NDS. His Quality, Reliability, Safety and Teamwork Unit (QRSTU) evaluates methods for improving the quality and safety of surgical interventions, and is currently running a 24 hospital randomised trial (RESPOND) of a Human Factors intervention to improve rescue efforts for patients with serious postoperative complications. Peter founded the IDEAL Collaboration in 2009 to promote the use of better methodology in the scientific evaluation of surgery and other complex healthcare interventions. The group has developed recommendations for an integrated evaluation pathway for surgical studies throughout the life cycle of an operation, and more recently has applied the same principles to guidance for the evaluation of therapeutic devices and of AI in healthcare. They published their paper on evaluation of surgical robots in Nature Medicine in January this year. The Chief Medical Officer has confirmed that attendance at the Surgical Grand Rounds can count toward internal CPD, with 1 point awarded per hour. Please note that in-person attendance is required, and you will need to sign the attendance register. Chair: Professor James Fitzgerald All members of the University and NHS clinical staff are welcome. Please email Tarryn Ching (tarryn.ching@nds.ox.ac.uk) if you would like to attend online.
Fortnightly meetings run by the Clinical Neurosciences Pain Group (NDCN). Meetings are typically seminars or open discussion and take place in a hybrid format over Teams and at the FMRIB Annexe (Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, John Radcliffe Hospital). Open to all researchers/students/clinical staff in Oxford interested in pain research. For more details about future events and to receive the online meeting invitation, please join the mailing list: oxin-paingroup-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk or email Danielle Hewitt danielle.hewitt@ndcn.ox.ac.uk for further details.
The ability to program and design ad hoc cellular and biological processes offers exciting opportunities in basic research, in the biotechnology industry and in the clinic. Difficulties in engineering cellular phenotypes robust to changes and perturbations, as well as the lack of established tools to design biological functions across scales, still represent major roadblocks. In this talk I will start discussing our recent research that leverages feedback control to engineer robust cellular phenotypes. I will show results obtained using intracellular, external or multicellular controllers in both bacterial and mammalian cells, and new applications of cybergenetics methodologies we are currently exploring. I will also mention a complementary approach aimed at rational and computer-aided cell design via whole-cell models (WCMs), which are mathematical models designed to capture the function of all genes and multiscale processes within a cell. The design of minimal bacterial genomes will be used as a proof-of-concept; I will also show how machine learning can support WCMs’ output interpretation and solve their computational burden challenge. Our tools and results should make the design and control of complex cellular phenotypes and laboratory engineering a step closer.
Large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies are needed for us to reach our climate targets. Geochemical CDR involves approaches that react atmospheric CO2 with naturally occurring rocks or anthropogenic alkaline materials. Many of these technologies are currently being piloted and tested commercially. However, there has been no comprehensiveassessment of the resources available for geochemical CDR. Understanding the spatial distribution, capacity, and accessibility of these materials is essential for informing international climate policy, guiding infrastructure investment, and ensuring environmental safety. This presentation will summarise the current state of knowledge and demonstrate how gCDR resources are fundamental to technology deployment.
h5. For general information, please see the series listing. h5. This week’s readings: Ulf Bohmann and Darío Montero, ‘History, Critique, Social Change and Democracy: An Interview with Charles Taylor,’ _Constellations_ 21, no. 1 (2014): 3–15, https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8675.12069. Charles Taylor, ‘The Modern Moral Order,’ ‘What Is a “Social Imaginary” ?’ and ‘The Specter of Idealism,’ chap. 1, 2 and 3 in _Modern Social Imaginaries_ (Duke University Press, 2004), https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822385806. h6. [supplemental] Charles Taylor, ‘Our Victorian Contemporaries,’ and ‘Visions of the Post-Romantic Age,’ chap. 22 and 23 in _Sources of the Self_ (Harvard University Press, 1992), solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/permalink/44OXF_INST/35n82s/alma990224324660107026. For the full programme visit users.ox.ac.uk/~scro3052/phenomenology/programme.pdf.
This 1-hour hybrid meeting is open to any staff or students of University of Oxford or any of its constituent colleges who want to learn more about the University and College Union, the recognised trade union for academic and research-related staff. We’ll review what a trade union is, why we need one, who the UCU is, what we do, how organising in our workplace can be an effective way to bring about social change, and how you can get involved in your local branch. Please register at https://forms.gle/qBbmDc61uPJMtPvu7 Who: Eligible non-members and recent joiners from across University of Oxford What: Open meeting providing an Introduction to Oxford UCU When: 7th of November at 12:30pm Where: Zoom + Friends Meeting House, 43 St Giles', Oxford OX1 3LW
The pituitary and adrenal glands are central to our ability to grow, reproduce, and respond to stress. Their activity depends on remarkable adaptability — yet the mechanisms that allow these organs to adjust hormone production across life remain poorly understood. Traditionally, stem cells in these glands were viewed as a backup reserve. Our research from the pituitary gland reveals a different story: stem cells act as active organisers, sending signals that stimulate growth, guide cell maturation, and even fine-tune hormone secretion. This principle is extended to the adrenal medulla, where we identify a population of postnatal stem cells with similar properties. Emerging findings indicate that dysregulated stem cell activity may drive tumours of the adrenal lineage. This talk will explore a new framework for endocrine plasticity, with implications for regenerative therapies and endocrine cancer. SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY I am a Professor of Stem Cell Biology at the Centre for Craniofacial & Regenerative Biology at King’s College London (UK), as well as a Principal Investigator at the Department of Medicine III, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden (Germany), part of the KCL-TUD TransCampus initiative. My main research focus is on endocrine stem cells and their roles during development, homeostasis and disease. I am particularly interested in paracrine secretion from stem cells, how paracrine stem cell actions control behaviour in their committed descendants and how paracrine activities change with physiological feedback. My background is in developmental biology, with specific training and expertise in the development and stem cell biology of the brain and pituitary gland. My basic and translational research combines molecular, -omic and genetic approaches. This has led to the demonstration of the existence of pituitary stem cells in vivo, identification of novel functions and mechanisms of regulation, as well demonstration of stem cell contribution to the pathogenesis of paediatric pituitary tumours. Research by my team has generated several mouse models of human pituitary disease, including of benign and aggressive pituitary tumours, Rathke’s cleft cyst and pituitary stalk anomalies. Highlights of my research include the demonstration that stem cells can drive pituitary tumour formation both cell autonomously and cell non-autonomously, and the identification that normal pituitary stem cells are necessary throughout life to promote proliferation of committed progenitors through secretion of WNT ligands. My research extends into the effects of stress and metabolic disorders on stem cells of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the study of adrenal stem cells. More recently, my team identified and characterised a population of stem cells of the postnatal adrenal medulla and are exploring their involvement in normal physiology and in the pathogenesis of the rare neuroendocrine tumours pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas.
This paper examines how social group boundaries are renegotiated in response to demographic change in Western societies, focusing on immigration from culturally diverse backgrounds. Using Spain as a case, we explore how both Spanish natives (the majority group, Spaniards with two Spanish-born parents) and Latin American immigrants—who share linguistic and cultural affinities with natives—react to the perceived growth of Moroccans, a more culturally distant immigrant group. We argue that exposure to Moroccan immigration prompts Latinos to align more closely with natives, reflecting a dynamic of strategic boundary-making. Natives, however, face cross-pressures: their reactions may depend on whether they emphasize Moroccans’ immigrant status or their cultural distance. Drawing on social identity and political economy theories, we use an original survey experiment that exposes two samples of Natives and Latin Americans to the sharp increase in the Moroccan population. The results show that Latinos perceive themselves as closer to Spaniards and more socially recognized, accompanied by a shift toward defining “being Spanish” in cultural rather than birth terms. We find no corresponding attitudinal change among natives, who, if anything, perceive Latinos as less similar to them. These findings suggest that boundary-making is a fluid and strategic process for immigrants that is influenced by relative cultural distance to other immigrant groups.
Join us as we welcome Professor Anthony G. Reddie for a special presentation of his thought-provoking new book, Living Black Theology: Decolonizing Knowledge. Professor Reddie will take us on a journey through the liberationist and postcolonial articulation of Black theology, addressing the historic legacies of slavery and colonialism while confronting the realities of systemic racism today. This event offers a unique opportunity to engage with one of the leading voices in Black theology, ending with an interactive Q&A. Book Description: Living Black Theology is a constructive theological appraisal for a radical mode of socio-political engagement that both acknowledges and speaks to the current cultural and intellectual contestations with which many societies are wrestling. This book offers a liberationist and postcolonial articulation of Black theology that addresses the historic legacy of slavery and colonialism. It creates a dynamic, interdisciplinary critique of the underlying constructs and social forces that have led to a world of endemic, systemic racism. It provides a unique and innovative approach to these contested legacies, by means of historical research, theological reflection, and cultural analysis. Drawing on James Cone’s outstanding final memoir, Said I Wasn’t Gonna Tell Nobody, which states that all scholarly theological work is some form of autobiography, this text argues for a process of decolonising intellectual knowledge, based on contextual narratives. In this text, the author demonstrates how the development of a Participative approach to Black theology is that one that can offer us creative ways of impacting on the lived experience and intellectual and emotional formation of students and scholars alike. This text is a sequel to the author’s landmark book Theologising Brexit. Like it, this book offers a Black liberation theology approach to interpreting the past, in order that we rethink the present and ultimately create a better future for all those who are presently crucified on contemporary crosses shaped by systemic racism. This is the first book written for Oxford University press by the first Professor of Black Theology in the history of the University of Oxford. About the Author: Professor Anthony Reddie's scholarship in Black theology has been informed by his doctorate in Education and Practical Theology, undertaken at the University of Birmingham with Professor John Hull. His consistent research interest has been the interface between Black Theology and decolonial/transformative education as a means of conscientization and empowerment. He is the author of numerous books, articles, and book chapters. His more recent books include Theologising Brexit: A Liberationist and Postcolonial Critique (Routledge, 2010), the republished Is God Colour-Blind? Insights from Black Theology for Christian Faith and Ministry (SPCK, 2020) and Intercultural Preaching [co-edited with Seidel Abel Boargenes and Pamela Searle], (Regent’s Park College, 2021). Professor Reddie is an A rated, Leading International Researcher with the South African National Research Foundation (NRF), who is also a recipient of the Archbishop of Canterbury's 2020 Lanfranc Award for 'exceptional and sustained contribution to Black theology In Britain and beyond.'
Standard methods for estimating production functions in the Olley and Pakes (1996) tradition require assumptions on input choices. We introduce a new method that exploits (increasingly available) data on a firm’s expectations of its future output and inputs that allows us to obtain consistent production function parameter estimates while relaxing these input demand assumptions. In contrast to dynamic panel methods, our proposed estimator can be implemented on very short panels (including a single cross-section), and Monte Carlo simulations show it outperforms alternative estimators when firms’ material input choices are subject to optimization error. Implementing a range of production function estimators on UK data, we find our proposed estimator yields results that are either similar to or more credible than commonly-used alternatives. These differences are larger in industries where material inputs appear harder to optimize.
Tropes like the burqa-clad woman and extremist Taliban fighter have become stereotypes and stand-ins for our understanding of Islam in Afghanistan and of extremes within Islamic interpretations writ large. Images of soldiers in desert-like mountain areas proliferate in media depictions, casting Afghanistan in the colonial-Orientalist trope of the empty space. What chances do ethnographic and discursive engagements offer to acknowledge and unlearn these limiting discourses? Bringing several research lines together, insights from religious civil society activists, Taliban ministers and Sufi teachers, as well as debates with nomads or environmental scientists researching war legacies offer analytical ways forward. The talk reflects on these emerging opportunities when taking the margins as a vantage point to re-define our frames of reference.
In this online workshop you will be shown the functionality of Zotero, which is a free-to-use software programme used to manage references and create bibliographies. Zotero will be demonstrated on a Windows PC but users of MacOS or Linux computers will be able to follow the demonstration. The workshop will cover: understanding the main features and benefits of Zotero; setting up a Zotero account; importing references from different sources into Zotero; organising your references in Zotero; inserting citations into documents; and creating a bibliography/reference list. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Taught student; Researcher & research student
Primary: Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed (1974), Chapter 5 Supplementary: George Woodcock, ‘The Tyranny of the Clock’ (1944); Le Guin, ‘Hymn to Time’ in Late in the Day: Poems 2010-2014 (2015)
Seminar followed by Q&A and drinks - all welcome - join in person or online Story creates agency for the climate and nature crises. It is a common feeling for people to feel anxiety and fear, helplessness too, in the face of the global climate and nature crises. Yet story can act like tricksters of old who set us on new paths through the dark forest ahead. Organisations often find themselves facing their own crises, sometimes existential. All have their own tried and tested ways of talking about themselves: foundation myths, measures of success, mission statements, brand architecture and tales of enemy competitors. But these are not stories. Good story is always about engagement with the public: audiences, readers, listeners, members, students. An organisation succeeds when it tells a story not about itself, but how it is helping people make the world a better place. It talks about how it is improving lives. This talk is based on the 2025 paper by Pretty, Milner-Gulland and 27 co-authors: “How the Concept of “Regenerative Good Growth” Could Help Increase Public and Policy Engagement and Speed Transitions to Net Zero and Nature Recovery” (Sustainability 17(3), 849). Jules Pretty is Emeritus Professor of Environment and Society at the University of Essex. His sole-authored books include The Low-Carbon Good Life (2023), Sea Sagas of the North (2022), The East Country (2017), The Edge of Extinction (2014), This Luminous Coast (2011), The Earth Only Endures (2007), Agri-Culture (2002), The Living Land (1998), and Regenerating Agriculture (1995). He is former Deputy-Chair of the UK government’s Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment, and has served on advisory committees for UK research councils and the Royal Society. He was appointed A D White Professor-at-Large by Cornell University from 2001, and was Founding Editor of the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability. He received an OBE in 2006 for services to sustainable agriculture, an honorary degree from Ohio State University, and the British Science Association Presidential Medal (Agriculture and Food) in 2015. He was appointed President of Essex Wildlife Trust in 2019, is Chair of the Essex Climate Action Commission, was also a trustee for WWF-UK, and was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Essex in 2023. This Luminous Coast was winner of New Angle Prize for Literature, and The East Country was winner of the East Anglian book of the year. He is host of 80 podcasts and films (in the series Louder Than Words and Brighter Futures) and writes the series The Climate Chronicles at www.julespretty.com.
In this talk, philosopher Aaron Schuster will discuss his critically acclaimed book How to Research Like a Dog: Kafka’s New Science, inspired by Kafka's story ‘Investigations of a Dog.’
In the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, understanding the ideological drivers of Moscow’s aggression has become more crucial than ever. In this talk, Anton Shekhovtsov, a leading expert on the European far right and Russian political influence, explores how the Kremlin’s pursuit of “civilizational immortality” fuels its expansionist ambitions and shapes its confrontation with the West. Drawing on his extensive research into Russian propaganda, nationalism, and transnational networks, Shekhovtsov will unpack how these narratives threaten Europe’s security and what they reveal about the regime’s worldview and future trajectory.
Discussion of Lars Behrisch, _Democracy's Double Helix. Participation, equality and revolution in early modern Europe_ (CUP 2025).
"European welfare states are under pressure: increasing defence spending adds to budgetary pressures confronting many European governments, whilst new social and health-related challenges require new reform efforts (such as the growing number of citizens living with incapacity benefits). In this lecture, I will return to fundamental questions that shaped social policy in European welfare states and the EU over the last 40 years, notably the issue of ‘personal responsibility’ versus ‘solidarity’ and ‘moral hazard’ as a limit to the organization of solidarity. These questions apply both to interpersonal relations between citizens in a welfare state and to relations between political entities, such as the EU and its member states. I will highlight long-term trends and swings in the ideational debate on welfare state solidarity, personal responsibility and moral hazard. On that backdrop, the question is: what is an adequate conception of personal responsibility and solidarity that answers the challenges of contemporary welfare states and allows a robust defence of welfare state solidarity. The reference to ‘responsibility’ in the lecture’s title also refers to my own role: having been both a policy-maker and politician and an academic, the question is also one about pragmatism in political action: how can one reconcile, in the realm of social policy, one’s own understanding of social justice and solidarity with the dominant political realities of our time?” -------------------- Speaker bio: Frank Vandenbroucke was born in 1955 and studied economics in Leuven and Cambridge, UK, and received his D.Phil. in Oxford in 1999. He was Minister for Social Security, Health Insurance, Pensions and Employment in the Belgian Federal Government (1999-2004), and Minister for Education and Employment in the Flemish Regional Government (2004-2009). In that period, he played a key role in the ‘activation turn’ in Belgian employment policy. Vandenbroucke was closely involved with the launching of the EU’s Lisbon Strategy in 2000, notably with the development of its social dimension. He was a member of the High Level Group on Social Investment Policies set up by the European Commission (2011-2014). He was the chair of the Belgian Commission on Pension Reform (2013-2014). Frank Vandenbroucke was full-time engaged in politics until 2011, and then returned to academic research at the Universities of Leuven, Antwerp (in association with the Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy) and Amsterdam. He published on the role of the EU in the development of social policy, patterns of household employment and poverty, social investment, the architecture of the welfare state and the problem of ‘institutional moral hazard’, pension policy, public attitudes on risk-sharing, and child poverty. His publications are available at www.frankvandenbroucke.be. In 2020, Vandenbroucke returned to politics, to become Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health in the Belgium Federal Government during the Covid 19 pandemic. He currently plays a prominent role in debates on EU health policy. He was re-appointed Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health in January 2025.
In a world often defined by scarcity – of resources, opportunities, and vision – this year’s edition of the Rhodes Forum on Technology & Society invites us to reimagine abundance on a global scale. How can society move beyond zero-sum thinking to create a future where prosperity, sustainability, and human potential are not constrained but expanded? Building on last year’s conversations on envisioning the future through a more positive lens, this convening will bring together thought leaders, technologists, policymakers, and change-makers from across the globe to explore the conditions that enable abundance – and the barriers that prevent it. But, what is Abundance? At its core, abundance is the belief that we can build a world where there is enough housing, healthcare, clean energy, infrastructure, and opportunity for everyone to lead better lives. It is the state in which there is enough of what we need to create lives better than what we have had. This framing asks us to move beyond scarcity-driven thinking, where caution, bureaucracy, and limited resources shape our collective choices, and instead imagine a future centred on bold action, inclusive innovation, and societal well-being. These ideas have emerged primarily from American contexts, recently gaining traction through the work of Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. Can such a vision be meaningfully extended to the rest of the world? What would abundance look like in developing economies or in communities where systemic inequalities persist? And perhaps most importantly: Is abundance even the right goal? At the 2025 Rhodes Forum on Technology & Society, we invite you to grapple with these questions. This is your space to think critically, challenge prevailing assumptions, and shape your own vision of the future!
This OxPeace annual Day-Conference explores developments in peacebuilding at all levels, and in particular in the involvement of women, in the 25 years since UNSC Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and the 30 years since the 1995 Beijing Declaration on the rights of women. Examples from different areas and levels will be explored, from Track 3 (grassroots) to Tracks 2 (regional, or confidential contacts) and Track 1 (national politics, international diplomacy). Several speakers will present fresh research. This day offers a feast of information and reflection on the significant and growing field of peacebuilding, with a special focus on the roles of women. Come and enjoy, with fellow students, academics, practitioners, and policy-makers.
We are delighted to welcome a range of writers and academics to our celebration of Jane Austen’s 250th anniversary, and to invite you to join us! Our keynote speaker, Professor Kathryn Sutherland, shows how closely linked the College is to Austen, and the day will explore the novelist’s significance both at Somerville and more widely, and to do this we are joined by a range of expert alumnae and guests. As the day focuses both on literary critical work and on Austen’s inspiration for later writers, we are very pleased to welcome novelist Salley Vickers, whose work will be known already to many. Somerville alumna and former lecturer at King’s College, London, Dr Jane Darcy, will begin the day with a bracing talk about Austen and seabathing, before Kathryn Sutherland explores the wide connections between Somerville and Austen. In this special year, there are many new publications. Professor Sutherland’s own contribution is the fascinating Jane Austen in 41 Objects. As the Patron of Jane Austen’s House Museum, our keynote speaker presents Austen’s life through a perceptive reading of objects associated with her. Edward Whatley‘s latest book, Jane Austen and George Eliot: the Lady and the Radical, examines the surprising connections between two authors who, on the surface, appear to be very different. He will be in conversation with Somerville Fellow, Professor Fiona Stafford, Austen editor and writer of the 2017 biographical work, Jane Austen: A Brief Life. The programme of the day is below. Programme 10.00 am Arrival and tea/coffee 10.15 am Dr Jane Darcy 11.15 am Tea/coffee 11.30 am Prof. Kathryn Sutherland 1.00 pm Lunch 2.00 pm Salley Vickers 3.00 pm Tea/coffee 3.15 pm A conversation between Edward Whitley and Prof. Fiona Stafford 4.15 pm Finish
We are excited to invite you to our next *Empathy Project* Dinner — an evening of great food, meaningful conversation, and connection with people who care about understanding and peace. *Dinner details:* ✨ *Free* three-course meal 💬 Apolitical conversation prompts 🔄 Seat-switching to meet new people 🤝 Friendly facilitators ensuring comfort and inclusion *_Seats are limited — please only sign up if you can attend_* By attending, you’ll join a growing community of students who believe in empathy over division — gaining access to exclusive events with leading voices in peacebuilding and opportunities to host your own dialogue dinners. Open to students from Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Israeli communities — and others who feel personally connected to the Middle East.
A four-day clinical AI co-creation event for medical, human and computer sciences disciplines, including early-career clinicians. Artificial intelligence is driving transformation in healthcare. It’s going to change the work we do, the outcomes we can deliver for patients, and the very shape of the workforce. Its greatest enabler will be an AI-proficient workforce that can direct these evolving health systems, and keep patients safe. The Oxford Clinical AI Hackathon is a four-day intensive event designed to forge the next generation of health-tech innovators. This year's central challenge is ambitious: can a fine-tuned AI model pass the Oxford final year medical examination? This event is proudly sponsored by Oxford AI Competency Centre, giving teams the opportunity to build with advanced OpenAI models e.g. GPT-4o for complex reasoning and Whisper TTS for voice applications. This event is also supported by key partners across the Oxford ecosystem, including Oxford University Hospitals, the University of Oxford and Oxford Clinical AI partners. Take part in the hackathon or simply join the free public showcase on Thursday 13 November in the Cheng Kar Shun Digital Hub.
This talk will focus on the recent discovery of a new class of mechanosensors which determine vascular function in development, homeostasis and pathology.
Videogames as a medium represent unique challenges for archivists and curators - a game is both an experience and an object, a work of art and a commercial product, and both a defined and ever-changing object of study and preservation. All of these paradoxes make the preservation of games and game history a space of constant renegotiation and creativity. How do you capture the historical experience of play? How do studios preserve and structure their own design documents? and how can archivists and curators resist the inexorable tide of technological obsolescence and give games an ongoing life after the industry has moved on? Hear from academics, curators and games archivists about the work around preservation in video games. About our speakers: Will Butler is a PhD researcher at Bath Spa University in the School of Design. His research concerns videogame preservation; specifically what role producers and developers of digital media play in the preservation and cultural heritage ecosystem. Emily Marlow is a creative Curator with a focus on videogames, working most recently as in-house Curator at the National Videogame Museum (NVM) in Sheffield. Emily has worked across the academic, videogame and creative sectors over the last decade, writing for PCGamer, TheGamer and TechRadar, as well as working as Research Assistant for the V&A's 2018 exhibition 'Videogames: Design/Play/Disrupt'. Alex Habgood is an Archivist, working to preserve videogames at The Rebellion Group Archives. He is also a PhD researcher at University College London, exploring potential use-cases for archived videogame materials in the UK context. Chaired by Dr Jack Orchard. Jack is the Content Editor for the Electronic Enlightenment project in the Bodleian Library. In 2019 he completed a PhD on reading practices in eighteenth-century women’s correspondence networks, and has published on digital editing, correspondence, and historical reading practices. More recently he has extended his research into historical game studies and the communication of historical emotions and subjectivities. He currently sits on the editorial board of the Multiplay Network and has published articles in Play the Past and the forthcoming Multiplay collection, Games that Haunt Us. Join us in Oxford for lunch, talks, and a chance to chat over tea and coffee, or join us on Zoom to hear the talks and panel discussion.
Children’s differences in learning are evident even before they start formal education. Interventions that seek to improve children’s learning and thus, chances for educational success, often target children’s early life environments. Yet, the extent to which these early life environments cause, rather than merely co-occur with children’s differences in learning and education is unknown. Here, I will review genetically sensitive study designs that strengthen causal interpretations of associations in observational data between – putatively – environmental exposures and children’s developmental outcomes. Findings from these genetically sensitive studies suggest that causal effects of early life environments on child development are mostly small or even very small. This has implications for the design and effectiveness of interventions that target children’s early life experiences to improve their educational outcomes. Sophie von Stumm is Professor of Psychology in Education at the University of York, where she directs the Hungry Mind Lab (www.hungrymindlab.com). Her research focuses on the causes and consequences of children’s differences in learning. She integrates theories and methods across the disciplines psychology, education science and genomics to elucidate how family background, early life experiences, and education opportunities inform children’s development. Her research is funded by the British Academy, Nuffield Foundation, and the Jacobs Foundation. Teams-link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZDYwMTY0ZmQtNjkzYS00NjFlLWEzNzgtNWYzMTkzNzQ1YmM2%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22cc95de1b-97f5-4f93-b4ba-fe68b852cf91%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22b33f55d8-6202-46f8-a141-737715faff88%22%7d
Those who seek to increase electoral participation appear to face a dilemma. Prior work finds that Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) interventions are more effective on individuals with ex-ante higher voting propensities and might hence deepen turnout inequality. In this paper, we formalise the link between differential mobilisation effects and turnout inequality, introduce a novel Gini-based turnout inequality measure, and comprehensively answer if and when GOTV interventions increase or decrease turnout inequality. We formally prove that, where electorates are stratified, interventions resulting in constant treatment effects, or even in larger effects among higher voting propensity groups, can reduce turnout inequality. To test the effects of GOTV on turnout inequality empirically, we collect the largest individual-level experimental dataset for political science meta-analysis, and estimate treatment effects within voting propensity bins. We find that GOTV interventions are most effective on intermediate-propensity voters. We then show that by reducing the over-representation of high-propensity voters, GOTV reduces the turnout inequality Gini, especially in high inequality contexts. These findings revise established knowledge on the link between voter mobilisation and turnout inequality, and have powerful implications for democracy and the ethics of political science experimentation. Please join either in person or online. For in-person attendees, the talk will be preceded by a light lunch at 12.15pm. Please email comms@sociology.ox.ac.uk with any questions.
About half of the deaths in low income countries are not registered or medically certified for causes. To fill these gaps in evidence, nationwide mortality studies using verbal autopsies in a random sample of homes have been adopted with the Million Death Study in India, the Healthy Sierra Leone (HEAL-SL) study and elsewhere. Mortality data are informative to understand infectious disease epidemiology. Professor Prabhat Jha will illustrate the relevance of mortality data using examples of HIV in India, Malaria in India and Africa, and SARS-CoV-2 worldwide. He will also present OpenMortality.org, where some of the key data are freely available.
This group will run on Mondays from 13:00-15:40 (UK time) on Microsoft Teams. The format is as follows: 5min hellos and optional goal-setting* 1h10 timed work session 10min break with optional goals check-in 1h10 timed work session Optional debrief at the end, goodbyes *Verbal participation is at your discretion but I do find it helpful to articulate goals and check in at the end of each timed block. You could also choose to do this in the chat if you prefer not to unmute.
Revolving Door Laws and Political Selection
Individuals with chronic lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis and COPD are particularly vulnerable to bacterial infections. Clinically, these infections are challenging to manage and often persist for years, leading to chronic, difficult-to-treat infections. Over time, the bacteria diversify and adapt to the lung environment and the antibiotics used in treatment. In this talk, I will present our work using metagenomics and spatial transcriptomics to unravel bacterial adaptation and host-pathogen interactions. Our findings are transforming our fundamental understanding of chronic lung infections.
Shared-book reading is a promising avenue for enriching informal adult-child math interactions at home. Many parents report reading to their children on a daily basis and often express a stronger preference for literacy-based activities over math-focused ones. Thus, storybooks provide a familiar context for parents to introduce and reinforce early mathematical concepts. In fact, a growing body of work points to the value of storybooks for stimulating parent math-talk and promoting children’s math learning. Yet, there is much still to learn about ways to maximize the value of shared-reading for math learning. In this presentation, I will present a series of studies that investigated which characteristics of math-related storybooks seem most likely to promote extratextual parent-child math-talk and the ways in which parents invite their children to engage in math-talk during shared book-reading. Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/36687326915085?p=r0rvuOKnFwK1W6mk2E
Above the Dust (2024) is a poignant family drama that premiered to critical acclaim at the Berlinale. Set against the backdrop of rural China, the film delves into the life of ten-year old Wo Tu (沃土), whose desire for a water pistol intertwines with his dying grandfather's promise to grant it from beyond the grave. Blurring the lines between dream and reality, past and present, the film unfolds as a magical realist fable that explores intergenerational bonds, the enduring love for one’s land, and the quiet struggles of a disappearing rural landscape amidst China's rapid modernisation. This thought-provoking narrative offers a unique lens through the profound shifts in contemporary Chinese society, making it a compelling watch for anyone interested in China, film and beyond. The Director, Wang Xiaoshuai（王小帅）, is a pivotal figure in contemporary Chinese cinema, recognised as a leading voice of the 'Sixth Generation' of filmmakers. Having graduated from the Beijing Film Academy, his career spans over three decades, marked by a consistently incisive and humanistic approach to storytelling. Wang's films often explore the profound impact of societal changes on individual lives, earning him numerous accolades at prestigious international festivals including Cannes and Berlinale. His works, such as Beijing Bicycle （十七岁的单车）, Shanghai Dreams（青红）, and the critically acclaimed So Long, My Son (地久天长), are celebrated for their deeply emotional and vivid scenes, depicting the daily life of Chinese citizens across some of the most critical eras of China’s history. This screening offers a unique opportunity to engage with the latest work from a mastermind whose cinematic vision continues to shape our understanding of modern China.
In a complete bipartite graph on $m$ by $n$ vertices, the $m\cdot n$ edges are assigned random costs, and we ask for the minimum total cost of a set of $k$ edges where no two share a vertex. This random model of combinatorial optimisation has been studied extensively as a test case for algorithms and as a toy model of a physical system. It has been known since the 1990's that taking the edge-costs to be independent mean 1 exponential permits explicit formulas for things like the expected minimum cost, the most famous case being the $\pi^2/6$ limit for the case $k=m=n$ (perfect matching). In this talk I will show how the distribution, not just its expectation, can be computed explicitly and efficiently from a certain recursion. The recursion implies a Gaussian limit (after proper rescaling) of the cost of matching when a positive proportion of the vertices remain unmatched, although such a "central limit theorem" for perfect matching remains elusive. As time permits, I will describe how the results can be generalised to other optimisation problems like minimum 2-factor and minimum cover.
Policies to support the transition to a carbon-neutral economy are high on the policy agenda. Their effectiveness in reducing carbon emissions and their distributional consequences are actively debated. One key reason for the ongoing debate is that quantitative answers regarding the reduction-redistribution trade-offs of such policies remain limited. Looking at the emissions of household consumption, this paper makes two contributions to the discussion. First, we empirically show that infrequently adjusted consumption goods, i.e. consumption commitment goods such as cars or heating systems, together with their complementary consumption (gas, oil), account for more than 35 percent of household carbon emissions. Second, we develop a quantitative life-cycle model with heterogeneous adoption rates of carbon-neutral commitment goods by income to quantify the reduction-redistribution trade-off of different policy mixes. Our results for the reduction-redistribution trade-off show that a percentage subsidy for carbon-neutral consumption effectively reduces emissions by targeting high-income households. If the subsidy is financed by a progressive income tax, it yields a policy mix that leads to rapid emission reductions and a majority of households supporting its distributional effects.
The True Religion Apology as Counter-Political Theology in Syriac: This paper examines the so-called “true religion apology”, a popular motif in Islamicate Christian literature, as a form of counter-political theology, focusing on four West-Syriac authors who wrote in Syriac: Giwargis of Bʿeltan (d. 790), Dionysius of Tell-Maḥrē (d. 845), Jacob bar Shakkō (d. 1241), and Gregory bar ʿEbrōyō (d. 1286). Across their works, the true religion motif follows a common structure: positively, it affirms Christianity as the true faith, based on fulfilled prophecy and miracles performed by Christ and his followers; negatively, it explains the acceptance and spread of religions other than the true one —most notably Islam—by appealing to all-too-human worldly motives such as coercion, material gain, ethnic or tribal solidarity, preference for easy teachings, or moral laxity. Writing in the context of the Islamic empire, all four authors adapted this apologetic model to different intellectual and social settings. Giwargis of Bʿeltan deploys the “true religion” argument in biblical exegesis to confront early Muslim criticisms of the scriptural integrity of the Gospel. Dionysius of Tell-Maḥrē integrates the motif into his historical narrative, offering a counter-history of the rise of Islam. Jacob bar Shakkō embeds the apology within a systematic theological framework that rationalizes Christian belief against Islamic objections. Finally, Gregory bar ʿEbrōyō, writing in a scholastic register, presents a more irenic yet theologically firm version of the argument. Taken together, these texts illustrate how the true religion apology functioned as a durable and flexible discourse through which Syriac Christians responded to the dominant religio-political order. Far from being a static polemical form, it operated as a counter-political theology: affirming the legitimacy of the Christian faith while critically engaging with the Islamic empire’s theological claims and imperial ideology, and at the same time explaining Christian political marginality.
Are you planning to present a poster at an upcoming conference, meeting or symposium? This introductory session will provide you with some top tips on how to create a poster presentation which will help you to communicate your research project and data effectively. There will be guidance on formatting, layout, content, use of text, references and images, as well as advice on printing and presenting your poster. This session will also provide help with locating resources such as templates, free-to-use images and poster guidelines. By the end of this classroom-based session you will be able to: evaluate the effectiveness of templates, formatting, text and images; and plan, prepare and present your poster. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Researcher & research student.
This paper explores how biological interactions between species shape human knowledge. Between 1919 and 1936 the Rockefeller-funded Jamaica Hookworm Commission toured Jamaica, attempting to tackle hookworm disease. Their aims, campaign head Benjamin Washburn always said, were 'educational as well as curative': they aimed to use hookworm as an educational tool to spread knowledge about 'living well' and create sanitary citizens out of the Jamaican labouring classes. Most Jamaicans did not know about hookworm (_Ancylostoma & Necator_ spp.), but they were familiar with what they called the 'greedy worm' (roundworm, Ascaris lumbricoides), which they treated with wormweed (_Chenopodium ambrisoides_). This paper discusses how folk medical knowledge of one parasitic worm helped a biomedical disease control programme construct knowledge of a different parasite, and how this was underpinned by the biological relationships between the two worms. *Jonathan David Roberts* is a historian and biologist. Following an undergraduate degree in Combined Honours Biological Sciences and History at the University of Leeds and an MSc in the History of Science, Medicine and Technology at the University of Oxford, he has recently completed a PhD at the University of Leeds. His PhD drew together biological and historical methods to explore the interactions of people, parasites and environments through comparative studies of hookworm in Jamaica, the Windward Islands and Cornwall between 1900 and 1936. He has also published on guinea worm, and particularly the guinea worm eradication programme of 1986-present.
The newest Large Language Models (LLMs) engage in conversations through the use of prompts, and produce amazingly human-like output. Empirical studies have shown that people cannot reliably distinguish texts produced by chatbots from texts produced by humans. In some applications, they even find the chatbot output to be better than human output. LLMs seem to pass the Turing Test — does this mean are they intelligent? Should we worry that AI is on the verge of becoming more intelligent than we are? This talk will make a case that the Turing Test is a weak test of intelligence, failing to probe in depth how humans acquire, deploy, and adapt their remarkably large mental lexicons. During the great vocabulary spurt of toddlerhood, toddlers learn some six to eight words a day. The ability to create and understand new words continues throughout adulthood, making the lexical system the most plastic aspect of language. Experimental and computational studies show that these feats are achieved using avenues of abstraction that LLMs simply lack. These capabilities for abstraction provide efficiency and power in the acquisition and use of language by humans. Biosketch: Janet B. Pierrehumbert is the Professor of Language Modelling in the University of Oxford Engineering Science Department. She holds degrees in Linguistics from Harvard and MIT. Much of her Ph.D thesis work was done in the Department of Linguistics and AI Research at AT&T Bell Labs, where she also served as a Member of Technical staff until 1989. She then took up a faculty position in Linguistics at Northwestern University, establishing an interdisciplinary research effort in experimental and computational linguistics. She is known for her research on prosody and intonation, as well as her work on how people acquire and use lexical systems that combine general abstract knowledge of word forms with detailed phonetic knowledge about individual words. In 2015, Pierrehumbert moved to her present position in the the Oxford e-Research Centre at Oxford, where she also holds a courtesy appointment in the Faculty of Linguistics, Phonetics, and Philology. Her lab group currently focusses on Natural Language Processing, emphasizing questions about the robustness and interpretability of language models and the dynamics of language in communities. She is a fellow of the LSA, the Cognitive Science Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2019, She was awarded the Medal for Scientific Achievement from the ISCA (the International Speech Communication Association) in 2020, and was elected as a member of the Academia Europaea in 2024.
Drawing on Amitav Acharya’s new book, which argues that world order is not the monopoly of any civilization or nation, the panel will discuss three key questions: Firstly, has world order been a shared creation, as the book argues? Secondly, will the end of Western dominance be a “good or bad thing,” ? And finally, what might be the shape of the “next” world order -- a return to multipolarity or bipolarity, a revival of US hegemony, a world order of regions, or a “multiplex” world? *Amitav Acharya* is the UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance and Distinguished Professor at the School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC. His recent books include _The Once and Future World Order: Why Global Civilization Will Survive the Decline of the West_ (Basic Books 2025), _Constructing Global Order_ (Cambridge 2018); _The End of American World Order_ (Polity 2014, 2018) and _The Making of Global International Relations_ (Cambridge 2019: with Barry Buzan). His articles have appeared in _International Organization, International Security, International Studies Quarterly, Foreign Affairs, Journal of Peace Research, International Affairs, Perspectives on Politics,_ and _World Politics_. A Past President of the International Studies Association (ISA), he is the winner of three ISA Distinguished Scholar Awards, that respectively cite his "contribution to non-Western IR theory and inclusion;” “influence, intellectual works and mentorship” in the field of international organisation; and “extraordinary impact” in globalising the study of International Relations. Panellists will include *Professor Faisal Devji* (Beit Professor of Global and Imperial History at the University of Oxford), and *Professor Andrew Hurrell* (Senior Research Fellow in International Relations at Balliol College and Co-Director, The Oxford Martin Programme on Changing Global Orders). The discussion will be chaired by *Professor Louise Fawcett* (Professor of International Relations and Co-Director of the Oxford Martin Programme on Changing Global Orders). To attend in person please register here: https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/events/post-western-order To watch online see registration link above for the online links
In a democracy, trust cannot be commanded – it must be earned by government and freely granted by citizens. Yet the latest OECD Survey of Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions shows that 4 out of 10 people in 30 OECD countries have low or no trust in government. Of equal concern are findings from the OECD Survey of Adult Skills which show that 20% of adults struggle to read simple texts and underscore the strong correlation between skills levels and political self-efficacy. The significant share of adults who lack the skills to navigate complex digital information landscapes and who feel unable to influence political decisions is a major concern for modern democracies. Equally, governments’ inability to engage effectively with low skilled adults through citizen participation processes limits the evidence base on which public policies are designed. Bridging this gap will require concerted action on several fronts. The good news is that skills for citizen participation can be learned and that citizen participation in policy making itself builds valuable skills. Drawing on insights from OECD comparative data, the seminar will invite participants to explore ways we can help people build skills for citizen participation in schools, at work and in their communities – as an essential element of democratic resilience and renewal. Register for in-person: https://forms.office.com/e/mqFYx5PmX0 Register for online: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/862282bf-1bf6-426f-aa0d-8f0d2d63b05a@cc95de1b-97f5-4f93-b4ba-fe68b852cf91
Quantum computing is emerging as a transformative technology with profound implications for global security, strategic competition, and international order. This panel brings together experts in quantum science, strategy, and international relations to examine the meaning of quantum supremacy beyond its technical definition. We will explore how quantum intersects with classical IR theory—shaping deterrence, balance-of-power dynamics, alliance cohesion, and technological governance. Discussions will probe whether quantum advances could upend existing asymmetries and how theories of security dilemmas, technological diffusion, and institutional resilience help us anticipate their geopolitical consequences. By fusing insights from cutting-edge research in physics with frameworks from political science, the panel asks: will quantum technologies reinforce existing structures of power, or catalyze disruptive shifts in the architecture of international relations?
Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.' Exodus 18:10-11 Exodus is one of the greatest rescue stories ever told. Recording the people of Israel's dramatic escape from slavery in Egypt, it paves the way for the ultimate act of redemption in Christ. Simon Vibert's commentary is a hope-filled illumination of this fantastic story. Retold for modern readers, it shows how God rescues his people, overcomes his enemies and brings himself glory - and what that means for our hope in Jesus Christ today.
From meeting elephants in mountain gorilla habitat, and making the first study of elephants underground, in the caves of Mount Elgon, Kenya, to lobbying for apes and elephants at the UN, Ian Redmond has been an elephant advocate for half a century. Why? Elephants are keystone species in the natural habitats of 50 countries – 37 in Africa and 13 in Asia – and yet their numbers have fallen from tens of millions to under half a million in Africa and a tenth of that in Asia. The conservation of elephants and their habitat is essential for climate stability and healthy, biodiverse ecosystems; this could be financed by payment for ecosystem services attributable to these mega-gardeners of the forest and savannah. Speaker biography: Ian Redmond is an independent wildlife biologist and conservationist, renowned for his work with apes and elephants. He serves as the Born Free Foundation’s representative in FSC, was an Ambassador for the UN’s Convention on Migratory Species 2010-2024, is Head of Conservation for www.Ecoflix.com and a co-founder of www.Rebalance.Earth As well as research into gorilla parasites and underground elephants, Ian has led anti-poacher patrols, guided film crews and special interest tours into close encounters with apes, elephants and erupting volcanoes. His focus now is on the role animals play as #GardenersoftheForest, helping to fight climate change and biodiversity-loss, and lifting neighbouring communities out of poverty through payment for ecosystem services of animals (PESA).
COURSE DETAILS The course will include: Critique of readability in relevant papers. Use of tenses in academic papers. Writing with impact. Concise writing. Grammar and proof reading. Scientific table and chart technique. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of the session participants will be able to: Develop understanding of the characteristics of scientific writing; write in simple, clear and concise scientific English. Develop knowledge of how to write grammatically correct English. Improve proof reading skills; organise the sections of a scientific paper effectively. Develop a scientific argument with appropriate language that conveys the message effectively. Make effective use of charts and tables.
Obesity is the fifth leading cause of death globally and one of the leading causes of disability. While the general medical impacts of obesity, including cerebrovascular complications, are relatively well-recognized, the less obvious effects on brain health are often overlooked. Obesity is frequently linked with brain cortical thinning, subcortical atrophy, accelerated brain aging, cognitive impairments, and an increased risk of dementia, even in absence of additional cardiovascular risk factors. This is particularly concerning in people with severe mental illness (SMI), where the rates of obesity are high and the brain effects of obesity and psychiatric disorders may interact. Indeed, we and others have demonstrated that obesity adds to brain gray and white matter alterations in SMIs. Variations in extent of obesity contribute to variations in extent of brain alterations in people with bipolar disorders or schizophrenia. Importantly, obesity related brain changes explain part of the cognitive impairment already in people with first episode of psychosis. Moreover, baseline weight or weight gain predict future acceleration of brain aging and hippocampal atrophy across SMIs. These brain effects could explain why obesity in SMI is associated with worse psychiatric outcomes, including greater psychiatric morbidity, chronicity, disability, functional decline, and worse responses to psychiatric medications. Monitoring weight and body composition thus becomes relevant for managing psychiatric, cognitive and brain health. Future research should investigate if prevention or treatment of obesity, i.e. with GLP1 agonists, could prevent or improve neurostructural changes and related psychiatric outcomes, including cognitive impairment.
For our next talk, in the BDI/CHG (gen)omics Seminar series, we will be hearing from Professor John Witte, Vice Chair of Epidemiology and Population Health and co-Leader of the Population Sciences program in the Stanford Cancer Institute. We’re delighted to host John in what promises to be a great talk! Talk title: Using genetics to adjust and improve biomarkers: application to prostate specific antigen screening for cancer Date: Tuesday 11 November Time: 9:30 – 10:30 am Location: BDI/OxPop Seminar room 0 Bio: John is an internationally recognized expert in genetic epidemiology. In addition to his faculty positions, John is the Vice Chair of Epidemiology and Population Health and co-Leader of the Population Sciences program in the Stanford Cancer Institute. Before Stanford he was on the faculty at UC San Francisco and at Case Western Reserve University. John has received the Leadership Award from the International Genetic Epidemiology Society (highest award), and the Stephen B. Hulley Award for Excellence in Teaching. He teaches a genetic epidemiology course, has mentored over 50 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and has directed National Institutes of Health funded training programs in genetic epidemiology for over 20 years. All members of the University are welcome to join, please let reception at BDI know you’re here for the seminar and sign-in. We hope you can join us! We also now have a mailing list – To be added, ping genomics_bdi_whg-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk (with any message), you should get a bounce-back with three options to confirm your subscription. Follow any of those options, and with a bit of luck you should be signed up! As a reminder, the (gen)omics seminar series runs every other Tuesday morning and is intended to increase interaction between individuals working in genomics across Oxford. We encourage in-person attendance where possible. There is time for discussion over, tea, coffee and pastries after the talks. Hybrid Option: Please note that these meetings are closed meetings and only open to members of the University of Oxford to encourage sharing of new and unpublished data. Please respect our speakers and do not share the link with anyone outside of the university. Join the meeting now Meeting ID: 392 824 466 617 2 Passcode: FZ9uq2ig
This workshop will introduce participants to the key catalogues and finding aids for post-1800 archives and manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries. In particular the session will focus on Bodleian Archives & Manuscripts, the online catalogue for post-1800 archives and manuscripts. The session will also briefly introduce some of the major UK online gateways for discovering archives. The topics covered include: how to use the Bodleian Archives & Manuscripts online catalogue; other printed archive catalogues in the Bodleian Libraries; major subject areas covered in Bodleian archives and modern manuscripts; and national archive gateways. The workshop will include a question and answer session with Bodleian archivists. This session does not cover: Pre-1800 manuscripts (Medieval and Early Modern periods); or Manuscripts in Middle Eastern, Semitic, and Asian languages. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student
Would you like to contribute to the discovery of new research materials in the Bodleian’s manuscript collections? And to learn something about editing early modern letters and approaches to digital humanities along the way? Then please sign up for our Bodleian Student Editions editing workshops. In this day-long workshop you will learn the skills to handle some of the Bodleian’s special collections and to read seventeenth- and eighteenth-century handwriting. No experience in history or historical texts is needed – we’ll teach you all you need to handle, read and transcribe these fascinating letters. Registration is required. Open to University of Oxford students only. Level – open to complete beginners and students from any subject, undergraduate or graduate.
Open access publication of monographs and other longform works is an emerging movement, offering many opportunities to scholars looking to publish their research. With several major funding agencies now requiring longform open access publication, the impact of this is only set to grow. However, for those looking to publish their monograph open access, the novelty of this can present a challenge. What do funders require? What are the different publishing models? This webinar will cover the basics of this emerging field, including benefits, funder requirements, publication models and tools and resources. At the end of the session participants will be able to: explore the benefits of open access publication for longform works; consider the more challenging aspects of open monograph publication that that may not arise in traditional monograph publishing; follow the open access requirements of major funders for longform works; and understand the range of open access publication models offered by publishers. Intended audience: Researcher & research student; Staff
This talk explores why financial and economic literacy matter for citizens and why even highly educated people often struggle to make sense of policy, politics, and personal finance. Drawing on new research, Professor Michael McMahon will show that households rely on diverse mental models of the economy that differ sharply from those of experts. Encouragingly, even modest teaching interventions can align public understanding with economists’ views, improving forecasts and boosting trust in institutions. At the same time, evidence from central bank communication reveals that while policymakers have simplified their language, the underlying conceptual complexity of their messages remains high, making them hard to follow. Building on the 'three Es' of communication — Explanation, Engagement, and Education — the talk argues that better teaching, clearer communication, and genuine dialogue can help people think more like economists and engage more effectively in today’s complex economic environment. This talk is sponsored by EBC Financial Group.
Tuesday 11 November (week 5) Hosted jointly with the Medieval French Seminar What is an English Book? French Scribes, Scripts and Texts in England Julia Mattison (U of Georgia) Followed by a free buffet lunch
Who pays for postwar demobilization? I argue that postwar governments use gender-based labor discrimination to facilitate veteran reintegration, pushing women out of jobs they gained during wartime. While veteran grievances are theorized to reduce class inequality through welfare expansion, I demonstrate an alternative mechanism: gender-based labor discrimination that undermines women’s labor market position. During war, women often benefit from the absence of male labor, gaining expertise in traditionally male sectors. I argue that postwar governments deploy discriminatory labor regulations to remove women from these jobs and facilitate veteran employment. By increasing the intensity of discrimination in areas and sectors with greater labor competition between men and women, governments can promote veteran reintegration through employment rather than costly welfare. I test this argument in the context of interwar England and Wales, where employer requests to equalize working conditions between men and women were adjudicated by the state on a case-by-case basis. I show that the British government enforced unequal labor conditions precisely where labor competition between men and women was most severe. Rather than universally reducing inequality through welfare expansion, war-related grievances can shift inequality from one axis to another---deepening gender divides while reducing class divides.
This seminar is part of the Child Development and Learning (CDL) Seminar Series. Join in-person or online: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3799219398382?p=2e2iFubdvLDs8dvPmG
Hometown 从上海到平遥 |88 min | Documentary | 2018 | with English Subtitles Film Synopsis: Set between Shanghai and Pingyao, Hometown从上海到平遥 follows Yu Zhuqing, a former textile worker who relocated inland during China’s Third Front Movement. Filmed over a year, the documentary captures her family’s moments of reunion, relocation, and return, revealing both warmth and quiet tension. Through a female and ethnographic lens, the film reimagines this history from the inside out, beyond slogans of sacrifice, toward the intimate emotions of displacement, aging, and belonging. In Yu’s enduring Shanghai dialect and her lifelong negotiation between two places, Hometown asks: what does it mean to arrive home after a lifetime of displacement? Chaired by Prof Maria Jaschok, the event will include a post-screening discussion with Dr Jing Wang (University of Oxford China Centre) on women’s narratives, micro-history, and the affective politics of home and arriving home in contemporary Chinese documentary cinema. Dr Jing Wang focuses on documentary studies, realist cinema, and visual anthropology. Dr Wang is currently completing her first monograph, Documentary in Fiction: Global Aesthetic Trends in Realistic Film During the Post–Cold War Era, forthcoming from Palgrave Macmillan.
With R&D Systems, Lunaphore and Advanced Cell Diagnostics, Bio-Techne provides access to one of the most comprehensive omics portfolios currently available - offering a wide range of assays across multiple plex levels. Whether you're validating single-cell discoveries, building spatial atlases, or driving translational research, this seminar will show you how Bio-Techne technologies can accelerate your workflows and expand your capabilities.
Differences in savings behavior between households with different incomes are key for wealth inequality. We propose differences in asset market access as a novel explanation for these differences. Decomposing household wealth into its main portfolio components, we document three new facts about the US wealth distribution: (i) wealth gaps are primarily driven by differences in asset market participation rather than investment amounts; (ii) participation heterogeneity mirrors differences in observed market access; and (iii) most wealth is accumulated through financial products with contractual savings flows, such as mortgage payments and retirement contributions. Motivated by these findings, we develop a life-cycle model of financial lifetime decisions: buying a home, starting a retirement plan, and becoming an entrepreneur. In the model, income-dependent access to mortgages and retirement plans shape household participation decisions, while financial contracts govern wealth accumulation of participants. The calibrated model closely matches observed participation and wealth accumulation patterns. Equalizing initially heterogeneous access increases wealth for the bottom half of the income distribution by 32%. With access heterogeneity, top-decile households realize five times more capital gains than those in the bottom quintile. Expanding access to retirement plans fosters broad-based wealth accumulation, a prediction supported by historical data.
This hands-on workshop is designed to help researchers strengthen their ability to communicate effectively with policy professionals. Across two 90-minute sessions, participants will develop a clearer understanding of how policy writing differs from academic writing, and why accessibility, clarity, and relevance are essential for impact. The first session sets the scene, exploring how research informs policy, why effective communication matters, and what makes writing resonate with non-academic audiences. Insights from researchers with direct experience of influencing policy will ground the discussion in real-world practice. The second session shifts to application. Through practical exercises and peer feedback, participants will learn how to plan, structure, and refine written outputs such as policy briefs, op-eds, and written evidence. Intended audience: Researchers, DPhil Students, and Professional Services Staff
American foreign and defence policy is in the throes of change. A new national defence strategy points to a reduced focus on Europe and a heightened emphasis on the western hemisphere in general and the American homeland in particular. Military action against Iran and alleged drug cartels offers preliminary evidence of how the president thinks about the use of force. But there are larger unanswered questions over the administration's approach to nuclear strategy, competition with China and the proper balance of forces between different theatres. To what extent can we identify coherent elements of a Trump doctrine? Shashank Joshi is Defence Editor at The Economist, where he covers a wide range of military and security issues. He is also a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Department of War Studies at King's College London. Prior to joining The Economist in 2018, he served as Senior Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). He was also a Research Associate at Oxford University’s Changing Character of War Programme. He has published books on Iran’s nuclear programme and India’s armed forces and holds degrees from Cambridge and Harvard, where he served as a Kennedy Scholar from Britain to the United States. He has given evidence to the House of Commons’ foreign and defence committees and to the House of Lords’ international relations and defence committee, as well as lecturing regularly to the UK Defence Academy. At The Economist he has reported extensively on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and his special reports have covered military technology, lessons from Ukraine and the future of intelligence.
Looking for time and space to focus on your writing? Come to our regular writing group meetings. This group is designed for scholars who engage with humour in their research, whether through literature, performance, media, history, philosophy, anthropology, cultural studies, or other. We provide structured time for focused writing, support each other’s accountability, and offer a community for those who share an interest in the study of humour. Snacks, tea, and coffee will be provided.
In this seminar, Susan Kahn draws upon her acclaimed biography, Canine Pioneer: The Extraordinary Life of Rudolphina Menzel, to discuss the long and complex life and legacy of Rudolphina Menzel (née Waltuch, 1891-1973). Kahn’s is the first biography of Rudolphina Menzel, a Viennese-born Jewish scientist. Menzel’s pioneering research on canine psychology, development, and behaviour fundamentally shaped the ways dogs came to be trained, cared for, and understood. Her research had far‑reaching impacts not only on German police and military dog‑training tactics, but also on the Zionist project. About Rudolphina Menzel: Between the world wars, Menzel was known all over Europe as one of the foremost researchers on canine cognition as well as among the most famous breeders and trainers of police dogs. Throughout the 1920s and until the Nazis seized power in 1933, she was a sought-after consultant at Kummersdorf, the German military dog training institute near Berlin. Menzel was also a devout Zionist who worked tirelessly to convince the leaders of the Yishuv that dogs could help build and protect the nascent Jewish state. In fact, teaching Jews to like dogs and training dogs to serve Jews became Menzel's unique kind of Zionist mission. In 1938, Menzel escaped Nazi-occupied Austria and moved to Palestine, where she launched a series of ambitious canine initiatives: she published the first dog-training manual in Hebrew, founded the Palestine Kennel Club, established the Palestine Research Institute for Canine Psychology and Training, and organised dog handling courses for the Haganah; hundreds of her trained dogs served alongside Jewish forces in the 1948 war, detecting mines, carrying messages, and pursuing enemies. In the 1950s, she created the first guide-dog institute in the Middle East and invented Israel’s national dog breed, the Canaan dog. In 1962 at the age of 71, she was appointed associate professor of animal psychology at Tel Aviv University. Speaker Details: Susan Kahn is Associate Director of the Julis-Rabinowitz Program on Jewish and Israeli Law at Harvard Law School. She received a PhD in Anthropology and a master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University. From 2003-2015, she served as Associate Director of the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard, Director of the Master’s Program in Middle Eastern Studies, and Lecturer in Near Eastern Languages and Civilisations; she received 14 Certificates of Excellence and Distinction in Teaching and was nominated for the Everett Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Award. Her latest book, Canine Pioneer: The Extraordinary Life of Rudolphina Menzel, was published by Brandeis University Press in 2022. Her previous book Reproducing Jews: A Cultural Account of Assisted Conception in Israel (Duke 2000) won a National Jewish Book Award, the Eileen Basker Prize for Outstanding Research in Gender and Health from the American Anthropological Association, and the Musher Publication Prize, awarded biennially by the National Foundation for Jewish Culture for the outstanding dissertation on Jewish life in Israel or America. She teaches a course on “The History of the Jewish People” at Harvard Extension School. About the Programme: Jewish Women's Voices is a collaborative initiative by Dr Kate Kennedy, Director of the ‘Oxford Centre for Life-Writing’, and Dr Vera Fine-Grodzinski, a scholar of Jewish social and cultural history. The Programme is the first of its kind at any UK academic institution. Launched in October 2023, the Programme celebrates the life-writing of Jewish women often underrepresented in mainstream history accounts. The Programme is a three-term seminar series dedicated to exploring the diverse experiences of Jewish women across centuries, countries, and cultures. Further information about the Programme can be found here. Further Details and Contacts: This hybrid event is free and open to all. Registration is recommended for in-person attendance and required for hybrid attendance. The seminar will be recorded and made available on the OCLW website soon after. Registration is not required to access the recording. Registration will close at 10:30 on 11 November 2025. Any queries regarding this event should be addressed to OCLW Events Manager, Dr Eleri Anona Watson.
Newspapers are a valuable resource for researching not only news but also many other aspects of political, economic, social and cultural life. In this session we will introduce key online sources of news and how to make best use of them. The focus will be on historical and contemporary newspapers from the 17th century across most countries of the world. After the session participants will understand: the value of newspapers in research; the difficulties of using newspapers in research and effective search techniques, and be able to use a range of sources for searching and reading including: historical newspapers; contemporary newspapers; and historical audio-visual news sources. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student
This lecture explores how digital academic education is being reshaped by the fusion of emotional governance and technological design. Drawing on 20 in-depth interviews with learning designers working in Israeli EdTech companies, I examine how these professionals—positioned between private platforms and public universities—construct educational environments that are simultaneously affective and algorithmic. At the center of this analysis is the concept of “supervised autonomy”, which captures a core paradox: students are imagined as autonomous, self-regulating learners, yet also as emotionally vulnerable subjects in need of constant technological oversight. Surveillance technologies such as learning analytics dashboards are reframed by designers as tools of emotional care and personalized support. This dual logic extends to the role of professors, who are reimagined as both emotional caregivers and performative presenters—expected to maintain engagement, deliver emotional connection, and respond to behavioral data. In this new emotional-technological architecture, autonomy becomes not a withdrawal from control, but a condition shaped and sustained through ongoing algorithmic monitoring and therapeutic discourse. The lecture argues that the digitalization of academic life cannot be understood solely through the lens of market rationality. Rather, it reflects a deeper cultural reordering—where emotional expectations are embedded into digital infrastructures, and educational roles are redefined through a convergence of care, performance, and control.
What sort of space is the gallery under contemporary conditions of political authoritarianism and “too late” capitalism? In this paper, I use the profusion of engaged and politically committed art practices on display in galleries across Bangladesh to think critically about what happens to progressive and socially engaged aesthetic forms, their communities of practice, and sites of display, when the infrastructural, financial, and technological transformations of the 21st century realign the relationship between politics and aesthetics so that they leave behind their familiar 20th century articulations. By tracing the working conditions, formal qualities and digital extensions that mark contemporary aesthetic practice in Bangladesh, I suggest that the reconvening of forms and communities associated with the left in the expanded gallery is a consequence of our contemporary media and infrastructural conditions. These transitions are not unique to Bangladesh but part of 21st century reconfigurations of the relationship between politics and aesthetics. Lotte Hoek is Professor of Cultural Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh. She is a media anthropologist whose ethnographic explorations of the moving image are situated at the intersection of anthropology and film studies and are grounded in theoretical debates emerging from South Asian contexts. She is the author of Cut-Pieces: Celluloid Obscenity and Popular Cinema in Bangladesh (Columbia University Press, 2014) and co-editor of Forms of the Left in Postcolonial South Asia: Aesthetics, Networks and Connected Histories (Bloomsbury, 2021). She is one of the editors of the journal BioScope: South Asian Screen Studies.
Mushroom – Mathura Umachandran (Exeter) [online] Trees – Chella Ward (Open University) Legacy/inheritance – Tim Rood (Oxford)
In this seminar, *Susan Kahn* draws upon her acclaimed biography, _Canine Pioneer: The Extraordinary Life of Rudolphina Menzel_, to discuss the long and complex life and legacy of Rudolphina Menzel (née Waltuch, 1891-1973). Kahn’s is the first biography of Rudolphina Menzel, a Viennese-born Jewish scientist. Menzel’s pioneering research on canine psychology, development, and behaviour fundamentally shaped the ways dogs came to be trained, cared for, and understood. Her research had far‑reaching impacts on not only German police and military dog‑training tactics, but also on the Zionist project. Registration is recommended for in-person attendance and required for hybrid attendance. Please use the booking link below for both bookings.
In this lecture, Dr Fischer presents Religious Zionism, the right-wing religious nationalist movement, which despite representing 12-16% of Israel’s population, has a prominent and influential place in the current ‘fully’ right-wing government. In contradistinction to previous research, he argues that this movement, which initiated and led the settlement movement in the West Bank and the Golan Heights, is best understood not as a fundamentalist movement, but as a religious romantic nationalist enterprise that at its philosophical core emphasises modern notions, such as self-expression and self-realisation. Thus, not only does it adopt important components of the modern cultural programme, it also presents a religious theory of modernity. He briefly examines how opposing religious Zionist sub-streams developed in response to the political and cultural challenges that the broader Israeli society and government posed. Finally, Dr Fischer discusses the impact of recent developments: 1) the increasing acceptance of religious nationalism among the general Israeli public; and 2) the extensive Religious Zionist participation (and sacrifice) in the prosecution of the Israel-Hamas war. Dr Shlomo Fischer is a Senior Fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute in Jerusalem. Until his retirement, he taught sociology in the School of Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has published extensively on religious Zionism and the Shas movement. His research interests include religion in Israel and its intersections with politics and class, the American Jewish community, and the relations of religious and civic education. His book, 'Expressivist Religious Zionism: Modernity and the Sacred in a Nationalist Movement' was published in December 2024.
In this session we will examine metrics for individual researchers. Using tools such as Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scopus you will learn about the researcher h-index and its limitations. You will be introduced to additional metrics tools such as author beamplots which help to contextualise a researcher’s output over time. By the end of the session, you will be familiar with: accessing citation data for specific researchers on Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar; understanding how the h-index is calculated and its inherent limitations; creating an ORCID number to help track all your own research outputs; and the importance of research outputs beyond journal and conference papers when assessing a researcher’s impact. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student
This paper introduces a method to study the impact of policy events on equilibrium selection in settings where strong complementarities may lead to multiple equilibria and coordination failures. Many industrial policies are rooted in the idea of coordination failures and big-push' theories, yet empirical evidence on their effectiveness remains limited, since distinguishing equilibrium shifts from direct changes in fundamentals is challenging. Leveraging tools from industrial organization and algebraic geometry, I develop an approach to study coordination effects without imposing strong assumptions on the distribution or responsiveness of economic fundamentals. The method identifies the `types' of factual and counterfactual equilibria through a three-step procedure: model estimation and inversion, equilibrium enumeration, and type assignment. Types of factual equilibria may be used to examine how events, like urban infrastructure, subsidy drives, or trade liberalization, affect equilibrium selection. Types of counterfactual equilibria further allow decomposition of observed effects into fundamentals- versus coordination-driven. I apply this method to study industrial zones in India. Using a newly assembled dataset, I find that municipalities receiving an industrial zone see a 60% increase in non-farm employment over 15 years, with significant spill overs to non-targeted sectors and municipalities. Combining the methodology with event study designs, I find that industrial zones increase the probability of escaping a low-industrialization equilibrium by 38%, with coordination effects explaining roughly one-third of the observed change in outcomes.
Questions of class consciousness and of cultural belief and practice have dominated historiography on rural society’s responses to the socialist revolution in Mozambique, undertaken by the liberation front and governing party Frelimo shortly after independence in 1975. Frelimo uprooted rural people from dispersed, familial homesteads into new communal villages, with collective settlement and agriculture. Representations of villagers as ‘class’ or ‘cultural’ subjects have treated their social and political behaviour as undifferentiated within families, and de-emphasised strategies and choices amidst rapid political change. My interest is in the history and legacies of villagisation to consider the villages as spaces that were transformative of institutional and familial authority, and in which we can find how the state embroiled in struggles over land within the family. I draw on fieldwork in Gaza Province among women who were young at independence. Family elders and senior wives historically mediated land allocation in Gaza. Generational conflict between relatives influenced young women’s responses to reforms and harsh realities of villages in surprising ways. They created new relations of farming and exchanged land plots, as sanctioned by local party officials. Gendering our viewpoints reveals how villagisation constructed the Frelimo state as an instrument of social transformation, which allowed a generation of women, for the first time in their lineage, to access land, if precariously, independently of kin.
This is a special Seminar Series hosted by the Brazilian Studies Programme. Tim Power is a comparative political scientist with a deep commitment to interdisciplinary area studies. Currently Head of the Social Sciences Division, Tim arrived in Oxford in 2005 to take up a joint appointment in Area Studies and the Department of Politics. From 2008 to 2012 he directed the Latin American Centre, and he became Head of the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies (OSGA) in 2018. Tim's research concerns democratization and political institutions (parties, legislatures, and elections) in modern Latin America, especially Brazil. With Cesar Zucco (Fundacao Getulio Vargas), and also co-directs the Brazilian Legislative Surveys, which have recorded the opinions of Brazilian politicians in every parliament elected since 1990. Tim has been working with several colleagues on the challenges of coalition government in presidential systems. Malu Gatto is Associate Professor of Latin American Politics at the Institute of the Americas at University College London (UCL), where she also serves as Deputy Head of Department and Vice-Dean for Advancement & Alumni for the Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences. Her work explores questions about political behaviour, representation, policymaking, and gender and politics with a regional focus on Latin America, especially Brazil, and has been published in various outlets, including Comparative Political Studies, the British Journal of Political Science, Party Politics and Politics & Gender. She is the author of Resistance to Gender Quotas in Latin America, published in 2025 by Oxford University Press. She has a DPhil from the University of Oxford and has previously been a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich, a Visiting Fellow at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame, and a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars. Saul Tourinho Leal is a preeminent Brazilian constitutional lawyer, who has also advised the Constitutional Court of South Africa and the Supreme Court of Israel. He holds a PhD in Constitutional Law from The Humboldt University of Berlin. Mariana Borges Martins da Silva is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Politics at the University of Southampton, where she directs the Centre for Political Ethnography (CPE). She is the convener of the Latin American Politics Specialist Group of the Political Studies Association (PSA). Before joining Southampton, she was a Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellow in Politics at Nuffield College, University of Oxford. Her research examines how culture shapes political behavior, public opinion, elections, representation, and the circulation of misinformation, with a particular focus on Brazil.
In the fall of 1920, the Egyptian police found seventeen female corpses buried under the floor of five houses in the working-class district of Labban, Alexandria. Several men and women were charged with the mass killing, yet two sisters among them – Rayyā and Sakīna – came to be remembered as its main perpetrators. This paper interrogates the genealogy of such representation. It seeks to show how, months before the trial and with no police evidence, the Egyptian press presented Rayyā and Sakīna as the masterminds of the crimes and Rayyā, in particular, as the boss of the gang. The violation of domesticity, at a time when the home was seen as a unit of the national project, will emerge as a key element. In parallel, the representation of disempowered male criminals under a powerful female boss elicited social panic. Both the press and the first theatrical play on the case, in 1921, sought to reverse the perspective of the “woman on top”.
The past decade has witnessed a fundamental reconfiguration of Spain’s party system. What was once a stable two-party structure has evolved into a more fragmented and polarized multiparty landscape. This presentation examines the political, institutional, and societal causes and consequences of this transformation. It situates the fragmentation of the Spanish party system within a broader context of democratic stress and highlights key developments such as the secessionist challenge in Catalonia, the emergence of coalition governance at the national level, and the rise of a radical right party for the first time in democratic Spain. The analysis explores how these changes have reshaped patterns of party competition and political polarization, and reflects on the implications of Spain’s experience for understanding the dynamics of party system change and representative democracy in contemporary Europe.
In this talk, Prof. Jesus Lizana will present the latest research from the ZERO Institute at the University of Oxford on zero-carbon heating and cooling. The talk will examine the role of the building sector in achieving net-zero targets by 2050, drawing on new evidence from citizen-powered climate observations and projections to understand future shifts in heating and cooling demand. It will also showcase Oxford’s recent innovations in materials, software, and technologies to accelerate heating decarbonisation, alongside advances in sustainable cooling to support global climate adaptation. The presentation will discuss the key steps required to deliver resilient, net-zero building services worldwide.
All Welcome. The seminar will be followed by a drinks reception
Kairos, Occasio, and Fortuna are complex facets of the same deity of luck, but at a certain moment in time a troubling, schizophrenic iconography came into being, which cast Lady Luck as a distinctively female force, both a capricious agent controlling the Wheel of Fortune and also as a body that could be either violently seized or wildly adored. This lecture will explore the uneasy sexualization of Fortuna in some early modern images such as an engraving by Marcantonio Raimondi in the Metropolitan Museum that bears the descriptive title _A Naked Man Holding Fortune by the Hair and Whipping Her_. Rather than simply cancelling an image as such, I would like to take the opportunity to reflect upon the ideological work that such artworks accomplished in their own time and to push us to think about how we can make sense of them as twenty-first-century viewers. *Maria H Loh* is Professor of Art History at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Previously she taught at UCL and CUNY Hunter College. She is the author of three books: Titian Remade. Repetition and the Transformation of Early Modern Italian Art_ (2007); _Still Lives. Death, Desire, and the Portrait of the Old Master_ (2015); and _Titian’s Touch. Art, Magic, & Philosophy_ (2019). She is currently working on two books: _Liquid Sky (On Visual Representations of the Early Modern Sky)_ and _Critical Fortune: Early Modern Lessons for the Twenty-First Century_.
*Eliga Gould* is the 2025-26 Harmsworth Professor of American History.
Join OCLW for an evening with scholar and biographer Zachary Leader in conversation with Hermione Lee. ‘a case study, in effect, for the stakes of thinking about biography as an art.’ —Michelle Taylor, The Nation Richard Ellmann’s James Joyce, published in 1959, was hailed by Anthony Burgess as ‘the greatest literary biography of the twentieth century’. Frank Kermode thought the book would ‘fix Joyce’s image for a generation’, a prediction that was if anything too cautious. The biography won the National Book Award and durably secured Joyce’s standing as a preeminent modernist. Ellmann’s Joyce provides the biography of the biography, exploring how Ellmann came to his subject, gained the cooperation of Joyce’s family and estate, shrewdly, doggedly collected vital papers and interviews, placated publishers, thwarted competitors, and carefully balanced narrative with literary analysis. Ellmann’s Joyce also removes the veil from the biographer—richly rewarded in public, admirable in private life, but also possessed of a startling secret life. The book constructs a powerful argument not only in support of Ellmann’s intellectual and artistic claims but also on behalf of literary biography generally. 'I have always been grateful to Ellmann for taking such a democratising approach to this most despotic of authors, just as I am now to Leader for following suit […] what Zachary Leader gives us is a richly researched, nuanced portrait of the earlier life and working processes of a writer who not only shone light into one of the great literary minds of the twentieth century, but, in the process, became one in his own right.' —Eimear McBride, Times Literary Supplement Speaker Details: Zachary Leader is an Emeritus Professor of English Literature at the University of Roehampton. He is the author or editor of a dozen books on modern British and American literature, among them biographies of Kingsley Amis and Saul Bellow. He is the General Editor of The Oxford History of Life-Writing, a seven-volume series, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Hermione Lee was President of Wolfson College from 2008 to 2017 and is Emeritus Professor of English Literature in the English Faculty at Oxford University. She is a biographer and critic whose work includes biographies of Virginia Woolf (1996), Edith Wharton (2006), Penelope Fitzgerald (2013), and Tom Stoppard (2020). She has also written books on Elizabeth Bowen, Philip Roth, and Willa Cather, an OUP Very Short Introduction to Biography, and a collection of essays on life-writing, Body Parts. She was awarded the Biographers’ Club Prize for Exceptional Contribution to Biography in 2018. From 1998 to 2008, she was the Goldsmiths’ Professor of English Literature at Oxford. She is a Fellow of the British Academy and the Royal Society of Literature and a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2023, she was made GBE for services to English Literature. She founded OCLW at Wolfson College in 2011. She has just completed a biography of the novelist and art historian Anita Brookner, which will be published in 2026. Further Details and Contacts: This in-person event is free and open to all. Registration is recommended. The event will be recorded and made available on the OCLW website soon after. Registration is not required to access the recording. Registration will close at 1430 on 11/11/2025. Queries regarding this event should be addressed to OCLW Events Manager, Dr Eleri Anona Watson.
*Eliga Gould* is the 2025-26 Harmsworth Professor of American History.
The Old English reading group for students by students. This term's text is Apollonius of Tyre, the only pre-conquest romance in English! All are welcome whatever level of Old English you have. We'll read, translate, and talk through the text together. A great opportunity to get more familiar with Old English pronunciation, but in a non-scary way!
In today's world of profound uncertainty, traditional decision-making frameworks fall short. Where appropriate, we can assess and evaluate probabilities for well-defined events. But when facing "deep" uncertainty, where we cannot even imagine all the possible futures, conventional methods become impractical. This talk by eminent statistician David Spiegelhalter explores some essential qualities for navigating our uncertain age. By cultivating imagination, humility and resilience, we can better face an unpredictable future—not by eliminating uncertainty, but by developing the capacity to adapt and recover when the unexpected inevitably occurs.
Richard Ellmann’s _James Joyce_, published in 1959, was hailed by Anthony Burgess as ‘the greatest literary biography of the twentieth century’. Frank Kermode thought the book would ‘fix Joyce’s image for a generation’, a prediction that was, if anything, too cautious. The biography won the National Book Award and durably secured Joyce’s standing as a pre-eminent modernist. *Zachary Leader* will discuss his new book, _Ellmann’s Joyce_, in conversation with *Hermione Lee*. The book offers a ‘biography of a biography’, tracing how Richard Ellmann came to Joyce, secured the cooperation of the family and estate, assembled papers and interviews, managed publishers, thwarted competitors, and balanced narrative with literary analysis. Leader also examines the biographer himself—publicly celebrated and privately admirable, yet with a startling secret life—and sets out a broader case for Ellmann’s intellectual and artistic claims, and for the value of literary biography more generally.
COURSE DETAILS During the course you will have the opportunity to manage a project. You will be able to apply the techniques you learn to a project that you bring along. Topics covered: project initiation, managing stakeholders and risk, time estimation, planning. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will understand more about: The importance of planning. The tools to make project management succeed. How to estimate the time a project will take realistically. The skills you need to be a good project manager.
Join us for a panel discussion with speakers from funding institutions answering your questions. The event will seek to answer such questions as: · What one call or project would the funder want researchers to know about (if they don’t already) · What are funders looking for in the supporting documentation/statement of support? How do you make sure your supporting documentation is strong? · What level of risk are funders willing to accept? What is the balance to strike between ambitious, “big picture” ideas and more straightforward, “safe” ideas? How much room is there for discovering things along the way? You'll be able to submit your questions on the day. Lunch served 12:00-12:30 (ticket required)
TBA
Professor Sir Richard Peto will join members of the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences Oxford Tobacco Addiction Group (OxTAG) for an engaging lecture and discussion on the evolving landscape of tobacco use and cessation. Professor Sir Aziz Sheikh, Head of NDPCHS, will be chairing the lecture and closing remarks will be given by Professor Prabhat Jha, Head of the Nuffield Department of Population Health. Professor Sir Richard Peto is one of the world’s leading epidemiologists. His research on the current effects of smoking in various populations and his predictions of the future worldwide health effects of current smoking patterns have clarified the importance of smoking as a cause of premature death. This has influenced national policies and contributed to the large decreases in tobacco-attributed mortality in recent decades in some, though not all, major countries. The OxTAG session will explore new evidence from the department on e-cigarettes for quitting smoking and interventions for stopping vaping, early findings from the TRIDENT programme in mental health settings, and the team’s research stream focused on reducing health inequalities caused by smoking.
Can women influence household decisions through effective communication when they lack decision rights? We conduct a field experiment in India to test whether a communication training for married women impacts female labour supply, an important decision households make and a frequent source of intra-household disagreement. The treatment shifted women’s communication styles towards the techniques taught in the training. We find positive effects on labour supply and earnings but, consistent with theory, only for women who were more interested than their husbands in the women working. These effects last at least one year post-treatment and represent a 53% increase in earnings over this period. Mechanisms analyses suggest the labour supply effects come from women changing their husbands’ references rather than shifts in bargaining power. A back-of-the-envelope calculation estimates this treatment to be highly cost-effective at raising female employment relative to public vocational training. Written with Namrata Kala, MIT Sloan School of Management https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LgQtwvTMExxf49YvnkgWugxhffJ2rqlF/view
Silencing women was the rule in Roman times as voice was the marker of male superiority. But in the Roman Empire, the framework of speech underwent change. Gossip could result in false allegations and lead to trial. Female muteness may have served women well as a skill. Before the trial or to avoid it, litigants asked the specialist of silence to cut out dangerous tongues. Who were these experts? A Gaulish source, the so-called Plomb du Larzac, a lead curse tablet dated to 100 AD, talks about a fight of witches in a judicial context. The interpretation of the text is difficult since it is written in Gaulish. Comparing it with Ovid's Metamorphoses may promote the idea of a female expertise in the magic of silence.
In an effort to generate more discussion and collaboration on the scholarly study of religious naturalism, the Editorial Board of the Journal of the Oxford Graduate Theological Society is organizing a reading group on Alan Moore and Stephen Bissette’s influential run of Swamp Thing (1984–1987) and academic literature related to its sociohistorical context and themes. Moore’s writing explores sacred conceptions of nature, non-human life, magic, and psychedelic experiences. Brought to life by Bissette’s art, Saga of the Swamp Thing is perhaps the definitive tale of ecospirituality in the comics medium. All humans (and plant-monsters) are invited to join us to discuss this influential work. Reading list: https://haliphron.ink/2025/11/04/swamp2025/ Session 1 Readings (November 12) Moore, Alan, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben. “Book One (#20-27).” In Saga of the Swamp Thing: Vertigo, 2012. Secondary: Berlatsky, Eric L. “Introduction and Chronology.” In Alan Moore: Conversations. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2012. Hansen, Mads Jørgensen. “A Critical Review of Plant Sentience: Moving Beyond Traditional Approaches.” Biology and Philosophy 39, no. 4 (2024): 1-28.
Digital Scholarship Lunchtime Lecture Join Professor Tian Yuan Tan, University of Oxford, for an introduction to the TEXTCOURT research project, which uses digital methods to explore the rich and interconnected textual worlds of early modern Chinese court drama. Taking as a case study a Qing court performance witnessed by Lord Macartney in 1793, the talk examines how court drama scripts and foreign records can be read together to uncover hidden connections and to ask new questions. By tracing links across these often fragmented sources, the talk demonstrates how digital humanities tools can help navigate the textual maze of Chinese court theatre and reveal new insights into imperial performance, textual research, and cross-cultural encounter. Professor Tian Yuan Tan is Shaw Professor of Chinese in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford, and a Professorial Fellow of University College. The Digital Scholarship Lunchtime Lecture series is co-hosted by the Centre for Digital Scholarship and the Asian and Middle Eastern Collections at the Bodleian Libraries. The event has been generously supported by the Chung Hon Dak Fund. Registration is required.
We are very pleased to invite you to the second talk of our Biosocial Collective (LSE, Oxford, UCL and ICL) Seminar Series. Dr Christopher Bell from QMUL will give a talk on “Epigenomic insights into 'biological' ageing and ageing-related diseases”. The talk will take place in the Butler Room at Nuffield College. The seminar will start at 1.30pm.
The Older Scots Reading Group is for people interested in literature produced in Scotland between 1375-1550. This is an incredibly rich period, featuring authors experimenting with form and language. The texts themselves are written in Older Scots – a language closely related to Middle English, but with some unique attributes. This reading group will provide a relaxed introduction to this period and language. This term we will focus on reading and comprehension. We will read one fairly short poem (300 lines max) per week by some of the most prominent Scottish Makars – Robert Henryson, William Dunbar, and Gavin Douglas. No intensive preparation required. Both undergraduates and postgraduates are welcome. There may be snacks! If you have any questions, contact megan.bushnell@ling-phil.ox.ac.uk.
The world’s population is expected to increase by more than 20% in the coming decades, with this growth primarily occurring in urban areas and concentrated in specific regions. In the years ahead, we anticipate that metropolitan areas will continue to expand at a rapid rate, with some reaching populations of over 50 million. Simultaneously, other cities will contract due to low fertility, ageing populations, and demographic decline. In the upcoming years, cities will face the dual challenges of managing both expansion and contraction, while striving to become more livable and sustainable. In this talk, Rafael Prieto-Curiel will explore the challenges of making cities work for everyone. About the speaker Dr Rafael Prieto-Curiel is a Faculty Member at CSH Vienna, where he works on topics including violence, mobility, migration, and urban dynamics. He works for the OECD and the World Bank, where he conducts spatial and demographic analyses of cities. He is also Scientific Advisor at Aleph. Previously, Rafael worked on urban dynamics as part of the Peak Urban project at the University of Oxford's Mathematical Institute. Prior to this, he was employed by the Police Department and the Emergency Attention Centre in Mexico City (C5) as Director of Strategic Analysis where his work focused on crime forecasting, police and resource allocation. Rafael was awarded the “Science Breakthrough” award by the Falling Walls Foundation in 2024.
✨ Join us for the inaugural Oxford Global Health Summit An internal event bringing together colleagues from across the University’s four divisions to connect, reflect, celebrate and help shape Oxford’s collective engagement in global health. The Summit is a space to listen, share, and spark new conversations about how Oxford can contribute to addressing the major health challenges of our time. Together, we’ll explore bold question • What should Oxford be doing in global health — today and tomorrow? • How can we respond more effectively to the real health needs of people around the world? • How can we collaborate more meaningfully across disciplines and with partners in the Global South? We want to hear from you — your ideas for what Oxford Global Health should be doing. ****** ✦ PROGRAMME ✦ 2:30pm onwards – Registration and coffee 3:00 – 3:30 pm – Setting the scene: Oxford’s commitment to global health • Prof Alan Bernstein, Director, Oxford Global Health – Welcome and introduction • Prof Gavin Screaton, Head of Medical Sciences Division – The rationale for Oxford Global Health • Prof Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor – Situating global health within Oxford’s strategic direction and priorities 3:30 – 4:00 pm – Shaping a vision for global health at Oxford in a period of turbulence Global health context, how we want to work, and translating vision into action. • Prof Alan Bernstein, Director, Oxford Global Health • Prof Susanna Dunachie, Co-Associate Director, Oxford Global Health • Prof Caesar Atuire, Co-Associate Director, Oxford Global Health Followed by audience Q&A. 4:00 – 5:15 pm – Reimagining global health: insights and reflections Keynote address: • Prof Mishal Khan, Professor of Global Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Followed by audience Q&A. Panel discussion: • Prof Mishal Khan • Prof Erica Charters • Prof Aziz Sheikh • Prof Lucie Cluver • Prof Prabhat Jha • Prof Philip Bejon Prof Susanna Dunachie and Prof Caesar Atuire will open with targeted questions to panellists before opening the discussion to the audience for Q&A. 5:15 – 5:20 pm – Closing remarks Prof Alan Bernstein 5:20 – 6:30 pm – Networking reception and exhibition Refreshments and networking in the atrium. ****** 🎟️ Registration required: https://forms.office.com/e/EYfAWJeaNd 📩 Questions? Contact the team at enquiries@globalhealth.ox.ac.uk Read more about the Oxford Global Health initiative: https://www.globalhealth.ox.ac.uk/
About the book: In 2016, Anand Pandian was alarmed by Donald Trump's harsh attacks on immigrants to the United States, the appeal of that politics of anger and fear. In the years that followed, he crisscrossed the country—from Fargo, North Dakota to Denton, Texas, from southern California to upstate New York—seeking out fellow Americans with markedly different social and political commitments, trying to understand the forces that have hardened our suspicions of others. The result is Something Between Us: The Everyday Walls of American Life, and How to Take Them Down, a groundbreaking and ultimately hopeful exploration of the ruptures in our social fabric, and courageous efforts to rebuild a collective life beyond them. The stakes of disconnection have never been higher. From the plight of migrants and refugees to the climate crisis and the recent pandemic, so much turns on the care and concern we can muster for lives and circumstances beyond our own. But as Pandian discovers, such empathy is often thwarted by the infrastructure of everyday American life: fortified homes and neighborhoods, bulked-up cars and trucks, visions of the body as an armored fortress, and media that shut out contrary views. Home and road, body and mind: these interlocking walls sharpen the divide between insiders and outsiders, making it difficult to take unfamiliar people and perspectives seriously, to acknowledge the needs of others and relate to their struggles. Through vivid encounters with Americans of many kinds—including salesmen, truck drivers, police officers, urban planners, and activists for women's rights and environmental justice—Pandian shares tools to think beyond the twists and turns of our bracing present. While our impasses draw from deep American histories of isolation and segregation, he reveals how strategies of mutual aid and communal caretaking can help to surface more radical visions for a life in common with others, ways of meeting strangers in this land as potential kin.
The Adam Phillips Seminar at Keble The New Yorker has described Adam Phillips as ‘Britain’s foremost psychoanalytic writer’, and John Banville has praised him as ‘one of the finest prose stylists at work in the language, an Emerson of our time.’ He has been a regular writer for The London Review of Books, the Observer, and the New York Times for many years, and is the author of several books, including On Kissing, Tickling and Being Bored (1994), On Flirtation (1995), The Beast in the Nursery (1998), Darwin’s Worms (1999), Houdini’s Box (2001), Going Sane (2005), Side Effects (2006), On Balance (2010), Missing Out (2012), and Becoming Freud (2014). ‘The Poet’s Essay’ seminars take place three times a year. Each seminar lasts around one and a half to two hours. The series is free and open to all who wish to attend. There are no sign-up lists or reserved places, although there will be a small amount of required reading in advance of each seminar. Seminars focus primarily on American poetry of the twentieth century. A few weeks before each seminar, a handout will be made available via a downloadable link on this page, and at the meeting Phillips will introduce the material and lead the discussion. The series will pursue a wide range of ideas and issues, but recurring questions may include: Pragmatically, what is the problem the essay is trying to solve, or clarify that the poems can’t? What, if anything, about the poet’s future practice is being intimated or broached by the essay? What, if anything, does the poet’s essay add to or detract from our reading of the poems? Does the essay spoil, in any way, our reading of the poems? What is the poet’s essay persuading us not to do? Given the essay interrupts and continues an already ongoing cultural conversation, in what direction is the essay pushing the conversation? How is the poet in her essay persuading us, if at all, to read her poetry? What, if anything, is the poet’s essay telling us about how his readers might have failed him? What, if anything, is the poet’s essay telling us about his preferred reader of his poems? What, if anything, is the poet’s essay telling us about he mistrusts, or is unconvinced by his own poetry? How does the poet want our lives to be different after reading her essay? If we hadn’t read the poet’s essay what, if anything, might we have missed about her poems? Why might we prefer not having read the essay? Where, if anywhere in the essay, do we get a sense of the poet’s real enjoyment? Next Seminar The next seminar, on Kenneth Koch, will take place on Wednesday 12th November at 4.30 pm, Pusey Room. No tickets, free entry, all welcome. Reading material will be available via pdf link below. Enquiries: please contact Matthew Bevis.
Almost since the beginning of the Bologna Process (i.e., a series of policies to enhance coherence among higher education systems in Europe), the ministers involved have repeatedly committed themselves to the ‘social dimension’. The ‘social dimension’ addresses the aim to make higher education more inclusive and accessible for all. However, it was not until 2005 that a working group was convened to work out in more detail how to define the ‘social dimension’ and how to achieve progress in this area. Despite repeated commitments by the ministers responsible, little progress was made. It was not until after 2015 that some countries began to develop national strategies for the ‘social dimension’. In 2020, principles and guidelines on the ‘social dimension’ were adopted and these were supplemented by indicators in 2024. This presentation discusses not only the developments of inclusion and equity in the European Higher Education Area from a policy perspective, it also dives into the tension that despite repeated commitments by the Bologna member states, data (EUROSTUDENT) show little progress in important key indicators. The presentation concludes with some considerations as to why equitable access and success might be so difficult to achieve and it asks what will come next after the latest developments in 2024. Speaker bio: Martin Unger has been active in higher education research for almost 30 years, focusing primarily on the study situation and living conditions of students, as well as transitions into and out of the higher education system and the situation of graduates. He has conducted research both at the national level in Austria and internationally as part of the EUROSTUDENT and EUROGRADUATE projects. For around 20 years, he has been a member of various working groups on the social dimension of the Bologna Process as a ‘technical expert’ and has also participated in several ministerial conferences in this role.
We welcome the Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Lord Hague, who will give this year's James Martin Memorial Lecture on the occasion of the School's 20th anniversary. We are living in an era of profound geopolitical and technological change. William Hague will outline how far today’s age of instability is a departure from the Cold War period and the optimistic decades that followed, and what today’s new era of danger and excitement means for the environment, health, society and economics. The Chancellor will go on to discuss how countries, institutions and individuals can cultivate resilience and embrace reinvention in order to succeed in this new era of instability.
Join online via Microsoft Teams by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/2s3hfr23
Most well-known for mixing comics and health sciences librarianship, Matthew is an author/co-author of several book chapters, a scoping review on graphic medicine, and wrote the foreword for the Eisner-nominated comic Ripple Effects. He was the 2021-2022 President of the Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table of the American Library Association, is the Treasurer for the Graphic Medicine International Collective. If there is one person the world who really should be talking to us about graphic medicine - it's him.
Between about 1920 and 1955, especially in the USA and Britain, pictures began to be used in a variety of 'projective tests', which became influential in medicine, education, industry, and government. Some tested for 'intelligence', personality factors, and 'unconscious' mental inclinations; some were used in psychodiagnostic contexts (e.g., in identifying schizophrenia); and some were used in psychotherapy. The most well known, the Thematic Apperception Test, used photographs from magazines and other sources as well as well-known works of European and American art (especially in Symbolist and Expressionist traditions) and/or specially commissioned artworks. Subjects usually provided a 'story' for the pictures, which was then interpreted or even 'scored' by a clinician, often in quasi-psychoanalytic terms. The lecture considers the contexts and stakes of this enterprise, comparing and contrasting art-historical approaches to the interpretation of (the very same) pictures by projective test procedures. What were the theoretical bases of projective testing, including aesthetic ideologies? What can art and cultural historians learn from projective tests--and vice versa? *Whitney Davis* is Pardee Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History & Theory of Ancient & Modern Art and Professor in the Graduate School at the University of California, Berkeley.
Forgotten Currents: Shipwrecks, Chinese Labour Mobility, and Subaltern Ecologies of Risk (1880–1930) Samuel Ramapuram, Goethe University A Kitchen-Table Revolution: The ‘New-Style Family’ and the Politics of Household Economics in Wartime China (1944) Ying Yue, Tsinghua University
Displacement is a key driving force of urbanisation and development in the world. It is structural, pervasive, and generational. Displacement drives development, land speculation, urbanisation and imperialism, pushing people off land, be that urban or rural. It feeds on inequality and social abandonment as much as it exacerbates it. Thus, some are subject to continuous rounds of displacement from spaces that they attempt to occupy and secure. For many then, displacement becomes part of their lives and their identities. The displaceability of subjects ultimately highlights their social and political marginalisation, their relegation to the edges of nations and cities. What does it mean to offer refuge in this age of displacement? To whom is this unstable protection offered and under what logics? These are particularly salient questions to explore within southern contexts, but also globally as we see the rise of anti-immigrant and anti-asylum politics. This talk explores some aspects of these questions, unpacking the ways in which displacement comes to shape southern urbanism drawing urban poverty, informality and forced migration scholarship into conversation with each other. About the speaker Romola Sanyal is Associate Professor of Urban Geography at the London School of Economics. Her work has appeared in a number of journals including Urban Studies, Political Geography, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, Geoforum, Urban Geography, and Refugee Survey Quarterly. She is also co-editor of Urbanizing Citizenship: Contested Spaces in Indian Cities (with Dr Renu Desai, Sage Publishers, India) and Displacement: Global Conversations on Refuge (with Dr Silvia Pasquetti, Manchester University Press). The seminar will be followed by drinks in the Hall. Registration not required. All enquiries should be directed to rsc-outreach@qeh.ox.ac.uk
The talk will begin with discussing the parameters of the Strategic Defence Review, including its terms of reference and the major factors that affected. This will be followed by some reflections on the method adopted for this (unique for UK) externally-led Review. To conclude, some personal reflections on the reality of command at strategic and Theatre level, including in the transition from post-Cold War era to a new era of state-level confrontation. GENERAL SIR RICHARD BARRONS served as Commander Joint Forces Command, one of the six ‘Chiefs of Staff’ leading the UK Armed Forces, 2013-2016. His military career began as an artillery officer and included the last decade of the Cold War, leadership from Captain to General on military operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, and serving as the Director of all UK military operations as Lieutenant General. Now as Co-Chairman of Universal Defence & Security Solutions, he advises on senior leadership, defence and national security matters - especially Digital Age transformation for 21st Century warfare - and is a regular media commentator. He was one of the leaders of the UK Prime Minister’s 2025 Strategic Defence Review and is a Senior Consulting Fellow at Chatham House. His latest book, ‘War and Peace, the Life and Times of General Sir Richard Barrons’ was published in 2024.
Join us for the Lester B. Pearson Inaugural Lecture, marking the appointment of Professor Krzysztof Pelc to this highly prestigious position. Professor Pelc will deliver his lecture on 'Passions, Preferences, and the Politics of Self-Binding'. Further information about the lecture: We make plans and then sabotage them - and so do governments. For people, this inner clash takes familiar forms: passions like anger, lust, gluttony, or the pull of distraction thwart our long-term goals. Yet governments are just as prone to temptation. Leaders give in to political passions when they attempt to preserve power at a cost to future welfare - by printing money ahead of an election, imposing distortionary tariffs to please domestic lobbies, or stoking majority sentiment against minority groups. What can the study of politics teach us about managing these competing impulses? When are self-imposed constraints a source of greater freedom, and when do they become a form of domination? Tackling these questions can help us design institutions that balance prudence and passion - and perhaps teach us to do the same for ourselves. More about Professor Krzysztof Pelc: Krzysztof Pelc is the Lester B. Pearson Professor in International Relations in the Department of Politics and International Relations. Prior to Oxford, he taught for over a decade at McGill University, in Montreal, Canada. His research lies at the intersection of international political economy and public international law, focusing on how the design of global rules shapes cooperation between states. He has written widely on international adjudication, the design of escape clauses, how societies compensate workers left behind by globalization and technological change, as well as the intellectual history of trade. His most recent book is “Beyond Self-Interest: Why the Market Rewards Those Who Reject It” (Bloomsbury). His current work examines preference formation—how we come to want what we want, and the implications for individual and collective welfare. The lecture will take place in South School, 17:30-18:30, followed by a drinks reception in North School, 18:30-19:30.
Muzium Pahang and the Contemporary Islamic Studies programme at St Antony's College Oxford present a two-day workshop to explore the fascinating maritime history of the Malay world. The workshop, ‘Pahang and the Sea’ will explore the maritime history of Pahang, Malaysia and its connections with the Islamic world, China and Europe. We have a fantastic line up of experts in the field from the US, UK, Europe and Malaysia who will be sharing their knowledge and research with us. Join us for a unique opportunity to network, exchange and learn about the maritime history of Southeast Asia. We look forward to welcoming you this 13-14 November 2025 at Oxford.
Who do you need to engage with in the policy world to achieve impact? In this workshop, we will help answer this and other questions by equipping Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS) researchers, DPhil students, and professional services staff to identify and map the people and groups who influence or are impacted by their research, when it comes to policy engagement. Using stakeholder analysis frameworks and interactive exercises, participants will learn to identify and categorize their relevant audiences across government agencies and other pertinent policy actors. Learning outcomes: - A greater ability to identify, evaluate, and prioritise those in the policymaking community who may have an interest in policy-relevant research - A better understanding of: (i) the value of systematic stakeholder analysis; (ii) the guidance and resources available to support stakeholder analysis
Please join us for our first AI drop-in session with Dr Lei Clifton, Programme Director of the MSc in Applied Digital Health, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford. Dr Anshul Thakur, Departmental Lecturer, Computational Health Informatics (CHI) Lab, Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford. Joshua Fieggen and Edward Phillips, DPhil Candidates, CHI Lab, Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford. Date: Thursday 13 November Where: BDI/OxPop Seminar room 1 Time: 11:00 – 12:00 Registration: https://forms.office.com/e/aaSwNhMNX9?origin=lprLink Do you have an AI-related question you would like to raise with the wider AI community? Submit your question in advance and join the drop-in session, where Dr Lei Clifton and her team will address your query. If you are keen to be part of the discussion but do not have a specific question, you are still very welcome to attend in person and follow the conversation. This is a valuable opportunity to engage with peers and exchange ideas. The session will be informal and conversational, encouraging participants to share perspectives on AI. There will be no fixed agenda or predefined topics; instead, the discussion will evolve organically based on the questions and interests brought forward on the day. Attendees are free to drop in, ask questions, and contribute to an open exchange of ideas. While the session will not feature presentations or detailed technical analysis, general advice will be shared, with an emphasis on applying AI thinking to real-world problems rather than exploring set topics in depth. 👉 Please note: this is an in-person event only.
Part of the Dementia Research Oxford seminar series Our vision is to transform research and healthcare in dementia. Dementia Research Oxford, led by Professors Masud Husain and Cornelia van Duijn, brings together researchers and clinicians across the University, our hospitals, patients, and industry partners to translate our growing insights in the basic molecular origin disease into effective treatment and prevention. We aim to take science further from drug target to treatment, from molecular pathology to early diagnosis and prognosis and from early intervention to prevention.
Each year, White Storks (_Ciconia ciconia_) migrate north to breeding grounds in Europe and back south to their wintering grounds, as far afield as sub-Saharan Africa. These long-distance migrants are large, unmistakable in plumage and behavior, and synanthropic, living near humans and benefitting from anthropogenic environments. How did medieval communities in proximity to stork breeding colonies interpret the comings and goings of these birds? This talk presents preliminary findings on the development of interspecies, place-based temporalities between people and storks in northern France and the Low Countries. This region was a growing population center for the species and produced some of the liveliest renderings of storks in manuscripts c. 1250 to 1515. Focusing on depictions of storks in calendars and psalters produced around the Upper Rhine and drawing upon both zooarchaeological and written records of White Storks, I examine the possibility that depictions of storks’ arrival, departure, breeding, and behavioral choices may have acted as pictorial gauges for a combination of environmental, temporal, and climatic variables, calibrating formulaic occupational and liturgical schedules for seasonal variability by synchronizing them with the rhythm of the avian annual cycle.
My PhD research concerns teaching and learning in drama education through the lens of arts partnership projects, which are collaborative creative learning projects between schools and arts organisations. My research analyses the impact of place and space on learning; the forms of learning which partnership working may enable; and the roles and identities which students, teachers and practitioners inhabit in these spaces. Through a case study methodology, my project closely examines two contrasting creative learning projects in the Yorkshire region and through using a variety of qualitative methods, aims to analyse the experiences of all participants. The aims of my research are to interrogate the opportunities and challenges of partnership working, and to consider if partnership working could contribute to a reimagined arts curriculum in English state education. At the present time when secondary drama education in state schools is in decline and all arts subjects are under threat, this research could contribute to the urgent debate about the value of the arts in schools. In this presentation, I will discuss my research journey so far and the opportunities and challenges of school-based qualitative data collection and the complexities in analysing this data. I will draw upon the theory which influenced my research design and the ethical considerations of conducting research with children and young people, reflecting upon my fieldwork experiences so far having just completed the pilot phase of my research project. I will consider the obstacles I have faced, insights I have gained, and the variety of methods I have utilised so far – including participant observation, interviews, and arts-based workshops. Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3543109832631?p=iKgeJS7PQ6bg34MyPF
Imagine you are advising on a high-stakes environmental decision — climate, nature, or pollution. Now ask yourself: What data are you relying on? Who built the numbers you are using? And what might be missing? In my work, I have spent years developing and applying metrics — to measure climate hazards, environmental risks, vulnerability, and policy performance. Metrics help us navigate complexity. They simplify, prioritise, and guide decisions across science, policy, and practice. But they also carry assumptions, trade-offs, and blind spots. We will explore how choices around data, thresholds, frequency, and weighting shape what we see — and what we act on. This is a story about metrics — and a quiet reflection on how we might use them with greater care, clarity, and intent. About the speaker Anna is an environmental scientist and Visiting Researcher at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London. She is also contributing to research excellence and interdisciplinary initiatives across the Humanities Division at the University of Oxford. Her background spans climate and environmental science, with a particular focus on metrics, risks, and adaptation. Anna has a soft spot for complex data, clear thinking, and making things useful — and is always curious about how we measure what matters.
A key database for those researching the social sciences, medical sciences and physical and life sciences, Scopus encompasses more than 94 million records from 5000 publishers. This interactive session will cover basic and advanced searching, highlighting features unique to Scopus and recent updates to the database. Attendees will be encouraged to practice the tips explained during the session. This will be useful for those new to databases and a good refresher for experienced users. By the end of the session you will be able to: construct simple and complex searches; navigate filters; understand effective search query techniques; save and export results; and extract further information from your results. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student
Following the very successful seminars series on J. R. R. Tolkien in 2023 and 2024 (for recordings see: https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/series/fantasy-literature) we are pleased to announce a new round of presentations by Oxford academics on fantasy literature to run this Michaelmas Term (2025). These talks are aimed at students and members of the public and act as introductions to a range of writers and texts in the field of fantasy literature/weird fiction. The series is organised by the Faculty of English and hosted by Exeter College. All talks will be held in the Fitzhugh Lecture Theatre, Cohen Quad, Walton Street, Oxford (Exeter College’s annex), and run 1.00-2.00pm. Attendance is free of charge but we ask you to register using the link: https://english.web.ox.ac.uk/seminar-series-weird-and-wonderful
Lesson of the week, clinical cases and research. All clinical and academic staff and students welcome. Coffee, Tea and Cake will be served.
Academic careers are often surrounded by persistent myths and assumptions about what success looks like, how to ‘make it’, and what working in academia is really like. In this third instalment of the Insight into Academia series, join us for a candid panel discussion exploring the lived realities of academic careers. This session brings together a diverse panel of academics to share honest insights into the challenges, choices, and opportunities they’ve encountered on their career journeys. Intended for aspiring academics, this event will help you build a more nuanced understanding of what working in academia entails — beyond the job title or CV. We will explore: * Career pathways that defy the "linear” model of academic progression * The pressures and pleasures of research, teaching, and academic service * Navigating precarity, imposter feelings, and sector change * What panellists wish they’d known earlier in their academic journey * You’ll have the chance to ask questions and hear directly from academics working in different contexts, fields, and roles. This series accompanies the "Academia and Higher Education sector briefing":https://www.careers.ox.ac.uk/academia available on the Careers Service website. Other sessions in the series: Insight into Academia: Academic Application Materials (17-Nov-25)
COURSE DETAILS Uncover the art of facilitating interactive science demonstrations that captivate and educate. Learn the pivotal elements of event design and planning specifically tailored for public engagement activities. By the end of this course, you'll not only have a repertoire of engaging activities at your disposal, but you'll also possess the skills to thoughtfully design, execute, and adapt events that leave lasting impressions. LEARNING OUTCOMES Attending this session will give you the opportunity to: Use desktop activities to communicate their research. Explore interactive formats and approaches to engage audiences. Understand how to tailor an activity to different age groups and settings. Learn how to facilitate interactive science demonstrations. Learn the key elements of event design and planning for public engagement activities.
Every strongman national leader from Mussolini to MAGA has used pronatalism to stoke their political movements, with calls to embrace traditional family structures and nostalgia for patriarchal norms. But despite some short-term results they have not succeeded in reversing fertility decline. So why do they persist? I use Pyrrhic Defeat theory, drawn from criminology and the “war on crime” – which describes elite windfalls achieved through policy failures – to explain this pattern. Authoritarians today are riding a wave of popular panic over falling birth rates, and Great Replacement fears of immigration, so pronatalism serves their political needs even if the policies fail to raise birth rates. I discuss implications for liberal pronatalism as well. Chair: Jennifer Dowd
Join us for a ‘listen, print, sing’ and learn about the Bodleian’s collections of missionary archives, tonic sol-fa, and printing. A talk will explore examples of printing and archival materials from East and southern Africa that illustrate the use of printing and tonic sol-fa in nineteenth-century missionary work. Participants will learn to print the music of a hymn in Tonic sol-fa and then have a go at singing through it. The session is led by Philip Burnett, University of York, and Bodleian staff. All levels of ability are welcome. Booking is essential as spaces are limited.
A talk by Pamela Breda, followed by discussion Summary: This talk investigates cinema as a modern ritual form, where the experience of watching a film unfolds as a transformative encounter with the sacred. Drawing on film theory, anthropology, and philosophy, Pamela Breda examines how cinematic language and spectatorship mirror ritual structures, offering a space for catharsis, reflection, and collective meaning-making. In the Seeing, 3.30pm - 4.45pm Film showing A contemplative documentary that follows the life and practice of a contemporary tarot reader. The film captures the textures of mantic practice in today’s world, where ancient divinatory traditions intertwine with modern sensibilities. In the Seeing reflects on how symbols, chance, and ritual continue to shape the ways individuals seek knowledge, orientation, and meaning. "Symbols, Fates and Knowledges: Perspectives on the History of Tarot and Divination as Cultural and Imaginal Practice", 5pm - 6.30pm A workshop run by Simona Molino An interdisciplinary exploration of the tarot as both historical artifact and cultural practice. The session traces their origins in Renaissance Italy, their esoteric reinvention in the modern era, and their contemporary uses in art, therapy, and spirituality. Combining historical and anthropological perspectives, the discussion reflects on divination as a means of negotiating uncertainty and constructing meaning, concluding with a collective imaginal exercise using tarot cards as symbolic triggers for self-reflection. Pamela Breda is a filmmaker and researcher based between Vienna and Venice. She is currently senior postdoc at Linz Art University (Austria) and Professor at Arts University Bornemouth (UK). She was appointed artist and fellow in residence at several international art institutions, including Villa Medici (Rome), Cité Internationale Des Arts (Paris, F), Pratt Institute (New York, USA). Her films have been screened internationally and presented at festivals and art venues such as “SheffieldDocFest” (UK), “ECRA Film Festival” (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), “Revolutions Per Minute Festival” (Boston, USA), “Vision Du Reel” Film Festival, Media Library (Nyon, CH), “Hazel Eye Film Festival” (Tennesse, USA). Simona Molino is a researcher and anthropologist from the University of Turin (Italy). Her work explores divination as a symbolic and relational practice, bridging anthropology, poetics, and sound. She is also a poet and musician, engaging with the intersections between knowledge, experience, and imaginations.
Effective economic decision-making depends on the brain's capacity to integrate uncertainty about the state of the world and reward/loss outcomes. Various theories, such as expected utility and prospect theory, have been proposed to model economic preferences of the agents. However, a full characterization of the specific preference measures employed by agents has yet to be achieved. Moreover, while progress in neuroeconomics has been substantial, critical gaps persist in understanding how dopaminergic system computes such preference measures. Here, we present a framework motivated by an aspiration to bridge an analytical gap between system and cognitive level perspectives. We focus on multi-armed bandit tasks where we assume that the reward distribution in each arm is represented by the expected values of the encoding functions of dopamine neurons, a representational scheme referred to as distributed distributional coding (DDC). We extend the temporal difference (TD) learning to distributional DDC-TD learning and propose that the neural response of dopamine neurons can be characterized by the DDC-TD error. Using dopaminergic recordings from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in mice, we show that unit activity broadly accords with the predictions of DDC-TD model. Building on these empirical observations, we go on to detail a neural network that utilizes DDC values associated with alternative choice options as input. In conjunction with a simple learning rule, this DDC network can infer a large class of preference/risk measures that an agent may adopt, including expected utility, conditional value at risk (expected tail gain), and compound utility-risk measures. A core feature of the network is that a dopaminergic preference computation emerges intrinsically within the network's configuration, enabling any inferred preference measure to be computed from a mapping of the linear readouts of dopamine neurons. Thus, our framework provides a robust approach for inferring agents' preference measures as well as detailing how dopaminergic system might compute these probabilistic measures.
Financial technology (fintech) has been hailed as a disruptive reformer of the global financial system, promising more open, democratic capital flows and new opportunities for a wider range of investors to participate in sustainable finance. But how true is that promise? This seminar will problematise the rise of green fintech by focusing on the emergence of ‘fintech for forests,’ where we see an exponential growth of online platforms and products that let users donate to, invest in, or even virtually ‘own’ trees via apps and online schemes. Drawing on original mapping and network analysis, the seminar will trace where these platforms operate, who funds them, and where the trees are actually planted. It will assess how fintech claim to democratise climate finance and make sustainability more accessible, and where those claims begin to break down. From the vantage point of forestation fintech, the seminar asks a broader question: can the digitisation of finance genuinely address planetary crises, or is green fintech simply (re)planting new forms of inequality alongside the trees?
Identity is the one of the key constituents of music studies, but in many contexts, composers find themselves split between inner beliefs and external actions coerced by colonial, political, and nationalist ideologies that were policed militarily. Hence their lives unfolded in self-preservation mode, conforming outwardly to externalities, rather than only being anchored in an authenticist notion of self or heroic conception of agency. Alienation is prevalent in times of upheaval, when composers find themselves dislocated by forces at different scales. In modern Chinese history, composers were dislocated by war, exile, studies abroad, and nationalist, social realist and colonial ideologies, and the Cultural Revolution, as seen in their dairies, letters, essays, music, and even poetry, which addressed distant loved ones and expressed their cultural and ideological constructions and articulation of home, isolation, and war resistance, while being caught in intersecting webs of forces that compelled them through both coercion and affiliation. “Heaviness,” in this paper, refers to how composers were weighed down by politicized identities foisted onto them by circumstances. For the composer Chiang Wen-yeh, who was born in Taiwan in 1910 (by then a Japanese colony), who was educated in Japan as a teen and worked in Beijing from 1938 to the end of his life, this weight consisted of the following: 1) a “colonial” identity as a subject of the Japanese empire, which had facilitated his move to Beijing that had been under Japanese control since 1937—for this reason, Jiang was imprisoned for 10 months in 1945-6; 2) a Western (avant-garde) compositional identity, for which he was branded “rightist” and sent for hard labor for 7 years during the Cultural Revolution; 3) a Taiwanese identity, which meant that his works could not be performed in China after 1949, when Taiwan split from the mainland; 4) a Chinese identity, which is how he has been received after the Cultural Revolution, when the composer’s branding as rightist was rescinded, and he was now part of the nationalist apparatus. In contrast to the weight of all these identities, I argue that what Chiang sought for throughout his life, as evidenced in his diaries, poems, essays, and his masterpiece Grand Music of the Confucian Temple, was a mystical, syncretic Confucian-Buddhist-Scriabinesque transcendence into—as he put it—a music beyond sound, that manifests as “gas” and “light” in the cosmos.
Phenotypic variation among individuals is thought to be caused by differences in genes and/or environmental conditions. Therefore, if these sources of variation are removed, individuals are predicted to develop similar phenotypes lacking individual variation. In sharp contrast to these predictions, we find substantial individual variation in behaviour among genetically identical individuals of the clonal fish, Poecilia formosa, that were isolated directly after birth into highly standardized environments. In order to study both causes and consequences of these individual differences, we developed a biomimetic robot - the so-called Robofish - that is able to integrate itself interactively into groups of fish. I will thus showcase my research on free-living Sulphur mollies (Poecilia sulphuraria) in Mexico that indeed use several mechanisms found in laboratory experiments to perform astonishing collective behaviors when faced with real predators in their natural habitats.
The aim of this presentation is two-fold: In the first part, Sophie Hinger will present results from a study on local negotiations around asylum accommodation. In particular, she will elucidate the decision- and sense-making processes of local governmental actors regarding the placement in and transfer between different types of accommodations in Germany. Conceptualising asylum accommodation as part of governmental arrival infrastructures, she will argue that asylum-seeking newcomers are channelled through urban space selectively and in a step-wise manner, producing differential arrival trajectories. In the second part of the presentation, Francina Guggenberger and Sophie Hinger will share reflections from an ongoing research project on the production of (knowledge on) urban spaces of migration in German cities, in which notions such as “arrival infrastructures” or “welcoming cities” are not used as analytical concepts, but are studied concerning their production, usage and circulation – notably between municipalities and research. Our analysis seeks to provide insights into how these concepts are (not) used to govern (forced) migration in and through the city. This (self-)reflexive turn enables us to examine the transfer or translation of knowledge between science and administrative practice, and to highlight and reflect on the role of researchers in the local production of urban spaces of migration. This seminar is hybrid. Join us in person at Berliner Institut für empirische Integrations- und Migrationsforschung (BIM), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, or participate online via Zoom by registering here: https://hu-berlin.zoom-x.de/meeting/register/-gKR4DPDTYyGjjDNcfym-g
While much effort has gone into developing mental health interventions for delivery in the Global South, the integration of evidence-based interventions into existing services is highly limited. Many factors contribute to this outcome, one of which is the lack of partnership with those who would receive and deliver interventions in their design. Through her UKRI Future Leader's Fellow award, Dr Salisbury has focused on the co-design of an adolescent perinatal mental health intervention in Kenya and Mozambique. During her talk, she will share her experience of working with adolescents and their communities and what she has learnt about using co-design techniques in the Global South. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Speaker bio: Dr Tatiana Taylor Salisbury is Reader in Global Mental Health and Design at King’s College London (KCL). She is Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health at KCL and Co-Director of the Centre for Global Mental Health. She is a UKRI Future Leader's Fellow and trustee of the Global Alliance for Maternal Mental Health. Her work blends human-centred design, systems thinking and implementation science to develop development of scalable and sustainable solutions to improve mental health. Tatiana's other interests include integrating mental health into physical health services, operationalising good quality mental health care, and engaging communities in intervention development and service delivery. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Booking is required for people outside of the Department of Social Policy and Intervention (DSPI). DSPI Members do not need to register.
Sovereignty and its Discontents (SAID) is a DPhil-run, historically motivated workshop that critically analyses multiple conceptions of sovereignty, authority, and power in International Relations and Politics. We welcome students and faculty from all departments and centres to join and critically learn together! We’ll meet on Thursdays of Week 1, 3, 5 and 7 from 4 to 6 PM to read and discuss each other’s work in progress. Workshop papers may be drafts of transfer/confirmation material, thesis chapters, journal articles, book chapters, and thesis proposals. Papers may be anywhere between 5000-10000 words in length. Attendants are expected to read the materials in advance. To join our mailing list: https://forms.office.com/e/qCQCXhfLMg Please feel free to contact shubhankar.kashyap@politics.ox.ac.uk and/or naji.safadi@nuffield.ox.ac.uk for any questions!
In this talk, Oxford Martin School Visiting Fellow Cleo Verkuijl will present key insights from a 2023 UNEP assessment on the environmental, health, social, and animal welfare implications of alternative proteins, which she co-led alongside former IPCC and IPBES Chair, Bob Watson. The talk will also examine the technical, social, and political hurdles facing the alternative protein transition - including questions of equity and justice - and consider the opportunities for scaling alternative proteins in ways that support sustainable, healthy, and inclusive food systems.
2025 Annual Uehiro Lectures Lecture 2: Societal and Specific Dependency These three lectures scrutinize different profiles of reproductive rights. The first lecture focuses on men. It examines men’s gestational inability and consequent dependency on others for reproduction and parenting opportunities. The second lecture focuses on women. It looks at the ramifications of reproductive dependency, first, for fertile women’s personal relationships with gestationally dependent partners and, second, for women’s relations to their society and to the species, which also depend on them taking on the risky labour of gestating. That lecture explains that we may acknowledge the normative significance of dependency without overstepping a key line in the sand, that women have a categorical right to control their own gestational labour. The final lecture focuses on girls. It shows that girls’ concerns are distinct in key ways from women’s concerns. It defends girls’ rights as children to be protected from gestational labour.
Louise Michel journeyed far beyond France—enduring forced exile in New Caledonia and chosen exile in London; touring Europe in the early 1880s; and voyaging to Algeria in 1904, in the final months of her life. But unlike comrades such as Peter Kropotkin (and Mikhail Bakunin before him), she never visited America, as plans for her much-anticipated US lecture tour were scrapped in 1897 under intense U.S. government pressure. Yet even from afar, this celebrated—and infamous—anarchist orator, educational activist, and former Communarde made her presence felt across the United States both during and long after her lifetime. My forthcoming book Louise Michel in America uncovers her expansive influence on late-nineteenth-century American radicals—especially Emma Goldman, Voltairine de Cleyre, and Lucy Parsons—and her outsized presence in US culture at large. That Michel once mattered so much to so many reveals, I argue, not only nineteenth-century US radicals’ internationalist circuits of affiliation, but also how national borders—and her demarcation as French—continue to obscure the importance of those cross-national ties, despite decades of transnational scholarship and recent work tracing the Commune’s global ripples. As historian Constance Bantman notes, virtually no work has explored Michel’s legacy outside France or the activist networks she helped build in exile. Louise Michel in America recovers that riveting and untold story—and in doing so, helps us reframe both the Commune and nineteenth-century radicalism “on the move,” highlighting radicalism’s surprisingly prominent place in US print culture and what Kristin Ross calls the Commune’s enduring “centrifugal effects.” The talk I’ll be giving for this ALRS seminar session is drawn from my second chapter, “Epistolary Activism: Re-tracing Louise Michel’s US Radical Networks,” which recovers Michel’s under-appreciated footprint in US radical periodicals by way of her essays and speeches, but so too her unexpectedly broad circuits of affiliation with English, Italian, German and French-speaking radical circles through the letters she exchanged with US radicals. I argue this altogether overlooked epistolary archive helps to adumbrate not just how US radicals heard or read about Michel, but how they came to think with and be moved by her.
De legitimis ordinibus pentachordorum et tetrachordorum by Theinred of Dover has long been known to scholars but has virtually remained inaccessible until recent years: a transcription of its text, made by John L. Snyder, was mounted onto TML only in 1996, and a critical edition by Snyder published in 2006 detailed an argument that dated the treatise to c. 1150. This seminar brings together three perspectives for repositioning Theinred in the fourteenth century, a date that had been offered in the very earliest accounts of the theorist. Responding to the 12th-century hypothesis, Hamilton will argue for a fourteenth-century date based on a new evaluation of Theinred’s sources; Lefferts will present contexts for—and close readings of—Theinred’s text that draw him into a tight circle of prominent theorists of the same era, and Witkowska-Zaremba will consider Theinred’s theories in the context of Boethius’s De institutione musica, pointing to the ideas and solutions presented by Boethius in the fourth book of his treatise and their reception in England around 1300.
In this talk Miriam Ruerup will discuss the challenges of writing a history of the experience of statelessness. At the centre of her research are the “victims” of the development of strong nation-states — those who experienced a fundamental loss of rights and security through the loss of their citizenship. The focus will, however, not only lie on the experience of loss, but also on those who translated their displacement into the creation of a diasporic community bound by their shared experiences of exile and trauma, as well as by a common cultural heritage. In her project, Prof. Dr. Rürup addresses German-Jewish migration history, embedding the story of refugees from Germany within the context of the massive population movements and migratory streams after 1933. How the question of belonging is played out in the experience of losing and regaining citizenship, or in phases of in-betweenness and statelessness, will be the central case study around which she explores the German-Jewish diaspora. The book will show to what extent they maintained their German-Jewish culture, and how this was reflected not only culturally but also in their continued ties to their country of origin — for example, through questions surrounding uncertain citizenship status, the experience of denaturalization, and the issue of regaining (or not) German citizenship after the war.
This presentation is based on a collaborative research project with Tadashi Iwami (Hokkaido University) and Marc Barcelos (Aarhus University), exploring how Japan’s longest-serving prime minister Abe Shinzō strategically used emotional rhetoric to garner international support for his Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision. The study introduces an innovative methodology using Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), a machine learning model capable of detecting and analysing syntax-sensitive emotional expressions in texts. Alongside presenting key findings, the talk offers a critical reflection on the opportunities and limitations of AI-based approaches to discourse analysis of Japanese texts, highlighting the important role Japan Studies can play in shaping scholarly engagement with digital transformation and computational methods in the humanities and social sciences.
Universalism has become one of the most disputed aspects of the Enlightenment heritage. Some see in eighteenth-century thought a defence against relativism and particularism. Others, however, reproach the Enlightenment for having fostered thinking that is Eurocentric, colonialist, even racist. This lecture adopts a different starting-point. At the heart of the Enlightenment, we find no single theory of universalism but rather competing languages of the universal. There is a cosmopolitan universalism, based on the right of individuals; a progressive universalism, founded on the history of civilisation; and a critical universalism, that denounces the Europeans’ overweening pretentions. It is important to identify these multiple languages of universalism to properly understand the modern relevance of the Enlightenment.
*Katherine Brickell* (King’s College London) and *Mel Nowicki* (Oxford Brookes University) will discuss their new book _Debt Trap Nation: Family Homelessness in a Failing State_ (Agenda Publishing, 2025), which examines how austerity, welfare reform and housing policy are driving family homelessness in Britain. We're delighted that *Christina de Bellaigue* (History) and *Josefina Jaureguiberry Mondion* (Geography) will join the panel.
The concept 'Knowing hands' captures how pre-modern people used their hands to think through things, such as macro-microcosm relationships, and to think with, as in cognitive processing. It also captures hand-based interventions. In medical care, these include pulse taking, needling, massage, and ritual healing as these methods also required one’s mind to be at one’s fingertips. This research lecture will cover the two dimensions of what is meant by 'knowing hands' specified in the subtitle; namely, 1) hand-memory techniques – how humans use hands to aid their cognitive processing – and 2) handy knowledge – what knowledge is grasped corporeally and conceptually with hands and so considered 'handy' enough to be embodied. To illustrate this two-part distinction between 'knowing hands', this lecture uses a range of examples from daily-use encyclopedias published during the Ming dynasty. These examples differ from the kind of hand-memory techniques and handy knowledge written about and illustrated in other types of sources in the previous Tang-Song period. This lecture will first lay out an approach to how to read for the history of 'knowing hands' in Chinese culture. It will then introduce the earliest examples of hand-memory techniques from the Tang-Song period. Then it will focus on the Ming-era daily-use encyclopedias as providing a new lens into wider uses of 'knowing hands'. Hand-based knowledge became new significantly in these encyclopedias. Everyday knowledge included how to use one’s hands to make calculations and do divinations as well as to learn, for example, how to play music, do martial arts, and use a bow and arrow. This lecture both introduces the new Knowing Hands project Dr Hanson runs with anthropologist Dr Stéphanie Homola (CNRS, Paris) and encourages others to consider integrating the history of hands into their research in other dimensions of the Chinese history of science, technology, and medicine. Marta Hanson publishes widely on the history of medicine in China, early modern Sino-European medical exchanges, and public health in East Asia. She has a PhD from the Department of the History and Sociology of Science, University of Pennsylvania. She was Assistant Professor of late imperial Chinese history at UCSD (1997-2004) and then Associate Professor of East Asian medical history at Johns Hopkins University (2004-2021). She is currently the German PI, with Stéphanie Homola as the French PI, for an ANR-DFG funded three-year project on ‘Knowing Hands: Chinese Hand-memory techniques and handy knowledge in situ, comparison, and contact’ (2025-2028). Her book is Speaking of Epidemics in Chinese Medicine: Disease and the Geographic Imagination in Late Imperial China (Routledge, 2011). She was senior co-editor of Asian Medicine: Tradition and Modernity (2011-2016), President of the International Society for the History of East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine (2015-2019), and is currently Vice President of the International Society for the Critical Study of Divination (2023-present). As part of the ‘Knowing Hands’ project, her current book manuscript, Grasping Heaven and Earth: The Mind in Hand in Chinese Medicine, examines how Chinese healers used their hands to think with, prognosticate, and heal.
The 2025 Thomas Harriot Lecture will be given by *Sylvia Sumira* on ‘Globes in the time of Thomas Harriot‘. Sumira is an independent conservator specialising in globes. After graduating in History of Art from Leicester University, she gained a post-graduate diploma in Conservation of Fine Art on Paper. She worked in globe conservation at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich for several years. Since setting up her own studio she has carried out extensive work for many clients including museums, libraries and other public institutions in Britain and abroad, as well as for private owners of globes. She is an accredited member of the UK Institute of Conservation and a Fellow of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Followed at 18:00 by an informal drinks reception to which all are invited. If you have any queries please contact: Professor Robert Fox "$":mailto:robert.fox@history.ox.ac.uk, or Mrs Rebecca Bricklebank "$":mailto:rebecca bricklebank@oriel.ox.ac.uk
The Celtic Seminar is held jointly by Oxford and the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (CAWCS), Aberystwyth. All Oxford seminars will be at 5.15 pm on Thursdays either hybrid (online and in person) or online-only via Microsoft Teams. When in person, they are in Room 30.022 of the Schwarzman Centre, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road. Please contact david.willis@ling-phil.ox.ac.uk if you need a link to join online. All CAWCS seminars will be held online at 5.00 pm on Thursdays via Zoom, and, for hybrid seminars, in person at the National Library of Wales or at CAWCS. Please contact a.elias@wales.ac.uk for the link.
John Morrill, ‘A glorious resolution’, in _The Nature of the English Revolution_ (1993), ch. 19; Blair Worden, _The English Civil Wars, 1640-1660_ (2010), chs. 4–5
This talk introduces Dr. Hiba Salem’s forthcoming monograph, which shares the stories of Syrian young people who have grown up in displacement. Drawing on life story interviews with Syrian refugee youth across nine contexts, the talk explores how they navigate life and aspirations amid hostile immigration policies and arrangements that enforce uncertainty. It reveals the disjuncture between the universal promise of education and the lived realities of displacement, situating their experiences within a dialogue between the fields of education and forced migration studies. By centring young people’s voices and their strategies of hope, their stories highlight the need to reconstruct narratives on forced migration by foregrounding the everyday struggles people face in exercising their universal rights to education, to work, and to build meaningful lives.
We are building a generative model for cloud structures conditioned on environmental conditions, integrating both high-resolution satellite data and reanalysis data. By being able to generate and reconstruct cloud structures under varying environmental conditions, the model will allow us to reduce uncertainties in future climate predictions and facilitate the detection and quantification of cloud feedbacks across the satellite record. This purely data-driven approach to constraining cloud feedbacks will be complementary to existing work that relies on physics-based models. Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YTFkNTUxNTEtYzVhMS00NmRlLWJkYWItNzZjOTEyMTQxYmRm%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22cc95de1b-97f5-4f93-b4ba-fe68b852cf91%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%222d6d82c4-6b2c-4f77-b979-7c49923c3b36%22%7d Bio: "I am an Encode AI Fellow in the Climate Processes group led by Prof Philip Stier. As part of the Encode fellowship, we are building a generative model for cloud structures with the primary goal is to constrain cloud climate feedbacks. Before starting the fellowship, I was conducting research on compression algorithms for climate and weather data funded by the Embed2Scale project. I completed my PhD as part of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Autonomous Intelligent Machines and Systems here in Oxford. In my research I developed novel Bayesian inference algorithms for models defined through probabilistic programs."
With Dr Lee Spitzer, Research Fellow for IBTS in Amsterdam and Historian at Baptist World Alliance. All are welcome to attend, Zoom details will accompany the booking confirmation. Click the image below to go to the booking page
Title to be announced The Chief Medical Officer has confirmed that attendance at the Surgical Grand Rounds can count toward internal CPD, with 1 point awarded per hour. Please note that in-person attendance is required, and you will need to sign the attendance register. Chair: Kokila Lakhoo All members of the University and NHS clinical staff are welcome. Please email Tarryn Ching if you would like to attend online.
The MEMRN Committee are delighted to announce the return of the Winter Conference after the huge success of last year’s inaugural in-person event in Norwich. The MEMRN Winter Conference 2025 will be held from the 13-16 November 2025 at the University of East Anglia. Please find the provisional programme for our conference event here: https://memrnchase.wordpress.com/memrn-winter-conference-2025/. You can register to attend the conference panels virtually via Eventbrite here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1559240072029?aff=oddtdtcreator. Online registrations for the final few in-person spaces here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/chase-memrn-winter-conference-2025-tickets-1559240533409?aff=oddtdtcreator We hope to see you there!
The day will bring together leading academics, early career researchers and students across the Oxford Water Network whose research focuses on diverse facets of the global water security challenge. Partners in government, industry and utilities will also join the discussions to address the challenge of managing water in an increasingly water-stressed world, exploring how to build resilience and tap into water adaptation potential amidst a looming climate crisis. Oxford Water Day will include presentations from early career researchers, career networking, posters, and a keynote presentation. Lunch and refreshments will be provided, and optional drinks reception will be taking place at the end of the day. Register your interest here: https://forms.office.com/e/sej1i0HUpj Check out the call for abstracts here: https://forms.gle/41U8yVEdnGTXNMwY8 If you are based in Oxford or in close proximity or are planning to stop by, save the date in your calendar and stay tuned for more details.
Advances in spatial profiling technologies are providing insights into how molecular programs are influenced by local signalling and environmental cues. However, cell fate specification and tissue patterning involve the interplay of biochemical and mechanical feedback. Here, we propose a new computational framework that enables the joint statistical analysis of transcriptional and mechanical signals in the context of spatial transcriptomics. To illustrate the application and utility of the approach, we use spatial transcriptomics data from the developing mouse embryo to infer the forces acting on individual cells, and use these results to identify mechanical, morphometric, and gene expression signatures that are predictive of tissue compartment boundaries. In addition, we use geoadditive structural equation modelling to identify gene modules that predict the mechanical behaviour of cells in an unbiased manner. This computational framework is easily generalized to other spatial profiling contexts, providing a generic scheme for exploring the interplay of biomolecular and mechanical cues in tissues [1]. [1] A. Hallou, et al. A computational pipeline for spatial mechano-transcriptomics. Nature Methods 22, 737–750 (2025).
Cell and tissue movement during development, immune response, and cancer invasion depends on chemical or mechanical guidance cues. In many systems, this guidance arises not from long-range, pre-patterned cues but from self-generated gradients locally shaped by cells. However, how heterogeneous cell mixtures coordinate their migration by self-generated gradients remains largely unexplored. In this talk, I will first summarize our recent discovery that immune cells steer their long-range migration using self-generated chemotactic cues (Alanko et al., 2023). I will then introduce a multi-component Keller-Segel model that describes migration and patterning strategies of heterogeneous cell populations (Ucar et al., 2025). Our model predicts that the relative chemotactic sensitivities of different cell populations determine the shape and speed of traveling density waves, while boundary conditions such as external cell and attractant reservoirs substantially influence the migration dynamics. We quantitatively corroborate these predictions with in vitro experiments on co-migrating immune cell mixtures. Interestingly, immune cell co-migration occurs near the optimal parameter regime predicted by theory for coupled and colocalized migration. Finally, I will discuss the role of mechanical interactions, revealing a non-trivial interplay between chemotactic and mechanical non-reciprocity in driving collective migration.
The more we learn about Earth and life, the clearer it becomes that their mutual feedbacks, not just their individual processes, are the true drivers of change. Consider how microbial genetic innovations once triggered biological reactions that reshaped Earth’s surface. In turn, environmental shifts driven by tectonics or other geological processes created new ecological opportunities, sometimes in entirely unexpected ways. The most striking example of this interplay is the coevolution of oxygenic photosynthesis and Earth’s redox history. Ancient cyanobacteria evolved the ability to split water, releasing oxygen that accumulated in the atmosphere and oceans. Rising oxygen levels enabled the ozone layer to form and aerobic respiration to emerge, while continental growth and cooling enhanced oxidative weathering, delivering trace nutrients that fueled primary production. Positive feedbacks reinforced oxygen release, but negative ones—such as sulfate-driven anoxia stripping metals from seawater—constrained it. Thus, life simultaneously drove and moderated atmospheric change, with cyanobacteria both architects and casualties of their own success. In this talk, I will explore the main forces that shaped cyanobacterial evolution and, by extension, Earth’s oxygenation. Recent studies reveal that the rise of oxygen was not a smooth, monotonic climb, but rather a dynamic and oscillatory process. Periods of oxygen abundance alternated with episodes of scarcity, creating cycles of opportunity and stress for cyanobacteria and their microbial competitors, including methanogens and photoferrotrophs. These ecological struggles and feedbacks not only determined who thrived, but also left lasting imprints on the redox evolution of our planet.
Join us for the next session in our Venture Bites online series, hosted by the Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Centre. In todays fast moving AI application market there are a myriad of options available to startups and small businesses which can be used when scaling functions like finance, analytics, HR, IT and more. But its not a silver bullet and ensuring the company has the right foundation and approach is critical to be successful. In this session we will spend some time talking through the successes and failures in scaling and the current approach & tools being used across the DVx portfolio in tackling this challenge. Chris Hutton connects the dots between the numbers and the real world, and establishes actionable insights. A seasoned finance professional who started his career at GE on their Finance Management Program. He then joined eBay/Paypal leading Finance and Analytics for their managed partners before moving on to Carbon, a 3D printing startup where he led FP&A, International Operations and Analytics. Most recently he has served as VP Finance for Caffeine, a live streaming app where he oversaw all aspects of finance, legal and compliance and led a $120M Series D raise during COVID. Chris also is a board member of Little Black Door, a female founded social wardrobe in the UK.
Engineering is vast: from energy systems to biomedical breakthroughs, from control algorithms to robotics. For this event, we’re zooming in on the digital frontier - exploring data science, machine learning, quantum technologies, and the ever-evolving world of Artificial Intelligence. This event will explore engineering in the Digital Age through the lens of female researchers, showcasing their outstanding contributions while providing a space to share experiences, exchange ideas, and build connections. Women are still vastly underrepresented in the engineering profession, accounting for less than 17% of the workforce in 2025 (according to EngineeringUK). With the engineering world being increasingly shaped by progress in data science and AI, this event will showcase cutting-edge research that employs diverse digital methods and technologies, featuring the work of both established women leaders and emerging voices. While the symposium shines a spotlight on female researchers, we warmly welcome participants of all genders at this event - your perspectives and voices are essential to the conversation as we explore not only the possibilities of engineering in the Digital Age, but also the challenges that women continue to face within the field. The event is part of the Cheng Kar Shun Digital Hub Programme and hosted by the Oxford Women in Engineering Network (WiE) in collaboration with the Cambridge University Women in Engineering Society (CUWES). Both societies are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive community for engineering students from underrepresented genders, while offering opportunities for networking, mentorship, and professional growth. Join us for an inspiring day of ideas, exchange, and connection featuring researchers from Oxford and Cambridge as we push the boundaries of what engineering can achieve. Programme: Welcome over coffee & tea, research speed dating and poster sessions Research lightning talks (10-minute presentations covering a range of trailblazing digital engineering topics) Coffee & snack break Sponsor/ industry talk Networking reception
In many parts of the world, judges are reassigned or transferred frequently. We argue that transfers undermine court productivity and cause judges to prioritize easier and recently filed cases. We test these propositions using big data from the courts of first instance in India, in which there are more than 40 million cases pending, and a research design that leverages transfers due to judge retirements at precisely age 60. The data suggest that judge transfers are frequent, occurring once every 10 months. Transfers reduce court productivity, both because transfers create court vacancies, and since portions of cases that experience judge transfers are reheard. Judges who experience transfers focus on easier and newer cases. Transfers are a major, unappreciated cause of judicial delays, particularly of difficult cases. We demonstrate how seemingly mundane judge staffing decisions shape judicial decision-making.
Dr Fadil Bidmos is an MRC Senior (Non-Clinical) Fellow and Associate Professor of Bacterial Vaccinology at Imperial College London. His research focuses on Reverse Vaccinology 2.0 approaches for the discovery of novel bacterial vaccine antigens, with a particular emphasis on paediatric diseases such as bacterial meningitis, and on antimicrobial-resistant pathogens including Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Klebsiella pneumoniae. He is also developing complementary vaccine design and delivery platforms, including early-stage work on protein–glycan conjugation and synthetic-cell-based delivery systems.
TBC
Engineering is vast: from energy systems to biomedical breakthroughs, from control algorithms to robotics. For this event, we’re zooming in on the digital frontier - exploring data science, machine learning, quantum technologies, and the ever-evolving world of Artificial Intelligence. This event will explore engineering in the Digital Age through the lens of female researchers, showcasing their outstanding contributions while providing a space to share experiences, exchange ideas, and build connections. Women are still vastly underrepresented in the engineering profession, accounting for less than 17% of the workforce in 2025 (according to EngineeringUK). With the engineering world being increasingly shaped by progress in data science and AI, this event will showcase cutting-edge research that employs diverse digital methods and technologies, featuring the work of both established women leaders and emerging voices. While the symposium shines a spotlight on female researchers, we warmly welcome participants of all genders at this event - your perspectives and voices are essential to the conversation as we explore not only the possibilities of engineering in the Digital Age, but also the challenges that women continue to face within the field. Join us for an inspiring day of ideas, exchange, and connection featuring researchers from Oxford and Cambridge as we push the boundaries of what engineering can achieve.
Zotero is a reference management tool that helps you build libraries of references and add citations and bibliographies to word processed documents using your chosen citation style. This classroom-based session covers the main features of Zotero and comprises a 45-minute presentation followed by practical exercises at the computers. You can leave at any point once you have tried out the software, and do not have to stay until the end. The learning outcomes for this classroom-based session are to: create a Zotero library and add references to it; edit and organise references in your Zotero library; add in-text citations and/or footnotes to your word-processed document; create bibliographies; understand how to sync your Zotero library across multiple computers; and understand how to share your Zotero library of references. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student
What does ‘datafication’ mean for our bodies? In this reading group we will discuss self-tracking, self-surveillance, and the transformation of the body into data using technologies as diverse as the BMI scale and the Smart Watch. While the reading is focussed on contemporary technology, we will also consider the historical precedents for self-tracking such as religious practices and healthcare. Reading: Lupton, D. (2016). 'An Optimal Human Being' in _The Quantified Self_ and Crawford, K., Lingel, J., & Karppi, T. (2015). 'Our metrics, ourselves: A hundred years of self-tracking from the weight scale to the wrist wearable device’.
Using measures of monetary policy surprises identified from the Overnight Indexed Swap market in India, this paper documents heterogeneity in the effects of monetary policy surprises on scheduled and unscheduled announcement dates. Higher interest rates on scheduled announcement dates lower stock prices, reduce forecasted and actual output as well as inflation. In contrast, monetary policy surprises on unscheduled announcement dates are predictable by past macroeconomic conditions, frequently coincide with macroeconomic data releases, raise stock prices, output and inflation on impact. These results are consistent with less precise identification of exogenous changes in monetary policy on unscheduled announcement dates compared to scheduled announcement dates. Monetary policy transmission in India, identified using monetary policy surprises from scheduled announcement dates, is found to be significantly stronger than previously documented.
We study a seller's choice between offering a finished or unfinished product. Finishing the product is costly and fully reveals its value to prospective buyers, while selling it unfinished introduces uncertainty about the product's value and requires buyers to complete development themselves. Under symmetric information—i.e., when the seller also observes the value of a finished product—it is optimal to offer a finished product whenever development costs are low. Under asymmetric information, however, finishing the product introduces informational frictions. We characterize the conditions under which the product is offered finished despite these frictions, in order to discourage consumer search.
Puzzled by PICO? Daunted by databases? Baffled by Boolean? This one-hour online introductory class will offer top tips and advice on how to find literature to answer a research question. No prior experience necessary! Together, we will break down a question into the PICO format, put together a structured search, and try it out in PubMed. By the end of this session, you will be able to: explain what structured searching is, and when to use it; break your research question down into searchable concepts; and make use of Boolean operators (ANDs/ORs) in your structured searches. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Taught student; Researcher & research student
Spaces to defend the use of Tibetan languages have been shrinking in Tibetan areas, as officials busily pursue Xi Jinping’s “Chinese Dream”. State-led education fosters pervasive use of written, spoken and signed Chinese and in the process Tibetans and their languages are said to become ra ma lug (“neither goat nor sheep”). This talk foregrounds the experience of ra ma lug through an intimate, ethnographic portrayal of deaf Tibetans living in Lhasa city, through the lens of sign language, locally referred to as lakda, or handsigns. Beyond conceptualizations of loss, I show how young Tibetan signers defiantly occupy in-between spaces, thrive on and stitch together a new generation of being and of living, of writing and of signing, a creative, generative exciting new space.
The Insights for Action seminar series explores how researchers and practitioners within and beyond Oxford are using research insights to drive social change. In this month’s seminar we will launch the forthcoming impact finance report Re-evaluating Investment Risk and Return: An Outcome-Based Approach to Net Present Value Models and Discount Rates (November 2025). The discussion will introduce a new framework, the Outcomes-Based Net Present Value (ONPV) model, which rethinks how investments are valued over time. Conventional models often undervalue long-term risks, externalities, and social and environmental benefits. The ONPV model addresses these limitations by integrating adaptive and pluralistic discounting methods that better reflect uncertainty, evolving preferences, and the diverse forms of capital that generate value. By reframing discount rates and valuation methodologies, this approach aims to align investment decision-making with long-term sustainability, economic resilience, and intergenerational equity. Join us to explore how the ONPV framework can support more inclusive, forward-looking capital allocation and help address systemic challenges such as climate change, inequality, and sustainable development financing.
We are happy to announce Big Renaissance Books – a new reading group dedicated to long, important early modern works that are not often read in full (or at all). We will meet three times a term for an informal discussion as we work through these texts as a group. As our first text, we picked Du Bartas's Divine Weeks in Josuah Sylvester's seventeenth-century translation, helpfully available online in the OUP edition edited by Susan Snyder: www.oxfordscholarlyeditions.com/display/10.1093/actrade/9780199696864.book.1/actrade-9780199696864-book-1 A retelling of the creation of the world according to Genesis that predates Milton's by almost a century, Du Bartas's epic poem had been widely read and admired before it was all but forgotten. At this session we'll be discussing Days 4 and 5 of the First Weeke, to be read in advance.
Primary: Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed (1974), Chapters 6 & 7 Supplementary: Peter Kropotkin, ‘The Spirit of Revolution’ (1880); Jo Freeman, ‘The Tyranny of Structurelessness’ (1972)
Intraspecific variability is a fundamental component of biodiversity, playing a crucial role in both adaptation and speciation. Yet it remains largely overlooked in studies examining species’ sensitivity to habitat change. Most research in this area has focused on species-level traits – such as morphology or behaviour – as predictors of vulnerability to deforestation. In this talk, I challenge this prevailing approach by presenting evidence that intraspecific variation in response to habitat change rivals, or even exceeds, interspecific differences. I will also discuss recently published and ongoing work exploring the ecological drivers of this variation, and highlight its implications for biodiversity conservation strategies. Biography Cristina Banks-Leite is Professor of Biodiversity Change in the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London. Her research focuses on measuring, understanding, and mitigating biodiversity loss across tropical and urban ecosystems. She integrates technologies such as bioacoustics, AI, and molecular tools to monitor biodiversity in novel ways. Cristina leads long-term collaborations with organisations including reforestation companies in Brazil and the City of London Corporation, applying her expertise to real-world conservation challenges. Her work has influenced policy in multiple countries, including legislation in Brazil and infrastructure planning in Costa Rica, and has been cited in over 40 policy documents worldwide. She has received multiple awards and was named one of 15 influential female researchers in the UK. Cristina has served as trustee for BES and INTECOL, and on editorial boards of three international journals. She is currently the academic lead for gender equality in her department, having coordinated the successful submission of an Athena Swan Silver Award. Seminar followed by Q&A and drinks - all welcome - join in person or online
As global powers compete for influence across Africa, Europe faces a complex challenge: how to safeguard its southern neighbourhood while supporting African-led peace, security, and development. In this talk, Charlie Stuart, Senior Diplomat and Chief Peace & Security Advisor on Africa at the European External Action Service (EEAS), will examine the evolving dynamics of Europe-Africa relations, from security partnerships and migration management to strategic competition with China and Russia. Drawing on his extensive diplomatic experience, Stuart will offer an insider’s view on how the EU seeks to balance values, interests, and geopolitical realities in protecting Europe’s southern flank.
Join Dr Max Morris for an event to celebrate the publication of Not Sex Work - Queer Intimacy, Post-identity, and Incidental Encounters in the Digital Era (Routledge, 2025), in collaboration with the Oxford Sociology Network and the Centre for Law, Criminology and Social Justice Research. This book explores the parallel histories and intersecting politics of LGBTQ+ people and sex workers, including the role of digital media in shaping the experiences of both in the early twenty-first century. Drawing on the first empirical study with gay, bisexual, and queer young men who agreed to sell sex online without advertising or identifying as sex workers, it examines what the term ‘incidental sex work’ means. Adopting queer methods and feminist theories to explore how definitions of ‘sex’ and ‘work’ have become increasingly unstable in the digital era, it considers how casual, occasional, and unprofessional forms of sex work are arranged on different platforms, from Grindr to OnlyFans. This book will appeal to students and researchers studying sex work and social media across a wide range of fields, and will be useful for campaigners, policymakers, and healthcare practitioners interested in the implications of incidental sex work. This talk will be followed by a drinks reception. Biography Dr Max Morris is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Sociology at the School of Law and Social Sciences at Oxford Brookes University. Their research interests include the criminalisation of HIV, declining homophobia in educational settings, media representations of gender and sexual minorities, and incidental sex work in the digital age. They draw on creative methods and queer theory to understand the role of law and society in constructing identities.
Join Tim Wu (“The Age of Extraction”) and Cory Doctorow (“Enshittification”), two internet activists who’ve been friends since they were small children, for a lively, infuriating and invigorating exploration of the forces that drove the internet to its current miserable state, and a prescription for taking it back and making a new, good internet that is fit for purpose: serving as the digital nervous system of a planetary civilization under dire threat from the climate emergency, genocide, authoritarianism and fascism.
It is with great pleasure that we are holding the 2025 Oxford University Latin American Centre Alumni London Networking Drinks, held in partnership with the Canning Club. The Canning Club, a private members club for ladies and gentlemen with a connection to or a special interest in Latin America or the Iberian Peninsula, has a legacy charitable trust called the Argentine Club Educational Trust (ACET), which is proud to provide a scholarship to support a postgraduate student undertaking either an MSC or MPhil in Latin American Studies at Oxford University’s Latin America Centre (LAC) each year. The scholarship is named after William de Segundo, one of the Canning Club’s longest-serving Chairmen. William’s achievements included modernising and ensuring the long-term sustainability of both the Canning Club and the charitable trust.
There are two well-known medieval manuscripts that depict the topics of war and peace in a Byzantine context. One of these, compiled in c. 1000 AD, is the Menologium/the Menology of Basil II Porphyrogenitus (Basil lived in 958-1025; ruled eff. 976-1025; since 960/963 with his brother Constantine VIII)); this emperor ordered the production of the above-mentioned document, which is a calendar. Today its original is within the Vatican Library/Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana as Ms. Vat. gr. 1613. The other manuscript discussed within my paper is a later copy of John Skylitzes’ chronicle Σύνοψις Ἱστοριῶν/Synopsis Historion/The Synopsis of Histories. Its original was written at the end of the eleventh century, but this illustrated copy was produced during the twelfth century in Norman Sicily.z Nowadays, the latter is within The National Library of Spain in Madrid and is known as Madrid Skylitzes (or by its official name Codex Græcus Matritensis Ioannis Skyllitzes).
The English Civil War caused unprecedented casualties and suffering, deeply dividing communities and leaving a lasting legacy that parallels modern conflicts. Research has mainly focused on the Civil Wars' effects on victims, rarely addressing those who perpetrated acts of violence, many of which exceeded the limits of what was acceptable to contemporary society. This period was marked not only by violence but also by the early codification and enforcement of laws of war, with a variety of legal proceedings used to address breaches of conduct. Examining the interaction between perpetrators and justice processes highlights how individuals narrated their actions for public audiences, how legal mechanisms are developed to bring them to justice, and how these dynamics affected reintegration, collective memory, and post-conflict reconciliation. This talk will explore these themes by using a case study drawn from the New Model Army’s occupation of Dundee during the 1650s. *Ismini Pells* is a Lecturer at the University of Oxford’s Department for Continuing Education. She is an historian of the early modern period, specialising the British Civil Wars. She is the author of _Philip Skippon, Philip Skippon and the British Civil Wars: The "Christian Centurion"_ and has published articles and chapters on various military and medical topics relating to the Civil Wars. She was Project Manager of the Civil War Petitions project (https://www.civilwarpetitions.ac.uk). Ismini is President of the Cromwell Association, a trustee of the Battlefields Trust, sits on the Council of the Army Records Society and is a judge for the Society for Army Historical Research’s Templer Medal. Please use the booking link below to register for in-person and remote attendance.
Do you need help managing your references? Do you need help citing references in your documents? This online session will introduce you to EndNote, a subscription software programme which can help you to store, organise and retrieve your references and PDFs, as well as cite references in documents and create bibliographies quickly and easily. On completing the workshop you will be able to: understand the main features and benefits of EndNote; set up an EndNote account; import references from different sources into EndNote; organise your references in EndNote; insert citations into documents; and create a bibliography/reference list. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Taught student; Researcher & research student.
Six NIHR Biomedical Research Centres; Oxford, Oxford Health, Cambridge, Barts, Birmingham and Moorfields are collaborating to bring you a series of engaging online training sessions with experts and researchers to help embed inclusion in your research. There are 3 webinar events for Research Inclusivity Training rolling out over November and December this year and they will be repeated in 2026. The first is: 1. Reaching Beyond the Usual, with Cherish Boxall. Inclusive approaches to research with a focus on intersectionality with Cherish Boxall and is hosted by Oxford Health BRC. Oxford BRC will be delivering the 2nd webinar event on the 24th November and have a great line-up comprising four speakers with Shaun Treweek leading the talk, with details below: 2. Ethnicity Inclusion Training for Health and Care Researchers, with Prof. Shaun Treweek An informative session on the practical tools needed for ethnicity inclusion in health research. Covering the NIHR INCLUDE Ethnicity Framework, useful resources and researcher(s) case study. We’re delighted to invite you to an informative online training session on practical tools for ethnicity inclusion in health and care research. As a researcher or research clinician, this event presents a fantastic opportunity to refine your approach to incorporating people and communities from diverse ethnic backgrounds into your research. Speakers: • Professor Shaun Treweek: Having initially trained as a physicist, Shaun is active in the field of efficient trial design, particularly pragmatic trial design, improved recruitment and retention interventions for trials, the design of complex interventions and the effective presentation of research evidence. He co-developed the NIHR INCLUDE Ethnicity Framework. • Dr. Louise Silver (Research Coordinator, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford) Presenting on: Inclusive Recruitment for Clinical Observational Studies (Stroke Theme) • Dr Haleema Aslam (Community Liaison Manager, Cancer Theme, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford). Presenting on: Community Engagement with Disadvantaged Communities in cancer research • Dr Robert Shaw (Honorary Consultant, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Infectious Diseases & Microbiology Physician, Clinical vaccinologist & Principal Investigator, Oxford Vaccine Group) Presenting on: Ethnic diversity and inclusion- Experiences delivering policy-relevant studies during a pandemic (Vaccine Theme) What to expect • Training on the NIHR INCLUDE Ethnicity Framework with Professor Shaun Treweek. • Researchers share their experiences with inclusive research. • Question and answer session with the key speakers. Who is this for • Researchers and staff affiliated with the following NIHR Biomedical Research Centres: Barts, Birmingham, Cambridge, Moorfields, Oxford and Oxford Health There will be numerous opportunities for you to ask questions of the experienced and knowledgeable speakers, who will support your research. If you have any questions with regards to this training, please contact: Mili Kalia (Oxford BRC's EDI Manager), Email: Mili.Kalia@ouh.nhs.uk 3. Socio-economic Disadvantage Inclusion training, with Dr. Heidi R Green - Monday 8 December Providing strategies to reduce barriers in health inequalities and understand challenges faced by disadvantaged communities. The session includes a case study and the NIHR INCLUDE Socio-economic Disadvantage Framework.
We have identified that WNK1 kinase is required for both T cell activation and migration. In kidney epithelial cells, in response to hyperosmolarity, WNK1 phosphorylates and activates the OXSR1 and STK39 kinases. These phosphorylate the SLC12A-family of ion transporters, resulting in influx of Na+, K+ and Cl- ions, and subsequent water entry by osmosis. Unexpectedly, we show that TCR stimulation in CD4+ T cells leads to WNK1 activation and subsequent WNK1 signalling results in water influx through Aquaporin 3 (AQP3). This water influx is required for early TCR signalling in and for entry into cell cycle. Furthermore, we show that CCR7 chemokine receptor signalling leads to activation of WNK1 at the leading edge of migrating CD4+ T cells, resulting in ion influx and consequent water entry by osmosis through AQP3. This water entry swells the membrane at the leading edge, generating space into which actin filaments can polymerize, thereby facilitating forward movement of the cell. Thus, WNK1-regulated ion and water influx play critical roles in T cell activation and migration. This requirement may extend to many other immune and non-immune cell types.
How can I make my job application stand out from the crowd? Whether it is for a PhD, postdoc, lectureship, or fellowship, a strong CV and supporting materials are vital to unlocking the next stage of the application process. During this session we will share examples to explore the key building blocks of a strong academic CV and cover letter, and work through how best to present your skills and experience. This session will focus on application materials for academic research and teaching positions only. By attending, you’ll: • Understand the typical structure and content of academic CVs • Explore the variety, structure and content of academic personal statements, statements of purpose, and other related academic application materials • Gain access to resources including template academic CVs and Cover Letters To get the most out of this workshop we strongly encourage you to look at the "'Academic Applications' page":https://www.careers.ox.ac.uk/academic-applications of our website before you attend.
Please join either in person or online. For in-person attendees, the talk will be preceded by a light lunch at 12.15pm. Please email comms@sociology.ox.ac.uk with any questions.
Success in collaborative learning tasks requires socially shared regulation of learning (SSRL). SSRL involves learners working together to understand the task, set common goals, plan and implement strategies to achieve those goals, and adapt their understanding and strategies if their progress is not on track. SSRL is particularly important in collaborative inquiry tasks, where students need to discover knowledge that is new to them. However, collaborative inquiry tasks may pose various obstacles that can trigger the need for SSRL, such as difficulties in making sense of the task or understanding complex science concepts. To provide real-time support for SSRL, recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have enabled new approaches to detecting these SSRL triggers. In this seminar, I will introduce our metacognitive AI agent (MAI), which augments SSRL by raising students’ metacognitive awareness of these SSRL triggers in authentic secondary school science inquiry classrooms. Based on our empirical insights, I will discuss the challenges and opportunities of leveraging human-AI interactions to empower agentic students in collaborative inquiry tasks. Teams-link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZDYwMTY0ZmQtNjkzYS00NjFlLWEzNzgtNWYzMTkzNzQ1YmM2%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22cc95de1b-97f5-4f93-b4ba-fe68b852cf91%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22b33f55d8-6202-46f8-a141-737715faff88%22%7d
The publisher’s series – a publication format that presents a collection of different texts in a uniform and often more affordable format, issued by a single publisher – is a publishing phenomenon that is closely associated with questions of canonicity, cross-cultural translation and literary value. The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries saw a proliferation of publishers’ series that explicitly marketed themselves as collections of ‘universal’ or ‘world literature’, including such well-known series as Reclam’s Universalbibliothek, Oxford’s World’s Classics, and Boni & Liveright’s Modern Library of the World’s Best Books. This talk focusses on the lesser-known series Werke der Weltliteratur, issued by the Berlin-based Propyläen-Verlag between 1920-1925, as a case study of the publishing of ‘world literature’ in Weimar Germany. Examining the conception, material format and marketing of the series, the talk explores how the Propyläen-Verlag’s Werke der Weltliteratur both shaped and reflected contemporary ideas about ‘world literature’. More broadly, it seeks to demonstrate how approaches grounded in book and print culture studies can contribute significant new insights to our understanding of the historical and cultural processes that shaped the meaning of ‘world literature’ in the twentieth century and beyond. Evi Heinz is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for British Studies, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. As a member of the ‘Boundaries of Cosmopolis’ research group, a collaborative effort between HU Berlin and the University of Oxford, her research investigates ideas of ‘world literature’ in the literary traffic between Germany and Britain in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Her broader research interests include literary modernism, comparative literature, publishing history and periodical print culture. She is a contributor to the Bloomsbury Handbook of Modernism in the Archive and co-editor of Whitechapel Moderns: An Anthology of Modernist Culture in London’s Jewish East End, under contract with Edinburgh University Press.
This group will run on Mondays from 13:00-15:40 (UK time) on Microsoft Teams. The format is as follows: 5min hellos and optional goal-setting* 1h10 timed work session 10min break with optional goals check-in 1h10 timed work session Optional debrief at the end, goodbyes *Verbal participation is at your discretion but I do find it helpful to articulate goals and check in at the end of each timed block. You could also choose to do this in the chat if you prefer not to unmute.
This talk will explore the development of next-generation diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases, with a particular emphasis on point-of-care applications and deployment in low- and middle-income countries. It will discuss the integration of molecular biology, engineering, and data-driven approaches to create rapid, affordable, and scalable tools for both clinical and field settings. Drawing on recent work within the Fleming Initiative, the Wellcome Trust–funded CAMO-Net, and the NIHR Global Health Research Group on Digital Diagnostics for African Health Systems, the talk will highlight efforts to translate cutting-edge research into real-world impact, addressing critical challenges such as antimicrobial resistance, outbreak preparedness, and equitable access to diagnostics. The presentation will also reflect on the translational pathway from academia to industry. Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano is an Associate Professor (Reader) in Diagnostic Technologies and Deputy Director of the Centre for Antimicrobial Optimisation at Imperial College London. His research bridges molecular diagnostics, data science, and clinical translation, focusing on technologies to tackle antimicrobial resistance and emerging infectious diseases. He is an Expert Advisor to the Fleming Initiative and serves as Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of ProtonDx, an Imperial College London spin-out company delivering rapid molecular diagnostic tools from bench to field. https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/j.rodriguez-manzano
Denunciations are prevalent in authoritarian regimes. Citizens turn against each other to report suspicious behaviour to the police state. But citizens may also have incentives to spread false information about their peers. In this context, can denunciations ever be informative? And, if so, what factors impede or facilitate the informativeness of denunciations? We design a formal model of denunciations in a large society. We show that denunciations are informative despite the certainty that some denunciations are false. \red{Future works will} highlight the complementarities between using informants and relying on denunciations for the secret police. We will also study how the regime can encourage denunciations and what it gains and potentially loses from incentivizing people to inform on one another.
Accurately communicating bacterial diversity is key, not only for classification, but also for pathogen surveillance, epidemiology, and population biology. Currently, the seven loci MLST has been successful for determining N. meningitidis population structure, further enhanced using fine typing antigens. Life Identification Number (LIN) barcodes are a novel way of describing bacterial populations through stable hierarchical clustering and nomenclature. These are based on allelic differences between core genome Sequence Types (cgSTs), assigned from representative core genome MLST (cgMLST) profiles. Neisseria meningitidis cgMLST v3 (1,329 loci), available on PubMLST, was used as the foundation for this work. A curated dataset of 6,131 N. meningitidis isolates, encompassing up to 200 high-quality isolates from each clonal complex (CC), were used for LIN code development. The cgSTs for each isolate were subject to creation of a pairwise distance matrix and statistical analysis using Minimum Spanning Tree-based clustering. Overall, 13 LIN thresholds were chosen to represent different genetic lineages. These have been provided human-readable nicknames that represent MLST and MLEE describers. Defined N. meningitidis LIN thresholds are openly accessible for use on PubMLST. Several published outbreak datasets were used to validate the LIN codes, which illustrated high-quality and fine resolution for population analysis, emphasising the isolates at multiple-levels. Overall, LIN codes will be important for distinguishing between closely related strains for outbreak investigations, contributing to understanding of strain theory, and facilitating surveillance.
HDRUK Oxford Monthly Meetup, Monday 17 November 2025, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Speakers: 1) Professor Jennifer Quint, Professor of Respiratory Epidemiology, Imperial College London 2) Dr Hannah Whittaker, Research Fellow, Imperial College London Mode: Hybrid In person venue: St Luke's Chapel, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG To attend online – please register (link below) Short Bio: 1) Professor Quint is a Professor of Respiratory Epidemiology in the School of Public Health at Imperial College London. She is an Honorary Consultant Physician in Respiratory Medicine at both the Royal Brompton Hospital and Imperial College London NHS Trust. She leads the Respiratory Electronic Health Record group, a clinical epidemiology research group whose interests centre on using various sources of de-identified, routinely collected electronic healthcare records to study a number of respiratory diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, interstitial lung disease, bronchiectasis and most recently COVID-19. Work centres on maximising the quality, linkage and usage of these data for clinical and research purposes. Research topics include understanding the relationship between cardiovascular and respiratory disease, respiratory disease prevention, diagnosis, natural history and management. Many of the outputs are used for informing policy, and in the planning and allocation of resources. 2) Dr Whittaker is a HDR UK funded early career research fellow in electronic healthcare records at the School of Public Health. Her work focuses on investigating inequalities in the burden of chronic respiratory diseases using electronic healthcare records. Hannah obtained her PhD in Epidemiology at NHLI, Imperial College London, which focused on characteristics associated with lung function decline in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patients using electronic healthcare records. She obtained an MSc in Social Epidemiology from University College London and has a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences (Pharmacology) from the University of Edinburgh.
Join us for our informal research group focused on bringing together colleagues and students engaged in, or interested in, LGBTQIA+ research. The group is open to all staff and students across the University who are interested in LGBTQIA+ research. The group meet once a term (online in Michaelmas and Hilary, and in person in Trinity) to share ideas and discuss ongoing work. We have one presentation lined up for this meeting: Straight 'A's? An investigation into how England's exam system reproduces cisheteronormativity. You can join the mailing list by sending a blank email to lgbtqia_researchgroup-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk.
Inflation is determined by interaction between monetary policy and real factors, including shocks to supply and demand for different components of the consumption basket. We use a 15-sector New Keynesian model to quantify the contributions to inflation from sectoral supply and demand shocks, monetary policy shocks, and aggregate real shocks. The model is estimated by maximum likelihood on U.S. data from 1995 through 2019, when the policy regime appeared to be stable. Decomposing the 2012-2019 inflation shortfall, and its surge starting in 2021, we find that sectoral shocks were major contributors to the inflation deviations from target.
This session will cover some more advanced techniques for finding medical literature to answer a research question. We will recap some basics, then demonstrate searching in several medical databases, including using subject headings (MeSH) and the differences between platforms. After the main 90-minute workshop, one of the Bodleian Health Care Libraries Outreach Librarians will be available for another 30 minutes to answer questions about your own searches, so feel free to bring along what you are working on. By the end of this session, you will be able to: explain what subject headings are, and how to use them; search for words that appear near to other words; take a search from one database into another; and save a search and document it. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Researcher & research student
Al-Qānūn al-Muqaddas (‘The Holy Canon’), preserved solely in MS árabe 1623 of the Royal Library in El Escorial, is the only extant corpus of Christian-Arabic canon law surviving from al-Andalus. Copied in 1050, it is a translation and unique variant of the Iberian compilation of conciliar acts and papal decretals known as the Collectio Hispana. The Arabic canons of al-Qānūn al-Muqaddas, revised and paraphrased during its translation, are an invaluable source for the internal governance, legal affairs, and theopolitical beliefs of Andalusi Christians. Recent reassessments have tied the collection to the wider history of canon-legal translations taking place across the Islamicate world, positing shared influences and preoccupations. In turn, this source has opened new avenues to assess the impact of Islamic institutions on the evolution of the Andalusi church. In this vein, this paper examines the Arabic terminology that Andalusi Christians employed to define clerical authority in al-Qānūn al-Muqaddas. Though rooted in the Latin source and culture at its base, the collection evinces the profound penetration of Islamic political and religious ideas into the governance of the church in al-Andalus. While the use of words such as sulṭān and mulk to define a bishop’s potestas suggests a familiarity with a common cache of Arabic terms for worldly authority shared with Eastern coreligionists, the rendition of Latin ordinatio as tawliya (the bestowal of wilāya) reveals a deeper engagement with Islamic notions of theopolitical leadership. Each is tightly imbricated within an internal discourse on the character of clerical authority in al-Qānūn al-Muqaddas. The centrality of wilāya (and its verbal root w-l-y) in this discourse, I argue, is the result of a careful negotiation between the joint religious and political associations inherent to both Latin ordinatio and Arabic wilāya. Crucially, Muslim thinkers of distinct traditions (Sunni, Shi‘a, Ismaili, Sufi, etc.) cultivated the Qur’anic concept of wilāya over the course of the 7th-11th centuries. Intimately tied to notions of legitimate political rulership and the social institution of patronage (walā’), the theological doctrine of wilāya became firmly attached to Islamic beliefs surrounding sainthood, the imamate, and proximity to God. Distinct categories (walāyat Allah) and hierarchies (awliyā’ Allah) of spiritual leadership developed at the same time as Islamic political theory itself developed. Consequently, in al-Qānūn al-Muqaddas, the canons on clerical ordination provided a space to ponder the nature of the authority conferred onto clerics in the process. The terminology of wilāya created a new conception of the clerical hierarchy as bishops were labeled walī-s (awliyā’) and the ordained mawlā.As this paper argues, the Qānūn’s translators employed the Islamic concept of wilāya (and its Qur’anic, theological, and political associations) to redefine the priesthood and Christian leadership under Muslim rule. In so doing, Andalusi Christians partook in a Mediterranean-wide discourse on the nature of holy authority that served to fortify their own ecclesiastical institutions against the challenge of Islam
*_This seminar is co-organised with the research project NOTCOM (https://mfo.web.ox.ac.uk/erc-project-notcom-common-notion-science-and-consensus-seventeenth-century), at the Maison Française d’Oxford_* Book II of the _Novum organum_ begins as follows: “The work and aim of human power is to generate and superinduce a new nature or new natures on a given body.” (NO II.1) The transformation of bodies is thus central for Baconian science, as it is for the alchemist. In the _Novum organum_, Bacon suggests that there are two strategies for the transformation of bodies. The one regards bodies as collections of simple natures, and goes by discovering the form of each of the simple natures and imposing it on a body. The other goes by observing how bodies are transformed in nature (the latent process) and imitating it in the laboratory. (NO II.5) The much-discussed illustration of the method in the _Novum organum_ is exclusively of the first kind. (NO II.10-21). This is what most commentators mean when they talk about Baconian method. But in the _Sylva Sylvarum_, Bacon illustrates the second strategy. Using the example of transforming a body into gold, I will discuss Bacon’s second method, and contrast it with the first. I will suggest that its employment in the _Sylva_ may represent a change in his views on what the method of inquiry should be. *Daniel Garber* is the A Watson Armour III University Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University. Garber's principal interests are the relations between philosophy, science, religion and society in the period of the Scientific Revolution. Garber is the author of _Descartes' Metaphysical Physics_ (1992), _Descartes Embodied_ (2001), and _Leibniz: Body, Substance, Monad_ (2009) and is co-editor with Michael Ayers of the _Cambridge History of Seventeenth-Century Philosophy_ (1998), the editor of a number of collections, and author of numerous articles.
The charismatic film pioneer Himansu Rai (1892–1940) is best remembered as the founder of Bombay Talkies, a studio practically synonymous with early Indian cinema. That his successful career in India followed an extended stint in Germany is widely known, but the significance of those years within Rai’s wider artistic and business trajectory remains understudied. Working with the German director Franz Osten, Rai acted in and produced three silent films – Die Leuchte Asiens (1925), Das Grabmal einer großen Liebe (1928), and Schicksalswürfel (1929) – that would dramatize Indian history and mythology and garner enthusiastic responses from German audiences. This study uses Rai’s personal papers and underutilized German newspapers to explore those films and the publicity around them, locating Rai himself as a critical factor in their success. It argues that Rai cultivated distinct on- and off-screen personas that worked together to satisfy Orientalist visions of India on the one hand and expectations for an intellectual in Europe on the other. Rai – who was equally at home performing maharajas in films and granting interviews in suits – responded to these pressures by turning them into a career-making opportunity, marketing himself as the embodiment of his country and its ethos. Andrew Halladay is a cultural historian of South Asia with a particular interest in late colonial North India. Currently an assistant professor in the Department of International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science, he holds a doctoral degree in History and South Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago and was previously a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University. His work has appeared in Modern Asian Studies and The Historical Journal and has received support from the Fulbright-Nehru Program and the American Institute of Indian Studies. His first book project, A Distant Throne: The British Sovereign in the Mirror of Indian Nationalism, explores popular responses to the figures of George V (r. 1910–36) and Edward VIII (r. 1936) in colonial India.
Youth can play a central role in promoting positive intergroup relations and advancing constructive engagement in conflict and divided societies. Their potential as agents of change, however, remains relatively under-explored in the research literature on prejudice reduction and collective action within social psychology. Drawing on theoretical models, including the empathy-attitudes-action model, social identity theory and intergroup contact theory, I present an ongoing programme of research that examines the factors that influence youth intergroup relations in divided societies and explores how, when, and why youth engage in or demonstrate positive intentions towards constructive action- at the interpersonal, collective, and structural levels. In doing so, I consider the interplay of individual and contextual influences in promoting positive intergroup attitudes and societal engagement among youth, and reflect on the implications of this research for current scientific understanding and practice.
A performance by Greek Poet Phoebe Giannisi from her new collection, Goatsong, followed by a conversation with her translator, Brian Sneeden, hosted by the Professor of Poetry, A. E. Stallings; event co-organised with the Sub-Faculty of Modern Greek. Phoebe Giannisi is the author of eight collections of poetry. A 2016 Humanities Fellow of Columbia University, Giannisi is a professor of architecture at the University of Thessaly, and co-editor of the literary journal FRMK. She has translated Ancient Greek lyric poetry as well as the poetry of Barbara Koehler, Gregor Laschen, Jesper Svenbro and Andre Pieyre de Mandiargues. She lives in Volos, Greece. Brian Sneeden is the author of Last City (Carnegie Mellon, 2018). His poetry and translations have received the Iowa Review Award in Poetry, an NEA Literature Translation Fellowship, the World Literature Today Translation Award for Poetry, the Constantinides Memorial Translation Prize, a PEN/Heim Translation Grant and other recognitions. He is a senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University. A.E. Stallings, Oxford Professor of Poetry 2023-27, is known for using classical references to talk about modern life. She studied Classics at University of Georgia and Oxford, and has published four collections of poetry, Archaic Smile, Hapax, and Olives, Like, and a selected poems, This Afterlife. She has published three verse translations, Lucretius's The Nature of Things, Hesiod's Works and Days, and an illustrated The Battle Between the Frogs and the Mice. Her most recent book is Frieze Frame: How Poets, Painters, and their Friends Framed the Debate Around Elgin and the Marbles of the Parthenon.
Scott Olson, President and CEO of the global non-profit One Collective, discusses how he fuses classic leadership wisdom and the free-flowing improvisation of jazz. Includes live music, followed by refreshments. Wycliffe Hall invites you to an evening packed with thought-provoking ideas, punctuated with live jazz. Scott Olson brings his theory of leadership ‘in the moment' and his experience as a professional jazz musician, to show us how, much like jazz, leading isn’t about having control—it’s about staying in tune.
Large Language Models represent an entirely new paradigm of semantic information processing. They are the first time a computer can process the meaning of text without mark-up. Their ability to “understand” text is at the same time familiarly human and completely alien. Dominik Lukes at a conference They can write poems and extract subtle clues from opaque texts but at the same time they fail at seemingly trivial tasks like counting words in a sentence. They seem to possess deep knowledge of the world yet fall for the most trivial of spatial puzzles. They can write code that will emulate a calculator but not multiply numbers. Based on casual use in a seemingly similar context, two people can easily come to the conclusion, that the models are practically infallible or entirely useless. This talk, presented by Dominik Lukeš, a Lead Business Technologist at the AI and ML Competency Centre, will outline how Large Language Models “read” and “understand” text, and how they generate their response. This contrasts with how humans perform the same tasks (which is not always the same as how they perceive them). The talk will explore how humans deploy attention, working memory and external tools to deal with complex text in contrast to the models which only use a form of attention. The event will start with tea, coffee and biscuits from 5pm, followed by the talk from 5.30. About Dominik Dominik Lukeš has run workshops on AI in education since 2019, focusing on generative AI since ChatGPT’s introduction in 2022. He authored “Beyond ChatGPT: The state of generative AI in academic practice” and contributed to “Transforming Higher Education: How we can harness AI in teaching and assessments.” Dominik also publishes a LinkedIn newsletter on AI in academia and has spoken at international conferences, including AHEAD by BETT 2023 and the European Educational Publishers Group. Dominik serves on advisory boards for MacGraw Hill and Bett UK. He has also been a guest on a number of podcasts discussing generative AI in education. Previously, he founded the Reading and Writing Innovation Lab at the Centre for Teaching and Learning Lab. His academic interests include linguistics, language education, and discourse analysis, and he has published and translated extensively in these areas.
Around the world, we are facing major economic, social, and environmental challenges that cannot be solved without collaborative global leadership. At the same time, paradigm-shifting advances in technology are reshaping how we live and work, creating new opportunities while challenging long-standing practices and assumptions. Leaders across business, government, and civil society all have a role to play. What has changed in leadership, which principles endure, and how will tomorrow’s leaders need to adapt? Join us on 17 November, when Muhtar Kent will share insights from his remarkable 41-year career at The Coca-Cola Company, culminating in his service as CEO and Chairman. Speaker bio: Muhtar Kent is a member of the Board of Directors of The Coca-Cola Company. From 2009-2017, he served as the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Previously, he was President and Chief Executive Officer and earlier, President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Kent joined The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta in 1978, holding a variety of marketing and operations leadership positions over the course of his career. In 1985, he became General Manager of Coca-Cola Turkey and Central Asia. Beginning in 1989, he served as President of the Company’s East Central Europe Division and Senior Vice President of Coca-Cola International, with responsibility for 23 countries. Active in the global business community, Mr. Kent is a member of the board and past Co-Chair of The Consumer Goods Forum, past Chairman of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum, a board member and past Chairman of the U.S.-China Business Council, a past board member of the National Committee on US-China Relations, and past Chairman Emeritus of the U.S. ASEAN Business Council. He serves on the boards of 3M, Special Olympics International, Catalyst, Cambridge China Development Trust and Emory University.
Comedy Writing, Directing and Producing - A conversation between *James Bobin*, 2025 Brasenose Frankland Visitor, and *Iain Morris*, creator of the Inbetweeners and director of Netflix's My Oxford Year (2025). James is a multi-award-winning writer, film director, and producer. Iain also contributed to iconic shows like _What we do in the Shadows_ and _Peep Show_. Together they will share behind-the-scenes insights, creative secrets, and stories from their remarkable careers.
Since the turn of the millennium, digital and computational methodologies have become increasingly prolific at the cutting edge of language and humanities research. Utilising digital techniques from other disciplines has allowed historically qualitative fields to rethink key questions, bring new understandings to foundational sources, increase information accessibility, and lead to previously unexplored cross-disciplinary research. This conference brings together researchers who are using digital methods to rethink established fields, explore new applications for conventional digital methods, and look at how digital methodologies are being translated in the cross-disciplinary space. Presentations will capture a wide range of subject areas across the many communities of scholars utilising digital methods – both from novices and expert practitioners. Keynotes include Glenn Roe (Professor of Digital Scholarship and French Literature & Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College, University of Oxford) and Ruth Ahnert (Professor of Literary History & Digital Humanities, Queen Mary University of London). The event is part of the Cheng Kar Shun Digital Hub Programme with support from the Voltaire Foundation, Digital Scholarship@Oxford and Jesus College Oxford. Tickets include lunch, tea breaks and a wine reception.
Computational psychiatry attempts to translate advances in computational neuroscience and machine learning into improved outcomes for patients. Here, I describe recent work on mechanistic approaches to support the correct assignment of psychotherapeutic interventions to individuals. Psychotherapies are one of the core treatment options available for depression. However, despite an extensive theoretical basis for interventions, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms mediating treatment response remains poor. Here, I will describe work suggesting that a combination of computational models and cognitive tasks may enable the measurement of the cognitive processes engaged in therapies. Critically, for the case of cognitive behavioural therapy for depression, we find a double dissociation, with effort-reward tradeoffs engaged preferentially altered by behavioural activation, and learning about attributions preferentially altered by cognitive restructuring. Furthermore, improvement in symptoms in a realistic treatment setting is related, and possibly mediated, by changes in pavlovian biases measuring using a task and a computational model. Finally, the cognitive measurement process enables us to design novel training interventions. This seminar is hosted in person in the Department of Psychiatry, to join online, please use the joining link below: https://zoom.us/j/94567124781?pwd=sVxXabbSWibdU8A9W2clQlG9neRGbQ.1 Meeting ID: 945 6712 4781 Passcode: 470970
The second in a duo of courses (attendees should attend the Fundamentals course prior to Logistics) that will cover the logistics of researching, publishing, and locating open scholarship resources and tools at the University of Oxford. Subjects include: what is the Oxford University Research Archive?; depositing work into ORA via Symplectic Elements; depositing data into ORA-data; applying for one of Oxford’s APC block grants; registering or connecting your ORCID; how to be included in the rights retention pilot; and locating and checking funder policies. Intended audience: Researcher & research student; Staff
Most clinical insights are based on static measures and aggregate insights. We are interested in the dynamic changes able to be tracked by smartphone wearables - "personal digital health technologies". The more we focus at the n=one level the more awkward it seems to assume at a priori information should be borrowed directly from others. The talk will review past efforts on steps and pregnancy, current efforts on Bipolar disease with UK Bipolar, and emerging efforts on forecasting frailty using dynamic resilience. the last part of the lecture will discuss how rare clinical outliers can point the path to discovering new therapies. Bio: Dr.Friend is an authority in the fields of genetic resilience, cancer biology, and digital health. At Dana Farber and MIT his team cloned the first human cancer susceptibility gene. While on the Faculty of Harvard his lab went on to identify that P53 mutations drive the tumours in LFS. He c-founded "Rosetta Impharmatics" where they developed the RNA expression approaches to assess the aggressiveness of great cancers now used across the world. Merck acquired Rosetta and as SVP for Oncology Stephen rebuilt the cancer franchise. After working at Apple from 2014-2017 on digital health, he is now a co-founder of 4YouandMe, and based Oxford. Stephen now works on using smartphones and wearables to more accurately follow conditions, understand the role of stress, and evolve ways for wearables to be part of early tumor detection. his newest project involves going back to his roots in drug discovery to find novel ways of identifying targets for rare genetic diseases. This seminar is hosted in person at the Department of Psychiatry, and via Zoom. To join online, please use the Zoom link below: https://zoom.us/j/94567124781?pwd=sVxXabbSWibdU8A9W2clQlG9neRGbQ.1 Meeting ID: 945 6712 4781 Passcode: 470970
In The Future of Organisational Productivity: AI-Powered Transformation in the Microsoft Ecosystem, we’ll explore how organisations can unlock new levels of efficiency by combining structured data environments with intelligent automation and generative AI tools. Focusing first on the evolving capabilities of Copilot Chat and Copilot 365, this session will explore how generative AI is reshaping productivity across the Microsoft suite. We’ll then look at Copilot Studio and its role in building custom AI agents, before diving into the broader Power Platform ecosystem. Platforms like SharePoint and Dataverse will be highlighted as rich, centralised data repositories that fuel powerful, low-code automation pipelines — all working in concert with Copilot and intelligent automation to drive organisational efficiency. We’ll examine how Power Automate, enhanced by Copilot agents, can orchestrate workflows, respond to real-time data, and support decision-making — all through intuitive, user-friendly interfaces. Attendees will gain insight into designing scalable automation strategies, building AI-powered agents, and aligning digital transformation with organisational goals using tools that are accessible to both technical and non-technical users. Joe Cozens is an AI consultant and Director of AI Governance at Clifton High School in Bristol, UK. He works with organisations, businesses, and schools to support AI transformation, strategy, and implementation. Joe sits on several influential panels including Microsoft’s AI in Education Panel, the European Commission’s Digital Education Panel, the Future of Life Institute, and the University of Glasgow’s AI and Education Advisory Group.
In this online workshop you will be shown the functionality of Zotero, which is a free-to-use software programme used to manage references and create bibliographies. Zotero will be demonstrated on a Windows PC but users of MacOS or Linux computers will be able to follow the demonstration. The workshop will cover: understanding the main features and benefits of Zotero; setting up a Zotero account; importing references from different sources into Zotero; organising your references in Zotero; inserting citations into documents; and creating a bibliography/reference list. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Taught student; Researcher & research student
Tuesdays, 12.15 The Margaret Thatcher Centre, Somerville College Followed by a free buffet lunch
Does public sector employment make graduates less likely to join anti-regime protests? Recent scholarship argues yes, with implications for bottom-up democratization in late-developing economies with expansive public and higher education sectors. This paper examines how that thesis travels to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), a region marked by segmented labor markets, developed tertiary education, and persistent authoritarianism. We find that well-educated public sector employees were more likely to join anti-regime protests in Algeria and Egypt, while estimating null effects for state dependency in Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan, and Tunisia. Supplementary analyses demonstrate that for educated public sector employees who protested in Algeria -- a critical case for the state dependency argument -- a desire for political rights and freedoms outweighed economic considerations. Crucially, preference falsification in the pre-protest period helped obscure these attitudes. The findings caution against linking authoritarianism in the MENA to a protest-shy state middle class.
COURSE DETAILS In this session we introduce RDM and the practical skill of developing Data Management Plans to manage your own data successfully. The Research Data Management (RDM) course answers these questions and more: How often do you consider how you’re managing this vital resource? Is your data secure and backed up? How can you demonstrate its integrity if challenged? Could your research make a greater impact by sharing data? What happens to your hard-won data when your project ends? LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will: Have an appreciation of the importance of RDM and understand the research data management lifecycle. Confidently approach preparing a data management plan and apply the principles to your own research. Be able to locate sources of support and expertise around the University to help with different aspects of RDM.
Despite the large literature linking emotion regulation with diverse mental health outcomes, relatively little attention has been given to what leads adolescents to engage in emotion regulation in the first place. This is a simple yet crucial component of the emotion regulation process that has, to date, been relatively overlooked. Recent research suggests that emotion controllability beliefs—the beliefs individuals hold about the extent to which emotions can be controlled—can influence both the degree to which and the ways in which they regulate emotions. In other words, individuals who believe emotions are relatively controllable are more likely to attempt to regulate their emotions and to persist in these efforts, with subsequent improvements in their mental health. This talk presents current theoretical models and empirical data linking these emotion beliefs to emotion regulation and adolescent mental health, as well as our collaborative work with secondary school students, through which we co-designed, implemented, and evaluated a novel emotion-focused intervention aimed at improving adolescent mental-health outcomes. This seminar is part of the Child Development and Learning (CDL) Seminar Series. Join in-person or online: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3799219398382?p=2e2iFubdvLDs8dvPmG
The Diamond paradox says that competing firms offering perfect substitutes set monopoly prices if consumers have strictly positive search costs. By contrast, if consumers are fully informed, with constant marginal costs the perfectly competitive outcome prevails. In our setting, consumers have zero search costs and search sequentially for the best price. At least one firm is capacity-constrained and thus cannot serve all consumers at the competitive price. We provide conditions such that in duopoly, firms set the monopoly price. We provide further equilibrium characterization when these conditions are not satisfied.
We will have a plenary session with a talk by Professor Charlotte Summers, Director of the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart & Lung Research Institute, Professor of Intensive Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Fellow and Director of Studies in Clinical Medicine, Selwyn College, Cambridge, Chair, Experimental Medicine Panel, UKRI-Medicine Research Council.
Many conversations today frame AI + cyber as a looming arms race—faster attackers, smarter malware, more breaches. But what if the real opportunity is to make the cybersecurity aftermarket obsolete by addressing its root cause: insecure, defect-ridden software? For nearly 40 years, the world has been patching the same types of software flaws that caused the first Internet crash in 1988. The truth is: We don’t have a cybersecurity problem. We have a software quality problem. That can finally change. Jen Easterly is a globally recognized cybersecurity and national security leader with deep expertise on cyber threats, emerging technologies, and organizational resilience. She most recently served as Director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency—America’s premier cyber defense agency—where she led efforts to protect and defend U.S. critical infrastructure from cyber threats. Prior to CISA, Jen led Firm Resilience at Morgan Stanley and built the Firm’s Cybersecurity Fusion Center. In uniform, she helped establish U.S. Cyber Command and commanded the Army's first cyber operations battalion, deploying multiple times, including to Haiti, the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan. In addition, Jen served twice at the White House and held senior leadership roles at the National Security Agency. Currently, Jen is a Visiting Fellow at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. She also serves as a Strategic Advisor to Huntress and as Chair of Dataminr’s Corporate Advisory Board. A graduate of West Point and a Rhodes Scholar, Jen is a two-time recipient of the Bronze Star and has received numerous awards, including the George C. Marshall Award in Ethical Leadership and the Champion of Internet Freedom Award.
Capital (cultural); Appropriation; Debt/borrowing – Neville Morley (Exeter)
A critical examination of ‘post-colonial capitalism’ must begin by tracing the genealogy of the concept to debates about the late colonialism that post colonial capital is post. After the first decades of independent development, the study of post-colonial capital has been joined – and for many replaced - by ‘subaltern studies’, ‘Saidian post-colonial studies’, and the theses of Sanyal. In the light of this genealogy we can ask further questions: 1) whether the study of contemporary capitalism in India needs the concept of ‘post-colonial’ at all; and 2) whether what is needed is not rather the study of Indian capital in transition to a US-managed neo-colonial regime. Barbara Harriss-White: Emeritus Professor of Development Studies and Fellow of Wolfson College. Committed to fieldwork, she has been studying India’s up-country development since driving from Cambridge there in 1969 – in retirement: the economy as a waste-producing system. (Co) producer of 41 books and as many doctoral students. Former director of QEH/ODID and involved with Oxford’s M Phil in Development Studies and MSc in Contemporary India. ‘Her book ‘Rural Commercial Capital won the Edgar Graham prize for originality in development studies. Her most recent book is ‘Gold in India’ (CUP).
Covidence is a web-based software platform that streamlines the production of systematic reviews Covidence is free for staff, researchers and students at the University of Oxford. Are you ready to set up your review in Covidence? Let's walk you through this simple process, including: -Setting up a review -Getting the team together -Managing settings -Importing references
For several years now, critical perspectives on the development and current orientation of internationalisation have emerged, expressing concern about the risk of reproducing already uneven global hierarchies through mainstream internationalisation activities, particularly in institutions of the Global North and Western/ised higher education. Scholars and practitioners caution that as institutions grow more interconnected, without a redistribution of power or a reimagining of dominant relationships, longstanding inequalities may be further entrenched. There is increasing concern that prevailing approaches to internationalisation risk reinforcing colonialist, capitalist global relations and sustaining Eurocentric knowledge regimes. Drawing on eleven months of ethnographic fieldwork across the UK, Denmark, and Germany, I examine how international student mobility is embedded in wider struggles over knowledge, legitimacy, and global inequality. The research traces how dominant hierarchies are reproduced or unsettled through everyday practices within universities, as well as in broader policy, institutional, and social spaces. Attending to both structural conditions and lived experiences, the study explores how spatial associations of knowledge and global power relations are articulated through everyday interactions, educational practices, and ways of knowing. It ultimately argues for a more ethically engaged and politically reflexive approach to internationalisation - one that takes seriously the call for cognitive justice in global higher education.
Are you looking to learn about the ways in which to transmit scientific ideas and make your research accessible to a non-specialist audience through a variety of mediums? This session will serve as an introduction to science communication and how it can be successfully incorporated into our roles. By the end of this session you will be able to: define science communication and provide a list of examples; explain why science communication is important for both our CPD and the public; and list ways in which we can all get involved in science communication. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Taught student; Researcher & research student.
In this workshop, Senior Editor Ambra Finotello from Palgrave Macmillan as well as Series editors (Professors Raihan Ismail and Leigh Payne) will explain the process for publishing your doctoral dissertation, conference papers, or other scholarly works with the College’s academic publishing label. Doctoral students, fellows, and all academics affiliated with the College can submit manuscripts. This event is hybrid. Teams information is below: Meeting ID: 354 035 537 546 58 Passcode: ta2Mx72J St Antony's Series Website: https://www.sant.ox.ac.uk/research/st-antonys-series/
Despite its name, the Open Science Framework (OSF) is an online tool for managing academic projects in any discipline. Rather than trying to reinvent tools and systems that scholars already use, OSF integrates with a growing list of existing services and provides a single place where researchers can see and manage all the components that make up their project - including files, software, data and publications. This course will introduce you to the Open Science Framework at Oxford. It will explain how to get access to OSF using your Oxford SSO, give an overview of what it can and cannot do, and provide some examples of how it can be used with other research services. Intended audience: Researcher and research student; Staff
This study explores the mechanisms underlying the paradox of marginality experienced by middle-class Palestinian professional women in the Israeli labour market through an intersectional analysis of their everyday professional lives. It demonstrates that this paradox—characterised by their marginalisation despite possessing high educational capital comparable to that of highly educated Jewish (both men and women) and Palestinian male professionals—is perpetuated through biopolitical modes of power. The findings reveal that when their professional capital intersects with other axes of power such as ethnicity/racism, gender, religious norms, and tribal affiliations, it fails to receive recognition or legitimacy from colleagues and clients, thereby reinforcing intersectional inequalities. Professor Sarab Abu Rabia-Queder is an Associate Professor at the school of Education at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. In her studies, she focuses on the mechanisms of control, racialisation and marginalisation of minority groups in the fields of higher education, employment and the family. She has published many papers in journals such as Sociology, British Journal of Sociology and Current Sociology and the winner of several competitive grants and prizes, such as the Toronto Prize for Excellent Young Academic Scholars, Businesses for Peace, and has chosen as the sociologist of the month (July) for Current Sociology journal (2019). In May 2024, she received an honorary doctorate from Weizman Institute of Science for promoting epistemic justice for minority groups. Alongside her academic pursuits, Professor Abu-Rabia-Queder is also a feminist activist. She serves as a board member in several NGO’s and academic committees. Her main activity focuses on issues central to Palestinian women's agenda such as access to education, combating polygamy, and improving employment opportunities.
In this online interactive workshop, you will learn how to create an effective search query and have the opportunity to try out a range of tools that you can use to search for scholarly materials to support your research. You will: learn how to find books and other scholarly items in Oxford libraries using SOLO; search for journal articles using subject databases and scholarly search engines; and be signposted towards learning materials you can use if you are interested in searching for conference proceedings, theses and dissertations. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student.
This seminar Q&A between Professor Jane Green and The Rt Hon. Lord Andrew Tyrie, will give students, and all interested in the UK Parliament, an expert insider’s answer to questions covered in the PPE and MPhil British politics syllabi, with first-hand insight from a former MP and now member of the House of Lords, described in 2013 as “the most powerful backbencher in the House of Commons”. Audience members will have a wide-ranging opportunity to ask questions. Andrew Tyrie is a member of the House of Lords, a former Member of Parliament (1997-2017) and Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, as well as holding other leading HM Treasury and related roles. Tea and coffee from 15:30. Please RSVP to the Nuffield College Development Office if you would like to attend.
Many countries seek to promote exports by subsidizing market access, but evidence on such efforts has been mixed. We present the first randomized evaluation of a government financial-support program explicitly targeting exports, the Tasdir+ program in Tunisia. The program offered matching grants for fixed market-access costs but not variable costs. Tracking outcomes in administrative data, we find positive effects on exports on average. We find limited impacts on the number of destinations or exported products, which were stated policy targets. The finding that the fixed-cost subsidies expanded exports on the intensive margin but not the extensive margins of destinations or products stands in contrast to the predictions of several workhorse trade models.
The Jobs for Mathematicians careers fair offers you the opportunity to find out about careers using maths and start planning your next career steps or focus your search. Join the fair to meet recruiters in person and explore the opportunities available. You can also chat to careers advisers and ask questions to help your decision making. The fair is open to all Oxford University students, including undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers, as well as Oxford alumni. Note that this event is only open to Oxford University students, researchers, and alumni. Please bring your University card with you on the day to access the fair. The fair booklet will be available one week prior to the event, in the meantime, you can browse last year's exhibitor details here: "download the Jobs for Mathematicians Fair booklet 2024 (PDF)":https://www.careers.ox.ac.uk/sitefiles/jobs-for-mathematicians-fair-booklet-2024.pdf
For discussion this week is a work-in-progress book proposal based on research conducted for a PhD thesis at ODID. The book, titled Making Revolutionary Youth, sheds new light onto African socialism through an examination of one of its most cherished subjects: ‘the youth.’ Most independence regimes on the African continent imagined their path to a post-colonial future through generational change. For many of the 35 (out of 53) regimes that called themselves socialist at some point between 1960-1980, however, ‘youth’ not only symbolized moving beyond colonial orders, but the birth of a New Socialist Society. Through a detailed study of one of Africa’s most outspokenly Marxist-Leninist regimes – Mozambique under Samora Machel (1975-1986) – Making Revolutionary Youth examines how African post-colonial states attempted to “forge” entire generations into Socialist New Men and Women. Drawing on a wide range of untapped archival, media and oral history sources, it is the first to shed light onto the manifold ways in which the Machel regime drew on local as well as transnational socialist discursive and pedagogical repertoires to instil a new political, social and moral values into a generation of Mozambicans.
Interested in gaining the essential non-clinical skills, knowledge, and insight for a successful clinical career? Then join our upcoming webinar. The University of Oxford’s MSc in Surgical Science and Practice and PGCert in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement are flexible programmes designed to develop working healthcare professionals into well-rounded practitioners and leaders. The courses are scheduled to allow you to study alongside your professional and personal commitments. This Programme Information Event will describe core features of both programmes and will provide tips for a high quality application. Speakers: Tom Revington - Tom is the Course Director for the MSc in Surgical Science and Practice and the PGCert in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement. His career has spanned immunologist, diplomat, management consultant, and educator. Pippa Brain Teves MD FRCSC - Pippa is Clinical Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Calgary, Canada and the the Medical Director Women's Health, Acute Care Alberta, Canada. She completed the PGCert in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement in 2022.
Promises that sovereignty would be regained, immigration and asylum controlled, and national identity reasserted were central to the Brexit referendum campaign of 2016 and the ultimate decision to leave the EU. In debates on EU membership, protection, labour, and other forms of migration were frequently conflated and portrayed as being ‘out of control’. Post-Brexit, these issues remain at the centre of political debate and legal change, both in the UK and in European states. In this seminar, we trace pre- and post-Brexit legal developments in UK and EU asylum and migration law, mapping change and analysing developments.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has triggered what German leaders call a Zeitenwende, a historic turning point in European security and politics. Yet beyond rhetoric, what does this transformation mean for Europe’s long-term survival as a geopolitical actor? In this talk, Johannes Volkmann, a Member of the German Bundestag (CDU) and former chief of staff in the European Parliament, examines the implications of the Zeitenwende. Drawing on his work in constitutional and trade policy, as well as applied policy experience, Volkmann will explore how Europe can safeguard its survival amid growing external pressures, internal division, and the need for institutional renewal. The talk will also consider whether the current moment marks lasting transformation or risks becoming rhetoric without action.
This paper explains Egypt’s foreign policy stagnation, with a novel argument building on role and identity theories. Egypt’s foreign policy exhibits a case where its regional leadership role has changed (and declined), but its identity emphasising Egyptian leadership persists, thus leading to foreign policy that is widely seen as ineffective. This paper examines the theoretical link — and distinction — between national roles and identities. Drawing on previous role research, we argue that, compared to identities, roles are more behaviourally prescriptive, necessarily relational, and are dependent on others’ expectations and acceptance of them. We also discuss the distinct sources of role change and identity change, setting up the possibility that one may change while the other remains stable. We examine the implications of when roles and identities become out of sync with the case of Egypt’s role decay. While Egypt’s leadership role at the regional role has retreated, the leadership identity persists. For Egyptians, Egypt is a ‘natural’ leader of the Arab world and a pivotal state in regional affairs. Herein, we argue, lays the explanations for why Egypt’s foreign policy has suffered from contradictions and ineffectiveness. Empirically, this paper draws upon historical evidence, official statements, memoirs of Egyptian foreign policy makers, and observation of public debates in Egypt’s public sphere.
We are delighted to welcome John Drake, a Regents Professor of Ecology at the Odum School of Ecology and Director of the Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases (CEID) at the University of Georgia. Professor Drake is a Visiting Fellow at the PSI and the Oxford Martin School. In this seminar, Professor Drake will trace the historical record of major 20th and 21st Century pandemics, highlighting how global forces such as economic integration, urbanisation and climate disruption shape the emergence and spread of novel pathogens. The seminar, hosted jointly by PSI and the Oxford Martin School, will be chaired by Luca Ferretti and will take place on Tuesday 18 November, from 17:00 to 18:00, in the Oxford Martin School lecture theatre, University of Oxford. Following the seminar, there will be a drinks reception and an opportunity to network with all attendees. Seminar outline Emerging infectious diseases are not random shocks to human societies, but recurrent features of a world increasingly shaped by globalisation and global change. Over the past century, pandemics such as influenza, HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and COVID-19 have revealed how economic integration, rapid urbanization, climate disruption, and ecological transformation create structural conditions for novel pathogens to appear and spread. This lecture traces the historical record of major twentieth- and twenty-first-century pandemics to document not just the immediate health impacts of emerging diseases, but also their social and economic consequences. Building on this evidence, I introduce the “globalization grid,” a framework that maps the flows of goods and services, capital, people, and ideas across political, economic, and cultural domains. This perspective highlights the multiple, interacting pathways through which globalisation influences disease emergence, from deforestation and agricultural intensification to global supply chains, labor mobility, and international governance. By situating pandemics within these broader systemic processes, we can better understand why certain pathogens achieve global reach and why their impacts are so unevenly distributed. The challenge for the future is to design institutions and interventions that anticipate these dynamics, strengthening resilience before the next pandemic emerges. About the speaker Professor John Drake is Regents Professor of Ecology at the Odum School of Ecology and Director of the Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases (CEID) at the University of Georgia. He is also a Visiting Fellow at PSI and the Oxford Martin School. Professor Drake’s research combines mathematical modelling and data analysis to study the dynamics of zoonotic diseases, the macroecology of emerging infections, and the interdisciplinary integration of social, natural, and mathematical sciences. He has applied spatial interaction and compartmental models to a wide range of systems, including the spread of White-nose syndrome in North American bats, the 2013–2015 West African Ebola epidemic, the evolutionary dynamics of influenza, and the early transmission patterns of COVID-19. His current research focuses on understanding the global forces driving disease emergence and advancing infectious disease intelligence, leveraging real-time data to inform decision-making during outbreaks of emerging pathogens.
Digitalisation is often described as an enabler of sustainability transitions, though concerns about rebound effects remain. To truly support these transitions, however, it must not only foster sustainability elsewhere but also embody it within its own development. This talk explores the future footprint of digital infrastructures, focusing on data centres at the global scale. On the energy side, it projects demand, associated greenhouse gas emissions, and the role of renewable energy. On the material side, it examines resource requirements and circular economy strategies under scenarios driven by different mechanisms. It models how digitalisation may evolve and what this could mean for energy systems, resource use, and climate outcomes. The purpose is not to predict the future, but to prepare for what it may become and to inform strategies.
Within public health, storytelling - including digital storytelling (DST) - is frequently examined through a scientific lens, whether as a research method or an interventional tool for influencing behaviour change. However, DST is inherently an arts-based practice, grounded in the creation of authentic, 3–5-minute videos that convey personal experiences of illness. Its strength lies in the interpretation and emotional meaning generated through the storytelling process, both for the storyteller creators and for audiences. In my recent work, I examine the potential of DST to relate experiences of antibiotic resistance and antibiotic adversity to the lay public. Using qualitative data from a public screening and discussion of five digital stories, we explore the extent to which this arts-based, largely emotion-driven method can be situated within a behavioural science framework, and whether it may form part of a causal pathway towards reducing unnecessary antibiotic use among the general public. This talk is part of the Behavioural Science and Complex Interventions course, which forms part of the Translational Health Sciences programme. This event is free and open to all. Dr Becky McCall has been a medical journalist working for various global news outlets for 20 years. Most of her work has been in the written format, but she has also worked in radio and television. She has watched with interest as the patient voice has shifted from the margins to adopting an increasingly central role in medical discourse. Her recent PhD work challenged assumptions around public perceptions of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through the creation of digital stories as an interventional tool to shape mindsets around the use of antibiotics. She has just been awarded a PhD from University College London. Some of her stories can be found at StoryBug.org.uk.
What does it mean to care for objects that are sacred to others? How do museums confront histories of empire and extraction? And how can they become spaces of inclusion, relevance and repair as audiences change in their demographics and how they approach museum spaces and collections? Two leading museum directors explore the tensions between traditional collecting practices and the urgent need to engage new, often marginalised, audiences. Dr Gus Casely-Hayford OBE is the founding Director of V&A East, a museum and collection centre. He was previously the Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art; he is a curator and cultural historian who writes, lectures and broadcasts widely on culture. Professor Laura van Broekhoven is Director of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum and Professor of Museum Studies, Ethics and Material Culture at the University of Oxford and a leading expert on museum ethics and on finding new, more inclusive ways for ethnographic museums to work.
Dr. Eitan Shamir is Director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (BESA Center) and head of the MA program in Security and Strategy in the Political Studies Department at Bar-Ilan University. Prior to taking up his academic position, he was in charge of the National Security Doctrine Department at the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, Prime Minister’s Office. Before joining the Ministry, he was a Senior Research Fellow at the Dado Center for Interdisciplinary Military Studies (CIMS) at IDF General Headquarters. Dr. Shamir’s research interests and publications focus on military strategy, command, and innovation. He is the author of Transforming Command: The Pursuit of Mission Command in the US, UK and Israeli Armies (2011) as well as the editor (with Beatrice Heuser) of Insurgencies and Counterinsurgencies: National Styles and Strategic Cultures (2017). His forthcoming books (2023) are The Art of Military Innovation: Lessons from the IDF (with Edward Luttwak) and Moshe Dayan: The Making of a Strategist (Hebrew). Dr. Shamir holds a PhD from the Department of War Studies, King’s College London.
All welcome
Science and technology have been recognized for more than a century as pervasive forces in modern life, profoundly shaping how we as individuals and societies understand the limits of our capacities and the horizons of what we can become. By contrast, law remains for most people the repository of the shared values and instruments with which we govern our lives. On this widely accepted account, facts and artifacts come first and norms afterwards. Whether formal or informal, law tells us how we should behave only in the light of what science makes known and how technologies enable us to act. Law therefore is seen as a follower, not a leader, and its power to make norms is often seen as lagging behind more rapid advances in science and technology. Over the past half-century, the field of science and technology studies (STS) has demonstrated that this relationship between is and ought is largely an artifact of social thought and it profoundly misrepresents the relations between science, technology and law in modernity. Law no less than science creates the conditions within which we understand the nature of our existence and articulate the purposes of our being. This co-productionist view of law, science and technology as jointly constituting what is stable and desirable in both nature and society provides the theoretical framework for these lectures.
COURSE DETAILS Topics will include presenting your CV, how to approach employers, writing covering letters and interview skills. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will understand: How to improve your CV. How to approach employers. How to write a covering letter. How to plan for an interview. How to interview well.
We are excited to invite you to Nipah Virus Research Day, a pivotal research event hosted by the Pandemic Sciences Institute that will explore the latest interdisciplinary advancements in Nipah virus research from the PSI Henipavirus Programme and more broadly. Presentations will cover advances in scientific, social science and translational research. In line with this, we will have an external speaker, Mura Manuela, from the European Medicines Agency, to speak on pathways to vaccine licensure. Highlights include: – Preliminary data from the Nipah virus vaccine clinical trial – Updates on work by PAD initiative-funded researchers – Novel approaches to societal and ethical considerations for Nipah research and outbreak management – Opportunities to network with other researchers from the PSI. The event will take place on 19 November 2025 from 9:30-17:00 in the Richard Doll Building lecture theatre, Old Road Campus, University of Oxford. It will close with a drinks reception from 16:00-17:00. The event is open to staff and students at PSI, and across the University of Oxford.
This is a hybrid seminar: To join via Zoom, please register in advance: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/LWouoef4SAO2PbCNh2imAQ After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will understand more about: A range of time saving techniques. Time wasting activities and learn how to deal with them. The difference between important and urgent. The importance of planning and setting time aside.
TBA
James Sanua’s journal Abou Naddara Zarqa, published in Paris from 1878 onwards was the Arab world’s first satirical journal and one of its most popular. Produced through a process of lithography which was similar to 19th century photocopying, each page was handwritten and then fed through a machine which produced the journal. This talk uses issues of the journal from 1878 to 1882, as well as samples of handwriting from Sanua’s archive to investigate how Abou Naddara was put together and who actually wrote the text. In doing so, the talk tries to draw broader conclusion about the economy and material conditions of émigré Arabic journals in the late 19th century and the Egyptian community in Paris in the 1880s.
This session will help you to understand what IP is, who "owns" it, and the things to think about when you think you have created IP. Whether you're an undergraduate, masters or DPhil student, or Staff at the University of Oxford, it is important to understand your rights and responsibilities when it comes to intellectual property (IP). This session will help you to understand what IP actually is, who "owns" it, and the things to think about when you think you have created IP. Case studies will also be presented to help explain the University's policy. Come prepared to ask any IP related questions in the second half of the session, where our expert presenters will give you the official University answers to any of your queries. In collaboration with Research Services, Oxford University Innovation, and The Careers Service. The talk will be from 12:30-1:30pm. If you have specific questions, the presenters will be available to answer questions until 2pm. Note: The sign up is through Inkpath, you will need to create an Inkpath account to sign up if you’ve not already got one.
Uhlig Group Speakers: Viktor Zouboulis & Alexandra Noble Title: Analysis of structural variants and single cells using rapid sequencing technologies Knight Group Speakers: Alicia Jia & Yaqi Li Title(s): TBC
In this session, Dr Liz Covey-Crump of the Business Partnerships Office will introduce different ways of working with industry partners, what is in it for you as researchers, and how to take the initial step. Liz will be joined by researchers that work with industry who will share how they got started, what they wished they knew beforehand, and the opportunities industry collaborations have brought. The session will be of interest to researchers at any level, particularly those interested in industry collaborations. Questions in advance are welcomed and there be time for questions during the session too.
School-related gender-based violence (GBV) is pervasive, yet little is known about how to address it or its consequences for education in contexts with low impunity for perpetrators and limited agency among victims. We evaluate a large-scale randomized intervention in Mozambique that combined teacher training with student-focused sessions to strengthen school personnel’s capacity to address GBV and build technical skills. To examine differential effects by degree of agency, the student training was randomly targeted to girls, boys, or both. The program led to a substantial reduction in sexual violence perpetrated by teachers and staff against girls across all treated schools. Administrative records show that interventions targeting girls raised their school enrollment, driven by a greater propensity to report GBV. Complementary survey data and reports from the national child hotline document a sharp rise in GBV reporting, which spurred more investigations and heightened social sanctions against adult perpetrators. These results suggest that reducing school-related GBV and improving girls’ education requires a dual strategy: deterring potential perpetrators while empowering victims to report abuse. Written with Sofia Amaral , Aixa Garcia-Ramos, Sarita Oré, Alejandra Ramos, Maria Micaela Sviatschi.
In an effort to generate more discussion and collaboration on the scholarly study of religious naturalism, the Editorial Board of the Journal of the Oxford Graduate Theological Society is organizing a reading group on Alan Moore and Stephen Bissette’s influential run of Swamp Thing (1984–1987) and academic literature related to its sociohistorical context and themes. Moore’s writing explores sacred conceptions of nature, non-human life, magic, and psychedelic experiences. Brought to life by Bissette’s art, Saga of the Swamp Thing is perhaps the definitive tale of ecospirituality in the comics medium. All humans (and plant-monsters) are invited to join us to discuss this influential work. Reading list: https://haliphron.ink/2025/11/04/swamp2025/ Session 2 Readings (November 19) Moore, Alan, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben. “Book Two (#28-34).” In Saga of the Swamp Thing: Vertigo, 2012. Moore, Alan, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben. “Book Three (#35-42).” In Saga of the Swamp Thing: Vertigo, 2013. Secondary: Addis, Victoria. “Ecomasculinity, Ecomasculinism, and the Superhero Genre: Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing.” In Men, Masculinities, and Earth: Contending with the (M)Anthropocene, edited by Paul M. Pulé and Martin Hultman, 417-32. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021. Letheby, Chris. “Naturalizing Psychedelic Spirituality.” Zygon 52, no. 3 (2017): 623-42. https://doi.org/10.1111/zygo.12353.
Join via Teams: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YjhmYWMyMDgtMTdlYS00ZGE4LWE3ODctYmI0MTA1NmRkYzY0%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22cc95de1b-97f5-4f93-b4ba-fe68b852cf91%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22f2ecb98c-9690-44c2-b425-c22592d86041%22%7d We will cover: • Brain–lung crosstalk • Arterial Blood Gas targets and ventilator parameters in Acute Brain Injury • Case-based discussion: Managing brain–lung conflict (ABI + ARDS)
Wednesday 19 November (MFO) 13:30–14 :00 Welcome. Stéphane van Damme, director of the MFO. Session I 14:00–14:45 Susan James (Birkbeck/Kings College London), Margaret Cavendish on Natural Philosophy and Poetry 14:45–15 :30 Eric Sheng (Merton, Oxford), Gassendi’s Arguments for Hedonism Chair: Mogens Lærke (CNRS-IHRIM/MFO, Lyon/Oxford) 15 :30–16:00 Coffee Break Session II 16 :00–16:45 Philip Beeley (Linacre, Oxford), John Pell and the Advancement of Mathematical Learning in Seventeenth-Century England 16 :45–17:30 David Bartha (Birmingham Newman University), Animal Souls and Immortality in the Browne–Baxter Debate Chair: Louis Rouquayrol (CNRS-IHRIM, Lyon) Thursday 20 November (MFO) Session III 9:00–9 :45 Odile Panetta (Aarhus University/Christ Church, Oxford), Dutch Reformed Universities and the Debate over the Ius circa sacra 9:45–10 :30 Daniel Pedersen (University of Aberdeen), Seventeenth-Century Theologians Against the Clear and Distinct Knowledge of God Chair: Niall Dilucia (CNRS-MFO, Oxford) 10:30–11 :00 Coffee Break Session IV 11:00–11:45 Sarah Mortimer (Christ Church, Oxford), Freedom, Miracles, and Revelation: The Remonstrants and Spinoza 11:45–12:30 Olivier Yasar de France (Pembroke, Oxford), Spinoza and the Rights of Peace Chair: Noel Malcolm (All Souls, Oxford) 12:30–14:00 Lunch Session V 14:00–14:45 Eric Schliesser (University of Amsterdam/Tulane University, New Orleans), Huygens (and Newton, of Course!): Some Awkward Observations about Causal Isolation and Simultaneity 14:45–15:30 Yoav Beirach (Max Planck Institute, Berlin), “Something of Imitation, That is Not Easily Removed”: Huygens and Leibniz on Time Measurement Chair: Paul Lodge (Mansfield, Oxford) 17:00-19:00 Old Library, All Souls. All conference participants are cordially invited to the book launch of Nuno Castel Branco’s The Traveling Anatomist. Nicolaus Steno and the Intersection of Disciplines in Early Modern Science (University of Chicago Press, 2025). With the participation of Daniel Garber (Princeton), Mogens Lærke (CNRS, Lyon/Oxford), and Kathryn Murphy (Oriel College, Oxford). The event will be followed by a wine reception offered by All Souls College. Friday 21 November (Hovenden Room, All Souls College) Session VI 9 :00–9:45 Robert Iliffe (Linacre, Oxford), TBA 9:45–10:30 Delphine Antoine-Mahut (IHRIM/Labex Comod, ENS de Lyon), In the Brain of Christ. Fenelon as a Reader of Malebranche Chair: Nuno Castel-Branco (All Souls, Oxford) 10:30–11:00 Break Session VII 11:00–11:45 Michael Jaworcyn (CNRS-MFO, Oxford), The Finitude of Cartesian Minds 11:45–12:30 Daniel Garber (Princeton University), We Desire to Form a Model of Human Nature’: Spinoza on Becoming a More Perfect Self Chair: Raphaële Garrod (Magdalen, Oxford)
In a world of clickbait headlines and algorithm-driven feeds, thinking critically about the information we consume is more vital than ever. This interactive workshop aimed at undergraduates will help you to evaluate the credibility and bias in today’s news and social media. Through hands-on activities and real-world examples, you'll learn how to assess sources, identify misinformation, and trace claims and quotes to their original context. By the end of this session, you will be able to: describe what critical thinking means in the context of news articles and social media sources; identify different forms of bias in news and social media; recognise misinformation and 'fake news'; and understand and apply the SIFT Method to evaluate claims in news and social media sources. Intended audience: Taught student
An online introduction to using alerts to keep up to date with new research and save you time. A combination of presenter-led instruction and the opportunity for participants to set up email alerts to receive notifications for publications in their field of research. We invite you to send any questions you have in advance to usered@bodleian.ox.ac.uk for the instructors to cover in the session. There will also be opportunities to ask questions in the class. The workshop will cover: how email alerts can help you; setting up alerts on your favourite databases and other platforms for new content in your field; and managing your alerts. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student.
Megan Hamilton (King's College London), The Imperial Armies and Training Liaison in the Middle East in the Second World War This paper will examine Imperial training liaison in the Middle East during the Second World War. The British Army’s Middle East Command began the war with modest training capacities, but as conflict escalated in North Africa, the need for centralized training schools in the region grew. Many schools were established in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine throughout 1941, and were eventually consolidated at the Middle East Training School in 1942 under the General Headquarters Middle East Training Directorate. These establishments continued until the end of the war, although much reduced in scope as the training facilities eventually followed the fighting troops to Italy. Efforts to centralise training close to the battlefield were critical to synchronising doctrine and quickly absorbing the lessons that had been learned in combat. Techniques and doctrinal developments learnt in North Africa and the Middle East were distributed to Allied forces around the globe, making this a central component in the transnational conversation on army training in the Second World War. However, it was not just the British Army training in the Middle East. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and India all had divisions fighting and training in the region. They made use of the British training schools, as well as setting up some of their own. This system worked due to the common doctrine used by all Imperial forces and allowed lessons to be shared quickly amongst the armies. By using in-depth research from archives across Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK, this paper will explore how Imperial ties allowed for integration of training in the Middle East. It will use army training to explore how effectively these armies cooperated, with a focus on British leadership and Dominion independence. This paper will contribute to an Imperial perspective of the Second World War by highlighting the importance of transnational coordination and liaison. James Hua (University of Oxford), Comparing Population Expulsions in ancient Greece and today: dynamics, quantities, and resilience What was particular about refugee crises in the ancient Greek world? How do they compare to the dynamic today, and what can their study add to our understanding of the modern phenomenon? This talk seeks to address the similarities and differences between mass city expulsions in the Archaic and Classical Greek world with those today, comparing especially the dynamics of mass expulsion and drawing out the often significant systematic differences but also surprising similarities. In particular, the presentation will address the spread and reach of this phenomenon in both periods, the experiences that refugees underwent, the strategies and motives of expelling powers, and perhaps most importantly cases of resistance and formation of a common identity by refugees to counter expelling powers and forge new ties in a world of displacements.
War and human flourishing exhibits strong spatial bias across geographical scales. Geography matters in conflict and cooperation but no mathematical framework thus far ties them together at the global scale. Here, we show that simple network models can explain the spatial patterns of conflict and cooperation with accuracy and robustness, reinforced and explained by simple agent-based-modeling. We go on in our second piece of work to add tipping dynamics to understand how cascades can happen or be prevented. This was then linked to several branching projects: (i) how will future climate change and migration affect the model (MET Office), and (ii) how can we model causal latent spaces in climate change and conflict. More generally, I am interested in how to better understand networked tipping dynamics and how it contributes to our understanding of global tipping dynamics in climate-society-technology ecosystems in the Tipping Points Report.
The Older Scots Reading Group is for people interested in literature produced in Scotland between 1375-1550. This is an incredibly rich period, featuring authors experimenting with form and language. The texts themselves are written in Older Scots – a language closely related to Middle English, but with some unique attributes. This reading group will provide a relaxed introduction to this period and language. This term we will focus on reading and comprehension. We will read one fairly short poem (300 lines max) per week by some of the most prominent Scottish Makars – Robert Henryson, William Dunbar, and Gavin Douglas. No intensive preparation required. Both undergraduates and postgraduates are welcome. There may be snacks! If you have any questions, contact megan.bushnell@ling-phil.ox.ac.uk
Type Designers of the Twentieth Century by David Jury (Bodleian Library Publishing) tells the fascinating story of the design and manufacture of typefaces over the past 100 years, from the hand-made letter forms cut from metal blocks to digital designs made with sophisticated computerized techniques. To celebrate the publication of this book, Jeremy Tankard, a leading type designer, describes the evolution of type design during his own professional career, recalling the freedom to experiment that accompanied the early days of digital type design, to contemporary practices which harness the tremendous advances in design technology widely used today across the industry.
Type Designers of the Twentieth Century by David Jury (Bodleian Library Publishing) tells the fascinating story of the design and manufacture of typefaces over the past 100 years, from the hand-made letter forms cut from metal blocks to digital designs made with sophisticated computerized techniques. To celebrate the publication of this book, Jeremy Tankard, a leading type designer, describes the evolution of type design during his own professional career, recalling the freedom to experiment that accompanied the early days of digital type design, to contemporary practices which harness the tremendous advances in design technology widely used today across the industry. Speakers David Jury is a writer, designer, printer, lecturer and historian of type, typography and graphic design. He is editor of Parenthesis, the journal of the Fine Press Book Association (UK/European edition) and proprietor of the Fox Ash Press. His many books include Reinventing Print (Bloomsbury, 2018), Mid-Century Type (Merrill Books, 2023) and, most recently, Type Designers of the Twentieth Century (Bodleian Library Publishing, 2025). Jeremy Tankard is a type designer with more than 30 years’ experience. His first typeface, 'Disturbance', was released through Fontshop International in 1993, followed by 'Bliss' in 1996 as part of the Agfa Creative Alliance and later by typefaces for Adobe and Microsoft. He continues to produce a wide range of type that offer new visual textures for creative use; some are bespoke commissions but many are available to license at typography.net.
Part of the 2025-2026 series ‘How can we respond to this systemic crisis?’. A series of master classes, seminars, workshops and talks with Professor Laura Rival, research collaborators and colleagues. Michaelmas Term series titled: ‘In Latin America, by greening the state at the top and from below’. The seminar, led by Josefina Lehnen and Elena Gálvez, will explore the ramifications of the 2008 Constitution, particularly in terms of Indigenous rights and the rights of nature. Laura Rival will discuss the Yasuní Initiative and the current battle to keep the oil in the ground. Josefina Lehnen was an MPhil student at ODID (2022-2024), whose thesis was entitled: ‘"Disputes of Decarbonization: Ecuador between Green Extractivism and Green State Transformation".’ She is currently doing research in Ecuador. Elena Gálvez is a historian, sociologist, ecologist and photographer. She is currently finishing her doctoral research at the Department of History and Anthropology of FLACSO-Ecuador. Her research on political ecology focuses on extractivism and the historical formation of Amazonian identities. She has collaborated with Acción Ecológica and the Institute for Environmental Studies of the Third World (IEETM, http://www.estudiosecologistas.org/ ). Followed by refreshments.
Prospective applicants who are interested in studying the MPhil in Sociology and Demography are invited to attend this information session with Dr Michael Biggs, Taught Course Director, and Dr José Ignacio Carrasco, Departmental Lecturer. The session will summarise key information about the admissions process, funding, course milestones, supervision and future career opportunities. There will then be time to ask questions.
Glioblastoma is invariably lethal and responds poorly to immune checkpoint blockade. Here, we examined the impact of regulatory T (Treg) cell depletion on glioblastoma progression and immunotherapy responsiveness. In human glioblastoma, elevated Treg cell signatures correlated with poorer survival outcomes, with these cells expressing high levels of CD25. In Nf1−/−Pten−/−EGFRvIII+ glioblastoma-bearing mice, a single dose of non-interleukin-2 (IL-2) blocking (NIB) anti-CD25 (anti-CD25NIB) antibody depleted Treg cells and promoted CD8+ T cell clonal expansion and partial tumor control, further enhanced by programmed cell death-1 (PD1)-blockade. Treg cell depletion induced interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-dependent tumor microenvironment remodeling, increasing Fcγ receptor (FcγR) expression on intratumoral myeloid cells and enhancing phagocytosis. Combination of anti-CD25NIB with anti-EGFRvIII tumor-targeting antibodies resulted in complete tumor control. Anti-human CD25NIB treatment of glioblastoma patient-derived tumor fragments effectively depleted Treg cells and activated CD8+ T cells. These findings underscore the therapeutic relevance of Treg targeting in glioblastoma and unveil potent combination strategies for anti-CD25NIB based on innate cell activation.
*Uta Balbier* The project she will pursue at the Koch History Centre explores the interplay between religion, state authority, and capitalism in the 20th Century United States through the history of the Coca-Cola company. It traces the history of the company from its genuine religious roots in Southern Methodism in the late 19th century to its civil religious role in American corporate imperialism during the Cold War. Registration is required for both in-person and online attendance.
This talk asks us to reconsider the origins of art history in Japan. It does so by setting up a comparison between the collecting activities of those engaged in what we now call the natural sciences and those engaged in what we now call the history of art. Agents in both fields were invested in finding exemplars, carefully labeling them, and arranging them according to morphological taxonomies. In chronological terms, the talk spans the sixteenth to twentieth centuries. In archival terms, the primary focus is _tekagami_, a genre of albums that compiled the so-called “exemplary hands” of calligraphers or painters. In reading art history and the natural sciences alongside one another, we arrive at a far more nuanced understanding of how the history of form emerged in early modernity. *Kristopher Kersy* is an Associate Professor in the Department of Art History at UCLA. His latest book is _Facing Images: Medieval Japanese Art and the Problem of Modernity_ (Penn State University Press, 2024).
Join online via Microsoft Teams by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/2s3hfr23
Aestheticised Maoism: Japanese (Anti-)Political Imaginations of Mao Zedong during the Cultural Revolution Harry Chi Hang CHO, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Zheng qi (争气, striving spirit), The Making of a Revolutionary Emotion Sijie Ren, University of Bristol
Take a break from your research and join us for an evening of wine, snacks, and ideas at the Oxford Martin School. After a year of rapid progress in the world of AI – and exciting growth within our own AIGI team – it’s time to reconnect, reflect, and raise a glass (or two). Whether you’re a computer scientist pushing the boundaries of machine learning or a philosopher exploring the ethical frontiers of AI, this is your crowd. Come enjoy a drink, meet our expanded AIGI team, and share your thoughts (and hot takes!) on the year’s biggest AI developments. Date and Time: Wednesday, November 19 · 5:00pm – 7:30pm Location: Lecture Theatre, Oxford Martin School
Judge Theodor Meron CMG launches his newly published poetry collection, Poems on Being, on Love, and on Grief, in conversation with Baroness Helena Kennedy. The evening will feature a poetry reading by Judge Meron, followed by a discussion with Baroness Kennedy. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase after the event. An Honorary Fellow of Trinity, Theodor Meron is a judge and former President of the United Nations war crimes tribunals. He served as the presiding Judge of the Appeals Chambers of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals. A leading scholar of international humanitarian law, human rights, and international criminal law, he has authored a dozen books on international law. He is also a former Honorary President of the American Society of International Law and a former Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of International Law. Helena Kennedy KC is one of Britain’s most distinguished lawyers. She has dedicated her career to giving voice to those with the least power within the legal system, championing civil liberties and promoting human rights. In 2024, she was appointed to the Order of the Thistle – the highest order of chivalry in Scotland – in recognition of her outstanding public service and pioneering work in advancing human rights and social justice, both in the UK and internationally. "Judge Theodor Meron CMG has published many books in the genre of law, but this is his first publication of poetry. He gently takes the reader on a trip through love and loss and even the simple 'motions' and sometimes difficult 'emotions' of just "being." This book is also a tribute to his wife and the love of his life "Monique" and it is truly a poignant and hopeful read in some places and a haunting and sorrowful look at the empty place in those left behind to carry on after the crushing loss of a loved one." - Candice James, Poet Laureate Emerita, New Westminster, BC Canada
A Place in the City, by Dr Gabriel Silvestre, from Newcastle University's School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, features communities in Latin America facing displacement, segregation, and gender inequality. The film captures how ordinary people are reshaping their neighbourhoods - fighting not just for rights, but for the power to design more inclusive urban futures. Through powerful stories from Santiago de Chile, Rosario (Argentina), and Belo Horizonte (Brazil), the film weaves together compelling commentary with archival and original footage. It is both a tribute to collective action and a call to imagine cities differently. The film screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the director.
Attacks on healthcare have captured international attention in recent years, as the bombing of hospitals and medical facilities in Gaza, Ukraine and elsewhere signal how readily conflict parties neglect their obligations under international humanitarian law. In Sudan and Myanmar, medical staff have been at the forefront of resistance movements to military regimes. While especially prominent in armed conflict, the threat to healthcare is not confined to conflict; the COVID 19 pandemic saw a rise in violence towards health workers globally. What are the dynamics of this violence, and what does it mean for the healthcare system, for conflict-affected populations, and for international law, particularly given the seismic shifts affecting the humanitarian sector? This seminar will examine these questions, drawing on findings from the Researching the Impact of Attacks on Healthcare project. About the speaker Larissa Fast is Professor of Humanitarian and Conflict Studies and former Executive Director of the Humanitarian and Conflict Research Institute at the University of Manchester. She is an interdisciplinary scholar working at the intersection of the worlds of academia, policy, and practice. Her research addresses two fundamental problems: how best to protect civilians, particularly those who intervene in violent conflict, and how to make such intervention more effective, ethical, and responsive to local needs and circumstances. In addition to her monograph Aid in Danger: The Perils and Promise of Humanitarianism (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2014), she has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles and policy reports. She is Principal Investigator of the Researching the Impact of Attacks on Healthcare (RIAH) project (2019-2026), and co-Investigator on a project examining the ethics of research in conflict and disaster settings (2023-2025). Her research has been funded by the UK FCDO, British Academy, Research Council of Norway, the Wellcome Trust, US Agency for International Development, US Institute of Peace, and the Swiss Development Corporation. The seminar will be followed by drinks in the Hall. Registration not required. All enquiries should be directed to rsc-outreach@qeh.ox.ac.uk
In postwar Britain, a group of psychoanalysts promised to improve how Britons worked. With their knowledge of how people related to each other, workers could be made to feel more connected to each other and their firm, while bosses would grow in sympathy and understanding. Work could be made more efficient and more humane, an attractive proposition in a nation seeking economic regeneration after war. However, these experts largely failed. Psychoanalysis, when applied to the workplace, was hollowed out by more resilient, managerial ways of thinking about work. Workers, unions and managers treated psychoanalysts with suspicion, believing they could not properly understand the workplaces they’d descended upon to research. Psychoanalysis’s association with sexuality created significant difficulties in analysts’ efforts to create a science of work. Psychoanalysts’ promise to reimagine work along healthier, more democratic lines also faltered when it came to the treatment of racialised workers. Please register for attendance both in-person and virtual.
Caroline will be discussing relations with the EU and USA against the background of Brexit and Trump, and she will be answering questions from the audience
From inception to publication this practical session delivered by Emily Elias, journalist and producer of the Oxford Sparks podcast series, is a whirlwind tour through the basics of how to share your research in an engaging manner through podcasting.
COURSE DETAILS You will learn how to choose the best journal for your work, negotiate the peer review process and deal with reviewer comments. The course will cover: Why publish and how that affects how you publish. The structure of a paper. What to include in the title and abstract. Open access. Impact metrics and citations. Ways to get published more quickly. Publicising your paper once it is published. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of the session participants will be able to: Develop and understanding of the peer review process. Construct an effective title and abstract. Be equipped to choose journals for future papers. Be equipped to publicise future papers. PREVIOUS PARTICIPANTS HAVE SAID "Nice to have a professional with an in-depth industry knowledge offer training and advice.'" "The course was excellent and very well delivered. there was a real sense of professionalism.'" "Now it doesn't feel so scary to try to publish a paper.'" INTENDED FOR DPhil students and research staff. The course is suitable for DPhil students and postdocs who want to understand the publishing process better, whether or not they have already submitted a paper.
COURSE DETAILS This short practical session will help you understand more about the career context for research staff at Oxford and beyond. It will enable you to identify the skills and abilities that you need to develop and give you guidance on how to enhance them so you are prepared for a useful conversation in your next CDR. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will have: An understanding of the career challenges and opportunities facing research staff at Oxford. An understanding of the skills you need to acquire. Started to apply a process of developing these skills.
Oxford DPhil students are required to deposit a copy of their thesis in the Oxford University Research Archive (ORA). This online session will focus on what ORA is and how to deposit one's thesis in ORA, and how to access help with this process. It will also cover the relevant rights and permissions required and other issues that DPhil students need to take into account when preparing their thesis for upload to ORA. Topics include: what ORA is and what you need to deposit; how to deposit your thesis in ORA; observing relevant rights and permissions; and accessing help with depositing your thesis in ORA. Intended audience: Researcher & research student; Staff
This is an opportunity to share our projects, so come with your research questions and core themes to hand.
In collaboration with the Oxford University Collective for Pastoralist and Nomadic People, this transhistorical seminar on pastoral mobilities explores the intersections of nomadic and environmental humanities from contemporary Mongolia, medieval Provence to the deep past. Dr Ariell Ahearn: tba Patrick Hegarthy-Morrish: Patterns of pastoral mobility in late-medieval Haute-Provence The voluminous archives of Provence give voluminous source material, in many different formats, to piece together how pastoralism functioned over time and space in the late middle ages. In my talk I will focus on the fourteenth century, and on the mountainous region of Haute-Provence, and will explore how different scales of pastoralism, and different routines of mobility, interacted and co-existed in one region. Depending on the season, herders moved livestock between the local upland commons and the cultivated area; they grazed flocks on the pastures of a neighbouring community; or they took their animals on ponderous long journeys to access different ecosystems with better climate or better suited to the fodder needs of their flock. All this human-directed mobility was also paired with the instinctive movement of the animals themselves, as they sough out the best pasture in a certain environment. Livestock mobility was deeply interactive with the local environment. Across the seasons, herders sought rich upland meadows or sclerophyllous woodlands in response to the annual rotation in their animals’ nutritional requirements. On their journeys, livestock picked up insects and seeds from vegetation along the drove roads and transported them across the region. Animals’ manure and eating habits created soil microbiomes in permitted spots, constituted from the digested vegetable matter that local or less local livestock had brought perhaps from a different ecological region some hundred kilometres away. All this shows a complex, interactive jigsaw of different forms of pastoralism, in which animals, humans, and ecosystems interact. Dr Valasia Isaakidou (Archeology, Oxford) and Professor Paul Halstead (Archaeology, Sheffield): Pastoral mobilities in the longue durée In social evolutionary narratives, hunter-gatherers typically lacked both private property and sedentism, while crop cultivators had both characteristics. Accordingly, pastoralists, combining private property with mobility, were often viewed as an intermediate stage between primeval hunter-gatherers and later cultivators. A fundamental critique of this view argues that contemporary/recent pastoralists either raise crops as well as livestock (thereby constraining their mobility) or are dependent for staple crops on agricultural societies, usually by exchanging pastoral for agricultural products in urban markets. If so, specialised pastoralist societies are unlikely to have emerged prior to the appearance of cities or even of market economies. Archaeological literature is replete with claims of early (pre-urban/pre-market) pastoralists, but these (1) do not address the argument that specialised pastoralism is not viable without reliable exchange with crop producers and (2) cite empirical support in distant and ambiguous proxies (e.g., material culture, settlement patterns) that are equally compatible with sedentary mixed farming.
In this talk, we will explore three flow configurations that illustrate the behaviour of slow-moving viscous fluids in confined geometries: viscous gravity currents, fracturing of shear-thinning fluids in a Hele-Shaw cell, and rectangular channel flows of non-Newtonian fluids. We will first develop simple mathematical models to describe each setup, and then we will compare the theoretical predictions from these models with laboratory experiments. As is often the case, we will see that even models that are grounded in solid physical principles often fail to accurately predict the real-world flow behaviour. Our aim is to identify the primary physical mechanisms absent from the model using laboratory experiments. We will then refine the mathematical models and see whether better agreement between theory and experiment can be achieved.
A hallmark of the adaptive immune system is its ability to generate long-lasting memory that protects against reinfections. In antibody-mediated responses, memory is maintained by plasma cells and memory B-cells (MBCs), with a diverse pool of MBCs being important for responses to new pathogen variants. Mechanisms underlying MBCs’ longevity, rapid responsiveness, and diversity remain largely unknown. This talk will focus on published and unpublished results that unravel key aspects of MBC heterogeneity and how this influences their function and maintenance.
Tissue destruction in immune-mediated disease requires more than the presence of antigen-specific lymphocytes. Lessons from type 1 diabetes and celiac disease show that loss of tolerance—marked by autoreactive or dietary antigen–specific Th1 responses—is necessary but not sufficient for pathology. The magnitude of the CD4⁺ T-cell response, and the signals that amplify it, are decisive because they provide the “license” enabling cytotoxic CD8⁺ T cells (CTLs) to kill. Notably, antigen-specific CTLs can persist in tissues without causing injury unless they receive additional cues. These licensing signals differ from those in lymph nodes and include stress-induced non-classical MHC ligands, NK receptor engagement, and cytokines such as IL-15. This framework helps explain why tumor-specific CTLs often fail to clear cancers and suggests that, beyond checkpoint inhibition, therapies must also target the pathways that license CTLs to execute tissue destruction.
Narrative CVs are being adopted by many funders, nationally and internationally, to give researchers the opportunity to showcase a wider range of skills and experience than is possible in a traditional academic CV; an example is the UKRI Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI). Writing a narrative CV requires a different way of thinking about and describing your skills, experience and contributions to research and innovation compared to a traditional CV. Writing your first narrative CV will take some time and effort; you might not be sure about what activities to include, and how to describe their quality, relevance, and your involvement in them. This presentation will try to demystify and simplify narrative CVs by providing advice, prompts and suggestions for how to write one. Speakers Mary Muers Research Culture Facilitator, MSD Kanza Basit Senior Research Facilitator, SSD Gavin Bird Head of Research Facilitation and Support, SOGE, SSD Susan Black, Careers Adviser, Oxford Careers Service Everyone welcome, please register to receive the TEAMS link for this event If you are a student or researcher with a CareerConnect account, please register "here":https://oxford.targetconnect.net/leap/event.html?id=22968&service=Careers%20Service All other staff register "here":https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=G96VzPWXk0-0uv5ouFLPke7xLB0LNIFKuA055EWF9ZtUN1M2U0xGSE80QkJRQTRHRk1LNjVKWDUyNy4u, the joining link will be in the registration confirmation email
Christianity is central to religious education (RE) in England, but the version presented, particularly in textbooks, is concerningly sanitised, essentialised and Eurocentric, especially in relation to homosexuality. This silence is deeply problematic, given that it promotes a view of Christianity that fails to acknowledge the lived experience of many people in classrooms and around the world. This paper critically examines how RE textbooks portray African Christianities and attitudes towards homosexuality, contextualised against Uganda’s 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA). It critiques textbooks that perpetuate Eurocentric narratives that marginalise African epistemologies and oversimplify Christian views on LGBTQ + issues. The research employs discourse analysis on eleven RE textbooks and explores their impact on students’ understanding of Christianity, emphasising the absence of African Christian voices as active participants in theology. The findings reveal significant omissions. African Christianities are often represented as passive recipients of aid or evangelism, while Christian beliefs about homosexuality are framed in narrow binaries of liberal and traditional views, ignoring the broader spectrum of beliefs shown by denominations like the Church of Uganda. The paper argues for textbook reforms to include diverse Christian perspectives, offering more accurate representations to enhance both RE and social justice in classrooms. Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3195567696284?p=o5qrPLjEAyArQ7Fmoj
Grammar is crucial to language and language learning. Research into grammar instruction (i.e. interventional efforts to direct learners’ attention to particular grammatical forms) has been a central topic in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) due to its importance in assisting second language (L2) learners to develop communicative competence. Over the last three decades, the role of grammar instruction in second/foreign language contexts has been reconsidered on the basis of findings in the field of L2 research with adult learners. Studies highlight the need to identify effective instructional procedures to focus on formal aspects of language, enabling learners to notice the mismatch between their interlanguage and the target language. Moreover, there is now broad consensus that pedagogical intervention is facilitative and may even be indispensable in foreign language (FL) learning contexts, where learners receive minimal L2 input- typically only a few hours per week. Although the early learning of English as a foreign language (EFL) in school settings has grown exponentially over the past twenty years, one population that remains underexplored regarding these issues is children aged 6-12. This talk will share ways in which interactive collaborative tasks can draw children’s attention to formal aspects of English. Our research, grounded within cognitive-interactionist and sociocultural frameworks, demonstrates how grammar focused tasks, input enhancement and collaborative writing - combined with the manipulation of implementation variables (task repetition, task modality) and explicit metalinguistic explanations- help children focus on formal aspects of the language. Importantly, these instructional procedures enable children to resolve problematic issues without teacher intervention. We will conclude by identifying challenges and further research directions for effective grammar pedagogy for young learners. Bio: María del Pilar García Mayo is Full Professor of English Language and Linguistics at the University of the Basque Country (Spain), Honorary Professor at University College London and Honorary Consultant for the Shanghai Center for Research in English Language Education. She has published widely on two strands of research, namely, formal L2/L3 acquisition (generative approach), and cognitive-interactionist theory, examining the impact of conversational interactions on language development in low-input, foreign language settings. Prof. Garcia Mayo is the director of the research group Language and Speech and the MA program Language Acquisition in Multilingual. She is also the editor of Language Teaching Research and belongs to the Steering Committee of the Spanish State Research Agency. https://www.laslab.org/staff/pilar Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3aM_SoBsI8nakThXNUxEguh57-GSvT6JopDdhFnEBgr3I1%40thread.tacv2/1759499654009?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22cc95de1b-97f5-4f93-b4ba-fe68b852cf91%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22e0e2c03d-d313-4dab-bd7c-afbd83792648%22%7d
‘Land degradation’ is a general term that covers many forms of soil deterioration that results in poorer quality, less healthy soils. Its most important form is erosion by water (runoff) which is a global problem with well known ‘hotspots’ such as the Loess plateau in China, Ethiopia and Madagascar. The causes are usually a combination of government economic policy, unwise farming practices, vulnerable soils, sloping sites and rainfall. In Europe, predicted wetter winters and increase in frequency of intense rainfall in summer, increase the threat of erosion. Erosion does not generally impact our ability to grow food crops, but the off-site impacts are very costly: reservoir sedimentation, muddy flooding of properties, pollution of freshwater systems. Soil conservation measures are often linked to flood protection, but quite different approaches may be needed. Soil protection is poorly reflected in global legislation e.g. The Sustainability Goals, and off-site impacts are frequently ignored.
Lesson of the week, clinical cases and research. All clinical and academic staff and students welcome. Coffee, Tea and Cake will be served.
Following the very successful seminars series on J. R. R. Tolkien in 2023 and 2024 (for recordings see: https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/series/fantasy-literature) we are pleased to announce a new round of presentations by Oxford academics on fantasy literature to run this Michaelmas Term (2025). These talks are aimed at students and members of the public and act as introductions to a range of writers and texts in the field of fantasy literature/weird fiction. The series is organised by the Faculty of English and hosted by Exeter College. All talks will be held in the Fitzhugh Lecture Theatre, Cohen Quad, Walton Street, Oxford (Exeter College’s annex), and run 1.00-2.00pm. Attendance is free of charge but we ask you to register using the link: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/seminar-series-the-weird-and-the-wonderful-4530103
awaited
A practical 180-minute workshop where participants will work on searches for their review across multiple databases. Librarians from the Bodleian Health Care Libraries will be on hand to demonstrate online tools for facilitating the process and give practical advice on refining individual search strategies. By the end of this classroom-based session you will be able to: improve a search strategy that you are working on; adapt the search across multiple databases; use tools such as Yale MeSH Analyzer and Polyglot; describe alternative methods for identifying references, including citation chaser; use Covidence for your review; and report your search methods according to PRISMA-Search. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Researcher & research student
Prospective applicants who are interested in studying the MSc in Sociology are invited to attend this information session with Dr Michael Biggs, Taught Course Director; Professor Colin Mills, Associate Professor in Sociology; and Dr Lindsay Richards, Departmental Lecturer. The session will summarise key information about the admissions process, funding, course milestones, supervision and future career opportunities. There will then be time to ask questions.
The intersections between arts, creativity and health are of significant importance in the humanities and social sciences. Within the arts and health field, for example, the arts have been applied to communicate health crises (such as pandemics), improve psychotherapies for chronic health conditions and deepen engagement in participatory health projects. However, concepts and methods are predominantly informed by Global North research, and critical insights from arts traditions elsewhere remain to be fully integrated into common models. Ghana offers a unique case study for examining local and global dynamics in arts-based health communication, because of the country’s rich art traditions as well as its place in global history and in the global imagination. Creative arts drive social life and indigenous healing systems. Healing art forms like music and sculpture have evolved through intentional cross-cultural borrowings, as well as through changes imposed through slavery, colonialism and post-colonial political systems. Selling Healing tells a polyvocal story of how Ghanaian art forms intersect with health, illness and healing, makes an interdisciplinary case for incorporating arts and social creativity into official health promotion, and invites a re-imagining of health communication in global health.
Much social scientific research on migrant arrival and settlement has examined these processes through the lens of ‘integration’, investigating how migrants access societal realms such as the labour market, education, civil society, and social networks. A complementary body of work has looked at how socio-economic contexts shape integration and social mobility. This paper expands on this work by highlighting the importance of place in the context of migrant arrival. It builds on an emerging body of literature on ‘arrival infrastructures’ that has emphasised that where migrants arrive, and the related place-based opportunity structures they encounter, play a crucial role in their ability to access resources. Arrival infrastructures consist of a range of places such as civil society organisations, religious sites, informal sites like barbers or cafés, as well as publicly funded places like libraries and support services. Drawing on ethnographic research in East London, the paper analyses the opportunities and barriers that migrants encounter in accessing support through arrival infrastructures. It demonstrates how individual factors, such as cultural and social capital, combined with systemic barriers, including migration status and limited welfare entitlements, differentially shape access to support. It also highlights the crucial role of intermediaries or ‘brokers’, ranging from civil society actors to local pastors, shopkeepers and street-level bureaucrats, many of whom go beyond the remit of their everyday jobs. By drawing on the notion of ‘infrastructures of kindness’, the paper highlights how, in light of unprecedented cuts to welfare provision and their exacerbated effect in arrival areas (which are often amongst the most disadvantaged areas of the country), it is often thanks to these local acts of informal care that newcomers manage to forge a living. This seminar is hybrid. Join us in person at The Hub, Kellogg College, or participate online via Zoom by registering here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/evx9TAwlTFajxRVSGF_H-w
Anna will set out the Food Foundation's ambitions for the new government food strategy, including making the case for a Good Food Bill as an important step toward securing a food system which delivers improved public health, environmental outcomes, and resilience. Anna will discuss both policy and politics, the challenges of building political leadership and where academics can help.
The war in the Gaza Strip has resulted in significant civilian mortality and infrastructure damage, creating a public health emergency. Israeli military operations have caused massive destruction, displaced nearly 2 million people, and severely disrupted essential services. This seminar examines mortality and famine in Gaza over the past year, addressing health information system challenges, mortality and famine projections analysis, and data collection during conflict. The seminar will present mortality estimates using capture-recapture analysis methods and discuss famine projections that assess food insecurity and malnutrition risks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Speaker bio: Zeina Jamaluddine, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Her research explores how conflict, displacement, and social determinants shape nutrition and health among vulnerable populations in the Middle East and North Africa. She has led large-scale studies on maternal and child health, food and water security, and the evaluation of humanitarian interventions, with a focus on developing evidence-based solutions to reduce health and nutrition disparities. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Booking is required for people outside of the Department of Social Policy and Intervention (DSPI). DSPI Members do not need to register.
2025 Annual Uehiro Lectures Lecture 3: Girls’ Rights against Gestational Labour These three lectures scrutinize different profiles of reproductive rights. The first lecture focuses on men. It examines men’s gestational inability and consequent dependency on others for reproduction and parenting opportunities. The second lecture focuses on women. It looks at the ramifications of reproductive dependency, first, for fertile women’s personal relationships with gestationally dependent partners and, second, for women’s relations to their society and to the species, which also depend on them taking on the risky labour of gestating. That lecture explains that we may acknowledge the normative significance of dependency without overstepping a key line in the sand, that women have a categorical right to control their own gestational labour. The final lecture focuses on girls. It shows that girls’ concerns are distinct in key ways from women’s concerns. It defends girls’ rights as children to be protected from gestational labour.
The past century has been a time of great turmoil in much of the world. Europe, perhaps, bore the brunt of this turmoil, with millions killed and entire cities, such as Rotterdam, Dresden, and Warsaw largely reduced to rubble along with their museums, and cultural institutions. The Arab World has also suffered its share of conflicts, compounding the adverse impact of colonialism on everyday life and culture. Events such as the Nakba in Palestine, and conflicts such as the Lebanese Civil War and the 2003 American invasion of Iraq have left a string of structural and cultural devastation in addition to the toll on human life. However, the Arab World has also seen attempts to rebuild, both in lives and livelihoods, some more successful than others. These fragile steps forward can be derailed as conflicts arise such as in Gaza. Even in such dark cases there are some triumphs of humanity. This talk will attempt to shed light on these sparks of inspiration that reflect the vitality of the Arab World.
To join online, please register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/KbVXDl5TQWCP1I0nKS1TiQ
Professor Jones will summarize a recent paper in which he offers a new heuristic for understanding how and why constitutional claims are litigated in Japan. He offers a number of common features to the small and seemingly unrelated instances in which the Supreme Court of Japan has found a statute unconstitutional. He uses this heuristic to understand certain constitutional challenges currently in the news, including those relating to marriage equality and spousal surnames.
Come join us for an intriguing discussion on the life and work of Nicolaus Steno, _The Traveling Anatomist_, at All Souls College. Book copies available at a discounted price. Drinks reception to follow at 18:00. Featuring: Professor Daniel Garber (Princeton), Dr Mogens Laerke (CNRS, Maison Française), Professor Kathryn Murphy (Oriel). Chaired by Sir Noel Malcolm (All Souls)
Sonia Tycko, “The Legality of Prisoner of War Labour in England, 1648–1655,” _Past & Present_ 246 (2020), 35–68; Douglas Hay, ‘England, 1562–1875: The Law and Its Uses’, in Douglas Hay and Paul Craven, eds, _Masters, Servants, and Magistrates in Britain and the Empire, 1562–1955_, ed. (2004), 59–116.
The aim of the seminar is to foster a dynamic and interdisciplinary research culture supportive of individual scholarship. Finalists, M.St. and D.Phil. students, lecturers, fellows, scholars from across the university community – all are welcome. If you’d like to appear on the seminar mailing list, please email martha.swift@ell.ox.ac.uk OR hannah.fagan@mansfield.ox.ac.uk
The Celtic Seminar is held jointly by Oxford and the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (CAWCS), Aberystwyth. All Oxford seminars will be at 5.15 pm on Thursdays either hybrid (online and in person) or online-only via Microsoft Teams. When in person, they are in Room 30.022 of the Schwarzman Centre, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road. Please contact david.willis@ling-phil.ox.ac.uk if you need a link to join online. All CAWCS seminars will be held online at 5.00 pm on Thursdays via Zoom, and, for hybrid seminars, in person at the National Library of Wales or at CAWCS. Please contact a.elias@wales.ac.uk for the link.
Maya Kaushik read Biological Sciences at Christ Church and has spent over ten years in the Medical Communications sector. She will expand upon her journey, the industry and its career pathways, and what to expect when starting out after university. 5.30pm Networking with drinks & nibbles 6.00pm Maya’s talk 6.30pm Q&A
In collaboration with the Oxford China Centre, St John’s College is delighted to host the UK premiere of To Kill a Mongolian Horse - recipient of the Authors Under 40 Award for Best Directing and Screenwriting at the 2024 Venice Film Festival. Presented as part of the China Studies Seminar Series, the event seeks to draw global attention to the social challenges faced in China’s grassland regions through the expressive power of visual art. The film follows Saina, a Mongolian herdsman navigating the brutal winter grasslands by day and performing in a horseback stunt show by night. As he strives to care for his family and hold onto his cultural roots, the story reveals the tensions between tradition and modernity, and the complexities of rural identity, through the lens of a female director. With support from the St John’s College Small Arts Grant and the Oxford China Centre, we’re honoured to welcome Director Xiaoxuan Jiang in person for the event. The evening begins with a drinks reception in the Garden Quad Reception Room at 17:30, followed by the screening (98 minutes). Afterwards, stay for a Q&A session with the Director, moderated by Professor Anna Lora-Wainwright from the School of Geography and the Environment and the School of Global and Area Studies.
This talk will cover methods used to learn multimodal and multiscale representations of human tissue samples from histology images, bulk sequencing, and spatial transcriptomics data derived from cancer biopsies. In particular, the increasing availability and resolution of spatially resolved sequencing on human tissue samples, such as Spatial Transcriptomics (ST), provides rich and spatially resolved molecular information to diagnose and analyse tumours beyond the morphological information routinely available to pathologists through Whole Slide Images. Complex morphological and molecular spatial information becoming available at scale requires building robust multimodal AI architectures that take advantage of such high-dimensional information. We will cover some of the methods we developed for this problem, such as efficiently learning from multi-resolution microscopy, some general multimodal architectures, and SSL for spatial transcriptomics. Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZjMxMTJkZDMtMjJiMy00NTkwLWI3YzctZjBmYjlhMTBlYjZj%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22cc95de1b-97f5-4f93-b4ba-fe68b852cf91%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%222d6d82c4-6b2c-4f77-b979-7c49923c3b36%22%7d Bio: I grew up in the beautiful city of Hamburg in Germany and moved to the UK after high school for my undergraduate degree at the London School of Economics. About a year into my time at LSE, I realised that I was more interested in mathematics & statistics than the economics aspects of my degree, which eventually led me to self-educate myself in Computer Science on the side. I then did a Master’s in Computer Science at Imperial College London, where I focussed on various disciplines ranging from Cybersecurity to Natural Language Processing. I really enjoyed Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning more generally and started working as a Senior Data Scientist in BCG’s pharmaceutical practice. During my PhD at the University of Cambridge, I focused on representation learning for high-dimensional biomedical data and worked on projects with Flagship Pioneering and Microsoft Research.
Jennifer McElwain, Professor of Botany at Trinity College Dublin and Director of Trinity College Botanic Garden, will explore the evolution of trees and forests through geological time. When did the first true trees evolve? What is a tree? What can fossil plants tell us about the oldest forests on Earth? How did forests survive volvanic events, extreme climates, and meteorite impacts in Earth's geological past? What climatic conditions allowed ancient forests to grow within the polar regions? By linking forests 350 million year past to present, Jennifer's talk will show that trees are witnesses to climate change and examine what may be in store for their future in a warming planet.
Title to be announced The Chief Medical Officer has confirmed that attendance at the Surgical Grand Rounds can count toward internal CPD, with 1 point awarded per hour. Please note that in-person attendance is required, and you will need to sign the attendance register. All members of the University and NHS clinical staff are welcome. Please email Tarryn Ching if you would like to attend online.
Abstract: In this talk I’ll presents methods for detecting, quantifying, and interpreting dominance, recessivity, and compound heterozygosity across population-scale cohorts. First, I introduce dominance LD score regression (d-LDSC), to estimate genome-wide “dominance heritability” from summary statistics while accommodating site-specific nonadditive effects. To boost power to detect recessive effects driven by rare variants, I present a framework that incorporates phase information to infer compound-heterozygous variants in exome data. In 175,587 UKB participants, this increases identification of damaging biallelic genotypes, and reveals recessive gene–phenotype associations, including bi-allelic ATP2C2 associated with earlier COPD onset. I further describe a federated recessive meta-analysis across six biobanks. Finally, I introduce an orthogonal recoding framework that plugs in to existing software to deviations from an additive model at the gene-level. Short bio: I am a SMARTbiomed Senior Research Fellow, based at the BDI and the Department of Statistics. I co-lead the Biobank Rare-Variant Consortium (BRaVa), a collaborative effort to analyse rare genetic variation at scale to identify the genetic underpinnings of complex traits and disorders. I also co-lead the (gen)omics theme at the BDI. I am particularly interested in combining genetic, phenotypic and functional data to better refine association signals and understand the genetic architecture of complex traits. Join Zoom Meeting https://aarhusuniversity.zoom.us/j/63936720258 Meeting ID: 639 3672 0258
The systems engineering initiative for patient safety (SEIPS) is a framework to help us to analyse and understand work processes and outcomes within the complex adaptive environment of healthcare. SEIPS is one of the preferred human factors frameworks in the NHS and has been incorporated into the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF). SEIPS offers a number of tools to support safety incident investigations, and this interactive, introductory course will focus on using SEIPS to: • support learning and improvement following a safety incident in the immediate aftermath of an incident or for a more in-depth patient safety incident investigation • improve engagement and support for patients and their families after a safety incident • improve support for staff involved in safety incidents • understand system factors influencing the evolution of a safety incident • inform system design • design action plans
In his 25 years of producing dozens of films that grossed over $3 billion at the international box office, Micheal Flaherty has met two kinds of producers. One works in the “talking about making movies” business. The other works in the making movies business. This lecture is for people in the second camp. Flaherty won’t just talk about movies—he’ll equip you with the tools you need to actually get them made. From budgets and casting to production timelines and distribution strategy, this is a hands-on, practical session for anyone ready to move from academic theory to on-set reality.
The talks will cover possible career paths stemming from a higher biology degree. BOOKING IS NECESSARY - reserve your place now. Booking will close on Monday 3rd November at 5pm. Careers discussed: • Medical writing • Bioinformatics • Academia/industry hybrid positions • HE contracts and regulations • Facilities and omics management • Clinical trials and more A programme will be shared prior to the event.
EndNote is a desktop-based reference management tool for Windows and Mac users. It helps you to build libraries of references and insert them into Word documents as in-text citations or footnotes, and to automatically generate bibliographies. This online introduction to EndNote is open to all University of Oxford students, researchers and staff and teaches you how to use the software so that you can effectively manage your references.The workshop will cover: what EndNote can do for you; adding references to EndNote from a range of sources; managing your references in an EndNote library; adding in-text citations and/or footnotes to your essays and papers; and creating bibliographies. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student
At this meeting, Dr Requena-Komuro will describe an upcoming project with Prof. Katja Wiech and Prof. Helen Blank entitled: 'The influence of healthcare practitioner warmth and competence on the perception and neural processing of pain'. Description: Perceived warmth and competence of healthcare practitioners are key factors shaping patients' expectations and clinical outcomes, including pain. To elucidate the underlying neural and computational mechanisms, we will conduct an fMRI study in healthy volunteers, with perceived practitioner warmth and competence experimentally manipulated through communication and pain delivered via electrical shocks. We will deploy multivariate pattern analyses and computational modelling to assess how these communication priors modulate the perception of pain. About the meetings: Fortnightly meetings run by the Clinical Neurosciences Pain Group (NDCN). Meetings are typically seminars or open discussion and take place in a hybrid format over Teams and at the FMRIB Annexe (Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, John Radcliffe Hospital). Open to all researchers/students/clinical staff in Oxford interested in pain research. For more details about future events and to receive the online meeting invitation, please join the mailing list: oxin-paingroup-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk or email Danielle Hewitt danielle.hewitt@ndcn.ox.ac.uk for further details.
To join online, please register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/KbVXDl5TQWCP1I0nKS1TiQ
The development of a complex functional multicellular organism from a single cell involves tightly regulated and coordinated cell behaviours coupled through short- and long-range biochemical and mechanical signals. To truly comprehend this complexity, alongside experimental approaches we need mathematical and computational models, which can link observations to mechanisms in a quantitative, predictive, and experimentally verifiable way. In this talk I will describe our efforts to model aspects of embryonic development, focusing in particular on the planar polarised behaviours of cells in epithelial tissues, and discuss the mathematical and computational challenges associated with this work. I will also highlight some of our work to improve the reproducibility and re-use of such models through the ongoing development of Chaste (https://github.com/chaste), an open-source C++ library for multiscale modelling of biological tissues and cell populations.
In their co-edited Life Writing and the Southern Hemisphere (2024), and other work since, Elleke Boehmer and Katherine Collins consider the challenges of life-writing in the face of environmental and technological instability. In this workshop we will discuss how different rhythms, temporalities, and forms of unpredictability shape the ways lives are written and imagined in the icy environments of Antarctica, a setting of faltering communication, volatile weather, disrupted circadian cycles, and extreme sensory experience.
How do citizens in the United States and China evaluate the fairness of the international system and the impartiality of its legal institutions? As the two countries vie for global leadership, public perceptions of the existing order and visions for its reform can shape global trajectories by influencing support for or resistance to their governments’ efforts to reshape world order. While prior research has examined public attitudes toward bilateral relations, far less attention has been paid to how these publics view the broader structure and principles of the global order, a focal point of normative debate over which superpower and which vision will best serve humanity. This study addresses this gap through a comparative survey of American and Chinese publics. We find that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the two publics converge substantially in their views on the sources and solutions to global injustice, while diverging in their assessments of the current system’s fairness, with Americans expressing higher level of dissatisfaction. Xiaojun Li is currently Associate Professor of Political Science at UBC and non-resident scholar at the 21st Century China Centre at UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. He has also held visiting positions at Harvard University’s Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies (2014-2015), Fudan Development Institute (2016), the East-West Center (2018), and the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute (2021).
The radiation of animals across the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition is one of the most transformational events in Earth history, radically changing Earth’s surface environments. However, while fossils from the Cambrian are readily recognised as belonging to extant groups, those from the late Ediacaran Period show distinctive forms with no counterparts among living species. Although these Ediacaran fossils are often held to represent the antecedents to modern animal groups, their strange anatomies have meant that, for the most part, they have been eschewed from the debate and their unique insight left unrealised. My work combines novel morphogenetic data and phylogenetic systematic studies to show that these unique fossils are animals to the exclusion of alternatives and likely occupy a critical position in the tree of animal life. This conclusion enables me to integrate Ediacaran macrofossils into debates concerning the ancestors of major animal lineages and the mode of early animal evolution, for example, in the influence of the evolving regulatory genome on the evolution of animal complexity.
This session is open to all, ideally for founders and aspiring founders who want to drive innovation rather than stifle it. Join us for the next session in our Venture Bites online series, hosted by the Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Centre. This session explores how corporates and entrepreneurs can build successful, mutually beneficial relationships that drive innovation rather than stifle it. Participants will learn practical frameworks for embedding innovative products and start-up solutions within complex corporate environments, while maintaining agility and creative freedom. The course highlights real-world case studies, common pitfalls, and proven strategies to help both sides collaborate effectively and deliver lasting impact. Anastasiya Kizima is an Associate Fellow at the University of Oxford, where she has also previously earned her MBA, and now lectures on their MBA, Executive MBA and online courses focusing on FinTech, Innovation and Corporate Strategy. She also holds a BA degree in Finance and Economics from Pace University in New York and was awarded the TechWomen100 Award 2022, which celebrates the top women in technology within the UK, and was subsequently named on the 2023 Women in FinTech Powerlist. Anastasiya has a global career focused on strategy, innovation and financial technology. With more than 18 years of experience in financial services, ranging from investment banking to setting up and managing innovation projects to test the viability of implementing emerging technologies and solutions within incumbents, her expertise extends to helping corporations define their strategies and leveraging these insights to build meaningful global partnerships and initiatives to drive open innovation. She is also the leading advisor for a blockchain company as well as a FinTech expert for international development efforts across Africa. Anastasiya is a frequent keynote speaker on subjects including financial technology and innovation within financial services. She is the founder and CEO of two companies and is also passionate about financial inclusion and empowering people to excel in their careers and has devoted much of her free time to supporting students and young professionals with guiding their career journeys.
Four authors will introduce core arguments and findings from their recently-published book, United Nations Peacekeeping and the Politics of Authoritarianism (Oxford University Press, 2025). The book asks: Why do countries hosting United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations tend to consolidate authoritarian forms of governance, despite the UN’s own stated aim of promoting democratization? In addressing this question, the book advances a theoretically innovative and empirically rich answer to this question: while the UN does not intentionally promote authoritarianism, it faces a number of constraints and dilemmas that give rise to what the authors call authoritarian enabling. Enabling can occur through two mechanisms, capacity-building and the creation of a permissive environment, which enhance the ability of host governments to engage in authoritarian behaviour and signal to them that doing so is low cost. The authors illustrate these two mechanisms with four in-depth case studies of UN peacekeeping operations: the UN Transitional Administration in Cambodia (UNTAC), the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo / UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC/MONUSCO), the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti / Mission des Nations Unies pour la Stabilisation en Haïti (MINUSTAH), and the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). While enabling stops short of the outright promotion of authoritarianism, it explains why the UN’s activities often appear to contradict its stated objectives and the outcomes it delivers fall short of its goals. In addition to its theoretical and empirical contributions, the book suggests how these dilemmas and challenges can be overcome.
Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) can occur as a physiological adaptation to transient stressors such as exercise or pregnancy, or as a pathological response to chronic strain. Pathological LVH contributes substantially to heart failure with preserved or reduced ejection fraction (HFpEF, HFrEF). While intracellular drivers have been well studied, the role of interorgan signaling remains less defined. Our recent published work in humans and mice revealed a liver–brain–heart axis mediated by fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21). Although FGF21 analogs show metabolic benefits and are in clinical development, we found that under sustained cardiac stress, FGF21 can promote pathological hypertrophy. In pressure overload (transverse aortic constriction, TAC), hepatic FGF21 production rises before cardiac dysfunction, inducing FGF21 expression in cardiomyocytes (CMs). Subsequently, CM-derived FGF21 disrupts hypothalamic oxytocin signaling, driving pathological LVH. Deleting FGF21 from hepatocytes or CMs restored oxytocin signaling and reduced LVH, identifying CM-derived FGF21 as a direct mediator of cardiomyopathy. On the other hand, in HFpEF, the effects diverged: hepatocyte-specific FGF21 deletion, which was protective in TAC, accelerated progression to HFrEF, suggesting an early adaptive role for liver-derived FGF21. Conversely, CM-specific deletion delayed HFpEF development. These findings constitute the basis of our ongoing research aiming to address how liver-derived FGF21 promotes adaptive hypertrophy, whereas CM-derived FGF21 drives maladaptive remodeling. This work has important implications for ongoing clinical use of FGF21 analogs in metabolic disease, underscoring the need to evaluate cardiac risk and highlighting the potential of targeting the FGF21–oxytocin pathway for heart failure prevention and treatment. SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY Konstantinos Drosatos received his undergraduate degree in Biology from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2000. He pursued graduate studies in Molecular Biology and Biomedicine at the University of Crete, Greece, and Boston University, USA. From 2007 to 2012, he conducted postdoctoral research at Columbia University, where he was later promoted to Associate Research Scientist. In 2014, he joined the Temple University School of Medicine as a tenure-track Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2020. In 2021, he was appointed Ohio Eminent Scholar and Professor of Pharmacology & Systems Physiology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
The original Renaissance was born from crisis—plagues, political instability, and the disruptive power of the printing press. Our current era faces similar upheaval, with collapsing media models, digital fragmentation, and a rising hunger for meaning. Micheal Flaherty—co-founder of Walden Media, the production company behind The Chronicles of Narnia films—addresses this era of cultural volatility. He issues a creative call: not for more “Christian films,” but for a new generation of filmmakers who are Christian, crafting stories marked by beauty, excellence, and conviction. This lecture explores how faith can inform—not dominate—art, and how this generation of storytellers might just spark a New Renaissance of their own.
Curious about using AI to find research papers? Not sure how to properly reference GenAI and avoid plagiarism? This beginner-friendly workshop introduces three GenAI tools (ChatGPT, Elicit, and Research Rabbit), showing how they can support information discovery and analysis. Designed for those new to AI, this practical session will allow you to independently experiment with these tools and participate in group discussions to explore their strengths, limitations, and suitability for different tasks. By the end of this session, you will be able to: explain what AI means and some key terms; differentiate between several categories of AI tools; describe how some GenAI tools can be used to discover information, including their strengths, limitations, and best practices; critique GenAI tools and their outputs at an introductory level using evaluative criteria; and state the University’s policies on AI, and avoid plagiarism by creating citations for AI-generated content. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student
This paper considers jumps in asset prices in short windows around macroeconomic news announcements and considers SVAR identification using the assumption that these jumps are not correlated with policy shocks. It switches the usual approach of an external instrument from something that is correlated with only the policy shock to one that is uncorrelated with the policy shock. Frequentist inference is considered. In principle, the approach can achieve point identification. In practice, the proposed instruments are too weak for point identification, but they can be used to sharpen frequentist sign identification. In an application, they reduce the width of confidence intervals for the impulse responses to a monetary policy shock.
We propose a measure of strategic complexity for strategy-proof mechanisms in terms of the contingent reasoning they require agents to engage in to recognize their dominant strategy. Our rankings are consistent with the coarser ones implied by the solution concepts of (strong) obvious strategy-proofness (Li, 2017b; Pycia and Troyan, 2023b). The added flexibility of our approach allows a designer to balance a mechanism’s implicity with other objectives: We characterize the Ausubel (2004) auction as the simplest way to implement the VCG outcome in multi-unit allocation problems with transfers, and provide novel rankings of mechanisms that implement stable outcomes in matching problems.
I present our recent studies applying a comparative approach to understanding how brains evolved across the tree of life. Contradicting the widespread assumption that mammalian brain evolution predominantly involved expansion of frontal neocortex, results indicate complex patterns of mosaic structural change across both cortical and sub-cortical regions. Notably, the cerebellum expanded rapidly in the human lineage, changes which may have been crucial in the evolution of our facility for understanding and producing syntactically structured behaviour, including tool use and language. Postnatal development was key to these changes, helping to explain the extended period of immaturity in humans and other great apes. The complexity of the patterns of brain evolution contradict single-factor hypotheses and in particular undermine attempts to explain cognitive evolution as the product of selection on some single generalised capacity such as ‘executive control’. Instead, the results suggest that the brains of different species support specialized forms of embodied cognition closely associated with their sensory-motor adaptations.
Biography: Florian Sicklinger studied medicine at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. After completion of his MD, he began his specialist training in internal medicine and cardiology in 2021 under the direction of Prof. Dr. Norbert Frey at Heidelberg University Hospital. As a physician scientist in the lab of Prof. Dr. Florian Leuschner, he focuses on the role of the immune system in cardiovascular disease. Using high-throughput tools for induction of myocardial infarction in mice combined with single-cell and spatial omics technologies, he is interested how immune cells can be targeted or exploited to improve left ventricular remodeling and myocardial fibrosis. Florian Sicklinger is also a member of the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) in Heidelberg/Mannheim.
Primary: Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed (1974), Chapters 8 & 9 Supplementary: Emma Goldman, ‘The Individual, Society and the State’ (1940); Paul Goodman, ‘I don’t want to work, why should I?’ in Compulsory Miseducation and The Community of Scholars (1962)
Seminar followed by Q&A and drinks - all welcome - join in person or online Wasps are predators, natural enemies, pollinators and decomposers. They are also sources of nutrition for humans, potential pharmacological treasure chests and hold cultural value for indigenous communities around the world. Despite this, wasps remain under-valued. Part of the problem has been the lack of research on the importance of wasps. Whilst they have been popular models for social evolution and behavioural studies, there has been relatively little focus on their ecological roles and their utility and importance in supporting human health, food, culture and wellbeing. Seirian provides an interdisciplinary overview of the value of wasps using a holistic natural capital framework. Seirian is a Professor of behavioural ecology at University College London. She studies social insects to understand their behaviour, ecology, evolution and role in ecosystems. She is especially interested in wasps, as models to understand phenotypic plasticity through the diversity they exhibit in caste differentiation and life-history. She uses a combination of field ecology and genomics to understand the mechanisms and evolution underlying alternative phenotypes and plasticity, within and between species. Alongside her work on phenotypic plasticity, she is interested in the ecological and cultural importance of wasps and is working hard to give wasps a PR makeover. As part of these efforts, she co-founded the Big Wasp Survey in 2017 – a citizen science project to engage the public with social wasps in their back yard. And in 2022 her book ‘Endless Forms: Why You Should Love wasps – was published, giving everyone a reason to better appreciate wasps. She was recently nominated to the Explorer’s Club EC50 Class of 2024 as one of 50 people changing the world, who the world needs to know about. The Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery and Biodiversity Network are interested in promoting a wide variety of views and opinions on nature recovery from researchers and practitioners. The views, opinions and positions expressed within this lecture are those of the author alone, they do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery/Biodiversity Network, or its researchers.
This year’s winning team from the ASHRAE Net-Zero Data Centre Competition includes 3 Oxford DPhil students: Nethmi Jayaratne Kariyawasam (SoGE), Cuicheng Zhang (Engineering) and Gayatri Sundar Rajan (Engineering). On 21st November they will present their award-winning design alongside team members from Exeter, Loughborough and London Southbank universities, in a multidisciplinary exploration of The Future of Data Centres. They will be joined by Iain MacDougall, Head of Sustainability at RED Engineering, and Jesus Lizana, Associate Professor of Engineering Science, for a stimulating discussion on the climate and policy implications of these important emerging technologies. A joint initiative of the ZERO Institute Policy Programme, the ZERO Institute Early Career Researcher (ECR) Network, and the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development - all welcome.
Turn your idea into action at the All-Innovate Bootcamp – a hands-on, one-day programme designed to help members of the University community shape early-stage concepts into structured plans. The All-Innovate Bootcamp is an Inspire stage programme, and will introduce you to proven entrepreneurial tools such as the Lean Canvas, helping you define the problem your idea solves, identify customer segments, design your value proposition, and explore routes to market. Throughout the day you’ll take part in interactive exercises, conduct quick market research, and share peer-to-peer feedback, with guidance from experienced facilitators. The format is practical and fast-paced, designed to help you test and refine your ideas in real time. By the end of the workshop, you’ll leave with a completed Lean Canvas, a stronger understanding of your market, and clear next steps for developing your idea further. Module 1: Lean Canvas Foundations: Participants map out the nine building blocks of their business model, testing real-world assumptions to validate ideas and refine their startup vision. Module 2: Value Proposition & Customers: An immersive workshop on defining a strong value proposition, identifying customer segments, and selecting effective channels for engagement. Module 3: Resources & Partnerships: Focuses on identifying key partners, optimizing resources, and streamlining activities to drive efficiency and build collaborative networks. Module 4: Costs & Revenue: Explores practical cost management, sustainable revenue models, and financial forecasting to support long-term venture viability. Module 5: Pitching & Presentation: Develops confident, structured pitching skills through storytelling, body language, and live simulation with feedback to prepare for investor panels. Participant Outcomes By the end of the day, participants will: Master the Lean Canvas framework for turning ideas into viable business models. Gain skills in customer insight, financial planning, and startup sustainability. Build confidence in pitching and communicating their ideas. Leave with a practical toolkit to accelerate their venture’s growth
Demand for healthcare continues to grow faster than the workforce supply, which is usually also constrained by funding. These are challenges which most developed health systems face, and leads to a long-term challenge to improve productivity and innovate at scale. The ‘3 shifts’ in the NHS’ 10 Year Health Plan describe what it will take to bring this about, including introducing Neighbourhood Health systems. There is good evidence that delivering high quality care in a cost-effective way is enabled by a culture which is characterised by strong levels of staff engagement as an enabler of continuous improvement. If we know that, why is it so hard to bring about? This interactive session will frame these issues, using examples and analysis from the NHS, and share good practices at organisational, team and individual level. By the end of the session participants will be able to: Explain the role of the leader in framing the challenge, describing the future state in a compelling way and the path to get there, and leading by example to role model the behaviours Identify the shifts in mindsets, capabilities and behaviours which are needed to sustain changes in processes and formal structures to deliver sustainable improvement in outcomes Apply a number of practical tools and frameworks to bring about a sustainable shift in behaviours Gain an insight into ways of improving individual and team effectiveness, including leadership teams
This conference will examine the physical history of navigation, beginning with how ancient civilisations navigated by the stars and other celestial bodies, then considering navigation by land, sea and air using various instruments (prior to modern technology) and concluding with the developments in modern technology for navigation including in space. *Programme for the day* *Morning Chair:* 10:30-10:40 Welcome 10:40-11:30 *Professor Joseph Caruana* (University of Malta) - Celestial Navigation in Ancient Times 11:30-12:20 *Dr Jane Wess* (formerly University of Edinburgh) - A History of Land Navigation Instruments Before the Digital Era 12:20-13:15 *Daisy Chamberlain* (Royal Museums Greenwich) - Navigating the Oceans Before Modern Technology 13:15-14:15 Lunch Break *Afternoon Chair:* 14:15-15:05 *Susan Lindsay* (Army Flying Museum) - Willy-Nilly Misbehaviour: Navigation in the Early Years of Aviation 15:05-16:00 *Professor Cathryn Mitchell* (University of Bath) - Radio Navigation: From LORAN to GPS 16:00-16:30 Tea/Coffee Break 16:30-17:00 Summary of the day's proceedings - *Professor Marek Ziebart* (Royal Institute of Navigation and UCL) There will be a conference dinner at St Cross College in the evening following the end of the conference with an after-dinner talk by Professor Richard Holland (Bangor University) on navigation by animals, birds and fish. Booking to attend the conference dinner can be made at the booking link below.
Christ Church has been a home to musical excellence since its foundation. One of its earliest employees was John Taverner, appointed in 1525 as the first Informator choristarum (instructor of the choristers). He quickly established himself as a composer of national significance, and his music survived the strictures of the Reformation to be copied even a century after its composition. More recently, Taverner and his music inspired Peter Maxwell Davies in the composition of orchestral pieces and an opera. Find out about John Taverner: a panel of distinguished scholars give illustrated talks to introduce and discuss his life, his work, his legacy. Registration includes refreshments (not lunch) Programme: 13:30: Registration and exhibition viewing 14:00: Welcome 14.15: Session One Magnus Williamson (Newcastle University) – Taverner of Boston Kerry McCarthy (Independent Scholar) – Taverner, Wolsey, and the art of musical patronage Andrew Hope (Independent Scholar) – Taverner and the Oxford ‘Lutherans’ in the 1520s David Skinner (Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge) – John Taverner and the Sounds of Reformation Lay clerks of Christ Church Cathedral Choir directed by Peter Holder, selected works by John Taverner. 16:00: Break 16:30: Session Two David Maw (Christ Church, Oxford) – ‘not unlike a confused singing of birds’: Taverner’s instrumental legacy Nicholas Jones (Cardiff University) – Maxwell-Davies and Taverner Questions and answers with panel discussion.
The Kinsey Institute Library & Special Collections was founded in 1947 to protect sexological research and cultural materials, including works rescued from Nazi destruction. It now forms the largest public collection related to human sexuality, gender and reproduction in the world, and holds materials that are foundational to research in women’s, gender and queer histories. This roundtable brings together the director, librarian and curator of the Kinsey Institute together with historians to explore what it means, and has meant, to serve as a “safe repository” in changing times.
Six NIHR Biomedical Research Centres; Oxford, Oxford Health, Cambridge, Barts, Birmingham and Moorfields are collaborating to bring you a series of engaging online training sessions with experts and researchers to help embed inclusion in your research. There are 3 webinar events for Research Inclusivity Training rolling out over November and December this year and they will be repeated in 2026. Oxford BRC will be delivering the 2nd webinar event on the 24th November and have a great line-up comprising four speakers with Shaun Treweek leading the talk, with details below: 2. Ethnicity Inclusion Training for Health and Care Researchers, with Prof. Shaun Treweek An informative session on the practical tools needed for ethnicity inclusion in health research. Covering the NIHR INCLUDE Ethnicity Framework, useful resources and researcher(s) case study. We’re delighted to invite you to an informative online training session on practical tools for ethnicity inclusion in health and care research. As a researcher or research clinician, this event presents a fantastic opportunity to refine your approach to incorporating people and communities from diverse ethnic backgrounds into your research. Speakers: • Professor Shaun Treweek: Having initially trained as a physicist, Shaun is active in the field of efficient trial design, particularly pragmatic trial design, improved recruitment and retention interventions for trials, the design of complex interventions and the effective presentation of research evidence. He co-developed the NIHR INCLUDE Ethnicity Framework. • Dr. Louise Silver (Research Coordinator, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford) Presenting on: Inclusive Recruitment for Clinical Observational Studies (Stroke Theme) • Dr Haleema Aslam (Community Liaison Manager, Cancer Theme, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford). Presenting on: Community Engagement with Disadvantaged Communities in cancer research • Dr Robert Shaw (Honorary Consultant, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Infectious Diseases & Microbiology Physician, Clinical vaccinologist & Principal Investigator, Oxford Vaccine Group) Presenting on: Ethnic diversity and inclusion- Experiences delivering policy-relevant studies during a pandemic (Vaccine Theme) What to expect • Training on the NIHR INCLUDE Ethnicity Framework with Professor Shaun Treweek. • Researchers share their experiences with inclusive research. • Question and answer session with the key speakers. Who is this for • Researchers and staff affiliated with the following NIHR Biomedical Research Centres: Barts, Birmingham, Cambridge, Moorfields, Oxford and Oxford Health There will be numerous opportunities for you to ask questions of the experienced and knowledgeable speakers, who will support your research. If you have any questions with regards to this training, please contact: Mili Kalia (Oxford BRC's EDI Manager), Email: Mili.Kalia@ouh.nhs.uk 3. Socio-economic Disadvantage Inclusion training, with Dr. Heidi R Green - Monday 8 December Providing strategies to reduce barriers in health inequalities and understand challenges faced by disadvantaged communities. The session includes a case study and the NIHR INCLUDE Socio-economic Disadvantage Framework.
Is China building a rival institutional order to challenge and potentially replace the existing one? In the decades following the Cold War, the United States played a leading role in creating the institutions of what became known as the liberal international order (LIO). Since then, China’s global profile has risen while the United States has reduced its commitment to global leadership. With growing evidence of a hegemonic transition, observers are increasingly debating whether Beijing is working to overturn the existing order by fostering rival institutional structures. To investigate this possibility, we identify observable implications of Chinese rival institution building and assess them using an original systematic dataset on Chinese international institution building since 1990. We find increasing signs of Chinese leadership in institutional creation and mixed evidence that China is building a rival international order. The results are more consistent with Chinese institutional layering alongside established institutions: a strategy of building without breaking the established international order. Professor Matthew D. Stephen holds a Chair of Political Science (International Political Economy) at the Helmut Schmidt University / University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, and is a member of the German Research Foundation’s Heisenberg Programme. His work has been published in journals such as the European Journal of International Relations, Chinese Journal of International Politics, International Studies Quarterly, and International Studies Review. Together with Michael Zürn, he edited Contested World Orders (2019, Oxford University Press). His current Heisenberg research project, 'China’s Bid for Hegemony? China-led Multilateral Institutions and Social Purpose in Global Governance', explores China’s role in global governance through its multilateral initiatives.
Multi-informant designs are increasingly recognised as essential for capturing the complexity of children’s developmental contexts, but analytic approaches to such data vary widely, with important consequences for how different perspectives are understood. In the context of 134 two-child families in eastern China, this seminar uses sibling relationship quality as a case example, drawing on reports from caregivers and first-borns through quantitative questionnaires, and from preschool second-borns through age-appropriate qualitative interviews. Caregivers can arguably provide an outsider’s more detached view on sibling relationship, whereas children themselves as active participants in sibling interactions can share an insider’s subjective interpretations, making a multi-informant approach particularly informative. Exploratory structural equation modelling, multi-trait multimethod analyses, and latent profile comparisons were applied to assess both shared and divergent perspectives. Preliminary findings show systematic differences across informants, with caregivers tending to emphasise sibling conflict, whilst children highlight more positive relational qualities. The seminar concludes with a reflection on what different approaches to triangulation imply for the interpretation of sibling relationship data and, more generally, for the design and analysis of multi-informant studies in quantitative research. Teams-link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZDYwMTY0ZmQtNjkzYS00NjFlLWEzNzgtNWYzMTkzNzQ1YmM2%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22cc95de1b-97f5-4f93-b4ba-fe68b852cf91%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22b33f55d8-6202-46f8-a141-737715faff88%22%7d
This group will run on Mondays from 13:00-15:40 (UK time) on Microsoft Teams. The format is as follows: 5min hellos and optional goal-setting* 1h10 timed work session 10min break with optional goals check-in 1h10 timed work session Optional debrief at the end, goodbyes *Verbal participation is at your discretion but I do find it helpful to articulate goals and check in at the end of each timed block. You could also choose to do this in the chat if you prefer not to unmute.
Professor Astrid Iverson University of Oxford https://www.ndcn.ox.ac.uk/team/astrid-iversen
In 1859 the English settler Thomas Austin shipped 13 rabbits from his family’s farm in Somerset to Australia, releasing them on his estate for hunting. Populations exploded in size and spread across the continent with devastating consequences for Australian agriculture and ecology. The solution came in the form of the myxoma virus. This virus causes benign infections in its natural host, cottontail rabbits, but on transfer to European rabbits causes the lethal disease myxomatosis. It was released in the 1950s in Australia, Britain and France, causing the collapse of populations. This resulted in a unique replicated natural experiment, that has become a textbook example of evolution following disease emergence. By sequencing the exomes of rabbits from museum specimens before the pandemic and modern populations, we found that natural selection had acted on standing genetic variation in immunity genes across the genomes, with the parallel evolution if resistance having a common genetic basis. We have recently shown that one of the most strongly selected loci encodes classical MHC-I molecules that present viral peptides to T cells. Across the three populations, the same allele has risen in frequency. The high levels of standing genetic variation maintained in MHC genes has therefore likely allowed populations to rapidly adapt to a novel pathogen. The MHC alleles differ in properties such as surface expression and the extent to which they are down-regulated by the virus, and we are currently investigating whether these traits are the targets of natural selection.
In this session, Ukrainian Parliamentarians Victoria Podgorna and Oleksii Zhmerenetsky present their latest research on the future trajectory of Russia and its strategic implications for Ukraine and for the West. A moderated discussion will follow: Caroline Baylon (Associate Fellow, Saïd Business School) will be the discussant and Marcin Walecki (OSGA) the moderator.
We study a random tree model known as the Preferential Attachment tree with Vertex Death. Here, one can both add vertices to the tree as well as kill vertices. This model mimics the non-monotone growth of real-world networks, absent in classical preferential attachment models. One initialises the tree with a single root vertex labelled 1. At every step $n$, either a new vertex labelled $n+1$ is added to the tree and connected to an already present alive vertex, selected preferentially according to a function $b$, or an already present vertex is selected preferentially according to a function $d$ and killed. Killed vertices can make no new connections. We are interested in the behaviour of the richest alive vertex $I_n$ (with the largest degree) and the oldest alive vertex $O_n$ (with the smallest label). When $I_n$ converges almost surely, we say that a persistent hub exists. When $I_n$ does not converge but $I_n/O_n$ is tight, we say that persistence occurs, and when $I_n/O_n$ diverges to infinity we say lack of persistence occurs. We uncover three distinct regimes in which behaviour is different: (1) The Infinite Lifetime regime, where we provide conditions under which a persistent hub exists almost surely. (2) The Rich Are Old regime, where we provide conditions under which either persistence or lack of persistence occurs. (3) The Rich Die Young regime, where lack of persistence always occurs. We shall discuss how the three regimes can be identified and what drives the behaviour observed in each regime. Partially joint work with Markus Heydenreich.
Are you planning to present a poster at an upcoming conference, meeting or symposium? This introductory session will provide you with some top tips on how to create a poster presentation which will help you to communicate your research project and data effectively. There will be guidance on formatting, layout, content, use of text, references and images, as well as advice on printing and presenting your poster. This session will also provide help with locating resources such as templates, free-to-use images and poster guidelines. By the end of this online session you will be able to: evaluate the effectiveness of templates, formatting, text and images; and plan, prepare and present your poster. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Researcher & research student.
Scientific evidence shows that we are going through the first human-induced mass extinction, and as such, conservation policies are widely discussed among policymakers. However, there is little research on the harmful externalities of such policies. This paper combines global georeferenced data on wildlife habitats (including both animal and tree species) with information on armed conflict to estimate the violent externalities generated by international trade restrictions on wildlife products aimed at conserving biodiversity. An event-study specification shows that the imposition of trade restrictions increases the risk of conflict in affected areas. Two-stage least squares estimates for elephant ivory show that trade restrictions increase prices, which in turn increase the likelihood of conflict. Accounting for the spatial distribution of elephants, the implied effect size exceeds that of well-documented industrial conflict minerals. For precious trees, the analysis suggests that, once restrictions are in place, production shifts from states with high institutional capacity to those with low capacity, generating local windfall rents that fuel additional violence. Armed groups positioned to capture these rents expand operations into new areas and become more likely to gain territorial control, supporting the “feasibility” mechanism whereby increased wealth relaxes their budget constraints and enables violence. A social planner general equilibrium model shows that a targeted policy restricting trade in states with both high institutional capacity and relatively small stocks of precious trees improves welfare. Together, these findings document a previously overlooked conflict-related cost of conservation policy and suggest a mitigation strategy.
Recent research on the al-Qānūn al-Muqqadas, an 11th-century Arabic version of the Iberian canon law code, has shed considerable light on the position of Christians living under Islamic rule in al-Andalus, and particularly the ways in which their developing legal traditions were shaped by the experience of interacting with Islamic juridical systems. This paper builds on this research by placing these canon law texts in conversation with extant documentary sources written by Arabised Iberian Christians, which tend to deal with aspects of civil law in practice and the regulation of civil disputes. Although many of these texts were produced by Arabised Christians living under Castilian or Aragonese rule, they point to an older Christian Arabic notarial culture that drew heavily from mālikī formularies and offer considerable clues about the ways in which Andalusi Christians developed their own Christianised fiqh tradition under Islamic rule, which in turn endured in some communities long after Christian conquest. The paper will explore the opportunities provided by these documentary sources for understanding the development of legal practices of Christians under Islamic rule, and in turn, the implications for the status and political identities of these Christian communities in the moment of transition from Muslim to Christian rule.
A century after Ernst Renan called the nation a spiritual principle defying all social and natural categories, Benedict Anderson redefined it as a secular, albeit special, idea constructed through capitalist technologies. Postcolonial scholars have since challenged Anderson’s framing for undermining the agential autonomy of anticolonial nationalism. The preoccupation of this critical scholarship has primarily been sociological, focussing on how India was imagined as a nation. Taking a step back, my paper enquires historically into why India was imagined as an idea in the first place. Initially articulated as a rejoinder to the imperial representation of India as an incoherent collection of disaggregated ‘facts’, this idealist appeal emanated from the revolutionary camp helmed by Aurobindo Ghose and Bipin Chandra Pal, discontented by years of liberal debates over factual matters of political economy. The Indian idea was subsequently taken beyond the fold of nationalist thought by its principal proponent, the poet-philosopher Rabindranath Tagore, and reimagined as a concept that surpassed any fixed notion of ‘identity’. I reconstruct the intellectual history of the idea of India as it evolved in the late colonial period as a search for the structuring basis of its underlying political unity. Against the physical and commercial might of the colonisers, the very immateriality of the idea was upheld by the revolutionaries for its sacred quality to mobilise a power not militaristic but sacrificial. Tagore critiqued this conception and located the Indian idea in the practice of welfarism, which had historically held together the disparate units of society, bound by shared ethics of work and responsibility. Departing from the particularism of his civilisational construction, he later predicated freedom and solidarity on a universally shared human capacity for creative action. This paper reconstructs the conceptual tussle between related yet rival ideas of sacrifice, welfare, and creation that founded India in anticolonial political thought. Salmoli Choudhuri is an intellectual historian of legal and political concepts that have played a foundational role in shaping modern and contemporary India and informing global thought. After completing her PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2023, she joined the National Law School Bengaluru as an Assistant Professor. She is currently at Oxford as a Koch History Fellow. In addition to developing her doctoral thesis on Tagore and freedom into a monograph, she has begun a new project on juristic ideas of state-thinking in anticolonial political thought. Her work has appeared in journals such as Political Theology, Global Intellectual History, and Economic and Political Weekly.
In the nearly one hundred years since her death in 1934 at the age of 67, Marie Curie has been the subject of myriad biographies. Curie herself was famously reticent, explaining to a would-be biographer that ‘In science we should be interested in things, not persons.’ Nevertheless, she produced the first account of her life: a brief memoir she included alongside the biography she wrote of her husband Pierre following his untimely death in 1906. In turn, Curie’s daughter Eve produced an imaginative and rich portrait of her mother in 1938, drawing on correspondence and diaries many of which were subsequently lost. In the nearly hundred years since then, Curie has never surrendered her status as the ‘first’ woman of science. She has been the subject of (and sometimes subjected to) accounts in graphic, illustrated and narrative form for children and adults, as well as numerous radio and film treatments. This seminar will be structured as a conversation about these many lives of Marie Curie and what they can tell us about what public history of science looks like when practised by amateurs, professionals and those somewhere in between—and what we should aspire for it to be *Sarah Dry* is a historian of science with a particular interest in the history of climate science, systems thinking, and biography. She is the author of a biography of Curie: A Life (Haus Publishing, 2025). *Stéphane Van Damme* is the Director of the Maison Française d’Oxford. He has published widely on the history of modern European science and culture and is a regular contributor to the science and medicine supplement of Le Monde.
Humans adapt to their environment primarily through cultural rather than biological means. While children are often portrayed as expert learners who acquire adaptive knowledge from adults, in this talk I will argue that children—through the cultures they produce with their peers—also transmit and create adaptive knowledge that helps communities adjust to rare but significant social and ecological change. Drawing on my fieldwork with BaYaka hunter-gatherers in the Congo Basin, as well as primary and secondary data from other communities, I show that both cultural evolutionary theory and empirical evidence support this view.
The fourth Kavli Oxford Lecture Award will be given by Daniel M. Skovronsky, MD, Phd, Chief Scientific Officer and head of research and development at Ely Lilly and Company. Hosted by Kavli Oxford's Founding Director, Professor Dame Carol Robinson, join Dr Skovronsky for a review of the long history behind research into metabolic hormones and how the field is continuing to evolve. https://kavlinano.ox.ac.uk/event/kavli-oxford-lecture-award-2025 --- Dr Skovronsky joined Lilly in 2010 when the company acquired Avid Radiopharmaceuticals Inc., where he had been CEO since founding the company in 2004. At Lilly, he has held various leadership roles, including chief medical officer; vice president, tailored therapeutics; vice president, diabetes research; and senior vice president, clinical and product development. Dr Skovronsky completed his residency training in pathology and fellowship training in neuropathology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He received his M.D. from the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, in 2001, and his Ph.D. in neuroscience from University of Pennsylvania in 2000. Dr Skovronsky earned a Bachelor of Science in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University in 1994. --- The Annual Kavli Lecture will be followed by an open drinks reception, across the road in the Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery (DCHB). Please note that whilst booking is not required, presentation of University Bodleian cards is essential for entry to both the lecture and the drinks reception; late arrivals to the lecture cannot be accommodated.
Professor Khwaja will share ideas on a new vision for global development that moves from a traditional poverty based lens to one that seeks to maximize each individual’s innate potential. Together with colleagues at the Harvard Center for International Development, this reimagining seeks to build a thriving world for all and not simply a surviving world for some. By reframing development as a co-investment in people’s potential, the talk will explore how to unlock trillions in global GDP growth and foster more inclusive, sustainable societies.
Care is an everyday word, belonging to all of us. In 2025, 'care' is an object of contemporary debates, naming the work that sustains life, provided by kin or the market or the state or mutual aid. Sometimes care is associated with particular groups: childcare, social care, trans care. How did we get here, and how far back should we look? This lecture explores the emergence of 'care' as a liberatory idea in the 1980s, seeking to change patriarchy and capitalism, and the challenges of making sense of “care” in the longer past and the present day. 'Care' is a worthy object for an inclusive feminist women’s history and for our times.
Clare Pettit, “The Grounds of Empire: Relay and Resistance” (the telegraph, the 1857 Indian Rebellion, and Kipling’s Kim [1901]).
For our next talk, in the BDI/CHG (gen)omics Seminar series, we will be hearing from Hannah Currant, Wellcome Early Career Fellow, NDWRH, Big Data Institute. We’re delighted to host Hannah in what promises to be a great talk! Date: Tuesday 25 November Time: 9:30 – 10:30 Location: BDI/OxPop seminar room 0 Talk title: Investigating the impact of genetic variation on the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis Abstract: The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis refers to the system of interaction and coordination between the hypothalamus, pituitary and gonadal glands that are involved in the development and regulation of the reproductive system. The axis is involved in temporal variation in reproductive hormones across reproductive ageing, and in females, cyclical variation with the menstrual cycle. Disruptions to the HPG axis can lead to reproductive pathologies including infertility. This talk will cover several projects that all look to investigate the impact of genetic variation on the function of the HPG axis. We conducted a genome-wide association study of the morphology of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland using MRI-derived quantitative phenotypes in the UK Biobank. We are investigating the genetics underlying Idiopathic Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism, which causes infertility, in an international cohort meta-analysis. And looking to the future we are investigating the variation in ovarian gene expression across reproductive ageing. Biography: Hannah obtained a BSc in Molecular Biology from the University of St Andrews before completing her PhD at the University of Cambridge. There she undertook her research at the EMBL European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), focusing on the genetics of retinal morphology using image-derived phenotypes. She then received a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship to work at the University of Copenhagen on the genetics underlying morphology of neuroendocrine regions using MRI-derived phenotypes before moving to the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford. Hannah is now establishing her independent research group at the Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health as a Wellcome Early Career Fellow. ———————————————————————————————————————— All members of the University are welcome to join, please let reception at BDI know you’re here for the seminar and sign-in. We hope you can join us! We also now have a mailing list – To be added, ping genomics_bdi_whg-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk (with any message), you should get a bounce-back with three options to confirm your subscription. Follow any of those options, and with a bit of luck you should be signed up! As a reminder, the (gen)omics seminar series runs every other Tuesday morning and is intended to increase interaction between individuals working in genomics across Oxford. We encourage in-person attendance where possible. There is time for discussion over, tea, coffee and pastries after the talks. Hybrid Option: Please note that these meetings are closed meetings and only open to members of the University of Oxford to encourage sharing of new and unpublished data. Please respect our speakers and do not share the link with anyone outside of the university. Join the meeting now Meeting ID: 344 622 735 143 7 Passcode: vJ7i9cf3 ——————————————————————————————————— If you wish to know more or receive information related to trainings and events at BDI, please subscribe by emailing bdi-announce-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk. You’ll then receive an email from SYMPA and once you reply you’ll be on the list!
COURSE DETAILS This course covers methods of managing and controlling the process of thesis and report writing, as well as meeting deadlines. It also discusses the principles and practice of high-quality scholarly writing. It includes: The production of reports, papers and theses from a time and project management point of view. The writing task itself: this includes logical argument construction, the importance of structure in a document, appropriate style to be used in academic writing, and how to make the actual writing process as pain-free and effective as possible. An opportunity for you to critique a short paper with your group.
Nature Connectedness is a psychological construct that attempts to capture our emotional bond with nature and is rooted in the biophilia model, the innate infinity with the natural world. Although there is growing evidence that nature connectedness has a positive impact on our health and wellbeing, the efficacy of such approaches for those with complex mental health needs is unclear. This presentation aims to explore the development of nature-based interventions (NBIs) in the health sector, specifically with individuals with complex mental health needs requiring inpatient care. Transpersonal approaches, which promote an interconnected relationship with the world around us, are often overlooked in clinical environments such as health settings. We propose that salutogenic and holistic models of health, such as NBIs, will improve health and wellbeing outcomes over and above those which emphasise the treatment of pathology alone. Taking examples from practice, we will describe how NBIs have been implemented in our respective services, incorporating both service user and staff feedback. We will describe how NBI’s can improve emotional regulation, therapeutic relationships, and skill development in a trauma sensitive manner. We will describe some of the common challenges we’ve encountered bringing NBIs into the inpatient setting and explore how these can be effectively resolved. Dr Catriona Mellor (Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist) and Dr Kathryn Rowsell (Forensic Psychologist) are both currently training to become ecotherapists with the Natural Academy. Kathryn and Catriona have extensive clinical experience of inpatient settings with individuals presenting with complex needs. This seminar is hosted in-person at the Department of Psychiatry, Seminar Room. To join online, please use the details below: https://zoom.us/j/94567124781?pwd=sVxXabbSWibdU8A9W2clQlG9neRGbQ.1 Meeting ID: 945 6712 4781 Passcode: 470970
A roundtable that brings together activist, political and historical perspectives on 'care', in the later 20th century and today.
Good research data management is a vital component of academic practice. Part of this is the principle that the data used to develop the arguments and outcomes of your research should be effectively stored and managed during a project, preserved for the future and – where possible – shared with other academics. This session introduces the University’s research data policy and outlines the practical impact this will have on your work. The services available at Oxford to assist you will be outlined. This session is not only essential during your current studies but will be invaluable if you plan to continue in research as a career. Topics to be covered include: common dangers and pitfalls of digital data; key principles of RDM and organising your data effectively; producing a data management plan; institutional, funder and publisher requirements; issues around preserving data and cybersecurity; ORA-Data, GitHub and other preservation services; sharing thoughts and insights about the potential of data management in your own field; and accessing Oxford based tools for research data management. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student; Staff
The significance of human interaction in the consent process is being challenged in a number of ways with the advent of a range of digital technological approaches to the process. In Europe there is regulatory scepticism about the appropriateness of having no human interaction in the consent process for participation in clinical trials, whether remotely or in the clinic. Regulators in the US seem more reticent about the importance of this feature. It may be that the need to preserve human interaction in consent is over-stated. In the context of modern technology, with automated chat facilities and the ability to clarify and answer questions electronically, the question remains as to what extra role and extra value is provided by human interaction. This issue turns on demonstrating the ethical value of human interaction in the conventional consent setting and then reflecting this against the contexts of remote, electronic, and AI-enabled consent processes. This paper considers two particular possibilities in this regard. First, that the clinician-researcher has special responsibilities to those who would fall under their care and so should establish a direct, human connection with consenters. Second, that the value of human interaction depends on the consenter’s trust in the clinical-researcher and the subtle power dynamics involved in the relationship – which importantly work against the theoretical ethical justification of the process as capturing informed voluntary agreement. In both cases, reliance on the human element poses important challenges to how we think about consent and its legitimacy. This will be a hybrid seminar in LG Seminar Room 0, Big Data Institute (Old Road Campus), and on Zoom (contact admin@ethox.ox.ac.uk for joining details).
Join us on Tuesday 25 November 2025 to discover the environmental impact of our digital world. Organised by the Centre for Digital Scholarship (Bodleian Libraries) and GLAM Environmental Sustainability at the University of Oxford, this event brings together experts to explore sustainable practices, from websites to AI. The event includes talks and discussions from: Jon Ray, Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM) Environmental Sustainability Lead, University of Oxford; James Baker, Professor of Digital Humanities, University of Southampton; Andri Johnston, Digital Sustainability Lead, Cambridge University Press & Assessment; David Mahoney, PhD candidate at The University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Design Informatics; and Felippa Amanta, iDODDLE (Impacts of Digitalised Daily Life on Climate Change), University of Oxford. The event will include a networking lunch. Registration is required.
The Mekong Delta, Vietnam's "rice bowl" and a globally significant biodiversity hotspot, is on the front line of climate change. Rising sea levels, saltwater intrusion, and extreme weather events pose an existential threat to its ecosystems and the livelihoods of its 20 million inhabitants. Aquaculture, a cornerstone of the region's economy and food supply, is particularly vulnerable to these changes. This presentation will explore the evolution of climate adaptation strategies in the Delta's aquaculture sector. Drawing on a unique longitudinal dataset, Dr Dao Minh Hai will compare comprehensive surveys of 200 shrimp farms conducted in 2011 and 2024. This decade-long analysis reveals critical trends in how farming systems, environmental impacts, and farmer decision-making have shifted in response to mounting climate pressures. The talk will examine the effectiveness of key interventions, from integrated mangrove-shrimp and rotational rice-shrimp systems to advances in genetic selective breeding programs for enhanced salinity tolerance in species like striped catfish. By analysing what has worked and what has not, the talk will distil key lessons for building resilient aquatic food systems. These insights are essential for developing scientifically sound and practically implementable policies to safeguard food security in the Mekong Delta and other vulnerable coastal regions worldwide.
This talk examines how illicit flows that cross borderlands shape security from the local to the global level. It introduces the concept of Global Illicit Supply Chain Networks to explain how trafficking hubs—places where several illicit flows intersect, often near borders—connect regions of conflict and instability with wider global systems. These hubs are not peripheral; they are crucial nodes where local arrangements, often between state and non-state actors, sustain both order and disorder. The analysis draws on multi-sited fieldwork across the Andean region, Southeast Asia, Iraq, and the Horn of Africa, combined with geospatial and network analysis. This mixed-methods approach captures both the lived realities of those experiencing insecurity and the structural patterns that link borderlands to global dynamics. By tracing how short-term, pragmatic alliances and overlapping illicit and licit economies reinforce each other, the talk highlights how local interactions can have far-reaching security implications. Rather than treating borderlands as marginal, it argues for recognising them as integral to understanding global security.
Designed for research staff who are considering their next career move—whether within Oxford, within academia more broadly, or in other sectors. This interactive workshop supports researchers in navigating their career development with greater confidence and clarity. It offers participants the space to reflect on their ambitions, explore alternative futures, and engage in structured peer discussions to share insights and challenges. Participants will use design-thinking approaches to consider different career scenarios. The session then moves into goal setting and peer advice-sharing, helping researchers to build practical short-term plans and identify supportive resources and networks. Participants are introduced to key tools and services available through Oxford to support their development as they prepare for their next step, whatever that may be. By the end of this session, participants will be able to: * Articulate multiple possible career directions, including both preferred and alternative pathways. * Identify actionable short-term goals that support career progress. * Reflect on and assess their professional development to date, including skills, motivations, and values. Everyone welcome, please register to receive the TEAMS link for this event If you are a student or researcher with a CareerConnect account, please register "here":https://oxford.targetconnect.net/leap/event.html?id=23004&service=Careers%20Service All other staff register "here":https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=G96VzPWXk0-0uv5ouFLPke7xLB0LNIFKuA055EWF9ZtURDNaUFBBSFJPRFVWQktKQVBLTjhMSFo5NC4u, the joining link will be in the registration confirmation email
With the global spread of English, clarifying what makes speech intelligible and how listeners adapt to accent diversity is important for English language teaching. This presentation addresses these questions in two studies focusing on Japanese accented English. The first study examined key pronunciation features affecting intelligibility for both native and non-native listeners. One hundred participants (50 native and 50 non-native English speakers) transcribed highly controlled sentences, each containing two target words exemplifying one of three features of Japanese accented English – vowel deviations, consonant deviations, or vowel epenthesis. Analyses indicated that consonant deviations and vowel epenthesis impaired intelligibility more than vowel deviations, and descriptive analyses further pinpointed specific phoneme-level contributors. The second study tested whether brief adaptation training using Japanese accented English with captions improves comprehension. One hundred and twenty participants (60 native and 60 non-native English speakers) completed a pre-test–training–post-test design. In the test phases, participants transcribed sentences to measure intelligibility and provided Likert-scale ratings to measure comprehensibility. During training, they were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: Japanese accented speech with/without captions or North American English with/without captions. Listeners showed adaptation to Japanese accented speech, though training effects were limited. Drawing on these findings, the presentation discusses pedagogical implications for pronunciation and listening instruction. Bio: Naosuke is a final-year DPhil student in Applied Linguistics at the University of Oxford. He completed an MSc in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition at Oxford in 2019. His research interests lie in intelligibility and listener adaptation in accented English within Global Englishes contexts. Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3aM_SoBsI8nakThXNUxEguh57-GSvT6JopDdhFnEBgr3I1%40thread.tacv2/1759499701700?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22cc95de1b-97f5-4f93-b4ba-fe68b852cf91%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22e0e2c03d-d313-4dab-bd7c-afbd83792648%22%7d
The oceans are the invisible infrastructure of modern civilisation—the global operating system upon which trade, energy, data, and climate stability depend. More than 80 percent of world commerce moves by sea, and over 95 percent of international internet traffic flows through undersea cables. Yet the maritime domain remains fundamentally anarchic: beyond the domestic seas, it is a space where states, corporations, and non-state actors contest resources, assert coercive power, or exploit regulatory gaps. Grey-zone operations, piracy, unregulated deep-sea mining, and environmental degradation reveal the fragility of these commons. This seminar, “Sea Control Re-dux,” revisits the classical concept of sea control - from Mahan and Corbett to the drone age - to argue its enduring relevance for strategic stability and global prosperity. It examines how all powers - great and small must adapt maritime strategies to secure sea lines of communication, protect critical digital infrastructure, and steward the marine environment. By highlighting the ocean’s centrality to economic flows, climate regulation, and human security, the seminar challenges audiences to recognise the sea not merely as a battlefield or resource but as the connective tissue of the international order—and a domain that matters to everyone. Dr Sean Andrews is a recently retired naval Captain with extensive operational and command experience. His research centres on the evolving character and strategic utility of naval power and maritime security. Dr Andrews is currently the Five Eyes Fellow at the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre. Most recently, he was the Senior Maritime Fellow at the National Security College, Australian National University, and a Visiting Fellow at SST:CCW. He is an Associate Member of King’s College London. Previously, Dr Andrews served as Director of the Sea Power Centre – Australia and founded the Indo-Pacific’s Six Nation Maritime Working Group.
Many states exhibit high degrees of capacity without having the fiscal resources necessary to fund a modern bureaucracy. In this paper, we argue that they achieve this by exploiting the social structure of the societies they govern. We develop the concept of the ``Embedded state'' and illustrate how it functions using a unique survey of British urban government from 1835. Since local authorities had few resources, only a third of their functionaries were paid. Instead, people were motivated by prestige and career concerns. We show that jobs where these incentives dominated attracted elites and people with higher ability. We also show that, as a consequence, unpaid officials were significantly more productive than paid ones. While the Embedded State was successful in providing public goods at low monetary costs, it also featured corruption and nepotism, and could not motivate unpaid bureaucrats to implement onerous tasks.
Looking for time and space to focus on your writing? Come to our regular writing group meetings. This group is designed for scholars who engage with humour in their research, whether through literature, performance, media, history, philosophy, anthropology, cultural studies, or other. We provide structured time for focused writing, support each other’s accountability, and offer a community for those who share an interest in the study of humour. Snacks, tea, and coffee will be provided.
In this seminar, Amanda Rubin-Lewis and Devorah Baum discuss The Third Reich of Dreams, Charlotte Beradt’s recently republished archive of the dreams of Jewish and non-Jewish Berliners living under the Nazi regime. Out of print in English for over forty years, this remarkable dream archive, which Charlotte risked her life to protect, stands as both testimony and warning—a unique seismograph of history, registering the tremors of totalitarianism through the minds of those who endured it. “ … an eerie reminder of totalitarianism’s torments, at a time when the world seems to be drifting once again towards darkness” —Weekend Telegraph Like the dreams she preserved, Charlotte’s story raises questions that echo today: Did ordinary Germans realise they were living through a historical nightmare? Would we recognise the same signs if we were living through them ourselves? As our own era confronts rising authoritarianism and deepening polarisation, these dreams illuminate the subtle psychological mechanisms of control—how propaganda distorts reality, how we unconsciously conform, and what happens when the distinction between fact and fiction begins to dissolv About The Third Reich of Dreams: “… the kind of book that haunts your dreams. Essential reading for anyone who has known what it is like to live within a totalitarian state—or is worried they’re about to find out” — Zadie Smith, New York Review of Books Soon after Hitler seized power in January 1933, Berlin-based journalist Charlotte Beradt began having disturbing dreams. Night after night, she finds herself hunted through snow-covered fields, stormtroopers at her heels. Shaken by these nightmares and banned as a Jew from working, she began secretly collecting dreams from her friends and neighbours, both Jewish and non-Jewish. Disguising these “diaries of the night” in code and concealing them in the spines of books from her extensive library, she smuggles them out of the country one by one. “Dreams are perfect for registering nascent authoritarianism and the ways its repressions actually unfold: not as a single announcement or explosive act but as a steady, growing rumble while the ground beneath your feet begins to shift” —The Atlantic Escaping to New York in 1939, reinvention comes at a steep cost. Charlotte fashions her husband’s old lawyer’s robe into a working housecoat and earns a living dyeing the hair of fellow refugees. What was once Berlin’s literary salon culture transforms into a makeshift hair salon in exile. It becomes a gathering place for European émigré intellectuals, including Hannah Arendt. This tight-knit circle forms a space for conversation and connection amid collective loss, preserving fragments of the culture they were forced to leave behind. Decades later, and as Germany begins to reckon with its past, Charlotte painstakingly reassembles the hidden dream fragments—decoding, organising, and connecting the testimonies she had safeguarded. TheThird Reich of Dreams, finally published in 1966, becomes a landmark work—reframing life under fascism through the hidden world of the unconscious. Speaker Details: Amanda Rubin-Lewis is a documentary filmmaker, journalist, and independent scholar working at the intersection of cultural history, music, the arts, and science. Her work has been featured on the BBC, Channel 4, The History Channel, and Discovery+, among other notable channels. Her recent relevant work includes 21st Century Mythologies (BBC), which unpacks the 1957 book Mythologies by French philosopher Roland Barthes, laying bare the myth-making that is at the heart of consumer culture. It was while researching a film about journalist Charlotte Beradt and her unique dream anthology, The Third Reich of Dreams, that Amanda discovered the lost English-language rights to the book. She was the force behind its republication in English in April 2025 by Princeton University Press. Presently, Rubin is making a radio documentary for BBC Radio 4 about the dream collection and the role of psychotherapy under the Nazis. She lives and works in London. Devorah Baum is a writer, filmmaker and Professor of English Literature at the University of Southampton. She is the author of Feeling Jewish: a book for just about anyone (Yale University Press, 2017), The Jewish Joke (Profile, 2016), and On Marriage (Hamish Hamilton, 2023) and the director of the creative documentary features The New Man (2016) and Husband (2022). Her writing has appeared in various publications, including The New York Times, The Guardian and Granta magazine. In 2025, she published the co-edited (with Stephen Frosh) Routledge International Handbook to Psychoanalysis and Jewish Studies. About the Programme Jewish Women's Voices is a collaborative initiative by Kate Kennedy, Director of the ‘Oxford Centre for Life-Writing’, and Vera Fine-Grodzinski, a scholar of Jewish social and cultural history. The Programme is the first of its kind at any UK academic institution. Launched in October 2023, the Programme celebrates the life-writing of Jewish women often underrepresented in mainstream history accounts. The Programme is a three-term seminar series dedicated to exploring the diverse experiences of Jewish women across centuries, countries, and cultures. Further information about the Programme can be found here. Further Details and Contacts: This hybrid event is free and open to all. Registration is recommended for in-person attendance and required for hybrid attendance The seminar will be recorded and made available on the OCLW website soon after. Registration is not required to access the recording. Registration will close at 10:30 on 25 November 2025. Any queries regarding this event should be addressed to OCLW Events Manager, Dr Eleri Anona Watson.
In this workshop, we explore new aspects of the people, texts, and networks around the Dutch philosopher Benedict Spinoza (1632–1676). The workshop is organised by the ERC project NOTCOM on occasion of the visit of Dr. Maxime Rovere, author of Méthodes de Spinoza (CNRS Editions, 2010) and Le Clan Spinoza (Flammarion 2017), and translator of Spinoza, Correspondance (Garnier-Flammarion, 2010), Spinoza, Éthique (Flammarion, 2021), and Jarig Jellesz et Lodewijk Meyer. Spinoza par ses amis (Rivages, 2017). 2.00-2.15pm Introduction (Mogens Lærke) 2.15-3.15pm. Olivier Yasar de France (Pembroke College, Oxford): The Transnational Circulation of an Idea in the European Republic of Letters: The Curious Case of Vat. Lat. 12838. A few years ago, a non-autograph manuscript of Benedict Spinoza’s Ethics was discovered in the Archives of the Vatican. Copied a couple of years before the philosopher's death, it is the only manuscript of his Ethica which has survived. It travelled with Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus as he undertook the intellectual grand tour of Europe which brought him from the United Provinces to London and Paris. What with all roads leading to Rome, the manuscript's peregrinations ended in the Vatican, where Nicolas Steno promptly committed it to the Index of the Inquisition. We hope to interpret the peregrinations of the Vatican Ethics in light of Benedict Spinoza's own philosophy. Indeed we submit that they embody the philosopher's own understanding of how ideas circulate in times of peace. The travels of the manuscript fashion the first layers of interpretation of the Ethics, before his most influential work has even seen the light of day. The travails of the manuscript will come to symbolize both the early politics of Spinoza's reception, and the later reception of Spinoza's politics. In so doing, they partake of the invention of a Spinozism without Spinoza. In short, Vat. Lat. 12838 has all the makings of a very singular palimpsest—one which both shapes and is shaped by the collective, political, European and transnational circulation of an idea across time. 3:15-4:15. Mogens Lærke (CNRS-IHRIM/MFO, Lyon/Oxford) : A Circle Without a Circle. Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus’s Natural Scientific Method The first edition of Medicina mentis (1686/7), the principal philosophical work of Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus (1651–1708), was subtitled “an attempt at authentic logic wherein the method of discovering unknown truths is discussed.” In this paper, I am interested in the historical genesis and the systematic construction of this “art of discovery.” As a philosopher, Tschirnhaus is difficult to categorise, placed at the point of transition between different doctrines, schools, and epochs, a “heretic” of both Cartesianism and Spinozism, according to himself. One central instance of Tschirnhaus keeping a foot in several camps is this: on the one hand, he insisted that “true physics” (vera physica) has to be built from the ground up from a priori principles; on the other hand, he maintains that the conduct of “natural science” (scientia naturalis) has to be rooted in experience and experimental practices; he explicitly claimed to have found an “intermediary path” between these two approaches. In this paper, I am interested in the historical genesis and the systematic construction of this art of discovery, with particular emphasis on the way in which Tschirnhaus believed to have found such an “intermediary path.” I believe the ground-structure of Tschirnhaus’s art of discovery is best understood as the result of his complex engagement with in his intellectual development, especially some formative years around the mid- and late 1670s. 4.30-5.30pm Maxime Rovere (IHRIM, Lyon): Resisting Spinoza: Bouwmeester, Van den Enden and Kerckrinck’s Objections to Spinoza’s Intellectualism A diffusionist bias sometimes makes scholars suppose that Spinoza’s group of friends was made of disciples, gathered around him to receive his teachings as a doctrine of truth. This presentation draws attention to a certain resistance which was explicitly offered by Spinoza’s friends concerning one of his doctrines, regarding the relation between imagination and intellect. More specifically, that resistance bears upon the role played by imagination in human salvation. In his early texts, from the very first up to the Tractatus theologico-politicus (1670), Spinoza tends to present the imagination as an incertain form of knowledge and as the source of all error, while the intellect alone appears to offer access to truth and science, as the only means of knowing God and experience salvation. However, in their early writings, the authors that historians consider to be closest to Spinoza made arguments going in the opposite direction. In the Philedonius (1657), Franciscus Van den Enden considered the possibility of anticipating the future with the help of imagination—for him, that faculty did not appear only in a disorderly state. In one of his letters (1666), Johannes Bouwmeester observes that, because imagination has a sovereign power from the point of view of knowledge, we should not consider it as an act of aimless thinking. In his contributions to the literary society Nil volentibus arduum, founded in 1669, he moreover suggests that it is possible to dispense with the intellect if we are dealing with the issue of salvation. Finally, in his Florilegium anatomicum (1670), Theodor Kerckrinck referred to the Paracelsian tradition to highlight the strength of the imagination in shaping the body, for better or for worse. I will argue see that these objections, or acts of resistance to Spinoza’s propositions, far from drawing a dividing line between Spinoza and his friends, offer us extraordinary examples of the malleable aspect of their ideas, as well as of a common intellectual evolution of friends who shared philosophical interests.
Shards – Cécile Dudouyt (Paris 13) Collage – Claire Barnes (Oxford) Contagion – Nicolette D'Angelo (UCLA) [online]
The Behind-the-Scenes Seminar Series is designed to learn about the production process of research papers, offering an opportunity for students and researchers in all fields and at all career stages to engage with the challenges encountered during project development and how they were overcome. This time's paper: "Trade and Management", The Review of Economics and Statistics 103 (2021), p.1-18. (with Nick Bloom, John Van Reenen, Stephen Sun, Zhihong Yu)
The extant literature on the link between international education and socio-political development emphasises the role political socialisation in democratic host societies plays in instilling democratic values in foreign students and prompting them to advocate for democratic change in the home country. In this webinar, I will discuss such assumptions drawing on some findings of my doctoral research project which explored the impact of international educational mobility on Russian young people’s socio-political views and engagement. More specifically, I will consider the influence of studying abroad on Russian mobile students’ understandings of democracy and aspirations to engage socio-politically in Russia. The analysis draws on data from 55 in-depth interviews with Russian students and alumni of British and American universities. The findings reveal that international mobility contributes to heightened socio-political awareness and sometimes helps shape notions of democracy. However, such individual-level democratising impact is somewhat weakened by the conflicting evidence demonstrating that study abroad may contribute to scepticism about democracy as a political system and that newly acquired socio-political knowledge is sometimes impressionistic and fragmented. Furthermore, the evidence points to the paramount importance of the sending country’s political context in examining the linkage between student migrants’ democratic socialisation abroad, aspirations to enact political agency and potential to impact on the level of democratic development in the homeland.
In this talk, Dr Sapir will present her research on the historical development of student volunteering in Israeli higher education and its current implications. Based on archival analysis of two elite universities over four decades, the study identifies three key debates surrounding student volunteering: over the purpose of volunteering; over its mandatory nature; and over the awarding of academic credit. Challenging current critiques which focus on tensions embedded in the current neo-liberal climate, the historical lens reveals that key features - such as individualisation, control mechanisms, and demands for compensation - were shaped in earlier decades. These debates reflect broader questions about the shifting boundaries of the academic mission, student equity, and academic autonomy. Connecting this study to ongoing research on widening participation in Israeli higher education, she argues that mandatory volunteering requirements tied to need-based grants function as mechanisms of disciplinary poverty governance, reproducing inequality through disciplinary practices. Dr Adi Sapir is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Leadership and Policy in Education at the University of Haifa. Her research focuses on higher education and its social, cultural, historical, and organisational contexts. She has studied early academic entrepreneurship, the evolving meanings of basic and applied research, and the commodification of universities’ public roles. Her current work examines equity in higher education, focusing on the experiences and challenges of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and the institutional barriers they encounter.
In this presentation, we draw on the concept of uncertainty to explore the ways in which poor and predominantly low-caste villagers in India experience the state in their everyday lives. Through a focus on several social protection schemes in contemporary Tamil Nadu, we present ethnography of everyday narratives about localised encounters with bureaucratic processes and actors to illustrate what this uncertainty consists of, how it is produced, and what its effects are on the rural poor. We examine how uncertainty is articulated through various interrelated modalities, of which we consider four here: temporal, material, procedural and those related to classification and eligibility. We unpack each of these ethnographically in order to, firstly, reveal the effects of bureaucratic processes and state (in)action on the rural poor, and to show how uncertainty engenders both agency and paralysis. Secondly, drawing on a growing literature on bureaucratic processes in South Asia, we consider uncertainty as a mode of governmentality through which the state exerts control over its populations and produces variegated forms of citizenship that are marked by a considerable degree of indifference towards its most vulnerable citizens. We contribute to a conceptualisation of governmentality as a highly indirect and fragmented process that nevertheless results in the production of systemic neglect and in the construction of some citizens as expendable and undeserving of state attention.
Prof. Dr. med. Wolfram-Hubertus Zimmermann Director, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology | University Medical Center Göttingen Prof. Zimmermann is an internationally recognized leader in cardiac pharmacology and regenerative medicine. His research focuses on heart repair and regeneration through stem cell biology, tissue engineering, and translational therapeutics. As Director of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University Medical Center Göttingen, he has pioneered innovative approaches to cardiac tissue engineering and disease modeling.
In Northern Rhodesia (present-day Zambia), colonial authorities, mining companies and other industries, and some missionaries sought to “civilise” and impose order on African populations in towns such as Livingstone and the emerging Copperbelt urban centres. After the Second World War, these efforts produced an ostensibly urban and “modern” social order. During this period, a small minority of highly educated, middle-class African ‘elites’ emerged, increasingly asserting themselves in the governance of African urban life and displacing the “traditional” authorities to whom the colonial state had originally delegated such roles. These ‘elites’ later spearheaded the independence struggle, and after independence, the ruling faction advanced its own vision of an urban and “modern” order through the framework of Zambian Humanism. Yet despite its rhetorical break with colonialism, Humanism in practice often reproduced colonial strategies of discipline and regulation. At the same time, the wider urban African masses resisted these agendas, often refusing to conform to the “modernist” ideals promoted by some missionaries, colonial authorities, and nationalist ‘elites.’ In this presentation, my focus is on African men in Livingstone and the Copperbelt, examining how they navigated, pursued, and attained manhood between the mid-1940s and late 1970s, an era nostalgically portrayed by many of my older interlocutors and some scholars as a “golden era of modern manhood.” This presentation is based on a draft chapter from my doctoral thesis.
Social emotional learning (SEL) is seen as critical for children’s lifelong success. Though most of the research on preschoolers’ SEL is focused on school-based interventions, children’s museums are valuable resources for fostering SEL. Over the last several years, we have conducted a series of studies examining how preschoolers’ engage in SEL in children’s museums. The first study assessed whether preschoolers demonstrate SEL behaviors in children’s museums and if there were differences between SEL in children’s museums compared to other free, play-based settings, like community playgrounds. The second study compared observations of preschoolers’ peer relationship skills in three different types of children’s museum exhibit types, including a) loose parts exhibits; b) scenario-based exhibits; and c) collaborative activity exhibits. And the third study measured what parents/caregivers observe about their child(ren)’s SEL during a children’s museum visit. In this seminar, Dr. Luke will share results from all three studies and engage participants in discussion about the affordances and constraints for facilitating SEL in an informal learning environment like children’s museums. This seminar is part of the Child Development and Learning (CDL) Seminar Series. Join in-person or online on Teams: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3799219398382?p=2e2iFubdvLDs8dvPmG
In _Decoding the Hand: A History of Magic, Medicine and Science_, Alison Bashford explores the long connections between early modern chiromancy, nineteenth-century revivals of kabbalistic palmistry, sometimes reworked as ‘medical palmistry’, and a suite of twentieth century biomedical interventions, including the hand-based ‘dermatoglyphics’. Not only for fortune-telling palmists were the future and the past, health, and character laid bare in the hand, but for other experts in bodies and minds as well: anatomists, psychiatrists, embryologists, primatologists, evolutionary biologists, geneticists. Part diagnostics, part prognostics as well as prognostication, she explains an enduring search for how our bodily surfaces might reveal an inner self—a soul, a character, an identity. *Alison Bashford FBA* is Scientia Professor of History at University of New South Wales, previously Vere Harmsworth Professor at Cambridge. She is author of _An Intimate History of Evolution: The Story of the Huxley Family_ (Allen Lane, 2022), winner of the Nib Literary Award, and shortlisted for the Cundill History Prize. Her most recent edited book is _New Earth Histories: Geo-cosmologies and the Making of the Modern World_ (Chicago) with Kern and Bobbette. In 2021, she received the Dan David Prize for her contributions to the history of medicine. This event, open to all, is supported by the TORCH Network 'Divination, Oracles, and Omens', the Calleva Research Centre at Magdalen College, and the Centre for the History of Science, Medicine, and Technology in the History Faculty. For more information, contact Michelle Pfeffer.
Prof. Alison Bashford, 'Decoding the Hand: A History of Magic, Medicine and Science' In Decoding the Hand: A History of Magic, Medicine and Science, Alison Bashford explores the long connections between early modern chiromancy, nineteenth-century revivals of kabbalistic palmistry, sometimes reworked as ‘medical palmistry’, and a suite of twentieth century biomedical interventions, including the hand-based ‘dermatoglyphics’. Not only for fortune-telling palmists were the future and the past, health, and character laid bare in the hand, but for other experts in bodies and minds as well: anatomists, psychiatrists, embryologists, primatologists, evolutionary biologists, geneticists. Part diagnostics, part prognostics as well as prognostication, she explains an enduring search for how our bodily surfaces might reveal an inner self—a soul, a character, an identity. Alison Bashford FBA is Scientia Professor of History at University of New South Wales, previously Vere Harmsworth Professor at Cambridge. She is author of An Intimate History of Evolution: The Story of the Huxley Family (Allen Lane, 2022), winner of the Nib Literary Award, and shortlisted for the Cundill History Prize. Her most recent edited book is New Earth Histories: Geo-cosmologies and the Making of the Modern World (Chicago) with Kern and Bobbette. In 2021, she received the Dan David Prize for her contributions to the history of medicine. This event, open to all, is supported by the TORCH Network 'Divination, Oracles, and Omens', the Calleva Research Centre at Magdalen College, and the Centre for the History of Science, Medicine, and Technology in the History Faculty.
tbc
https://www.wiko-berlin.de/en/fellows/academic-year/2025/adam-zoltan
Book Overview: This book follows the four-decade diplomatic career of Nabeela Al Mulla, the first woman ambassador from the State of Kuwait. Though she planned on an academic career, Al Mulla found her true calling when she changed course to serve in the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry, beginning in the 1970s. This work included time at the United Nations in the turbulent Gulf War era. Al Mulla went on to make history in 1993 with her first ambassadorial posting in Zimbabwe, followed by other postings in Southern Africa during Nelson Mandela's transformative presidency in post-apartheid South Africa. She was serving in Europe when the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began at the turn of the 21st century. Ambassador Al Mulla made history again in 2004 with her designation as Kuwait's Permanent Representative to the UN, making her the first Arab woman to head a member state's delegation. Al Mulla's impassioned dedication to global cooperation continued as she went on to lend her expertise to NATO, the IAEA, and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, among other organizations. Readers will be inspired by Ambassador Al Mulla's account of her groundbreaking career and will gain an insider's perspective on diplomatic service and the international bodies striving to promote peace and security in the Middle East and beyond. About the Author: Ambassador Nabeela Al Mulla is the first woman ambassador from the Gulf region, the first Arab woman to chair the IAEA Board of Governors, and the first Arab woman Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Paula Muñoz is a Full Professor at the Universidad del Pacífico in Peru. She received her PhD and MA in Government from the University of Texas at Austin. She is the author of “Buying Audiences: Clientelism and Electoral Campaigns When Parties Are Weak” (Cambridge University Press, 2009) and co-author of “Prosecutors, Voters and The Criminalization of Corruption in Latin America: The Case of Lava Jato” (Cambridge University Press, 2023). Her research interests include distributive politics, corruption, sub-national politics, democratic accountability, and, more recently, the politics of plastics regulation.
An in-conversation event with Gregory Jusdanis, co-author of the new biography of Constantine P. Cavafy (by Gregory Jusdanis and Peter Jeffreys; Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2025). Event co-organised with the Sub-Faculty of Modern Greek.
Join Professor A. C. Grayling, one of the UK’s leading public philosophers and author of For the People: Fighting Authoritarianism, Saving Democracy, in conversation with Dr Leor Zmigrod, a political neuroscientist and author of The Ideological Brain, as part of the Calleva-Airey Neave Global Security Seminar Series. The seminar is moderated by Dr Julia Ebner, Calleva Researcher and Leader of Oxford’s Violent Extremism Lab. As the closing seminar of the series, this session will consider the contemporary pressures facing democratic systems, including the role of political structures, information ecosystems, and individual psychological predispositions. It will examine how institutional and cognitive factors intersect to shape the resilience or vulnerability of democratic governance in the face of authoritarian and extremist currents, and reflect on possible strategies — institutional, civic, and psychological — for strengthening democratic practices and safeguarding political freedoms in a rapidly changing global environment. The event is followed by a drinks reception.
What if you could draw sound? What if there was a way to sketch music that was so intuitive that school children could pick it up with ease, yet powerful enough that it could revolutionise the creative process for professional composers, liberating them from the constraints of traditional notation? In 1977 visionary Greek-French composer and polymath Iannis Xenakis brought this idea to life with UPIC, a groundbreaking machine that transformed visual gestures into audio signals; a user could draw on a board and UPIC would convert these drawings into sound. Xenakis’s pioneering work has profoundly shaped my own music compositional journey, inspiring me to explore the deep connections between drawing and music and between what we see and what we hear. In this talk I will delve into the fascinating relationship between sound and image and how this interplay informs my music. My solo violin cycle, “Nicosia Etudes” intertwines musical gestures with the soundscape of Nicosia in Cyprus, the last divided capital in Europe. I will discuss how this piece draws on the spirit of UPIC and will demonstrate how gestures evolve into sound through live examples and performances on musical instruments. There will be a drinks reception in the Sybil Dodd Room following the talk to which everyone is welcome. If you'd like to attend, please register at: https://www.stx.ox.ac.uk/event/designing-sound-sculpting-gesture
In our September event, Professor Robert McGill (Ontario & Wadham 1999) will discuss his book Simple Creatures. Robert McGill is the author of three novels and two nonfiction books. His short stories have been published by magazines including The Atlantic and The Dublin Review, and his most recent book is the short fiction collection Simple Creatures. He is Professor of English at the University of Toronto, where he teaches Creative Writing.
William of Ockham (c. 1278-1347), who studied theology at Oxford, inspired what is now called Occam’s Razor, a principle of parsimony in reasoning about the world which holds that simpler models are better. This principle built on ideas circulating among Scholastic philosophers of his day, including Duns Scotus (c. 1265-1308), who maintained that “Pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate,” or "Plurality should not be posited without necessity.” Ockham wielded this principle like a scalpel to cut away unnecessary parts of an argument. But why? Is it true that simpler explanations are closer to the truth, and what do "simpler" and "better" mean, anyway? In November’s Balliol Online Lecture, Professor Vijay Balasubramanian (George Eastman Professor and Visiting Fellow 2024-2025) will draw on a variety of material, from Balliol's medieval manuscripts collection to his own research with contemporary artificial intelligence, in order to discuss the philosophical, mathematical and physical reasons why bounded agents with limited resources may achieve more by using simpler models. Professor Vijay Balasubramanian is the George Eastman Visiting Professor at Balliol College during the 2024-2025 academic year. As a theoretical physicist, he works in the fields of quantum gravity and the fundamental theory of forces, the study of complex quantum and classical systems, biological physics, and learning by machines and animals. In his publications he has investigated the creation, transformation, processing, storage and transmission of information in physical systems ranging from black holes in quantum gravity to neural circuits in brains. Professor Balasubramanian is the Cathy and Marc Lasry Professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Unfinished Conversation: Reckoning with Colonial History
Dr Marlène Rosano-Grange (Sciences Po, Political Economy) will speak on the findings of her new book on the global history of European integration: La fin de l'Europe: Une histoire mondiale de l'intégration (Amsterdam). She is a political economist and postdoctoral researcher in international relations at Sciences Po. Her work focuses on international political economy, trade unions and European integration, and the sociology of labour and finance.
The Old English reading group for students by students. This term's text is Apollonius of Tyre, the only pre-conquest romance in English! All are welcome whatever level of Old English you have. We'll read, translate, and talk through the text together. A great opportunity to get more familiar with Old English pronunciation, but in a non-scary way!
Oxford CEMS in the Schwarzman: Early Modern Conversations in Ecology Professor Bart Van Es (English) ‘True Fire: Saint Augustine, the Climate Crisis, and Creative Non-Fiction’ Professor Francesca Southerden (Italian) ‘Affective Ecologies in Petrarch’s Lyric Poems’ will be held in Schwarzman Lecture Theatre L1, with reception in 10.302. Refreshments served All welcome
With the rapid development of AI and biotechnologies (including those relating to germline gene editing, brain-computer Interfaces, life extension, etc.) come vast powers to reshape ourselves and the natural world. As technological advances grant us new powers, so do they blur some boundaries between humans, animals, and machines, prodding us to ask the question: what does it mean to be human? Drawing upon readings in the humanities (including philosophy, theology, literature, etc.) and the sciences, this group will attempt to bridge the existential and empirical study of human identity - and within that context, ask if and how such reflections might help chart a path forward in relation to the right uses of new and potent technologies. We will focus in particular on questions of human purpose, place, and flourishing within the natural order. The reading group is open to students at all levels of study (including medical students), as well as faculty. We will meet for about 1 hour, twice per term. Under the umbrella of TORCH Medical Humanities, this will be a casual reading and discussion group. The readings for each session will be introduced by a different participant - and the readings for each session will take a total of roughly 1 hour to complete.
Explore the impact of AI, Large Language Models and data on the analysis of politics. Join us for a forward-thinking discussion with leading experts as we dissect the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence, Large Language Models and Data on the analysis of politics and the political landscape itself. More details to be announced soon. The networking reception will include vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free snack options and allergens will be clearly labelled. If you have any additional dietary requirements or allergies, please do contact digitalhub@jesus.ox.ac.uk and we are happy to help. This event is part of the Cheng Kar Shun Digital Hub Programme in partnership with the Oxford Internet Institute.
With the rapid development of AI and biotechnologies (including those relating to germline gene editing, brain-computer Interfaces, life extension, etc.) come vast powers to reshape ourselves and the natural world. As technological advances grant us new powers, so do they blur some boundaries between humans, animals, and machines, prodding us to ask the question: what does it mean to be human? Drawing upon readings in the humanities (including philosophy, theology, literature, etc.) and the sciences, this group will attempt to bridge the existential and empirical study of human identity - and within that context, ask if and how such reflections might help chart a path forward in relation to the right uses of new and potent technologies. We will focus in particular on questions of human purpose, place, and flourishing within the natural order. Under the umbrella of TORCH Medical Humanities, this will be a casual reading and discussion group. The readings for each session will be introduced by a different participant - and the readings for each session will take a total of roughly 1 hour to complete.
Join us for this novel course hosted by OxSTaR, for an introduction to the skills required to deliver simulation-based healthcare education. The course is directed towards healthcare professionals with an interest in simulation, but no previous experience is required. Why this course: Are you looking at starting to build the skill set required to deliver simulation to healthcare professionals? This course will introduce you to the importance of debriefing, including giving you the opportunity to practice, and understanding of the roles required to deliver simulation. No experience is required but completion of the e-learning for health modules in simulation prior to the course is essential. This course is part of a wider programme that will also include mentorship opportunities post course. Course Outline: Full day of Lectures and hands on workshops: > Principles of simulation and roles required to deliver > Why do we pre-brief? > Practical debriefing >Designing a simulation scenario
An interactive networking day for early-career researchers working across the ‘brain omics’ spectrum from genomics to transcriptomics to proteomics and epigenomics. With a focus on psychiatric and brain-related conditions, the event will highlight the opportunities and challenges of working with large-scale datasets, while fostering connections and collaborations across disciplines.
An interactive networking day for early-career researchers working across the ‘brain omics’ spectrum from genomics to transcriptomics to proteomics and epigenomics. With a focus on psychiatric and brain-related conditions, the event will highlight the opportunities and challenges of working with large-scale datasets, while fostering connections and collaborations across disciplines.
An interactive networking day for early-career researchers working across the ‘brain omics’ spectrum from genomics to transcriptomics to proteomics and epigenomics. With a focus on psychiatric and brain-related conditions, the event will highlight the opportunities and challenges of working with large-scale datasets, while fostering connections and collaborations across disciplines. Please complete the linked registration form if you wish to attend.
EndNote is a desktop-based reference management tool for Windows and Mac users. It helps you to build libraries of references and insert them into Word documents as in-text citations or footnotes, and to automatically generate bibliographies. This online introduction to EndNote is open to all University of Oxford students, researchers and staff and teaches you how to use the software so that you can effectively manage your references. The workshop will cover: what EndNote can do for you; adding references to EndNote from a range of sources; managing your references in an EndNote library; adding in-text citations and/or footnotes to your essays and papers; and creating bibliographies. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student
Putting in place effective processes for learning is key to getting better at policy engagement, and to meeting some of the demands we face to demonstrate the impact of our work. But what tools and resources can we use - and how do we use them? To help researchers answer these questions, the Policy Engagement Team is offering this short course, comprising two parts, each lasting 2 hours. In Part 1, participants will engage in small-group and plenary activities. They will learn about effective techniques for monitoring, evaluation, and learning related to policy engagement. These concepts are then applied through drafting a theory of change. Supplementary materials, including PowerPoint slides, handouts, and recommended reading and resources will be provided to participants, further embedding the concepts covered. Intended audience Researchers, DPhil Students, and Professional Services Staff
How do you ensure that your research is credible, to yourself and others? Preregistration means specifying in advance your hypotheses, methods, and/or analyses for a study, in a time-stamped file that others can access. Many fields, including behavioural and medical sciences, are increasingly using preregistration or Registered Reports (where a journal accepts your study at preregistration phase, and guarantees to publish the results if you follow the registered plan). If you've never preregistered a study before (or even if you have!) it can be complicated and hard to do well. In this workshop, we will go over the 'what,' 'why,' and 'how' of preregistration, and after some practice exercises, you will start drafting your own preregistration. We will also discuss some of the common challenges of preregistration, and its limitations. After the course, you will be able to: describe what preregistration and Registered Reports are (and how they differ); explain the benefits (and drawbacks) of preregistration and Registered Reports; identify what types of research are most suited for preregistration and Registered Reports; recognise the common pitfalls in writing a preregistration; identify the logistics of preregistering: which format and platform to use; and demonstrate the ability to write an effective preregistration, with an appropriate balance of specificity and concision. Intended audience: Researcher & research student; Staff
Join colleagues, students, and faculty from the university and Bodleian Libraries in an interactive Participatory Design session to dream up a more accessible future for digital collections for--and with--people with print disabilities. All welcome. Dr Victoria Van Hyning is an Assistant Professor of Library Innovation at the University of Maryland, and a Gale North America Digital Humanities Fellow. Her project for her Gale fellowship is titled: Expanding the Accessibility of Digital Bodleian Collections for Print-disabled users: A Participatory Design Approach.
In an effort to generate more discussion and collaboration on the scholarly study of religious naturalism, the Editorial Board of the Journal of the Oxford Graduate Theological Society is organizing a reading group on Alan Moore and Stephen Bissette’s influential run of Swamp Thing (1984–1987) and academic literature related to its sociohistorical context and themes. Moore’s writing explores sacred conceptions of nature, non-human life, magic, and psychedelic experiences. Brought to life by Bissette’s art, Saga of the Swamp Thing is perhaps the definitive tale of ecospirituality in the comics medium. All humans (and plant-monsters) are invited to join us to discuss this influential work. Reading list: https://haliphron.ink/2025/11/04/swamp2025/ Session 3 Readings (November 26) Moore, Alan, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben. “Book Four (#43-50).” In Saga of the Swamp Thing: Vertigo, 2013. Moore, Alan, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben. “Book Five (#51-56).” In Saga of the Swamp Thing: Vertigo, 2013. Secondary: Bradshaw, Michael. “‘The Sleep of Reason’: Swamp Thing and the Intertextual Reader.” In Alan Moore and the Gothic Tradition, edited by Matthew Green, 121-39. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2016. Cornish, Helen. “Accusing Witches in the Twenty-First Century.” Approaching Religion 13, no. 3 (2023): 23-39.
On behalf of the Sustainability Community of Interest at Saïd Business School, we are delighted to welcome Stefania Innocenti (Smith School) and Matthew Amengual (Saïd Business School) in conversation with Oxford Said’s Mary Johnstone-Louise and Juliane Reinecke, discussing work on Societal Support for Sustainability Policies. Summary: Policies are needed to create a context in which individuals and companies can make more sustainable choices. This session will discuss a set of papers on factors that augment or depress public support for sustainability policies. • One paper reports on a large pre-registered experiment in the United States testing how different communication strategies influence public acceptance of carbon taxation. The study shows that both providing clear economic explanations of the policy and highlighting broad social support for climate action can increase acceptance. • The follow-up survey included in the study further reveals that climate policy information is perceived as less politically biased once individuals have first been reminded of widespread societal support for climate action, underscoring how economic reasoning and social-psychological factors can work hand-in-hand to shift the boundaries of acceptable discourse. • The other papers investigate the relationship between corporate statements communicating their actions to address sustainability challenges in their supply chains and public support for policies. Specifically, these papers report the results of conjoint experiments in the United States and Germany with over 8,000 respondents. They reveal how statements from corporations and activists influence the public's support for removing problematic products from their markets through import ban.
This 90-minute session will cover some more advanced techniques for finding medical literature to answer a research question. We will recap some basics, then demonstrate searching in several medical databases, including using subject headings (MeSH) and the differences between platforms. By the end of this session, you will be able to: explain what subject headings are, and how to use them; search for words that appear near to other words; take a search from one database into another; and save a search and document it. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Researcher & research student
This is an OxSTAI (Oxford Network for Sustainable and Trustworthy AI in Health and Care) event. Chair: Angeliki Kerasidou Speaker Bio: Alex Novak is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Associate Professor of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and a Clinical Specialist Advisor at Trinity College, Oxford. His main research interests are based primarily around the use and development of diagnostic technology in acute healthcare settings, in particular the evaluation of Artificial Intelligence-enhanced imaging. He leads the Oxford Clinical Artificial Intelligence Research Group (OxCAIR), a multidisciplinary research group based in Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which focuses on the evaluation of regulator approved and commercially available digital health technologies, especially AI. Speaker Bio: Rubeta Matin is a Consultant Dermatologist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Honorary Senior Lecturer at University of Oxford , and a Fellow of the Alan Turing Institute. She holds a number of national leadership roles including Chair of the British Association of Dermatologists Artificial Intelligence (AI) Working Party Group and is specialist member of the MHRA Interim Medical Devices and Software and AI Expert Advisory Groups. Dr Matin is also a member of the WHO Focus Group on AI for Health (FG-AI4H) developing standardised benchmarking of AI-based technologies for health.
Prospective applicants who are interested in studying the DPhil in Sociology are invited to attend this online information session with Professor Ridhi Kashyap, Director of Graduate Studies. Professor Kashyap will summarise key information about the admissions process, funding, course milestones, supervision and future career opportunities. There will then be time to ask questions.
The Older Scots Reading Group is for people interested in literature produced in Scotland between 1375-1550. This is an incredibly rich period, featuring authors experimenting with form and language. The texts themselves are written in Older Scots – a language closely related to Middle English, but with some unique attributes. This reading group will provide a relaxed introduction to this period and language. This term we will focus on reading and comprehension. We will read one fairly short poem (300 lines max) per week by some of the most prominent Scottish Makars – Robert Henryson, William Dunbar, and Gavin Douglas. No intensive preparation required. Both undergraduates and postgraduates are welcome. There may be snacks! If you have any questions, contact megan.bushnell@ling-phil.ox.ac.uk
Ebola, Marburg, Nipah, COVID-19, and now avian flu. The list of deadly viruses jumping from animals to humans keeps on growing. Scientists estimate there are over 10,000 yet-to-be-discovered viruses with the potential to infect humans. These viruses thrive peacefully in their animal hosts, often without causing harm. This is why newly emerging viruses often appear to us to be coming out of nowhere, in the blink of an eye, a phenomenon known as "spillover." This one critical moment, when a virus jumps from animal to human, is key to preventing future pandemics. The gripping documentary SPILLOVER embarks on a global journey to uncover the answers, offering an urgent and eye-opening look at the origins of some of the world’s deadliest viruses. The film is both an urgent wake-up call and a fascinating journey of discovery. Providing a unique insight into the connections between humans, animals and the environment, it challenges us to fundamentally rethink our relationship with nature.
“For Him or For Me?”: Contraceptive Diaphragms, Menstrual Discs, and the Politics of Vaginal Technologies in Twentieth Century China and Beyond Ruoyu Jia, Durham University The Woven Other: Understanding the Western Missionary Collection of Korean Textiles, 1880-1910 Yoo Jin Choi, University of Delaware
Kathy Harvey will be in conversation with Kim Darroch, former British Ambassador to the European Union, National Security Adviser and Ambassador to the United States, about the new disorder and its consequences for governments and businesses. This is a joint event with the Saïd Business School.
John Williams is one of the most important film composers of all time, having almost singlehandedly revived the Hollywood symphonic scoring tradition and helped restore the livelihood of American orchestras through the popularity of film music programming. His film music, in the words of director Oliver Stone, "came to stand for the American culture".
All staff, students, and friends are warmly invited to join us for a public lecture hosted by the Koch History Centre. The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception.
Since its adoption, the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees has been central to scholarship on refugee and asylum issues. Yet, many states, including some hosting major refugee populations, are not parties to either the Convention or to its 1967 Protocol. Introducing the edited collection Non-Signatory States in International Refugee Law (Brill, 2025), this talk aims to capture and discuss essential aspects in the study of non-signatory states. It unpacks the ways in which diverse critical perspectives and methodological eclecticism are needed to understand the relation between these states and the international refugee regime. It explores how international refugee law is reshaped when actors in non-signatory states engage with its norms, and how national legal and protection landscapes are reconfigured as part of the process. Overall, the talk demonstrates how the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol play an important role in shaping responses to refugees in many non-signatory states. International refugee law manifests itself in myriad ways in these states, and these states in turn contribute to its further development. About the speaker Maja Janmyr is Professor of International Migration Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Oslo. Focusing mainly on Lebanon and the broader Middle East, Janmyr’s work takes a historical and socio-legal approach to international law, examining in particular how refugees and asylum-seekers understand and engage with legal norms and institutions, and how international refugee law is interpreted and implemented in local contexts. She is a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Refugee Law and is chair of the University of Oslo’s Scholars at Risk committee. Janmyr has received several awards and recognitions for her work, including the Fridtjof Nansen medal of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. She has lead several large research projects, and currently holds a Starting Grant from the European Research Council for the project “Protection without Ratification? International Refugee Law beyond States Parties to the 1951 Refugee Convention (BEYOND)” (2021-2026). The seminar will be followed by drinks in the Hall. Registration not required. All enquiries should be directed to rsc-outreach@qeh.ox.ac.uk
Join online via Microsoft Teams by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/2s3hfr23
“We need to understand photography as part of racial capitalism”. So writes Ariella Azoulay, correctly insisting that we regard the global dissemination of photography as an imperial exercise of power and domination. But it is Azoulay who has also sought to persuade us that photographs are relational entities whose meanings and effects are generated by their viewers and subjects as much as by their makers. This paper pursues that line of thinking while asking what actually happened when photography and Indigenous Australians encountered one another for the first time. A close study of a group of daguerreotypes of Indigenous Australians, taken in 1847 in Melbourne by Douglas Kilburn, and of French lithographs made after daguerreotypes that also feature native Australians, provides evidence that their subjects were agents in, as well as victims of, the act of photography. The paper thereby seeks to offer a history as complex and nuanced as the images it engages. *Geoffrey Batchen* is Professor of History of Art at the University of Oxford. His next book will be titled _On Silver Bright: Essays about Daguerreotypes_.
Kotaro Katsuki is the Minister and Head of Political Section at the Embassy of Japan to the United Kingdom. He has held various managerial positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Headquarters and the Japanese Government including Free Trade Agreement negotiations, Sustainable Development Goals implementation and Sustaining Peace efforts among others. Most recently, Mr. Katsuki was Minister and Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka, where he was heavily involved in facilitating the IMF program and debt restructuring process following the economic crisis in Sri Lanka in 2022. Mr Katsuki joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1994. His other foreign postings have been at the Embassy of Japan in the United States of America and the Embassy of Japan in the People’s Republic of China. He holds a BA in Law from the University of Tokyo and an MA in Regional Studies East Asia from Harvard University. He has lectured at various universities in Japan and the United States and is a frequent speaker at policy events around the globe. This talk seeks to offer a portrayal of the early stages of the new Prime Minister’s term and her cabinet’s policy orientation. In so doing, it will shed light on the challenges that Japan faces and how the country aspires to cope with them.
Are you looking for a streamlined approach to gathering, managing and citing your references? Join us for this interactive online session in which we introduce Zotero, a reference management tool that helps you to collect and manage references and insert them into your word-processor document as in-text citations or footnotes, as well as generating bibliographies. The demonstration will be on Windows although Zotero is also available for Mac and Linux.By the end of the session, you will understand: how Zotero can help you; how to add references to Zotero from a range of sources; how to manage your references; how to add in-text citations and/or footnotes to your documents; how to create bibliographies; and where to get help with Zotero. Please note that, whilst this session is mostly aimed at beginners, there will be a chance at the end to ask more specific questions about how to use Zotero. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student
Graph limit theory studies the convergence of sequences of graphs as the number of vertices grows, providing an effective framework for representing large networks. In this talk, I will give a brief introduction to graph limits and report on recent extensions to weighted graphs and multiplex networks (probability graphons and P-variables). As an application of this theory I will present a large deviation principle (LDP) for random weighted graphs that generalizes the LDP for Erdős-Rényi random graphs by Chatterjee and Varadhan (2011), based on joint work with Pierfrancesco Dionigi.
E4bp4/Nfil3 is a transcription factor that has a critical role in innate lymphoid cell development. This seminar will discuss the role of E4bp4/Nfil3 in NK cell biology and application of that understanding to establishing a novel platform for use in immunotherapy.
_Songs of Seven Dials_ shares the untold story of a remarkable neighbourhood and the battle to define modern London. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Seven Dials was one of London's most diverse neighbourhoods, home to migrant and working-class communities, bohemian clubs and cafes. But business leaders and city planners had other ideas. Beginning with a rancorous libel trial of 1927, in which a Sierra Leonean café owner and his wife confronted the racist newspaper that destroyed their business, Matt Houlbrook’s new book reveals the surprising history of this remarkable neighbourhood. He traces how tensions that simmered on the streets and finally exploded in court betrayed the politics of urban 'improvement' and the 'colour bar'. Underlying the trial was a series of troubling questions that would define Britain in the twentieth century - about race, class and the boundaries of belonging, gentrification and the kind of city London would become. Imaginative, powerful, and deeply moving, _Songs of Seven Dials_ is an important new history of London in the 1920s and 1930s.
When and how should research include the voices of vulnerable participants, and how can researchers build trust? Should extremists and terrorists be given a platform in research? What risks arise when studying security-sensitive issues? Drawing on over four years of research on the children of right-wing extremists, ISIS members who travelled to Syria and Iraq, and other parents affiliated with violent extremism, Dr Schneider will explore questions of ethics and trustworthiness in qualitative research. Her talk will address the opportunities and challenges encountered across the research cycle: gaining access to hard-to-reach participants, preparing for interviews with vulnerable individuals, reflecting on researcher bias, and ethically representing complex and sensitive findings. Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3745619732385?p=DhXEjfnZCGzQrafCT1
Title to be announced The Chief Medical Officer has confirmed that attendance at the Surgical Grand Rounds can count toward internal CPD, with 1 point awarded per hour. Please note that in-person attendance is required, and you will need to sign the attendance register. All members of the University and NHS clinical staff are welcome. Please email Tarryn Ching if you would like to attend online.
In the face of rapid and uneven urbanisation, the marketisation of space, growing polarisation and inequality, and the proliferation of gated communities, walls, fences, and surveillance infrastructures, there is an increasingly urgent need to rethink our core assumptions about the agenda of urban research and design, beyond the Western context. This talk proposes Just Urbanism as a conceptual tool for reimagining an urban design practice rooted in vitality, relationality, and informality. It invites reflection on how improvised spatial arrangements and informal organisations can open up new possibilities for more just, inclusive, and situated urban futures.
Research into the visual cortex of primates has been a pioneering driver for linking information processing in the brain to cognitive function. Sensory input to the system can be tightly controlled and perceptual consequences probed through behavioural report. A detailed understanding of the distributed representations of elements of the visual world has allowed us to predict and modify visual perception. I will argue that the fundamental building blocks for our rich visual experience arise from signalling in extrastriate visual cortex. During development, visual experience and motor interactions with the world generate internal models of the visual world by shaping functional local circuits in visual cortex. With focal interventions at specific points in this circuitry, we can positively and predictively alter visual experience by activating defined circuit elements that are normally activated by specific content from the visual world. The more specifically we target visual neurons, the more predictively and positively we can change visual experience. Using focal microstimulation, we can artificially reverse the perceived direction of rotation of a 3D-object defined by multiple visual cues. Evidence also points to contextual factors, like expected reward and social influence, biasing visual perception through affecting this local circuitry in visual cortex. The next frontier is to generate complex visual percepts de novo from artificial signals being planted into cortex without the need for a visual stimulus. One possible approach to achieve this is to look to identify the local spatio-temporal dynamics of neuronal activity that define a specific perceptual state. These are the circuit and the patterns we will have to be able to kick start and employ, perhaps through multi-site electrical or optogenetic stimulation, in order to build successful cortical neuro-prosthetics for 3D and motion vision that would allow blind people to navigate through space. SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY Kristine was Marianne Fillenz's last Bachelor in Physiological Sciences student at St. Anne's College. Marianne's Neuroscience and Physiology tutorials and her rigorous focus on experimental evidence significantly shaped Kristine's scientific journey. After the Bachelor, Kristine undertook her DPhil in the University Laboratory of Physiology at Oxford, researching visual map formation in the visual cortex of hamsters and ferrets with Ian D. Thompson as a Wellcome Prize Scholar. Her thesis received the BNA thesis prize and the Rolleston Memorial Prize from Oxford. After postdoctoral research positions at the Max-Planck-Institute for biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, Germany and Oxford, where she worked on the neural mechanisms of 3D visual processing in the macaque brain, she held Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin and University Research Fellowships at DPAG. In 2014, she was promoted to Associate Professor in Neuroscience. Kristine moved in 2019 to the Otto-von-Guericke-University and the Leibniz-Institute in Neurobiology in Magdeburg, Germany as Heisenberg- Professor (DFG) and Chair in Sensory Physiology. The main focus of her research is to elucidate the neuronal signals and interactions that shapes our vivid perceptual experience of the dynamic, three-dimensional world around us.
(13pm lunchtime seminar). Intensity, understood as the quality of “heightened” experiences, has long been celebrated as an ethical and aesthetic ideal. Think of Walter Pater, calling us to wring from each passing moment its “highest quality” and recommending art as the arena most able to deliver this vitality. Or recall Henry James, who in a crux of The Ambassadors has Lambert Strether advise Little Bilham, “Live all you can; it’s a mistake not to,” and who then, in his preface, names “the grace of intensity” as his paramount aim as a novelist. You can probably multiply examples of your own, because intensity—as I will argue in this paper—is one of the most central yet undertheorized concepts of modern aesthetics, an aesthetic category that for well over a century stood as the aesthetic category: the sign that art has happened and that, in some way, it is good. Yet in the past fifteen or so years, aesthetic judgments of intensity have taken on a more ambivalent tone. “That’s intense”: these days, the phrase is used less as praise than as a warning: there’s something affecting here, it seems to say, something that will shape your experience. . . but you might not like how it feels. I’ll show how this colloquial use of intensity has analogues in the work of contemporary U.S. novelists, who in different ways have struggled to reckon with both the twentieth-century legacies of aesthetic intensity and with the increasingly “intense”—as in, exhausting—nature of contemporary life. With an eye towards recent Marxist theorists of aesthetic categories, and a glance at the long history of aesthetic intensity, I’ll consider novels by Ben Lerner, Patricia Lockwood, and Ottessa Moshfegh to gauge the range of meanings and attitudes congealed in the aesthetic category of intensity.
Following the very successful seminars series on J. R. R. Tolkien in 2023 and 2024 (for recordings see: https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/series/fantasy-literature) we are pleased to announce a new round of presentations by Oxford academics on fantasy literature to run this Michaelmas Term (2025). These talks are aimed at students and members of the public and act as introductions to a range of writers and texts in the field of fantasy literature/weird fiction. The series is organised by the Faculty of English and hosted by Exeter College. All talks will be held in the Fitzhugh Lecture Theatre, Cohen Quad, Walton Street, Oxford (Exeter College’s annex), and run 1.00-2.00pm. Attendance is free of charge but we ask you to register using the link: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/seminar-series-the-weird-and-the-wonderful-4530103
Lesson of the week, clinical cases and research. All clinical and academic staff and students welcome. Coffee, Tea and Cake will be served.
Are you looking for a streamlined approach to gathering, managing and citing your references? Join us for this interactive online session in which we introduce RefWorks, a subscription reference management tool that University of Oxford members can use for free during their time at the university and as alumni. RefWorks is web-based and helps you to collect and manage references and insert them into your word-processed document as in-text citations or footnotes, and you can generate bibliographies. Being web-based, RefWorks can be used with any operating system and, to cite your references in a document, provides a plugin for Microsoft Word on Windows or Mac computers. By the end of the session, you will understand: how RefWorks can help you; how to add references to RefWorks from a range of sources; how to manage your references; how to add in-text citations and/or footnotes to your documents; how to create bibliographies; and where to get help with RefWorks. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student.
Honey-bees are famous for their ability to communicate the location of food to their nestmates by dancing on the honeycomb. Using a mixture of behavioural experiments, neural mapping and computational modelling approaches, we have shown how their brain circuits, in particular the central complex, could track location relative to the hive (path integration) and control straight line flight back home. We have also suggested how the food location could be stored and used in interaction with path integration to return directly to the food on subsequent foraging trips. Most recently, we have proposed how this vector memory could be re-expressed in the dance behaviour, transforming a flight vector relative to celestial cues into a waggle trajectory relative to gravity on the vertical honeycomb. By recording the antennal positions of bees following the dance, we have discovered how they detect their relative angle to the dancer and have extended our model of the central complex to explain how followers could thereby acquire the vector that the dancer is signalling. This provides the first plausible account of how honey-bees are able to interpret the dance.
The Unfinished Conversation: Reckoning with Colonial History
This seminar explores how small and medium-sized towns and rural areas in Western Europe have responded to the arrival and integration of refugees since 2014. While scholarly and policy debates on migration governance overwhelmingly focus on large cities, the majority of asylum-seekers were, in fact, dispersed to smaller localities, many of which had little prior experience with migration. Drawing on findings from a forthcoming book and a series of published articles (outputs of the EU-funded Whole-COMM project), the presentation examines refugee integration policymaking across 36 towns in seven European countries (rigorously selected), complemented by large-scale survey data on public attitudes in small localities across Austria, Italy, Germany and Sweden. The talk highlights two central contributions of our work. First, it shows that local integration policies in small Western European localities are often fragmented and underdeveloped. Yet, they display striking variation: some localities disengage entirely, while others design proactive inclusion strategies in education, labour market access, healthcare, and/or housing. Second, examining the causes of such observed variation, the seminar introduces a new theoretical framework that challenges the dominant view of local policymaking as pragmatic and problem-solving. Instead, it argues that local integration policymaking is shaped decisively by political constellations – specifically the political affiliation of local executives, the presence of radical right parties within local councils and multilevel party dynamics. To make this argument, besides showing (applying QCA) that political factors are the best predictor of the emergence of different local policies in small towns, we show (using a range of qualitative and quantitative methods) that such factors also powerfully shape other recognised drivers of local policymaking processes. These include: the structure and key features of local policy networks, how local actors frame refugee integration, and how they perceive public opinion (which often contrasts with evidence on residents’ attitudes). This seminar is hybrid. Join us in person at The Hub, Kellogg College, or participate online via Zoom by registering here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/evx9TAwlTFajxRVSGF_H-w
In this seminar, Professor Laura Howe will describe her research into the life course trajectory of adversity and violence, how these experiences affect the development of mental and physical health, and how we might use this understanding to inform efforts to prevent ill health and support people exposed to adversity and violence. Professor Howe's research draws on large population-based cohort studies such as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), and her research group has particular expertise in statistical methods for maximising the value of longitudinal observational data, and evaluation of causality. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Speaker bio: Laura Howe is a statistical epidemiologist, whose research draws on life course and causal inference approaches to understand the development of physical and mental health across the life course. She uses data from large population-based cohort studies to understand how and why childhood adversity and violence affect health. She has experience of statistical methods for repeated measures data and methods for the integration of genetic data into epidemiological studies, and has carried out methodological research in these areas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Booking is required for people outside of the Department of Social Policy and Intervention (DSPI). DSPI Members do not need to register.
Sovereignty and its Discontents (SAID) is a DPhil-run, historically motivated workshop that critically analyses multiple conceptions of sovereignty, authority, and power in International Relations and Politics. We welcome students and faculty from all departments and centres to join and critically learn together! We’ll meet on Thursdays of Week 1, 3, 5 and 7 from 4 to 6 PM to read and discuss each other’s work in progress. Workshop papers may be drafts of transfer/confirmation material, thesis chapters, journal articles, book chapters, and thesis proposals. Papers may be anywhere between 5000-10000 words in length. Attendants are expected to read the materials in advance. To join our mailing list: https://forms.office.com/e/qCQCXhfLMg Please feel free to contact shubhankar.kashyap@politics.ox.ac.uk and/or naji.safadi@nuffield.ox.ac.uk for any questions!
Patrick Collinson, _From Cranmer to Sancroft_ (2006), ch. 8; Tim Reinke-Williams, ‘Misogyny, Jest-Books and Male Youth Culture in Seventeenth-Century England’, _Gender and History_, 21:2 (2009); Tim Somers, ‘Jesting Culture and Religious Politics in Seventeenth-Century England’, _Historical Research_, 267 (2022)
A growing literature finds high returns to firms with legislative connections. Less attention has been paid to returns from bureaucratic connections and to organizations beyond for-profit firms. Using data recording the first post-bureaucracy position occupied by all former civil servants in Japan, Dr. Incerti reveals a bifurcated job market for former bureaucrats. High-ranking officials from elite economic ministries are more likely to join for-profit firms, where they generate returns such as increased government loans and positive stock market reactions. Lower-ranking officials are more likely to join nonprofits linked to government ministries, which receive higher-value contracts when former bureaucrats are in leadership roles. These patterns suggest that while firms wish to hire bureaucrats who can deliver tangible benefits, ministries also shape revolving door pathways by directing benefits to ensure long-term career value for civil servants. These findings reframe revolving door dynamics as the result of both firm-driven demand and bureaucratic incentives.
My paper examines a moment of ideological crisis in modern Egyptian history, refracted through the film Ghuraba’(strangers, directed by Sa‘d ‘Arafa and written by ‘Arafa and Ra’fat al-Mihi). The film was screened in 1973, at a postcolonial inflection point in which Marxism, existentialism and an extreme formulation of Islamism were all depicted as exhausted and inadequate. Ghuraba’ gropes toward, but stops short of fully articulating, an Islamic moral engagement with secular society and ideology. That still-inchoate post-ideological future offers a glimpse of roads not taken, but perhaps also insight to dormant ideological, philosophical or religious paths out of the sterile alliance of religious extremism and free-market fundamentalism that dominates our present.
The Celtic Seminar is held jointly by Oxford and the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (CAWCS), Aberystwyth. All Oxford seminars will be at 5.15 pm on Thursdays either hybrid (online and in person) or online-only via Microsoft Teams. When in person, they are in Room 30.022 of the Schwarzman Centre, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road. Please contact david.willis@ling-phil.ox.ac.uk if you need a link to join online. All CAWCS seminars will be held online at 5.00 pm on Thursdays via Zoom, and, for hybrid seminars, in person at the National Library of Wales or at CAWCS. Please contact a.elias@wales.ac.uk for the link.
Nearly a decade after the Brexit referendum, the debate over its consequences continues to shape British politics, economics, and identity. In this fireside chat, Professor Anand Menon (Director, UK in a Changing Europe) and John Springford (Centre for European Reform) will discuss how Brexit has altered Britain’s influence abroad and prosperity at home. Drawing on their extensive research and policy expertise, they will explore the real economic impacts, shifts in the UK’s global standing, and the prospects for rebuilding cooperation with the EU amid an evolving geopolitical landscape.
Public debates about vaccination often turn on evidence and persuasion, yet beneath these lie deeper differences in how people prefer to make health decisions. This lecture examines how such decision-making preferences—whether one leans toward autonomy or authority, caution or intervention—shape vaccination attitudes and behaviours. Drawing on empirical evidence from large-scale surveys, I show how preferences complement more familiar factors such as risk perception and social norms. Recognizing these patterns helps explain why communication strategies resonate with some audiences but not others. I then turn to the broader implications: when individual preferences aggregate, they influence vaccine uptake and, in turn, the dynamics of epidemics. Linking psychology and epidemiology, the lecture offers a richer view of agency in public health.
In this edition of the Research Showcase, our continuing DPhil scholars at the OICSD and Somerville College will present their research. It is an opportunity for our scholars to share their work with a wider community and get feedback.
In order to participate in this lecture via Zoom, please register at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/jNY8lqpwR5mCIoGoC4JrTA
Celebrate a decade of igniting ideas and accelerating innovation at Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Centre's flagship conference. This milestone year commemorates the Forum’s evolution into the must-attend event for anyone passionate about entrepreneurship. Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Forum (OSEF) connects you with trailblazing startups, global thinkers and high-calibre entrepreneurs driving change across industries. This anniversary edition of the Forum, you can expect unparalleled networking opportunities, inspiring keynotes, and Oxford University’s unique blend of intellect and impact. Whether you’re a founder, funder or future innovator, OSEF 2025 isn’t just another conference, it’s a front-row seat to the future of innovation.
Microbial communities contain many evolving and interacting bacteria, which makes them complex systems that are difficult to understand and predict. We use theory – including game theory, agent-based modelling, ecological network theory and metabolic modelling - and combine this with experimental work to understand what it takes for bacteria to succeed in diverse communities. One way is to actively kill and inhibit competitors and we study the strategies that bacteria use in toxin-mediated warfare. We are now also using our approaches to understand the human gut microbiome and its key properties including ecological stability and the ability to resist invasion by pathogens (colonization resistance). Our ultimate goal is to both stabilise microbiome communities and remove problem species without the use of antibiotics.
In this 60-minute online workshop you will be introduced to the methodologies and principles underpinning the conduct of literature searches for systematic reviews, scoping reviews and other evidence reviews. The session will cover: formulating a focused research question; preparing a protocol; developing a search strategy to address that research question; choosing appropriate databases and search engines; searching for grey literature and ongoing studies; storing and managing references; and documenting and reporting your search. Intended audience: Medicine and NHS; Researcher and research student
This talk will focus on two seismic projects in Iceland: The Reykjanes Peninsula in SW Iceland is currently an area of great interest, both due to the long-term exploitation of geothermal systems used for energy generation and since an ongoing series of volcanic eruptions began there in 2021. Accordingly, it is heavily instrumented with seismic monitoring stations run by numerous international groups. Bringing together data from both current and historic seismic data, we generate updated images of deep crustal and upper most mantle structure down to 40km, providing large-scale tectonic context for the ongoing volcanic unrest. Unlike the rest of Iceland the remote central Icelandic highlands have previously had little-to no seismic monitoring, despite the presence of two major active volcanic systems. Here we present the first results from a Durham run network of 15 broadband instruments that provide insight into detailed micro-seismicity in this never-before studied region. Results reveal exponentially increasing rates of micro-seismicity beneath Hofsjökull (Iceland’s largest active volcano by area), including tantalising suggestions of deep low-frequency events that may indicate magma movement at depth.
Measuring regime support in closed autocracies is notoriously challenging due to preference falsification, state censorship, and pervasive propaganda. We introduce a novel behavioral measure of regime loyalty based on subtle expressions of allegiance in soldier obituaries published in Nazi Germany between 1939 and 1945. Our empirical analysis draws on a large-scale dataset of over one million scanned pages from roughly 160,000 newspaper issues across 260 unique local news outlets. Using Large Language Models for OCR and data labeling, we detect expressions of regime support, such as praise for Hitler, National Socialism, or the Fatherland, in approximately 600,000 obituaries. Our approach yields the first spatially and temporally granular measure of Nazi regime support during World War II. Our descriptive findings nuance the prevailing historical consensus: we find that regime loyalty began to erode immediately following the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, not after the Battle of Stalingrad. By contrast, militaristic rhetoric emphasizing soldiers' heroism persisted at high levels throughout the war.
This is hosted by the EDI team at the Dunn School
Childhood trauma is an important risk factor for psychiatric and physical ailments during adulthood. Emerging evidence from rodent studies suggests that behavioral and metabolic symptoms of childhood trauma are transmissible across generations. However, the translational implications of this novel concept are in the preliminary stages. Our work involves a systematic examination of epigenetic regulators, specifically microRNAs, in serum, sperm, and milk samples collected from ethnically diverse human trauma cohorts. Specifically, microRNAs were analyzed in the serum of Pakistani children with recent trauma in the form of paternal loss and maternal separation (PLMS), sperm of adult Pakistani men with a history of complex trauma before age 17, milk of lactating Polish mothers with a history of adverse childhood experiences, and the serum sperm of adult men and exposed to the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia & Herzegovina during childhood, as well as the serum of their children. Molecular analyses of differentially expressed microRNAs across these samples indicate a conserved molecular signature involving cholesterol signaling and associated microRNAs in the biological embedding and potential transmission of childhood trauma symptoms. Critically, cross-injection studies of lipid messengers, as well as embryonic microinjections of specific miRNAs in mice provide 'proof of concept' evidence supporting their role in intergenerational transmission of trauma effects. SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY Dr. Ali Jawaid, MD, PhD is a physician-scientist with training in both clinical and basic neuroscience. He is a Principal Research Investigator at the Research Network Łukasiewicz – PORT Polish Center for Technology Development. He completed his medical studies from Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan, and followed by a fellowship in Neuropsychiatry from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. He then proceeded to complete an MD-PhD in Neuroscience from Switzerland (simultaneous PhD degrees awarded by UZH/ETH International Program in Neuroscience and UZH MD-PhD program in 2016) followed by a post-doc in Neuroepigenetics from ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Dr. Jawaid has been an independent group leader since late 2020 investigating the interplay of metabolic and epigenetic factors in the susceptibility to neuropsychiatric disorders across the lifespan and across generations. He has authored 80+ publications, including original studies in top-tier scientific journals, such as Nature Neuroscience, Neuron, Nature Communication, EMBO Journal, and Translational Psychiatry and has a current H-index of 32. Dr. Ali Jawaid is a scholar of the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence, a platform of 30 outstanding Neuroscientists in Europe under the patronage of the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies. He is a fiction author, poet, and virtual-reality enthusiast outside of scientific work.
Esteemed classicist and historian *Professor Helen King* will discuss her new book _Immaculate Forms: Uncovering the History of Women's Bodies_ (2024). Professor King will explore how she tackled such a vast, challenging, and both deeply personal and political topic, as well as discussing how to write about the history of the body for a general audience. *Professor Helen King* is a classist, historian, and advocate for the medical humanities. Her works include _Hippocrates' Woman: Reading the Female Body in Ancient Greece_ (1998), _The Disease of Virgins: Green Sickness, Chlorosis and the Problems of Puberty_ (2004), and most recently _Immaculate Forms: Uncovering the History of Women's Bodies_ (2024), which she will be discussing in this talk.
A practical 180-minute workshop where participants will work on searches for their review across multiple databases. Librarians from the Bodleian Health Care Libraries will be on hand to demonstrate online tools for facilitating the process and give practical advice on refining individual search strategies. By the end of this classroom-based session you will be able to: improve a search strategy that you are working on; adapt the search across multiple databases; use tools such as Yale MeSH Analyzer and Polyglot; describe alternative methods for identifying references, including citation chaser; use Covidence for your review; and report your search methods according to PRISMA-Search. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Researcher & research student
Contrary to popular belief, inflation-indexed government debt can boost inflation in response to deficit shocks, conditional on a lack of sufficient future fiscal backing. I formalize this insight through a state-of-the-art calibrated HANK model with multiple asset types, showing that the annual inflationary effect of a 1% deficit-to-GDP shock increases by 0.5 percentage points when the share of inflation-indexed debt moves from zero to levels observed in the U.K. The main mechanism is that the price level becomes partially backward-looking through the presence of inflation-indexed debt. Empirical evidence from high-powered fiscal deficit shocks supports this finding, which has additional implications for the distinction between 'fiscally-led' mechanisms and 'HANK-type' mechanisms surpassing Ricardian equivalence.
We develop an econometric framework for recovering structural primitives---such as marginal costs---from price or quantity data generated by firms whose decisions are governed by reinforcement-learning algorithms. Guided by recent theory and simulations showing that such algorithms can learn to approximate repeated-game equilibria, we impose only the minimal optimality conditions implied by equilibrium, while remaining agnostic about the algorithms’ hidden design choices and the resulting conduct---competitive, collusive, or anywhere in between. These weak restrictions yield set identification of the primitives; we characterise the resulting sets and construct estimators with valid confidence regions. Monte-Carlo simulations confirm that our bounds contain the true parameters across a wide range of algorithm specifications, and that the sets tighten substantially when exogenous demand variation across markets is exploited. The framework thus offers a practical tool for empirical analysis and regulatory assessment of algorithmic behaviour.
We study the design of mechanisms when the designer faces multiple plausible scenarios and is uncertain about the true scenario. A mechanism is dominated by another if the latter performs at least as well in all plausible scenarios and strictly better in at least one. A mechanism is undominated if no other feasible mechanism dominates it. We show how analyzing undominated mechanisms could be useful and illustrate the tractability of characterizing such mechanisms. This approach provides an alternative criterion for mechanism design under non-Bayesian uncertainty, complementing existing methods.
‘Fattism' has been described as the last acceptable prejudice. Discrimination on the grounds of weight is experienced regularly by women and men in relation to employment as well as access to goods and services. As I show in this article, it can also be seen as a form of intersectional discrimination. Yet a legal remedy for weight discrimination exists in just a few countries. In this essay, I consider why legal protection is so limited: I highlight the influence of the logic of immutability and suggest that an alternative logic – an anti-stigma principle – should be used to guide the evolution of anti-weight discrimination law.
In July a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood occurred in the Lende Valley, destroying the bridge between the border posts of Nepal and China, and carrying off 200 vehicles and about 20 people in the flood. This triggered memories of research 35 years ago, as Tamang villagers took their sheep to Lende, also gathering medicinal herbs. I will reflect on aspects of human-environmental relationships through different thematic phases of research. These cover development paradigms of productive intensification and biodiversity protection; ontological and multi-species turns in sentient landscapes; Zomia sovereignties; renewable energy innovation; labour migration, agricultural abandonment, forest regrowth, and climate resilience.
We are happy to announce Big Renaissance Books – a new reading group dedicated to long, important early modern works that are not often read in full (or at all). We will meet three times a term for an informal discussion as we work through these texts as a group. As our first text, we picked Du Bartas's Divine Weeks in Josuah Sylvester's seventeenth-century translation, helpfully available online in the OUP edition edited by Susan Snyder: www.oxfordscholarlyeditions.com/display/10.1093/actrade/9780199696864.book.1/actrade-9780199696864-book-1 A retelling of the creation of the world according to Genesis that predates Milton's by almost a century, Du Bartas's epic poem had been widely read and admired before it was all but forgotten. At this session we'll be discussing Days 6 and 7 of the First Weeke, to be read in advance.
Primary: Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed (1974), Chapters 10 - 12 Supplementary: Murray Bookchin, ‘Utopia, Not Futurism’ (1978); Cathy Levine, ‘The Tyranny of Tyranny’ (1979); Le Guin, ‘The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction’ (1986)
Seminar followed by Q&A, drinks and book signing - all welcome - join in person or online The Amazon Rainforest — vast, mysterious, and teeming with life — has long captured the imagination of explorers, scientists, and storytellers alike. Yet today, it stands at a crossroads, facing mounting threats from deforestation, climate change, and cultural erosion. In this talk, Andean-Amazonian scientist and author Rosa Vásquez Espinoza takes us on a deeply personal journey into the heart of the Amazon. Blending indigenous wisdom with cutting-edge science, she explores the rainforest not just as an ecosystem, but as a living, breathing entity — one that holds profound lessons for resilience, healing, and our connection to the natural world. Drawing from her book The Spirit of the Rainforest, Rosa shares intimate encounters with Amazonian communities, revealing how their ancestral knowledge offers a vital perspective in the face of environmental crises. She explores her own experiences navigating remote ecosystems, discovering biodiversity known to very few, and rekindling our innate sense of wonder and the spirit of exploration. Dr Rosa Vásquez Espinoza is a Peruvian chemical biologist with Andean-Amazonian indigenous roots, National Geographic Explorer, and UN Harmony with Nature Scientist. She is founder of Amazon Research Internacional, where she bridges ancestral knowledge and modern science to protect Amazonian biodiversity, with a focus on stingless bees, medicinal plants, and microbial life in extreme environments.
The urgent drive to decarbonise energy systems has accelerated the development of alternative technologies designed to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. From hydrogen and algae-based biofuels to cutting-edge materials for energy storage, a new generation of energy solutions is rapidly emerging—offering the promise of cleaner, more sustainable ways to power society. Yet the transition to these technologies raises pressing questions about their real-world viability. Can they be scaled up quickly enough to meet global climate targets? Are they economically viable and socially just? And what are the wider environmental impacts of their adoption, from raw material extraction to full lifecycle emissions? In Michaelmas Term 2025, The Suman Conversations in Environmental Sustainability will bring together leading voices from academia and industry to examine these questions. This panel discussion will critically explore the sustainability and scalability of emerging energy technologies, offering diverse perspectives on their role in future energy systems. Framed within the broader challenges of climate change and global energy demand, the event provides a timely opportunity for interdisciplinary dialogue on what it truly means for an energy solution to be sustainable. This is a free public event open to all on a first-come-first-served basis. Please join us for this sixth seminar. The seminars are kindly supported by Manisha Tank (1994 PPE) and Sanjeev Kumar. Programme & Speakers 17:00-18:45: Presentations and Panel Discussion Madiha Hasan, Non-Executive Director at HutanBio, HYCAP, Hygen Energy, & Ryze Hydrogen; Senior Advisor at Circular Energy; Board Advisor at Hillcore Industrial Dr John C. Waite, CEO at Phycobloom & Breakthrough Energy Fellow Professor Wei Huang, Professor of Biological Engineering, Oxford University; Fellow of St Edmund Hall Dr Tina Fawcett, Associate Professor at the Environmental Change Institute, Oxford University 1 8:45-19:15: Drinks Reception
To join online, please register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/KbVXDl5TQWCP1I0nKS1TiQ
By drawing on the rich and interdisciplinary nature of clothing, this conference will bring together seasoned scholars and doctoral students from an array of backgrounds to cultivate a multidimensional approach to clothed bodies and objects in dance and performance. By connecting threads between disciplines, the conference will create a generative web of knowledge and engagement with modes of movement and dressing across the ancient and modern worlds. Since dress is an often-overlooked area of study, inter-disciplinary dialogue is vital to showcase the multitude of scholarly responses to ancient Greek bodies, performance and clothing. The event will bring together participants from Classical Archaeology, Philology, Classical Reception, Ancient dance studies, English, Theatre History, Fashion History, and Gender studies. It will feature a live performance and an accompanying textile art exhibition.
Jonas Ohman, founder of the NGO Blue/Yellow, has been at the heart of Europe’s most direct engagement with the war in Ukraine, coordinating the delivery of tactical equipment, protective gear, and critical support to Ukrainian troops on the frontlines. In this exclusive members-only fireside chat, Ohman will discuss how civilian networks can strengthen military resilience, what Europe’s real capacity for solidarity looks like under fire, and how grassroots action has become an essential pillar in Ukraine’s defence.
For applied researchers, statistical power analysis with mixed-effects modeling (or multilevel modeling) poses a big challenge, because it requires substantive expertise on modeling, use of special software, and a number of input parameters which are usually not available in published work. The current talk proposes an easy and practical method to conduct statistical power analysis for mixed-effects modeling, called summary-statistics-based power analysis. The proposed method bases its logic on conditional equivalence of the summary-statistics approach and mixed-effects modeling, paring back the power analysis for mixed-effects modeling to that for a simpler statistical analysis (e.g., one-sample t test). Accordingly, the proposed method allows us to conduct power analysis for mixed-effects modeling using popular software such as G*Power or the pwr package in R and, with minimum input from relevant prior work (e.g., t value). I also provide a shinny app to make the approach even more accessible to applied researchers (https://koumurayama.shinyapps.io/summary_statistics_based_power/). Kou Murayama is Professor for Educational Psychology at the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen, Germany. In 2020, he has been awarded with the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Professorship. He is also Co-Director of the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network Teams-link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZDYwMTY0ZmQtNjkzYS00NjFlLWEzNzgtNWYzMTkzNzQ1YmM2%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22cc95de1b-97f5-4f93-b4ba-fe68b852cf91%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22b33f55d8-6202-46f8-a141-737715faff88%22%7d
Please join either in person or online. For in-person attendees, the talk will be preceded by a light lunch at 12.15pm. Please email comms@sociology.ox.ac.uk with any questions.
Ahmad Dānish was a 19th-century Central Asian Persian-speaking intellectual who wrote numerous works – ranging from historical treatises to his research on geography and astronomy. His most famous work is Navādir al-vaqāyi‘ [The Rarest of Events], and the reason for its fame lies in its contents, since it contains two treatises dedicated to Dānish’s diplomatic visits to Saint Petersburg and one treatise with his suggestions on reforming the political and social structure of the Bukharan Emirate. The former two treatises (and partially the third one) formed the basis for his image of a ‘progressive’ and ‘pro-Western’ enlightener that was cultivated by Russian imperial and Soviet scholars and that, to some extent, survives up until now. It is not surprising that two Russian translations of Dānish’s works that appeared during the Soviet period both contained his accounts of life in Saint Petersburg, along with some other extracts from Navādir and from one of Dānish’s other works that supported this image. In this talk I will explore how exactly this process of translating Dānish’s works became political. Before starting her PhD in Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford, Kamila Akhmedjanova completed her BA and MPhil degrees at the University of Oxford, having previously specialized in Italian literature and general linguistics. She also holds an MSt in Oriental Studies from the University of Oxford. Kamila Akhmedjanova’s doctoral dissertation is a study of Ahmad Dānish’s legacy within the context of late 19th-century Persian-speaking intellectual trends. Kamila Akhmedjanova has published several academic articles, covering topics related to the 19th-century Persian-speaking intellectual trends, as well as to the methodology of teaching Tajik dialect of Persian. Her first article was dedicated to the study of double past participle forms in the Sicilian dialects, while her most recent published article is dedicated to the interplay of literature and politics in the works of Sadriddin Ayni, a famous Soviet Tajik writer. In addition, her forthcoming article explores the image of Persia in Russian literature.
This group will run on Mondays from 13:00-15:40 (UK time) on Microsoft Teams. The format is as follows: 5min hellos and optional goal-setting* 1h10 timed work session 10min break with optional goals check-in 1h10 timed work session Optional debrief at the end, goodbyes *Verbal participation is at your discretion but I do find it helpful to articulate goals and check in at the end of each timed block. You could also choose to do this in the chat if you prefer not to unmute.
Dr Alice Norton University of Oxford https://www.psi.ox.ac.uk/our-team/alice-norton
Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that affects hundreds of millions of people living in some of the most resource-poor communities in the world. Over the last decade, we have established high-throughput, whole-organism phenotypic platforms to facilitate screening of large compound collections against schistosomes. Our goal, using these platforms, is to bring new chemical matter into the schistosome drug discovery pipeline for progression as new PZQ replacements or for use in combination with PZQ. While we have completed >500K individual screens and identified incredibly potent compounds, our progress in translating these promising ex vivo results into in vivo efficacy has been slow. We contend that embedding enabling technologies into our pipeline will not only increase the pace of drug discovery but will also focus (often limited) resources around tractable chemical matter/protein target pairings. Here, using examples derived from ongoing projects, I will present how complementary strategies are being developed and deployed in our laboratory to accelerate the search for novel anti-schistosomals.
During this forum speakers from Bodleian Open Scholarship Support and across Oxford will discuss current changes in the field of open scholarship. Including subjects like data, open access, open monographs, copyright and more. It is advised that attendees of the forum have previously attended the Fundamentals and Logistics courses to improve understanding. Intended audience: Researcher & research student; Staff
Water resources present a classic tragedy of the commons that is of increasing relevance due to climate change. This paper provides evidence of how property rights institutions, particularly local irrigators' organizations, impact water markets' efficiency. Our analysis is based on a unique dataset that integrates administrative records, hydrological measures, geographic information, and satellite imagery. We develop a novel misallocation test, which suggests that these organizations reduce misallocation caused by the natural capacity of upstream users to over-extract. Using different identification strategies, we show that these efficiency gains are a result of both water redistribution and individual adaptation, as downstream farmers increase substantially their water consumption and agricultural yield, and also extend their growing season. Large farms adopt more efficient irrigation technologies, and overall gather more benefits from the analyzed property rights institution. Meanwhile, although upstream farmers reduce their water consumption, their productive outcomes remain unchanged. We also document increases in river streamflow during the irrigation season, concentrated in basins with higher agricultural activity. Our results provide micro-evidence of the consequences of effective governance for both allocative efficiency and equity.
Are you preparing a poster presentation for an upcoming conference, meeting or symposium? This interactive session, or ‘poster clinic’, will include a group discussion of different examples of poster presentations, as well as an opportunity to present your own draft of your poster presentation to your fellow attendees. It is expected that the small group of peers in attendance will provide feedback and respectful comments on each other’s work. By the end of this classroom-based session you will be able to: evaluate the effectiveness of your poster presentation and others; and summarise the content of your poster concisely in preparation for a conference. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Researcher & research student.
Jennie Bullen - Leveraging Data Tracking for Studying Neurodiversity Franziska Brändle - Using video games to study intrinsic motivation Caroline Nettekoven - A Mapmaker’s Guide to the Cerebellum PinChun Chen - How Do Hippocampal Ripples Orchestrate Cortical Dynamics During Human Sleep?
In post-war Britain, psychoanalysts and psychiatrists attempted to apply their knowledge of human mental and emotional life to the world of work. In this paper, I discuss psychoanalytic studies of nursing conducted in three British hospitals (two psychiatric and one general) by the Tavistock Institute of Institute of Human Relations between 1956 and 1958. While previous efforts at organisational psychoanalysis and industrial psychology had focussed on the industrial workplace, these studies offered the chance to develop a psychological theory of caring labour. However, I argue that the attempted creation of scientific knowledge was undermined, not only by resistance from hospital staff and administrators but also by epistemological limits within the project of workplace psy-science itself. By cleaving to the overdetermined association between women and capacity for care, the researchers found it impossible to account for the abuse and neglect that was systemic within British psychiatric hospitals of the period. Despite the fact that newly-nationalised hospitals were reliant on migrant labour from Southern Europe, Ireland and the Commonwealth, researchers also refused to account for the role of race and migration status in the social relations of the hospital, centring the white nurse as the only appropriate subject of workplace psychoanalysis. *Grace Whorrall-Campbell* is a historian of modern Britain, specialising in the histories of psy-science, sexuality, disability and labour. Before joining Corpus as the Michael Brock Junior Research Fellow in History, Grace was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for History of Science in Berlin. Recent publications include a history of occupational psychiatry and management at Roffey Park Rehabilitation Centre in _History of the Human Sciences_ and a chapter on psychological job selection in _Adulthood in Britain and the United States from 1350 to Generation Z_ (2025, University of London Press, ed. Maria Cannon and Laura Tisdall).
In this talk Dr Anwesha Roy will discuss one of the chapters of her forthcoming book, and examine in three important, yet hitherto overlooked textual sources on the Quit India Movement. She will explore pushes and pulls on ideas of responsibility between officials in the Indian government, the British government in England, and M.K. Gandhi. Running the show of empire in the historical conjuncture of a global war, attained different and complex connotations, especially when Roosevelt and Churchill signed the Atlantic Charter in 1941 that renewed America’s interest in the political stalemate in India. The response of the Govt. of India and of Britain, captured in the vignettes presented in her book, reveal for historians of empire, a complex terrain of anxiety and struggles, with political and moral legitimacy. The intellectual and political language of ‘responsibility’ took on new tones, where the use of excessive violence to crush the movement fit within the language of necessity, not only because a full blown rebellion in the midst of a global war would be disastrous for Britain and her allies, but also because responsibility was cloaked in colonial paternalism, infantilising general ‘masses’ as capable only of nationalist (and elite) ‘manipulation’. Gandhi offered a different, moral version of responsibility (as indeed, of politics itself), simultaneously distancing himself, and the larger Congress leadership from the violence of the movement, but also, in doing so, weaving a narrative where the general ‘masses’ could be taught ‘responsible’ non-violence, one that could only come at the heavy expense of violence. Anwesha Roy is a Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Sheffield. Her research focuses on the socio-political histories of the British Empire in India, more specifically, social and emotional histories of World War II, identity formation(s), mass mobilizations and processes of decolonization. She is the Author of Making Peace, Making Riots: Communalism and Communal Violence, Bengal 1940-47 (Cambridge University Press, 2018) and Imagining Quit India: War, Politics and the Making of a Mass Movement, 1940-45 (forthcoming, Cambridge University Press, 2025). She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Asiatic Society.
As debate continues around issues of assisted dying, another set of (often separate) discussions has focused on the possibilities and desirability of radical life extension in various forms - from epigenetic interventions to digital doppelgängers. Join us for a panel-style discussion that will take up these two topics together, with a focus on questions of human identity, suffering, aging, and the meaning of mortality in our lives.
A practical 180-minute workshop where participants will work on searches for their review across multiple databases. Librarians from the Bodleian Health Care Libraries will be on hand to demonstrate online tools for facilitating the process and give practical advice on refining individual search strategies. By the end of this classroom-based session you will be able to: improve a search strategy that you are working on; adapt the search across multiple databases; use tools such as Yale MeSH Analyzer and Polyglot; describe alternative methods for identifying references, including citation chaser; use Covidence for your review; and report your search methods according to PRISMA-Search. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Researcher & research student
Aging and death have always been central to our shared human identity and experience, yet recent advances in artificial intelligence and biotechnology seem to challenge the inevitability of both—whether by epigenetic interventions or digitally preserving consciousness. Still, the ethical and existential questions these developments raise are not new. Literature and film have long explored the meaning and significance of our shared mortality, sometimes imagining the usurpation of death itself. This artistic engagement can help inform contemporary debates about life extension through imaginative theorizing and challenging narratives that foreground aging and death. (And so the conference is not only concerned with literature and film that address immortality or the usurpation of death, but more broadly the applicability of stories that engage with the meaning, significance, and desirability of mortality and aging). This conference draws on this rich tradition, inviting scholars of literature, film, and related fields, as well as practitioners, to discuss timely topics relating to life extension, including boredom and alienation, identity and memory, aging and altruism, narrative and selfhood, and the ways cultural memory binds us across generations. Does immortality risk meaninglessness? Can a longer life deepen love—or diminish it? How could our sense of self change when death itself becomes optional? In reflecting on these questions, the conference will assess the desirability of significantly extended lifespans, as well as examine the broader question of the place of literature within contemporary ethical debates. Programme to be announced soon.
The emergence of network theory in psychopathology has disrupted traditional latent disease models by reconceptualising psychiatric disorders as systems of dynamic interacting symptoms. This talk will trace the evolution of network psychiatry from its epistemological underpinnings to its contemporary computational implementations, highlighting its capacity to reframe diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic decision-making. Particular attention will be given to the translational value of symptom networks in clinical psychiatry, including their application in stratified care models, digital phenotyping, and intervention targeting. Giovanni Briganti is a tenured professor at the University of Mons, Belgium, where he serves as Chair of AI and Digital Medicine and Head of computational medicine and neuropsychiatry. At the University Hospital Centre HELORA, he serves as Head of Psychiatry. Since 2018, his personal research endeavours have been almost exclusively focused on the application of network models in psychiatry. This seminar is hosted in person, to join online, please use the Zoom details below: https://zoom.us/j/94567124781?pwd=sVxXabbSWibdU8A9W2clQlG9neRGbQ.1 Meeting ID: 945 6712 4781 Passcode: 470970
Join us for a digital scholarship coffee gathering - tea and coffee will be provided. These will be held in the Visiting Scholars Centre, so to attend you’ll need to bring your Bodleian Card and to leave your bags in the lockers - this event is only open to University staff and students.
Large-scale disruptions to everyday infrastructure are becoming more frequent due to climate change, population growth, and increased user demand. While the political consequences of gradual changes in public service quality are relatively well understood, we know less about the electoral consequences of public service breakdowns where these services were once reliable and readily accessible. To address this critical question, I use the quasi-random allocation of electric outages in South Africa to examine how the breakdown of public services influences voting behavior. I show that each additional hour of outages in the week before the 2021 elections lowered the incumbent's vote share. Crucially, this effect was primarily driven by decreased turnout among incumbent supporters, particularly in areas lacking credible opposition parties. These findings are further validated using individual-level responses from South African survey respondents. With energy crises expected to intensify over the next several decades, the results have implications for the literatures on public-goods provision, climate resilience, and democratic accountability.
This seminar is part of the Child Development and Learning (CDL) Seminar Series. Join in-person or online: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3799219398382?p=2e2iFubdvLDs8dvPmG
We show that forward induction provides a rational foundation for contract renegotiation, and in turn for incomplete contracts and the property rights theory of the firm. However, this foundation places conditions on the contracting game, the violation of which allows ex post inefficiencies of the sort that can explain the internal organization of firms.
Claire is currently a Partner in the Life Science team at Oxford Science Enterprises, an investment company that creates transformational businesses via a unique partnership with the University of Oxford, UK, the world’s #1 research university. Her focus is building and investing in novel therapeutics and therapeutic platforms across diverse therapy areas and modalities. She currently supports a number of OSE’s emerging companies incl. T-Cypher Bio, Nucleome, Alveogene and Orfonyx. Claire has spent the majority of her career in the global BioPharmaceutical industry at UCB Group, Sanofi-Genzyme and AstraZeneca where she worked in a variety of roles covering R&D strategy, licensing and corporate VC.
Wages vary significantly across cities, though not uniformly. While wages are on average higher in larger cities, the real earnings of low-wage workers are lower. Using French administrative data, I document two novel facts on how employers shape spatial wage inequality. First, high-paying jobs are concentrated in large cities, whereas low-paying jobs are present throughout space. Second, the wage gains offered by large cities materialize over time as workers move from low- to high-paying jobs. I propose a spatial framework that ties these facts together through two ingredients: heterogeneous employers and monopsonistic competition along local job ladders. Productive employers agglomerate in large cities to sidestep hiring frictions. Fiercer competition steepens the local ladder. Unemployed workers accept lower real earnings anticipating future wage growth. I estimate the model and show that the spatial concentration of productive firms quantitatively accounts for the two facts. I then use the model to assess the consequences of housing-adjusted unemployment benefits. While the policy increases spatial disparities, it alleviates the spatial misallocation caused by local labor market power, and therefore raises aggregate consumer surplus and TFP.
Angus MacIntyre is a serving military officer in the RAF and has recently returned from a year working in NATO HQ in Brussels as part of the team delivering support to Ukraine. The key aspect of Angus’ work was cohering UK, UKR, US and NATO efforts to ensure unity of thought and direction of travel, during delicate start-up negotiations. In exploring NATO’s current role in deterring Russian aggression and supporting Ukraine there are questions that arise that go to the very core of NATO’s existence. The change of government in the US has placed huge pressure on NATO’s European members to shoulder a greater burden for their own defence or risk limiting the US’ response in a crisis. What happens if the US completely withdraws from NATO ? Does Article 5 really have any utility ? What can be done to lure the US back into a more committed relationship with NATO ? With commentators and governments from around Europe both hinting at the inevitability of escalation and further conflict the key question arises – Is Security in Europe by Luck or By Design ? Angus will look at what NATO is currently doing, versus what he believes it should be doing and examine key aspects of current NATO activity and role, concluding that luck is playing far too big a part for fear of escalation. NATO must commit to doing much more from strategic leadership, innovation, and a willingness to be seen to be leading the multi-national campaign from the front.
Liquidity – Francesca Beretta (Oxford) Intoxication – Samuel Agbamu (Reading) Haunting – Tori Lee (Davidson) [online]
Adnan Naseemullah is Professor of Comparative and South Asian Politics and Fellow of Wolfson College, the University of Oxford. He has previously taught at the London School of Economics, Johns Hopkins University and King’s College London. His research focuses on the political economy of national development, state formation and political violence and the politics of populism. He is the author of three books: Development after Statism (Cambridge, 2017), Patchwork States (Cambridge 2022), and Righteous Demagogues (with Pradeep Chhibber, Oxford 2024).
In recent years, scholars have shown growing interest in political imagination and utopias in higher education. They highlight their importance at a time when universities are harnessed for national economic growth and training worker-citizens. This attention also responds to broader concerns about an ‘imagination deficit’ that threatens democratic life. Against this backdrop, political imagination matters not only as a democratic capacity but also as a way in which political agency is enacted. It refers to the individual and collective capacity to imagine social reality otherwise, inspire political action, and articulate political critique. Utopias, in turn, serve as a tool for political imagination. This study explores higher education students’ political imagination as a form of political agency. It draws on small group discussions with students (N=86) conducted in workshops for reimagining the future food assistance in Finland. While students’ political agency is often studied through conventional and institutionalised forms of participation, this study adopts a broader understanding of politics – one that moves beyond formal institutions and electoral processes, shaped by social relations, lived experiences, and practiced, for example, through thinking and speaking politically. Our analysis identifies a dynamic of three interrelated elements that shape students’ imaginative practices: constraints, conditions and cracks. The movement between these three elements illuminates how the political emerges unevenly in the process of collective imagination – sometimes hindered, sometimes reinforced, sometimes catalysed. We suggest that political imagination constitutes a fragile yet meaningful mode of agency. It becomes visible in how students critique the status quo, formulate alternative futures, and reposition themselves in relation to the political. We argue for the importance of political imagination and utopian thought as part of nuanced everyday forms of political engagement among higher education students, and as a practice through which higher education’s democratic role can and should be strengthened.
The grouping of Yiddish speaking Jews, of various origin countries in Central and Eastern Europe, into a single overarching identity of Ashkenazim, was meaningful particularly in multi-ethnic and multi-lingual Jewish contexts. This seminar examines the shaping of the Ashkenazi community in Ottoman Jerusalem, as facilitated by Ottoman legal and political context. Ottoman recognition of Ashkenazim as a corporate identity was crucial to its emergence and continuity. Dr Yair Wallach is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Israeli Studies, and the head of the SOAS Centre for Jewish Studies. He has written on urban and material culture in modern Palestine/Israel, and more recently on race and migration. His book A City in Fragments: Urban Text in Modern Jerusalem (Stanford University Press, 2020) won the Jordan Schnitzer book prize in 2022.
How is scientific evidence turned into policy at the European Commission? What challenges do advisors face and what opportunities exist for researchers to contribute? This panel brings together Professor Dimitra Simeonidou (current Chief Scientific Advisor to the European Commission; University of Bristol), Professor Nicole Grobert (former Chief Scientific Advisor; University of Oxford), Karen Fabbri (Deputy Head of Unit, Science for Policy, Advice & Ethics at the European Commission), and Jonathan Murphy (Policy Officer, Scientific Advice Mechanism). They will reflect on the role and impact of the Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) and share personal experiences of advising at the highest level, and discuss lessons learned from real-world case studies. Participants will gain insights into how science advice works in practice and how researchers can engage with European policy processes.
In this paper, I intend to examine the Miaphysite recension(s) of the “Debate of Abu Qurrah with Muslim scholars at the court of the Caliph al-Maʾmūn,” paying close attention to confessionally-motivated editing, and considering its relevance to wider questions regarding Christian confessional boundaries in the Islamic world and the role of Islam in transforming intercommunal relations among Middle Eastern Christians. The relevance of this topic to different subfields of history, theology, and philology is readily apparent, but what might it portend for political theology? An obvious answer is that the political theology of the Melkite and Miaphysite recensions vis-à-vis Islam may differ substantially. I also propose the following answer, with a narrower focus on the political-theological dynamics of intercommunal textual transmission. The relevance of the christological schisms to political theology is well-known. Christian political leaders aligning themselves with particular christological camps prompted subsequent developments in Christian political theology. A study of the long-term aftereffects of Chalcedon in the Middle East and the transformation of christological tensions following the Islamic conquests can provide us with a chance to see what happened to christology-centric political theology when a new batch of christologically-indifferent rulers took power. I tentatively suggest that the impact of Islam on Christian political theology, specifically in the case of Chalcedon’s aftershocks, was to diminish the political-theological tensions between warring christological factions, and instead enable their intercommunal boundaries to become more porous. The idea that non-Christian conquest might resolve some of the problems of Christian political theology may seem at first counterintuitive. But, it is important to recognize that while there were new political-theological questions raised by the rise of Islam, there were other old questions which were resolved, which in turn shaped the way that different Christian communities interacted.
Historians habitually recognize the Cold War had roots predating the mid-1940s. I am writing an article testing the hypothesis that the Cold War began after the Russian civil war. I unpack the hypothesis by discussing six possible objections: the socialist-capitalist confrontation did not (fully) structure the interwar years’ inter-state system; the system wasn't bipolar; the Soviet challenge to that system stopped with Stalin’s turn to “socialism in one country;” the US wasn't yet central to that system; fascism created a tripolar reality; and nuclear weapons did not yet exist. The payoff of this exercise is that it qualifies some presumably distinctive features of 1945-1991. Professor Cyrus Schayegh, Geneva Graduate Institute, with response from David Priestland, Professor of Modern History (St Edmund Hall)
We examine the migration to the United States of Mafiosi fleeing Fascist repression in the 1920s. Using historical US administrative records containing the Sicilian municipality of birth matched with full censuses and FBI reports from decades later, we provide evidence that expelled mafiosi settled in pre-existing Sicilian immigrant enclaves and triggered the rise of the Italo-American Mafia. Our analysis reveals that 75% of future mafia leaders in the US originated from only 1.7% of neighborhoods that had hosted immigrant communities originating in the 32 Sicilian municipalities targeted by anti-mafia Fascist raids decades earlier. Future mafia activity is also disproportionately concentrated in these same neighborhoods. We then explore the socio-economic impact of organized crime on these communities. In the short term, we observe increased violence in adjacent neighborhoods, heightened incarceration rates, and redlining practices that restricted access to the formal financial sector. However, in the long run, these same neighborhoods exhibited higher levels of education, employment, and social mobility, challenging prevailing narratives about the purely detrimental effects of organized crime. Our findings contribute to debates on the persistence of criminal organizations and their broader economic and social consequences.
tbc
As climate mitigation measures become deeper and more ambitious, the distributional effects of the green transition become more pronounced. This increases the potential for green backlash, which existing work has documented for specific policies (such as congestion charges, car-free zones, or carbon taxes) and large renewable energy infrastructure (such as onshore or offshore wind installations). Here, we examine the public support for energy infrastructure that has so far been understudied but plays a pivotal role in the clean energy transition: large scale solar parks, hydrogen plants, and battery factories. Drawing on bespoke surveys in France, Germany, Norway, and the UK, we study three distinct aspects of public opinion: first, the public acceptance of these types of green infrastructure as a function of distinct project characteristics, including transfers to local communities; second, the conditions under which electoral backlash arises when citizens' expectations around project development are frustrated; and, third, how this backlash against green infrastructure varies by subgroup. This paper contributes individual-level evidence from four large European economies to a growing literature on green backlash and helps us understand conditions of geographically clustered political opposition to green infrastructure investments needed for addressing the climate emergency.
This event is a free, one-hour online lecture, hosted by Oxford University's Sustainable Urban Development programme. The event will be live-streamed. MSc in Sustainable Urban Development alumni Emma Ahmed, Paul Hackett, and Natalie Record will share their experiences with the challenges and opportunities of decarbonising affordable housing across both the global South and global North. Dr Patricia Canelas will moderate the session. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in a timely discussion on how housing policy, planning, and design can drive sustainable change.
Putting in place effective processes for learning is key to getting better at policy engagement, and to meeting some of the demands we face to demonstrate the impact of our work. But what tools and resources can we use - and how do we use them? To help researchers answer these questions, the Policy Engagement Team is offering this short course, comprising two parts, each lasting 2 hours. In Part 2, participants will expand their understanding of tracking outputs and impacts throughout the project cycle by utilizing pertinent tools and techniques. They will put their knowledge into practice by applying one of the previously reviewed tools within the context of a case study. Supplementary materials, including PowerPoint slides, handouts, and recommended reading and resources will be provided to participants, further embedding the concepts covered. Learning outcomes: - A better understanding of the foundational concepts of monitoring and evaluation, including the principles and methodologies used to assess policy engagement outcomes - More proficiency to develop a theory of change, and to track outcomes and impacts Intended audience Researchers, DPhil Students, and Professional Services Staff
This talk outlines my recently finished book ms. Combining conceptual reflections with a historiographic state of the art, the book bears on relations across empires around the modern world, from Africa and Asia to Europe and the Americas. Covering both societal and governmental actors, and arguing that power differences and their negotiations are central to transimperial relations, the work presents a overall framework for doing modern transimperial history, its chapters covering Foundations, Facets, Comparison, Power, Spaces, Times, and Methods.
In this talk we will introduce and discuss a branching-selection process in which we have a fixed number, N, of branching Brownian motions, with deletion of particles at each branching event in order to keep the population sized fixed. The rate of deletion will be dependent on the rank of the particle. In particular we will discuss their hydrodynamic limits of the system as N goes to infinity, and a weak selection principle, including elements of the proof. We will also discuss how these models are connected to the 'inverse first passage problem', which is a problem arising in risk modelling.
We’re delighted to welcome Bassam Hallis who will be presenting at our upcoming PSI seminar on Wednesday 3 December. The seminar will take place in the IDRM seminar room and will be chaired by Rachel Kenneil. This will be a hybrid event, allowing participants to join either in person or online. Lunch will be provided after the talk for in-person attendees. Further details will be shared in due course.
Presented as part of GROW programme, this session helps participants unlock the true potential of their STEM ideas by focusing on evidence-based approaches to entrepreneurship. Through proven frameworks, interactive examples, and a collaborative environment, you’ll learn to identify unmet market needs, strategically refine your concepts, and build innovations that deliver genuine value, not just incremental improvements. Whether you’re refining an ongoing project or pursuing a completely new venture, this workshop will provide actionable insights and tools to improve research, proposals, pitches, and strategic direction.
Do you need help managing your references? Do you need help citing references in your documents? This online session will introduce you to EndNote, a subscription software programme which can help you to store, organise and retrieve your references and PDFs, as well as cite references in documents and create bibliographies quickly and easily. On completing the workshop you will be able to: understand the main features and benefits of EndNote; set up an EndNote account; import references from different sources into EndNote; organise your references in EndNote; insert citations into documents; and create a bibliography/reference list. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Taught student; Researcher & research student.
Church Group Speaker 1: Marcos Garcia Title: TBC Speaker 2: Luciana Gneo Title: TBC Milosevic Group Speaker 1: Izaak Myatt Title: TBC Speaker 2: Kaixin Zhang Title: TBC
In an effort to generate more discussion and collaboration on the scholarly study of religious naturalism, the Editorial Board of the Journal of the Oxford Graduate Theological Society is organizing a reading group on Alan Moore and Stephen Bissette’s influential run of Swamp Thing (1984–1987) and academic literature related to its sociohistorical context and themes. Moore’s writing explores sacred conceptions of nature, non-human life, magic, and psychedelic experiences. Brought to life by Bissette’s art, Saga of the Swamp Thing is perhaps the definitive tale of ecospirituality in the comics medium. All humans (and plant-monsters) are invited to join us to discuss this influential work. Reading list: https://haliphron.ink/2025/11/04/swamp2025/ Session 4 Readings (December 3) Moore, Alan, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben. “Book Six (#57-64).” In Saga of the Swamp Thing: Vertigo, 2014. Secondary: Krinsky, Hindi. “Mean Green Machine: How the Ecological Politics of Alan Moore’s Reimagination of Swamp Thing Brought Eco-Consciousness to Comics.” In Plants and Literature: Essays in Critical Plant Studies, edited by Randy Laist, 221-41. Leiden: Brill, 2013. Goodenough, Ursula. “Religious Naturalism and Naturalizing Morality.” Zygon 38, no. 1 (2003): 101-09.
Occupation is a fundamental concept in social and policy research, but classifying job descriptions into occupational categories can be challenging and susceptible to errors. Traditionally, this involved expert manual coding, translating detailed, often ambiguous job descriptions to standardized categories, a process both laborious and costly. However, recent advances in computational techniques offer efficient automated coding alternatives. Existing autocoding tools, including the O*NET-SOC AutoCoder, the NIOCCS AutoCoder, and the SOCcer AutoCoder, rely on supervised machine learning methods and string-matching algorithms. Yet these autocoders are not designed to understand semantic meanings in occupational write-in text. We explore the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) for classifying jobs into Standard Census occupations. We evaluate and compare the prediction performance of LLMs using four different approaches: zero-shot learning, few-shot learning, chain-of-thought, and fine-tuning. The results show a wide range of autocoding accuracy rates, varying from 7.1% to 78%. Drawing from Census expert coding practices, we provide practical recommendations for using LLMs in occupational classification for sociological research. We demonstrate LLM applications for coding resume data, processing survey occupational write-ins, and converting international occupational classifications to U.S. standards.
Madeline White (University of Oxford), Asian botanical names and images as gateways to early modern British science The Du Bois Herbarium at the University of Oxford has been a mystery for over a century. Deconstructed from its original binding in the 1890s, its early modern organizing scheme was deemed permanently lost. However, review of corresponding archival documents and images have presented a new means of reconstructing the collection, not according to European ordering schemes, but through expertise brought to the herbarium by Asian contributors. This talk explores the process of rediscovering the herbarium through vernacular Tamil names and Chinese paintings. By combining digital scholarship approaches with historical research and scientific expertise, this research both provides a means of restoring the Du Bois Herbarium to its original form and creates new frameworks for interdisciplinary collaboration. Koyna Tomar (University of Pennsylvania), Remaking Surplus and Scarcity: India’s Dairy Industrialization and the Global Surplus Food Regime, 1930 - 1970 This talk situates the history of dairy industrialization in South Asia within what Harriet Friedmann and Philip McMichael have called the ‘surplus food regime.’ Through complex bilateral and multilateral mechanisms, surplus dairy stocks from the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and, later, the European Economic Community were channeled to countries across the "Third World", both as a relief measure and, more crucially, as a strategy of economic development. India’s ambitious program of dairy expansion through cooperative production and marketing became the largest recipient of dairy commodity aid. At a time when food aid, particularly wheat loans from the US, came under stark criticism, international experts and Indian political and scientific figures argued that commodity aid in dairy products was decidedly distinct. Milk’s material properties, they suggested, made it amenable to radically different projects of self-reliance, and instead of cementing relations of dependence, dairy aid could nurture a national, modern dairy industry that was not only economically productive but also fulfilled social imperatives of redistribution. The history of global agrarian development in the post-war period is usually narrated as a 'seed-centric' story. Scholars emphasize the role played by US foreign policy and philanthropic foundations in making high-yielding variety seeds, fertilizers, and technical experts central to postcolonial state-making projects. Approaching the history of global agrarian development through the case of dairy introduces new geographies, actors, and periodization in this narrative. It also demonstrates the importance of situating the history of transnational technical and scientific expertise within changing class relations across the so-called 'first' and the 'third' world.
Occupation is a fundamental concept in social and policy research, but classifying job descriptions into occupational categories can be challenging and susceptible to errors. Traditionally, this involved expert manual coding, translating detailed, often ambiguous job descriptions to standardized categories, a process both laborious and costly. However, recent advances in computational techniques offer efficient automated coding alternatives. Existing autocoding tools, including the O*NET-SOC AutoCoder, the NIOCCS AutoCoder, and the SOCcer AutoCoder, rely on supervised machine learning methods and string-matching algorithms. Yet these autocoders are not designed to understand semantic meanings in occupational write-in text. We explore the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) for classifying jobs into Standard Census occupations. We evaluate and compare the prediction performance of LLMs using four different approaches: zero-shot learning, few-shot learning, chain-of-thought, and fine-tuning. The results show a wide range of autocoding accuracy rates, varying from 7.1% to 78%. Drawing from Census expert coding practices, we provide practical recommendations for using LLMs in occupational classification for sociological research. We demonstrate LLM applications for coding resume data, processing survey occupational write-ins, and converting international occupational classifications to U.S. standards.
In this online workshop you will be shown the functionality of Zotero, which is a free-to-use software programme used to manage references and create bibliographies. Zotero will be demonstrated on a Windows PC but users of MacOS or Linux computers will be able to follow the demonstration. The workshop will cover: understanding the main features and benefits of Zotero; setting up a Zotero account; importing references from different sources into Zotero; organising your references in Zotero; inserting citations into documents; and creating a bibliography/reference list. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Taught student; Researcher & research student
How does government conduct analysis to meet its twin missions of Clean Power 2030 and Accelerating to Net Zero? What approaches do we use to model the big policy questions? What are the challenges we face when modelling system transitions? Donna Leong will give her perspectives. About the speaker: Donna Leong is Director of Analysis and Chief Economist at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Prior to taking on this role, she has held a number of senior roles within HM Treasury, BEIS and the ONS.
Part of the 2025-2026 series ‘How can we respond to this systemic crisis?’. A series of master classes, seminars, workshops and talks with Professor Laura Rival, research collaborators and colleagues. Michaelmas Term series titled: ‘In Latin America, by greening the state at the top and from below’. The round table will be chaired by Andrès Gonzales Dinamarca, who is currently completing his DPhil at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology (ISCA, University of Oxford). Andrès’s thesis explores ethnographically present-day Mapuche life in everyday contexts and urban and rural struggles. Followed by refreshments.
Recent studies in individuals at increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease suggest that impairments in path integration may represent one of the earliest cognitive deficits, emerging before broader memory decline. The medial entorhinal cortex and hippocampus are central to spatial memory and navigation, with grid cells playing a crucial role in path integration. We therefore hypothesised that dysfunction within medial entorhinal–hippocampal circuits contributes to the early decline in path integration, and that Tau hyperphosphorylation in these areas could be among the earliest molecular events driving these abnormalities. To test this hypothesis, we employed a novel early-stage (pre-tangle) Tauopathy mouse model (S305N KI) to determine whether Tau hyperphosphorylation can recapitulate key path-integration deficits seen in humans and to identify the associated alterations in cellular and network activity underlying these early impairments.
*Teresa Witcombe* looks forward to expanding her work on the movement of captives of war and slaves across the Muslim-Christian frontier in medieval Iberia by considering the theological and legal status of medieval slaves and captives of war, including the codes of conduct that determined their treatment and the extent to which their humanity was recognised by their captors. Registration is required for both in-person and online attendance.
The first half century of lithium batteries and the challenges facing us in moving forward The Nobel Prize Committee said of John Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino’s lithium-ion batteries: “They have laid the foundation of a wireless, fossil fuel-free society, and are of the greatest benefit to humankind.” Now the world needs to take action, addressing the key challenge of building a sustainable supply chain and manufacturing capability that leapfrogs present battery technology, to foster sustainable manufacturing and use. The Vice Chancellor, Prof Irene Tracey, CBE, FRS, FMedSci, will be in attendance.
Ed Hillyer – also known as ILYA – has more than thirty years' experience as a comic book writer, artist and editor, published internationally by Marvel, DC and Dark Horse in the USA, Kodansha in Japan, and numerous independent companies worldwide. Ed's titles include award-winning graphic novel series The End of the Century Club, Manga Shakespeare’s King Lear and Room for Love . He has also edited Mammoth Books of Best New Manga, and Colour Me Bad. He will be talking, showing and telling about the earliest days of comic strip narrative, and how those distant techniques relate to his current practice.
Join online via Microsoft Teams by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/2s3hfr23
Decolonization, narrowly defined as the end of European empires, is rarely understood as a “dispossession machine.” Instead, it is celebrated as moments of empowerment— of new states, elites, and institutions— that create new forms of legal belonging, such as citizenship. While refugeedom and statelessness are treated as aberrations in this triumphalist narrative of decolonization, an important element is left unexamined, namely, how resettling and eviction of refugees and stateless people in South Asia have made them ecological agents in which they are even further dispossessed, if they survive at all their new surroundings. Based on primary and secondary sources on the resettlement of 1971 refugees from fertile lands of Bangladesh to arid Indigneous lands of Dandakaranya in central India, the 1978 forced eviction of refugees from the protected island of Marichjhapi to protect tigers of Sunderbans, and the most recent resettlement of the Rohingyas on the transient silt island of Bhashan Char, this research foregrounds environmental histories in histories of territoriality of South Asia. It sheds light on how decolonization, in its last phase, became a dispossession machine, uprooting and re-rooting refugees and stateless people making them ecological agents in stories of their own loss. About the speaker Jayita Sarkar is Professor of Global History of Inequalities at the University of Glasgow's School of Social and Political Sciences. Her research and teaching areas are global and transnational histories of capitalism, infrastructures, and territoriality. She is the author of the award-winning book, Ploughshares and Swords. India’s Nuclear Program in the Global Cold War (Cornell University Press, 2022). Before joining Glasgow as senior lecturer (tenured associate professor) in 2022, she was a tenure-track assistant professor at Boston University. She has held research fellowships at Harvard, MIT, Yale, Dartmouth, Edinburgh, and Sciences Po, amongst others. The seminar will be followed by drinks in the Hall. Registration not required. All enquiries should be directed to rsc-outreach@qeh.ox.ac.uk
'Pith paper watercolors' refer to the small pictures created mainly by local painters in Canton (present-day Guangzhou) in the nineteenth century, which were intended for sale to Western traders and sailors at that time. Pith paper is directly sliced from the white inner spongy tissue of a particular type of tree. Its cellular structure therefore can absorb waterborne dyes, facilitating the drawing of very fine details. Owing to their small size and modest appearance, pith paper watercolours have long been overlooked by scholars studying Chinese export arts. Thanks to the dedicated efforts and generous donations of Mr Ifan Williams, an amateur researcher of pith paper watercolours from the UK, Guangzhou’s public institutions acquired their first collection of pith paintings in 2001. Chinese researchers and collectors subsequently started to take greater notice of this particular genre. Revisiting the historical pith paintings, contemporary local artists in Guangzhou are trying to revitalize the genres and impart the drawing techniques to the younger generation. The pith watercolours at present is an echo and re-creation of their past. Professor CHING May Bo is currently the Head of the Department of Chinese and History and Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at the City University of Hong Kong. She has published extensively on a variety of subjects relating to social and cultural history of modern China, with a focus on the transformation of regional identity and material cultures in Canton. In recent years, she has been examining how the regional culture of South China took shape in a trans-regional context in terms of sound, colour and tastes from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. With the support of Guangzhou Cultural Bureau, she coordinated the translation and publication projects of Mr Ifan Williams’ research on pith paper watercolours, resulting in two illustrated catalogues published in 2001 and 2014.
A “Glocal” Intellectual History of Pan-Farmerism in Transwar Rural Japan, 1905–1928 Toma-Jin Morikawa-Fouquet, University of Oxford Islandness and National Belonging: Press, Discourse, and the Making of Identity in Karafuto (1905–1945)) DONG Zi’ang, Hokkaido University
Russian identity has long been confined by autocracy and imperial ambition, a condition that continues under Putin, whose twenty-five-year rule and the war in Ukraine reflect this legacy. The essay emphasises that official Russian discourse, past and present, frames the role of the ruler, militarism, and imperial power as central to national identity. Even after the fall of the tsars, autocratic governance persisted, and the empire repeatedly reemerged in new forms. The author contends that a truly pluralistic and open Russia can only arise once Russians reject both despotism and imperial domination. The book includes an anthology of European texts from the 16th to the 21st century, examining Russia’s imperial despotism, whose insights remain strikingly relevant today.
COURSE DETAILS The session will cover preparing for interviews, creating a question line, finding your authentic voice and active listening. Participants will be paired up and asked to conduct short interviews with a fellow participant which will be recorded over Zoom. As a group we'll listen back to them and workshop the interviews for constructive feedback. This course is aimed at anyone looking at working on interviewing skills as a presenter but is also useful to those asked to be a guest on a podcast. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will have: Increased your awareness of strategies for effectively planning an interview. Explored principles of good practice for interview hosts. Explored the components of a good interview question.
Persistent Identifiers (PIDs) provide a consistent way of digitally referencing items that aims to be more reliable than a simple web address. This is important for scholarly communications because citation and attribution are essential elements of scholarly apparatus. This workshop will introduce you to the concept of Persistent Identifiers, the problems that they address, and how they can be used in the academic environment to simplify some tasks. It will examine several different types of identifier, some of which are currently widely used (DOIs for publications/data and ORCIDs for researchers) and others which are emerging in importance. Intended audience: Researcher and research student; Staff
This 90-minute session will cover some more advanced techniques for finding medical literature to answer a research question. We will recap some basics, then demonstrate searching in several medical databases, including using subject headings (MeSH) and the differences between platforms. By the end of this session, you will be able to: explain what subject headings are, and how to use them; search for words that appear near to other words; take a search from one database into another; and save a search and document it. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Researcher & research student
We explore the structural mechanisms of brain function, with a focus on neuronal migration during cerebral cortex development and the role of the cytoskeleton. It highlights periventricular nodular heterotopia—a genetic disorder caused by mutations in filamin A—and introduces FILIP (filamin A interacting protein, FILIP1 for human), a molecule that degrades filamin A. Mutations in FILIP1 are linked to a spectrum of congenital disorders collectively termed FILIP1 disease. The study also presents new methods for visualizing neural circuits at the single-cell level, revealing early axonal targeting patterns that may inform future strategies for repairing disrupted neural networks. Unpublished findings and ongoing investigations into cytoskeletal regulation and neuropsychiatric implications are included.
Wave energy has the theoretical potential to meet global electricity demand, but it remains less mature and less cost-competitive than wind or solar power. A key barrier is the absence of engineering convergence on an optimal wave energy converter (WEC) design. In this work, I demonstrate how geometry optimisation can deliver step-change improvements in WEC performance. I present methodology and results from optimisations of two types of WECs: an axisymmetric point-absorber WEC and a top-hinged WEC. I show how the two types need different optimisation frameworks due to the differing physics of how they make waves. For axisymmetric WECs, optimisation achieves a 69% reduction in surface area (a cost proxy) while preserving power capture and motion constraints. For top-hinged WECs, optimisation reduces the reaction moment (another cost proxy) by 35% with only a 12% decrease in power. These result show that geometry optimisation can substantially improve performance and reduce costs of WECs.
Dr Andrew Seaton will be discussing a chapter from his book project, The Ends of Coal, which is a wide-ranging environmental history of the resource's impacts and legacies in Britain and the world since 1800. This talk considers the National Coal Board's expansive 'land reclamation' initiatives after 1945. These projects facilitated surprising connections between one of Europe’s largest fossil fuel industries and environmentalists, particularly by creating ‘productive’ land that might alleviate potential scarcity caused by ‘overpopulation’. The talk considers the practical dimensions of the Coal Board's land reclamation, recovers its framing and reception, and explains how initial justifications fell away in the 1980s. The chapter will be discussed by Professor Danny Dorling (Geography, Oxford). Dr Andrew Seaton is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at University College London. He is a historian of modern Britain with interests in politics, social history, medicine and the environment. Andrew's first book Our NHS: A History of Britain's Best-Loved Institution (Yale University Press, 2023) won the American Historical Association's Morris D. Forkosch Prize and was shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize.
Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a neuromuscular disease due to the lack of Survival Motor Neuron (SMN) protein, characterized by lower motor neuron (MN) degeneration and muscle atrophy. However, evidence shows that SMA patients display brain abnormalities correlating with disease severity, suggesting altered maturation and maladaptive plasticity potentially contributing to cortical alterations. Our previous work in SMA mice revealed upper MN vulnerability, indicating SMA pathogenesis is far more complex than classically conceived. We have shown that SMN deficiency influences cortical layering and cytoarchitecture during corticogenesis. This developmental misplacement may represent an early event that predisposes projection neurons to subsequent degeneration. Not all cortical neurons are equally affected: corticospinal and then callosal projection neurons emerge as particularly vulnerable populations, displaying both structural and survival deficits in response to SMN reduction. More recently, by employing a combination of imaging, molecular techniques, and electrophysiological characterization of cortical inhibitory neurotransmission, we dissected GABAergic signaling, metabolism, and interneuron function in the sensorimotor cortex.
When and how should research include the voices of vulnerable participants, and how can researchers build trust? Should extremists and terrorists be given a platform in research? What risks arise when studying security-sensitive issues? Drawing on over four years of research on the children of right-wing extremists, ISIS members who travelled to Syria and Iraq, and other parents affiliated with violent extremism, Dr Schneider will explore questions of ethics and trustworthiness in qualitative research. Her talk will address the opportunities and challenges encountered across the research cycle: gaining access to hard-to-reach participants, preparing for interviews with vulnerable individuals, reflecting on researcher bias, and ethically representing complex and sensitive findings. Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3745619732385?p=DhXEjfnZCGzQrafCT1
Lesson of the week, clinical cases and research. All clinical and academic staff and students welcome. Coffee, Tea and Cake will be served.
In this talk, I will explore how spatial data science can help us understand , and ultimately transform , the relationships between green infrastructure, mental health, and wellbeing. Drawing on ongoing work across multiple scales and contexts in the UK, I will present a synthesis of studies examining how the quantity, quality, and accessibility of green and blue spaces influence mental health, and how these effects vary across different population groups. The research addresses key gaps in understanding the specific amount, type, and quality of green space needed to deliver mental health benefits. Also looking at how environmental policies make the change on green infrastructure change the pattern of social and special inequalities. The findings aim to inform urban planning and environmental policy, advocating for inclusive, evidence-based strategies that ensure residents can benefit from nature-based wellbeing interventions.
Have you got questions about how to use the Covidence Data Extraction 1 tool for your project or review? Then please join us for our upcoming training session for University of Oxford users on Thursday 4th December 2025 at 2 pm (the webinar usually takes around 60 minutes). This training is a deep dive into Covidence’s Extraction 1 tool. It is aimed at researchers who are familiar with the platform and are working on intervention reviews, i.e. reviews that study the effect of drugs, therapies, vaccines, medical devices, procedures, or public health policies. We will walk you through the steps of: -Creating, modifying, and publishing data extraction templates in Extraction 1 -Managing reviewers -Extracting data from studies -Producing consensus data so that the final data are ready for export -Exporting data from Covidence Covidence is a web-based software platform that streamlines the production of systematic reviews Covidence is free for staff, researchers and students at the University of Oxford.
https://music.web.ox.ac.uk/event/25-12-04-public-seminar
A truly welcoming and inclusive city is not just an aspiration—it is essential to the future of our increasingly diverse urban societies. Yet too often, policy and practice lack the theoretical and research foundations needed for meaningful and effective implementation. Welcoming Cities is a book which bridges this gap, offering an interdisciplinary framework grounded in empirical research and case studies from 12 UK cities and international partners. Engaging with key governance challenges, it explores how cities define and implement welcoming policies across multiple sectors. Moving beyond critique, this book offers a constructive and action-oriented approach to integration and social cohesion. Sitting at the crossroads of academic research and policy and practice, this panel also aims to bridge this gap, drawing together insights from across the seminar series and engaging the key questions raised by Welcoming Cities. This seminar is hybrid. Join us in person at The Hub, Kellogg College, or participate online via Zoom by registering here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/evx9TAwlTFajxRVSGF_H-w
Mechanotransduction was perhaps the last major sensory modality not understood at the molecular level. Proteins/ion channels that sense mechanical force are postulated to play critical roles in sensing touch/pain (somatosensation), sound (hearing), shear stress (cardiovascular function), etc.; however, the identity of ion channels involved in sensing mechanical force had remained elusive. The Patapoutian lab identified PIEZO1 and PIEZO2, mechanically-activated cation channels that are expressed in many mechanosensitive cell types. Genetic studies established that PIEZO2 is the principal mechanical transducer for touch, proprioception, baroreception and bladder & lung stretch, and that PIEZO1 mediates blood-flow sensing, which impacts vascular development and iron homeostasis. Clinical investigations have confirmed the importance of these channels in human physiology. SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY Ardem Patapoutian is an American scientist of Armenian origin. He is molecular biologist specializing in sensory transduction. His research has led to the identification of receptors activated by temperature and pressure. His laboratory has shown that these ion channels play crucial roles in sensing temperature, touch, proprioception, pain, and blood presssure. Patapoutian was born in Lebanon in 1967 and attended the American University of Beirut for one year before he immigrated to The United States in 1986 and became a US citizen. He graduated from UCLA in 1990 and received his Ph.D. at Caltech in 1996. After postdoctoral work with Dr. Lou Reichardt at UCSF, he joined the faculty of Scripps Research in 2000, where he currently holds the Presidential Endowed Chair and is a Professor in the Department of Neuroscience. Patapoutian was awarded the Young Investigator Award from the Society for Neuroscience in 2006 and was named an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 2014. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2016), a member of the National Academy of Sciences (2017) and a member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2020). He is a co-recipient of the 2017 Alden Spencer Award from Columbia, the 2019 Rosenstiel Award for Distinguished Work in Basic Medical, the 2020 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience, and the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
In this seminar we will examine the relationship between working time and wellbeing from both a macro and micro level perspective. We will begin by exploring the relationship between working hours and life expectancy, paying particular attention to how inequality moderates the results of this relationship. Then we will delve into the results of our recent study which examines the health implications of working time reduction among 3000 employees who participated in the 4 Day Week Global Trials. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Speaker bio: Dr Kelly's research focuses on the social drivers and responses to climate change, and she is particularly interested in understanding pathways to sustainable human well-being and eco-social policies. She is part of the international academic research team investigating the economic, social, and environmental impacts of reduced worktime trials, led by the 4-day Week Global campaign, and she is a founding member of the Worktime Reduction Research Network (WTR-RN). Her research has been published in academic journals such as Nature Human Behaviour, Social Forces, and Sustainability Science. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Booking is required for people outside of the Department of Social Policy and Intervention (DSPI). DSPI Members do not need to register.
‘What part syngest thou? Qua voce cantas?’ John Stanbridge (1463-1510), master of Magdalen College School in Oxford and author of several innovative pedagogical books, taught his young pupils to ask that question. It is still a relevant question today. Tudor voice-parts and voice-types (both before and during the Reformation) have attracted some controversy in recent generations. This study addresses the issue from a less conventional angle. Rather than starting with questions of sounding pitch, transposition, or vocal production, it draws on a wide range of documents to revisit the five standard English voice-parts (bass, tenor, contratenor, mean/medius, treble/triplex) in what might be called ‘anthropological’ or ‘ethnographic’ terms, as specialised functions and roles exercised by participants in a complex musical culture. This approach, I would argue, also equips us to think more freely about practical matters of pitch and transposition as Tudor singers experienced them in their working lives.
In this talk, I will present my upcoming book project on the role of literary practices in recreating spaces of sociability and solidarity in post-revolutionary Cairo. Over the past two decades, Egypt’s literary worlds have been reconfigured by two major phenomena. First, the digital disruption of publishing since the mid-2000s has expanded access to literary authorship, allowing many new writers to enter the market. Second, the Egyptian revolution and its aftermath encouraged more people to write in search of individualized fictional worlds, as the collective one promised by January 25 had failed. As a result, many new writers entered Cairo’s associative literary scene, bringing not only their literary talents and aspirations but also the divisions inherited from the revolutionary past. Based on a long-term ethnographic fieldwork in Cairo’s literary clubs, I will show how the code of karam – or hospitality – enabled people to mend their revolutionary divides and create spaces of exchange and support through literature, its rituals and objects. Ritualized and deliberately kept free of politics, these literary bubbles are sustained by an economy of reciprocal favors and financed by writers themselves to keep them as spaces of possibilities in their lives. This presentation invites us to think of literature not merely as the production of texts, but as a set of practices that can be harnessed to recreate spaces of community and exchange after major disruptions. Literary spaces, then, are not solely about literature; they are about creating environments which, by being designated as “cultural”, are expected to provide “safe” and “respectable” setting for the circulation of other kinds of resources.
To join online, please register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/KbVXDl5TQWCP1I0nKS1TiQ
Clare Jackson, _The Mirror of Great Britain: a life of James VI & I_ (2025)
Climate crisis, pandemic, war at our borders, democratic backsliding, rising socio-economic inequalities: Young people in Europe stand at the centre of the so-called polycrisis. Fear, distrust, and a sense of uncertainty are putting a strain on what lies at the core of European integration: an ever-growing sense of togetherness among an increasingly larger citizenry. In these challenging times, can we find a path to advance a hopeful European project grounded in fairness, sustainability, and democratic renewal? What role can you play as an active young European citizen and student? Valentin doesn’t hold a clear answer to these questions. But he has worked in the fields of European education, active citizenship, youth civil society, and political communication both as a professional and an activist for over 15 years. These questions have been the thread that has run through his professional path and activism, and he is eager to discuss them with you.
Though little studied, letter sutras help us recover the stories of love, loss, and mourners turning to the things left behind in the wake of death to make something meaningful. This talk explores Japanese medieval makers who reused and recycled the epistles of their dead for the copying of sacred Buddhist text to create potent palimpsests known as letter sutras – objects that have lurked beneath the surface of Japanese material culture and punctuated the personal histories of famous figures since the ninth century. These manuscripts reveal the efficacy and intimacy of Buddhist ritual and how paper resonated with embodied presence and yet devastating grief. This talk analyses the creative methods deployed by mourners in coping with death and loss, the ephemerality and afterlives of letters, and the haptic engagement with layered manuscripts.
Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Despite this prevalence, it does not feature prominently in narratives of global health history. It is typically categorized as one of many ‘neglected tropical diseases’, historically not deemed worthy of research, funding, or policymaking by relevant authorities. The project from which this talk is drawn seeks to recover meanings of neglect in the history of global health, including but not limited to neglected diseases. Trachoma became associated with China following its widely publicized prevalence among the Chinese Labour Corps in the First World War; although trachoma was recognized widely as the cause of a public health crisis there, it was not easy for the Republican government, beset by war and poverty, to proactively control a disease that was notoriously difficult to diagnose or cure. After 1949, however, research in Beijing proved transformative. Chinese researchers’ successful isolation of the trachoma pathogen in 1957 served as a catalyst to intensify research on the disease globally, especially at UK Medical Research Council sites in London and the Gambia. Correspondence from the Wellcome Trust archives demonstrates the permeability of the so-called Iron Curtain, South-South connections in medical research, and Cold War competition alongside cooperation in communications relating to trachoma research between Beijing, London, and Fajara in the Gambia. Tracing the story of trachoma’s neglect as a research priority for global health stakeholders thus reveals that it was not actually neglected everywhere around the world. Mary Augusta Brazelton is Professor of Global Studies of Science, Technology, and Medicine in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge, where she is also a Fellow of Jesus College and Research Fellow of the Needham Research Institute. At the Needham Institute, she is principal investigator of the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation funded project ‘Lu Gwei-Djen as Biochemist and Historian of Chinese Science: Recovering a Major Archive’. In 2019, she published Mass Vaccination: Citizens' Bodies and State Power in Modern China with Cornell University Press; in 2023, she published China in Global Health: Past and Present with Cambridge University Press in its Global China Elements series.
The Celtic Seminar is held jointly by Oxford and the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (CAWCS), Aberystwyth. All Oxford seminars will be at 5.15 pm on Thursdays either hybrid (online and in person) or online-only via Microsoft Teams. When in person, they are in Room 30.022 of the Schwarzman Centre, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road. Please contact david.willis@ling-phil.ox.ac.uk if you need a link to join online. All CAWCS seminars will be held online at 5.00 pm on Thursdays via Zoom, and, for hybrid seminars, in person at the National Library of Wales or at CAWCS. Please contact a.elias@wales.ac.uk for the link.
Beyond being a public health crisis, a disease outbreak often mirrors the deeper sociopolitical and economic struggles within a society. Nigeria recorded the highest COVID-19 morbidity and mortality figures in West Africa, yet stark subnational variations were evident across the country. This raises a critical question: _What does the geography of the pandemic reveal about the strengths and fault lines of Nigerian society?_ Adopting an eclectic methodological approach—combining disease mapping, contextual reflection, interviews, archival/library research, and online ethnography—this study analysed diverse data sources including newspapers, morbidity reports, and disease maps. The findings demonstrate that COVID-19 in Nigeria was not merely a public health emergency but a crisis of multiple forms that exposed the nation’s institutional weaknesses, governance failures, and social inequities. *Tolulope Osayomi* (Medical Geography, Ibadan University; TORCH International Fellow, University of Oxford)
The aim of the seminar is to foster a dynamic and interdisciplinary research culture supportive of individual scholarship. Finalists, M.St. and D.Phil. students, lecturers, fellows, scholars from across the university community – all are welcome. If you’d like to appear on the seminar mailing list, please email martha.swift@ell.ox.ac.uk OR hannah.fagan@mansfield.ox.ac.uk
In order to participate in this lecture via Zoom, please register at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/ma–NYzkQp–UVgfOonzBg
Dr Julia Gravendyck is a lecturer in systematic botany at the University of Bonn. The history of plants is preserved not only in leaves and wood, but also in microscopic fossils such as pollen and spores. Abundant across geological time, these microfossils provide a powerful lens for reconstructing vegetation change and evolutionary transitions. Julia's lecture explores how they refine our understanding of plant evolution, from the earliest land plants to the rise of flowers. Recent discoveries of Early Cretaceous pollen shed new light on Darwin’s “abominable mystery” of angiosperm origins, while palynology also reveals how plant communities responded to mass extinctions. Together, these insights show how tiny fossils illuminate some of the biggest questions in botany: how plant communities coped with global crises, and where flowering plants first transformed Earth's ecosystems.
Title to be announced Dr Akira Wiberg is a Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Plastic Surgery and Versus Arthritis Career Development Fellow at the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS), University of Oxford. The Chief Medical Officer has confirmed that attendance at the Surgical Grand Rounds can count toward internal CPD, with 1 point awarded per hour. Please note that in-person attendance is required, and you will need to sign the attendance register. Chair: To be announced All members of the University and NHS clinical staff are welcome. Please email Tarryn Ching if you would like to attend online.
This event will explore the wave of recent major political protests across several Asian countries. We hope to cover the themes of authoritarianism, populism, corruption, dynastic politics and crisis of political authority and legitimacy as well as intergenerational inequality, discontent surrounding labour, employment and education, and the role of social media and new political idioms. The discussion will include: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Fortnightly meetings run by the Clinical Neurosciences Pain Group (NDCN). Meetings are typically seminars or open discussion and take place in a hybrid format over Teams and at the FMRIB Annexe (Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, John Radcliffe Hospital). Open to all researchers/students/clinical staff in Oxford interested in pain research. For more details about future events, please join the mailing list: oxin-paingroup-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk or email Danielle Hewitt danielle.hewitt@ndcn.ox.ac.uk for further details.
Blood vessels are among the most vital structures in the human body, forming intricate networks that connect and support various organ systems. Remarkably, during early embryonic development—before any blood vessels are visible—their precursor cells are arranged in stereotypical patterns throughout the embryo. We hypothesize that these patterns guide the directional growth and fusion of precursor cells into hollow tubes formed from initially solid clusters. Further analysis of cells within these clusters reveals unique organization that may influence their differentiation into endothelial and blood cells. In this work, I revisit the problem of pattern formation through the lens of active matter physics, using both developing embryonic systems and in vitro cell culture models where similar patterns are observed during tissue budding. These different systems exhibit similar patterning behavior, driven by changes in cellular activity, adhesion and motility.
This talk places new constraints on ocean temperature change across the Neoproterozoic to Phanerozoic transition, when the fossil record documents some of the most dramatic changes in the history of complex life. Traditional δ18O data blur temperature with changes in seawater composition; clumped isotopes break that ambiguity. Using stratigraphically anchored, fabric-targeted sampling, we reconstruct nearshore seawater temperatures and, where possible, infer ice volume from seawater δ18O. Results reveal large, directional climate shifts with ecological consequences. In the Tonian and Cryogenian, clumped-isotope data from Oman and elsewhere indicate near-modern tropical temperatures before and after Snowball Earth glaciations, suggesting dynamic hydrologic and climatic transitions. During the Ediacaran, post-glacial warming followed by ≥20 °C cooling likely expanded oxygenated habitats and set the stage for early animal diversification. In the Ordovician, ~15 °C of long-term tropical cooling over ~40 Myr culminated in brief but extensive glaciation, providing the climate context for the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event. By pairing clumped-isotope temperatures with age control and complementary proxies, we build a quantitative framework linking climate and habitability, showing how temperature change guided life’s evolutionary trajectory through deep time.
Contemporary protectionist policies in the U.S. are often initiated by the executive branch but enforced unevenly across firms. We argue that such uneven enforcement arises because legislators—with both institutional capacity and local motivation—shield connected firms from executive protectionist measures. We test this claim using the Trump administration’s Buy American Act (BAA), which penalized firms reliant on foreign, especially Chinese, suppliers. Combining firm-level data on federal contracts, supply chains, and campaign contributions, we analyze 1,958 firms (2015–2019). A difference-in-differences design shows that the BAA significantly reduced contracts for firms with Chinese suppliers, but only among politically inactive firms in districts represented by less powerful House members or by members lacking strong local ties. We also find that only less-connected firms adjusted their suppliers after the BAA. These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between the adoption and implementation of protectionist policies, and how legislators shape implementation amidst presidential dominance in trade policy.
Anton Barbashin is a visiting researcher for ECFR’s European Security Programme and a co-founder and editorial director at Riddle Russia. Prior to his work on Riddle Russia, Anton was a co-founder and managing editor of Warsaw-based Russia-focused analytical outlet Intersection Project and between 2014 and 2018 he was an analyst with the Center for Polish-Russian Dialogue and Understanding. Since 2023, Barbashin has been a senior member of University Consortium. He was a non-resident research fellow at the Atlantic Council from 2019 to 2021 and was a visiting expert at the Kennan Institute, Wilson Center in 2017. He is currently a post-graduate researcher at the University of Glasgow.
Dr Andy Peters Learning-related sensory responses in the cortex and basal ganglia One foundation of learned behavior is the ability to associate arbitrary combinations of stimuli and actions. After learning these sensorimotor associations, the brain transforms previously meaningless stimulus information into a specific motor command, but it is unclear where this transformation occurs and how it develops across learning. We are investigating how the cortex-basal ganglia circuit is involved in this type of learning by recording widespread activity in mice during task learning and performance. Our findings are building towards a cascade of events during learning, where sensory responses are increased in the basal ganglia, converge according to behavioral relevance, and routed to motor regions of the cortex. SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY 2010-2016: PhD - University of California, San Diego with Takaki Komiyama, studied learning in the motor cortex 2016-2022: Postdoc - UCL with Matteo Carandini and Kenneth Harris, studied interactions between the cortex and striatum 2022: Sir Henry Dale Fellowship - Oxford Dr Mehran Ahmadlou Neural mechanisms of behavioural flexibility across threat and reward Behavioural flexibility, the capacity to adjust actions to changing environmental demands and internal physiological states, is essential for survival. Across contexts of threat and reward, animals rely on distributed brain circuits that dynamically reconfigure behavioural strategies to maintain adaptive control. Using cell-type-specific circuit approaches in freely moving mice, our work reveals how subtle variations in contextual and internal variables reshape strategy selection—from defensive to exploratory modes of behaviour. These studies uncover distinct yet conceptually aligned mechanisms that enable adaptive switching between behavioural states, illustrating how the brain integrates environmental information and physiological needs to guide flexible, goal-directed action. Understanding these principles offers insight into neuropsychiatric conditions in which behavioural flexibility is disrupted, whether through excessive rigidity, as in obsessive-compulsive and anxiety disorders, or excessive instability, as in attention deficit and mood disorders. SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY After his studies in electric engineering, Mehran did his PhD in neurobiology of visual system in Alexander Heimel's lab at Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN), where he found orientation columns and optic flow map in superior colliculus, and thalamocortical ocular dominance plasticity in mice. During his postdoc at NIN, he found a cell-type-specific neural mechanism for curiosity and information seeking. He continued his work on behavioural flexibility in Sonja Hofer's lab at SWC/UCL, where he found a cell-type-specific neural mechanism that controls switch and stay behavioural strategies. He started his lab (NeuroBehaviour Lab) at DPAG in September 2025 to study neural mechanisms of adaptive behaviour.
Akram Khan, MBE in conversation with Marcus Bell (UCL), followed by drink reception, co-organized with DANSOX. Further details to be confirmed, please check back shortly.
This paper revisits the intersections of anthropology and autobiography to argue for the significance of boundaries, reflexivity, and heterogeneity as analytic prisms in ethnography. Judith Okely’s work showed how gendered practices materialise social distinctions and how anthropological knowledge is inseparable from autobiography, which she argued for as a methodological resource. This presentation extends these insights through ethnographic research with Roma communities, where everyday engagements with kinship, healthcare, and education emerge as sites of creativity and agency in which people reshape obligations, reconfigure identities, and imagine alternative possibilities for social reproduction.
This talk explores John le Carré’s relationship to world literature. Le Carré’s novels address some of the key developments in global politics in the twentieth century, and beyond. We will look closely at the two major phases into which his writing falls: how he established himself as a leading commentator on the psychological and political impacts of a world divided by confrontational ideologies; and how he fearlessly explored the crises of a still-polarised late-century world order. In both phases, le Carré’s fiction, characters and plots register some of the definitive preoccupations of our time and the shrinking possibilities of hope. Elleke Boehmer, FRSL, frhists, is Professor of World Literature in English at Oxford University and Fellow at Wolfson College, specializing in world literature and postcolonial studies. She has written extensively on the literature of empire, nationalism and the figure of the writer in the twentieth century. Steven Matthews is a professor at the University of Reading, specializing in modern and contemporary poetry, literature and literary theory. His work often focuses on the relationship between poetry and place, including environmental and ecological themes, as well as on Samuel Beckett, 1930s writing and postcolonial poetry.
Primary: Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed (1974), Chapters 13 & 14 Supplementary: Cindy Milstein, ‘Gesturing toward Utopia’ in Anarchism and Its Aspirations (2010); Le Guin, ‘The Operating Instructions’ (2002)
Seminar followed by Q&A and drinks - all welcome - join in person or online Abstract: Environmental decision-making often grapples with the tension between generalized sustainability goals and the culturally specific ways communities relate to nature. Relational values have been promoted as a way of navigating this tension. In this seminar, I argue that the primary contribution of a relational values perspective is the way it has swapped a rather tired debate about the intrinsic-instrumental value of nature, with a more lively debate about nature’s substitutability. Using the example of development pressure in the UK, I explore where a relational focus takes us politically, and how it might help broker new approaches to decision making of relevance to questions of nature recovery. Biography: Rob is Professor of Environmental Sustainability at Imperial College. He is a social scientist and human geographer by training, with research interests in the social and cultural dimensions of natural resource management. He has a particular specialism in agricultural and rural systems. Rob’s work is distinguished by its participatory and collaborative nature, as well as by direct intervention in the policy process. In recent years, he has played a prominent role in the elaboration of interdisciplinary approaches to the valuation of nature within environmental policy and decision making. He is a founding lead editor of the BES Journal People and Nature. His recent graphic textbook, Valuing Nature: the Roots of Transformation won the Taylor & Francis Outstanding STEM Book (2021).
Love, loss, grief, separation and the bliss of union – all are powerfully represented in ATMA (The Soul), first released as an album in 2023 and now performed live. A musical journey that portrays all aspects of life, it is a rich musical meeting between the worlds of Indian classical and jazz, in which sitar and tabla beautifully weave and interchange with double bass, guitar and electronics.
On Monday 8th December 2025, join us for the OxCODE symposium 2025 to hear about the latest research in early cancer detection and prevention from Oxford and elsewhere. We are delighted to have Ros Eeles (The Institute of cancer Research, London) and Phil Jones (Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge) as our keynote speakers and there will be sessions themed on: Early detection, featuring Ros Eeles, Parinaz Mehdipour and Brian Nicholson Stratifying cancer risk, featuring Pradeep Virdee, Karl Smith Byrne, Anneke Lucassen Biology-informed prevention, featuring Phil Jones, Karin Hellner , Zinaida Dedeic and Maria Aggelakopoulou The Symposium will also feature: Panel discussion: Are industry/academia partnerships essential for advancing early detection and prevention research for patient benefit? Lightning talks (abstract submission deadline, 7th November; see guidance below). Poster session (abstract submission deadline, 7th November; see guidance below). At the end of the day, there will be a drinks and canapés reception to give you an opportunity to network and build connections. Register by 21st November, Please contact cancer@medsci.ox.ac.uk with any questions. Lightning talk abstract submission If you would like to submit an abstract for consideration for a 4-minute lightning talk, you will need to follow the guidelines below: • The abstract must be no longer than 200 words, submitted in Word format. • Please include a title, author list and your primary departmental affiliation. • All abstracts must be submitted to cancer@medsci.ox.ac.uk by Friday 7th November. Late abstracts will not be accepted. • All people submitting abstracts must also register via Eventbrite • Lightning talks will be selected by the OxCODE operational group • Applicants will be notified of acceptance from Monday 17th November Poster guidance If you would like to submit an abstract for consideration for the poster session you will need to follow the guidelines below: • The abstract must be no longer than 200 words, submitted in Word format. • Please include a title, author list and your primary departmental affiliation. • All abstracts must be submitted to cancer@medsci.ox.ac.uk by Friday 7th November. Late abstracts will not be accepted. • All people submitting abstracts must also register via Eventbrite • In the event of oversubscription, poster places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis (40 places available). • Posters should be printed in portrait orientation and be no larger than A0 to fit the poster display boards.
Six NIHR Biomedical Research Centres; Oxford, Oxford Health, Cambridge, Barts, Birmingham and Moorfields are collaborating to bring you a series of engaging online training sessions with experts and researchers to help embed inclusion in your research. There are 3 webinar events for Research Inclusivity Training rolling out over November and December this year and they will be repeated in 2026. Socio-economic Disadvantage Inclusion training, with Dr. Heidi R Green Providing strategies to reduce barriers in health inequalities and understand challenges faced by disadvantaged communities. The session includes a case study and the NIHR INCLUDE Socio-economic Disadvantage Framework.
Do you want to make sure that your work complies with the open access policy for REF 2029? In this focused online briefing, we will: step you through the changes and new requirements; provide links to further REF information and guidance; let you know where to find help at Oxford; and answer as many questions as we can. Intended audience: Researcher & research student; Staff
In this session we will explore how families can navigate young children’s digital lives with confidence, calm, and connection. Parents today face a flood of mixed messages about “screen time”, from warnings by health bodies, to advice from educators and the media. Conflicting recommendations leave many parents feeling uncertain, judged, and even stressed about their children’s digital technology use. Join Professor Karen Murcia as she draws from research conducted in the Australian Research Council funded Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child and reframes the conversation, rather than focusing on how much time children spend on screens, we consider how children use digital technologies and who they use it with. Realistic modelling of intentional, not ‘perfect’ use of digital technologies will be considered in the real world of digital parenting. We will leave this session with research-informed strategies and shared ideas for guiding children’s digital experiences, focusing on connection, creativity, and digital citizenship. Karen Murcia is a Professor of Education at Curtin University and Program Co-Lead of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child (www.digitalchild.org.au). As a Chief Investigator, she leads education research exploring how digital technologies shape the lives and learning of children growing up in the digital age. Her internationally recognised expertise spans children’s creativity, computational thinking, and digital citizenship. A respected thought leader, she drives STEM education innovation through collaborative partnerships with industry and community organisations, both in Australia and around the world.
Are you looking to learn about the ways in which to transmit scientific ideas and make your research accessible to a non-specialist audience through a variety of mediums? This session will serve as an introduction to science communication and how it can be successfully incorporated into our roles. By the end of this session you will be able to: define science communication and provide a list of examples; explain why science communication is important for both our CPD and the public; and list ways in which we can all get involved in science communication. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Taught student; Researcher & research student.
An introduction to the what, why and how of public involvement
Patents and standards are a valuable source of technical information relevant to the fields of engineering, materials sciences, and more. Together, they provide approved rules and guidelines whilst helping to protect inventions and innovative ideas. They can, however, be tricky to find. Join this session to find out more about what patents and standards are, why they might be useful for your research and how to find them in specific databases. By the end of this session, you will: know what a patent is and where to find it; know what a standard is and where to find it; and be able to reference patents and standards. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student
Abstract: This presentation will consider the political economy of higher education in early America, from the mid-eighteenth through the early-nineteenth century. It notes the various ways in which higher education was commodified and commercialized in that period and the strategies that institutions used to bolster their “market position.” It concludes with thoughts on the relationship between liberalization and polarization in the “modern” political economy of American higher education.
We are excited to host the 2025 Bennett Institute Medicines Symposium, two days of talks and workshops on medicines, NHS data, and open research. Day 1 will feature keynotes, lightning talks, and panel discussions. Day 2 will be dedicated to hands-on workshops. Whether you’re working in healthcare research, policy, or practice, this is a chance to connect and learn from those generating and using medicines data in the UK. Registration and abstract submissions are now open Note: symposium registration and abstract submissions are handled separately (see links below). If you wish to propose a talk or workshop, don’t forget to also register! Register for the symposium using the Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/2025-bennett-institute-medicines-symposium-tickets-1570683509659 Propose a talk or workshop using the abstract submission form: https://airtable.com/appYkEJ7pQey5ic4F/pagolpfwNJg1oRSrS/form What you’ll learn This year’s symposium is focused on medicines, NHS data, and open research methods. You’ll learn about: Ongoing work and recent findings from the Bennett Institute and our collaborators Tools like OpenSAFELY, OpenCodelists, and OpenPrescribing, and how others are using them Approaches to high-quality, reproducible analytics in the NHS Real-life examples of how data is being used to improve care, safety, and access Hands-on workshops to explore methods, tools, and workflows Who you’ll meet We’re bringing together people who often use the same data but don’t always get to work together. You’ll meet: Clinicians, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals who generate and use medicines data in everyday care Medicines optimisation teams Researchers, epidemiologists, and data scientists Policy makers and experts Data infrastructure experts and platform developers
Coaching skills are the key to fostering positive and effective working relationships with your colleagues and team members. This workshop is your gateway to the powerful world of coaching. It will introduce you to essential coaching concepts, approaches, and skills that will transform your leadership style.
For our first AI workshop we will be joined by Dr Lei Clifton, Programme Director of the MSc in Applied Digital Health, Primary Care Department; Dr Bradley Segal, Rhodes Scholar, practising physician and DPhil candidate in Biomedical Engineering, and Gavin Hubbard, Senior Communications Manager with extensive AI experience, Primary Care Department. Title: AI Tools for Research: A Hands-On Workshop When: 11 December 2025 Time: 11:00 – 12:00 Venue: BDI/Oxpop Seminar room 1 Overview: Live demonstrations of AI tools that can cut admin time, speed up literature reviews, improve writing, and support research workflows – from hypothesis generation to peer review simulation. The content will be tailored on the experience levels and specific interests captured in the registration form. Who it's for: Any researcher curious about AI applications. No coding required, all experience levels welcome. Format: Interactive, hands-on session with concrete examples relevant to primary care research. Attendees can bring laptops to try techniques during live demos. The session will cover practical applications many researchers are curious about but haven't known where to start. Bio: Dr Lei Clifton: Programme Director of the MSc in Applied Digital Health, Primary Care Department Lei has 20+ years of experience at the intersection of medical statistics and AI. As Programme Director of the MSc in Applied Digital Health, she specialises in foundation models and large language models for healthcare, bringing expertise from engineering, machine learning, and medical statistics. Dr Bradley Segal: DPhil candidate, Computational Health Informatics (CHI) Lab Bradley is a Rhodes Scholar, practicing physician, and DPhil candidate from the CHI Lab in the Engineering Department. He specialises in AI applications in healthcare, from deep learning in medical imaging to large-scale patient analytics platforms. His clinical experience and healthcare technology ventures provide practical insights into implementing AI tools in real-world medical settings. Gavin Hubbard: Senior Communications Manager with extensive AI experience Gavin brings a unique perspective combining medical biochemistry background, 8+ years in drug development, and extensive science writing experience. He supports researchers in communicating their work to diverse audiences and has been exploring AI tools for research communication for several years, training NIHR communications professionals in LLM use since early 2023. Registration: https://forms.office.com/e/RcbjScFzyW?origin=lprLink – spaces are limited for the interactive format.
Look but Fail to See (LBFTS) errors are those errors where we miss something that is ‘right in front of our eyes’, even though it is clearly visible and recognizable. Such errors can be amusing, as when we miss a gorilla in an inattentional blindness demo; vexing, as when we miss a typo; and serious, as when a tumor is missed in a CT scan or a weapon is missed at the airport. I will discuss how the capacity limits and operating rules of selective visual attention can give rise to LBFTS errors. LBFTS errors can also inform discussions about the awareness and/or consciousness. They falsify naïve theories that would claim that we are fully aware of everything we are seeing at the current moment, but we knew that wasn’t true. They also falsify or, at least, complexify more interesting theories that equate attention with awareness. Sadly, I will not have a neatly packaged theory of consciousness to offer. Perhaps that will emerge during the question-and-answer period.
Lesson of the week, clinical cases and research. All clinical and academic staff and students welcome. Coffee, Tea and Cake will be served.
Stroke is currently the third leading cause of disability-adjusted life-years and mortality worldwide. As the risk of stroke increases sharply with age, incidence, and prevalence are expected to rise even further because of an aging population. This disease affects about 3.5 million people in the EU, with 700 000 new cases yearly. More than half of the patients suffer significant residual impairments, causing huge economic and societal burdens. Acute clinical intervention, typically involving surgical removal or dissolution of the clot through the administration of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), aims to restore blood flow to the affected brain areas and is only possible within a very short time window after stroke onset. Stem cell therapy using human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived neural precursors is a promising future therapy for stroke patients. Two main mechanisms have been proposed to give rise to improved functional recovery in animal models of stroke after the transplantation of these cells. First, the ”bystander” effect, which could modulate the inflammatory environment by releasing different factors from grafted cells, resulting in moderate improvements in the outcome of the insult. Second, the neuronal replacement and functional integration of grafted cells into the impaired brain circuitry. This will ultimately result in optimum long-term structural and functional repair. Our data show that human skin-derived cortical progenitors can be reprogrammed to differentiate into cortical projection neurons and functionally integrate (forming afferent and efferent synaptic connections) not only into stroke-damaged rat cortical networks but also into organotypic cultures of the adult human cortex. The grafted cortical neurons respond to sensory stimulation in live animals and, importantly, also affect spontaneous behavior when inhibited by optogenetic stimulation. Stroke results in the loss of oligodendrocytes and axonal demyelination, contributing to functional impairment. Additionally, for grafted neurons to become functional, their axons must be myelinated. Our data show that human iPS cell-derived cells can also be reprogrammed to differentiate into functional, bona fide oligodendrocytes. The generated cells exhibit the structural, molecular, and functional characteristics of mature human oligodendrocytes. They can wrap both grafted human cell- and host-derived axons from cortical neurons in different set-ups, after xenotransplantation into rat stroke-injured somatosensory cortex and the human adult cortical organotypic system. Our findings raise the possibility that injured neural circuitry might be restored by stem cell transplantation also in humans with stroke, which would have major clinical implications.
The Behind-the-Scenes Seminar Series is designed to learn about the production process of research papers, offering an opportunity for students and researchers in all fields and at all career stages to engage with the challenges encountered during project development and how they were overcome. The paper: "The dynamics of abusive relationships", The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 139 (2024), p. 2135-2180. (with Kristiina Huttunen, Emily Nix and Ning Zhang)
This international conference is part of a partnership between the University of Oxford, the Maison Française d'Oxford, the PHEEAC laboratory at the University of the Antilles, and the UMR LISA at the University of Corsica. It will be held on December 15 and 16 at the Maison Française d'Oxford. This academic meeting aims to explore, from a historical and anthropological perspective, the arts of resistance to central power in the Caribbean and Mediterranean islands from the 18th to the 21st century, as well as the various forms of repression (censorship, imprisonment, deportation) that resulted from it.
In a fast-changing world, psychiatry needs to adapt to remain relevant. This presentation will summarize the changes in psychiatry that are considered to have been the most impactful for the practice and research in psychiatry since 1945. Based on this historical context, the current status of psychiatry and its future as one of the main medical specialties will be discussed. This seminar is hosted in-person at the Department of Psychiatry, Seminar Room. To join online, please use the details below: https://zoom.us/j/94567124781?pwd=sVxXabbSWibdU8A9W2clQlG9neRGbQ.1 Meeting ID: 945 6712 4781 Passcode: 470970
Do you need help managing your references? Do you need help citing references in your documents? This online session will introduce you to EndNote, a subscription software programme which can help you to store, organise and retrieve your references and PDFs, as well as cite references in documents and create bibliographies quickly and easily. On completing the workshop you will be able to: understand the main features and benefits of EndNote; set up an EndNote account; import references from different sources into EndNote; organise your references in EndNote; insert citations into documents; and create a bibliography/reference list. Intended audience: Medicine & NHS; Taught student; Researcher & research student.
Higher education development is increasingly influenced by the complex context of growing impact of geopolitics, the intensified pressure for addressing economic purposes and the call for AI and STEM in education and skill formation. This webinar critically examines the role of liberal arts education in nurturing caring professionals with a strong emphasis on transdisciplinary studies orientation and whole-person development. This webinar invites dialogue from participants to critically discuss the importance of repurposing university education to address the complex changes facing the humanities. This webinar is part of our Ideas and Universities Dialogue Series.
Songs of Solidarity is a bold interdisciplinary performance project that reimagines ancient epics through the voices of migrant communities today. Following on from the APGRD's highly successful Cultural Programme-funded workshop in December 2024, Fiona Macintosh (Emeritus Professor of Classical Reception and Senior Research Fellow, St Hilda’s) and Tom Nelson (Career Development Fellow in Ancient Greek, St Hilda’s) have received further funding from the University’s Cultural Programme to continue their collaboration and to support the development of a new epic narrative through devised performance, drawing on Gilgamesh, Iliad, Kalevala, and Ramayana. Led by Dash Arts and PROJEKT EUROPA, in partnership with APGRD, this phase will involve a Writers’ Room with a number of emergent and seasoned writers, together with academics from Classics, Ancient and Near Eastern Studies, and the University’s Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS). Hosted at St Hilda’s from Monday 15 to Wednesday 17 December, the Writers’ Room will lay the foundation for a full-scale production in 2027. On Wednesday 17 December at 5pm, there will be a public discussion about the project. For further information, email fiona.macintosh@classics.ox.ac.uk"
Since the 1980s, the transnational mobility of university students has expanded dramatically, fueled by the twin engines of neoliberalism and liberal internationalism. From the 1990s onward, China emerged as the dominant source of international students for major Western destinations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Yet, in the current era of geopolitical realignment and intensifying U.S.-China competition, the overseas mobility of Chinese students faces unprecedented disruption. This presentation tackles the critical questions arising from this new reality: How will the UK adapt its international student policies in response? How are Chinese students recalibrating their decisions in light of these shifts? And what new patterns will characterize the flow of Chinese students to the UK? Drawing on a rich dataset of nearly 400 interviews conducted since 2020, this research reveals how geopolitical tensions are reshaping study abroad opportunities and driving strategic destination shifts—including a notable pivot from the United States to the United Kingdom.
Join us for a unique evening at Wolfson College as we delve into the fascinating world of neuroethics. This lecture brings together experts in neuroscience and ethics to explore the ethical implications of advances in brain research. Don't miss this opportunity to expand your understanding of the intersection between the mind and morality. Reserve your spot now! Neuroethics is a dynamic and interdisciplinary field that addresses some of the most profound questions at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, and ethics. It explores two key areas: Firstly, the neuroscience and psychology of morality — What are the neural and psychological mechanisms underlying moral development and decision-making? Secondly, the ethics of neuroscience, mental health, and psychiatry — What are the ethical implications of interventions like neuromodulation and mental health treatments? Talk abstract: Recent advances in neurotechnology and artificial intelligence (AI) have made it increasingly possible to infer mental states, emotions, and even intentions directly from neural activity, a prospect often referred to as “mind reading.” This lecture explores the scientific foundations and ethical frontiers of this emerging field. It will examine what current brain decoding technologies can and cannot reveal about the human mind, and the moral and regulatory boundaries that should govern their use. Special attention will be given to distinguishing the science and pseudoscience of mind reading, and assessing their implications for privacy, autonomy, cognitive liberty, as well as the social consequences of normalizing access to mental information. The talk aims to move beyond dystopian or utopian framings and toward a realistic ethical framework for responsible, human-centred and rights-oriented innovation in neuro-AI.
The SMARTbiomed Statistical Genetics Symposium is designed to bring together researchers from Denmark and Oxford who are working in the field of statistical/quantitative genetics. Focusing on methodological advances, the event will provide an opportunity to share cutting-edge research being developed across the participating universities, while strengthening the network and collaboration among the various SMARTbiomed centres. The symposium is open to all researchers from Oxford and Denmark. We encourage researchers to present their work and take part in this exciting moment of knowledge exchange. The call for abstracts is open for both oral and poster presentations. Please submit abstracts via the registration form by Friday 28th November. https://www.psych.ox.ac.uk/events/smartbiomed-statistical-genetics-symposium
A joint online conference with the Centre for Baptist Studies, Acadia Centre for Baptist and Anabaptist Studies, and Georgetown College. Held on two consecutive Fridays, 9th and 16th January 2026, between 2 and 4pm UTC (9-11am EST, 10am-noon AST) 9th January – Slow Wisdom in the Local Church 16th January – Slow Wisdom in the Wider Church Register for free via TicketSource
The aim of the event is to explore with the speakers/audience what research organisations are doing to create infrastructures and incentives for environmentally sustainable research (in dry labs), what opportunities and challenges they face, how funders are influencing this and what tools and approaches are out there (opportunities and challenges) and how these efforts and requirements are understood and experienced by researchers. This will ensure that our research community is both aware of the wider context from the institutional perspective, and also that it has a voice in leadership team decisions on environmentally sustainable research. Confirmed panel members include Joseph Arroway-Myatt, Sustainable Laboratories Co-ordinator at Oxford, Martin Farley, Associate Director of Sustainability at UKRI, Federica Lucivero, Associate Professor in the Ethics of Technology at Oxford and a member (tbc) of the BDI/NDPH leadership team.
Dr James Gilchrist University of Oxford https://www.ovg.ox.ac.uk/team/james-gilchrist
This seminar will discus recent research from our group exploring spatial navigation in cities and in the pacific ocean. Discoveries from project Sea Hero Quest will be presented where we tested over 4 million participants on their navigation ability in an virtual navigation task in a mobile app. Insights from route planning in London taxi drivers and navigation test with over 100 people in a crowded fabricated 1:1 art gallery space will be discussed. Finally the preliminary insights from the Voyage to Aur project will be presented where we sailed over 3 days in pacific ocean collecting continuous spatial estimates from indigenous sailors from the Marshall Islands aboard the yacht Stravaig.
The U.S. health care system in a period of turmoil and innovation due to system inflation, political and social change, workforce disruptions, and the ascendance of technology driven patient care. This update will cover the main changes occurring now in the U.S. health care system, analyzing these changes in the context of larger trends that may remain present for some time into the future.
Derek Presentation
Do you want to make sure that your work complies with the open access policy for REF 2029? In this focused online briefing, we will: step you through the changes and new requirements; provide links to further REF information and guidance; let you know where to find help at Oxford; and answer as many questions as we can. Intended audience: Researcher and research student; Staff
As a college freshman, Shabana Basij-Rasikh co-founded SOLA, which would become the only boarding school for girls in Afghanistan. In 2021, days after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, she led the dramatic evacuation of the school from Afghanistan to Rwanda, where it operates as the only boarding school for Afghan girls in the world, a place of hope and promise. Shabana describes this haven where Afghan girls will always be free to learn.
COURSE DETAILS The course will include: Critique of readability in relevant papers. Use of tenses in academic papers. Writing with impact. Concise writing. Grammar and proof reading. Scientific table and chart technique. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of the session participants will be able to: Develop understanding of the characteristics of scientific writing; write in simple, clear and concise scientific English. Develop knowledge of how to write grammatically correct English. Improve proof reading skills; organise the sections of a scientific paper effectively. Develop a scientific argument with appropriate language that conveys the message effectively. Make effective use of charts and tables.
COURSE DETAILS The session will cover preparing for interviews, creating a question line, finding your authentic voice and active listening. Participants will be paired up and asked to conduct short interviews with a fellow participant which will be recorded over Zoom. As a group we'll listen back to them and workshop the interviews for constructive feedback. This course is aimed at anyone looking at working on interviewing skills as a presenter but is also useful to those asked to be a guest on a podcast. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will have: Increased your awareness of strategies for effectively planning an interview. Explored principles of good practice for interview hosts. Explored the components of a good interview question.
Part of the Dementia Research Oxford seminar series Our vision is to transform research and healthcare in dementia. Dementia Research Oxford, led by Professors Masud Husain and Cornelia van Duijn, brings together researchers and clinicians across the University, our hospitals, patients, and industry partners to translate our growing insights in the basic molecular origin disease into effective treatment and prevention. We aim to take science further from drug target to treatment, from molecular pathology to early diagnosis and prognosis and from early intervention to prevention.
Modern research, even that not involving humans or animals directly, can potentially be used in a wide variety of both positive and negative ways. It is the researcher’s responsibility to think about, and plan for the potential impact of their work, and how their work can be carried out in an appropriately ethical and responsible manner. In this course we will discuss a variety of case studies to understand responsible research and innovation principles and practice, and plan our research according to ethical and professional standards, avoiding and mitigating the risks of negative impacts.
Summary This lecture will describe the origin of the production of recombinant bioconjugate vaccines and recent developments in the technology (for recent review see https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40733680/) I will describe the development of bioconjugation for the low-cost production of glycoconjugate vaccines in three areas; (i) against pathogens where no current vaccine exists (eg Group A Streptococcus), (ii) improving existing glycoconjugate vaccines (eg pneumococcal vaccine), and (iii) affordable glycoconjugate vaccines for the veterinary market (eg poultry). I will speculate on the production of low-cost bioconjugate vaccines in Low- and Middle-income countries including Campylobacter, S. pneumoniae and Group A Streptococcus Bio Brendan Wren moved to the LSHTM from St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London in 1999. He is currently Co-Director of the LSHTM Vaccine Centre and Co-Director of GlycoCell, a consortium for the efficient expression of glycan products in bacterial cells for improved vaccines. He has authored over 450 scientific peer-reviewed publications. Current research focuses on glycosylation in bacterial pathogens and developing a “glycotoolbox” for glycoengineering. The major application of this technology is the construction and production of affordable recombinant glycoconjugate vaccines.
COURSE DETAILS You will learn how to read a group, deal with difficult situations, use humour, match your presentation to the audience, and make an impact. You will learn how to get your message across so it is remembered. You will learn about timing and when you should deliver key messages. You will develop your self-awareness and understand its role in presenting. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will understand more about: How to structure your presentation for impact. How your psychological state affects your presentation skills and how you can manage it. How to read a group and how to deal with difficult situations. How to deliver your presentation with more confidence.
In an era characterized by complex mobility patterns, health crises, shifting geopolitical landscapes and personal and family’s views toward international education, it is imperative to recognize the concurrent (im)mobility challenges at a global scale. Despite a growing body of literature on international students, little attention has been given to prospective international students who defer their overseas education and remain in their home countries for various reasons. This cohort—having initiated pre-departure educational mobility but not commenced their studies—has been largely overlooked in international education research. This study addresses this critical gap by examining the “in-between” state of prospective Chinese international students, who exist in a liminal space between domestic and international identities. The study foregrounds the centrality of Third Space and liminality as analytical lenses to understand how students and their families negotiate uncertainty, construct hybrid identities, and reimagine educational pathways within fractured global contexts. The ‘in-betweenness’ in the study expands mobility frameworks to encompass temporal discontinuities, fragmentations, and non-linear trajectories of educational mobility that stir up challenges in this cohort’s wellbeing and family and social relationships. By advocating for the ongoing, processual nature of international education experiences, we call for universities and policymakers in both home and host countries to develop supportive infrastructures for these ‘in-betweeners’, ensuring they are not marginalized within international education systems.
Digital platforms now shape everything from childhood social interaction to democracy – with fears growing that not enough is being done to protect vulnerable users from harmful online content. The UK government’s Online Safety Act promises to tackle illegal and harmful content, including child sexual exploitation and abuse, terrorism, and suicide and self harm. But critics warn of sweeping state powers, vague definitions and unintended consequences for privacy, free speech and innovation – especially as AI supercharges both risks and regulation. Dame Melanie Dawes is the Chief Executive of the media regulator Ofcom, and will explore the growing role of the public sector in keeping users safe online, the legal and ethical challenges this presents, and what’s at stake as we redraw the boundaries of digital freedom.
The 3 Minute Thesis competition challenges doctoral candidates to present a compelling spoken presentation on their research topic and its significance in just three minutes to a non-specialist audience. This course helps you prepare for the competition and ensure that you have the best chance possible to represent Oxford nationally.
COURSE DETAILS The session will introduce approaches to podcasting, present inspiration from a range of different podcast styles, and take you step-by-step through the basic technical skills of recording, editing and publishing audio files. You’ll have the chance to develop an idea and have a go recording it with support and feedback during the day. LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon completion of this course students will have an: Understanding of what podcasting is and its benefits in relation to communicating science to wider society. Ability to identify, develop and create narratives for the purposes of podcasting. Understanding of the skills required to record and edit audio, including making use of music and sound effects. Increased awareness of platforms for publishing podcast material.
COURSE DETAILS From time to time we all face difficult situations, or behaviour in others that we find difficult. This session will cover the factors that underlie these situations, and provide a set of skills for managing the difficult conversation that needs to be had. The most important part of the session will be an opportunity to practice the skills in a safe space. As this is so important, it is crucial that you come ready to take part. We will provide some example situations you can use for practice, or if you are comfortable doing so you may practice on one of your own situations. However if you choose to do this please make sure the situation you bring does not have significant emotional investment for you, or is not currently live or unresolved.
Professor Prasanna Sooriakumaran will discuss 'The PRESIDENT trial- an HTA-funded multi-centre UK full randomised controlled trial of surgery plus current best care versus current best care alone in men diagnosed with low volume metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer using novel molecular imaging with PSMA PET/CT.' Prasanna Sooriakumaran, known as PS, is a Consultant Urologist at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust where he performs the unit's largest volume of complex and salvage robotic prostatectomy surgery. He holds visiting professorships in urology at Oxford and the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences and is also the Clinical Lead for Robotic Soft-Tissue Surgery at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). He has been interested in the topic of surgery for metastatic prostate cancer for over a decade and has conducted many observational studies as well as the world’s first feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT) in the field. He has recently been funded by the HTA as the Chief Investigator on a multi-centre full UK-wide RCT of surgery in metastatic prostate cancer. The Chief Medical Officer has confirmed that attendance at the Surgical Grand Rounds can count toward internal CPD, with 1 point awarded per hour. Please note that in-person attendance is required, and you will need to sign the attendance register. All members of the University and NHS clinical staff are welcome. Please email Tarryn Ching if you would like to attend online.
This talk delves into the time Michela Wrong spent with le Carré in the lakeside town of Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, which served as a lesson in the art of observation – at which David excelled – while also showing a young writer the difference between the fiction and the non-fiction writing approach. But the book which resulted - The Mission Song - betrayed a certain unease on the writer’s part when it came to matters African, Wrong argues, an unease that characterises all his African novels. Michela Wrong is a former correspondent for Reuters, the BBC and The Financial Times. Of British and Italian heritage, she has written five books on Africa, including a novel. She lives in north London.
A LEGO-based game where each player is given a series of tasks related to the patient’s journey through the hospital – from admittance to diagnosis and treatment through to discharge. Through several rounds of the game, using reflection and facilitated improvement processes, the players are given a unique insight into interdisciplinary team-work and optimization of patient flow using game-based learning.
Professor Kate Baker University of Cambridge https://www.infectiousdisease.cam.ac.uk/staff/kate-baker
Bacterial genomes vary in sequence due to mutations but also vary in their gene content and order due to horizontal gene transfer. Whether the variation in gene content and order, known as the accessory genome, is typically neutral, nearly neutral or adaptive is still the subject of debate – different theoretical arguments support all three scenarios. The availability of large sample collections across many thousands of bacterial species offers the opportunity to bring data to bear on this question. I will first present methods being developed in my group to make it possible to analyse collections of millions of genomes. Using these approaches, I will then show how a mechanistic model of gene gain and loss can be fitted to different pathogen species to determine whether their accessory genome shows signals of adaptation. Finally, I will show how transformer-based AI architectures can learn gene content and ordering across even more species, giving another way to look at this problem.
In this session we will cover how to locate and interpret journal level metrics such as the Journal Impact Factor (JIF). We will examine the tools you can use to locate journal level metrics, such as Journal Citation Reports and Scopus Sources. We will also consider the uses, limitations and pitfalls inherent in these metrics and how they can be used responsibly. By the end of the session, you will be familiar with: the major journal metrics and how these are calculated; accessing journal citation data using Journal Citation Reports and Scopus Sources; using JIF, CiteScore and SJR journal metrics to rank journals; and the limitations of different metrics, including how journal metrics may be skewed or distorted. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student
COURSE DETAILS The key factors in developing successful proposals will be identified as will the requirements of specific research councils. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will understand more about: The significance of winning research grants for your academic career The technical aspects of how to submit a research funding application. The key issues when writing a research proposal, and the pitfalls to avoid. What to look for when reviewing a research proposal.
This ½ day course is run by Professor Helen Higham (Director of OxSTaR & a Consultant Anaesthetist at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford) and is suitable for clinical and non-clinical staff and aims to provide an introduction to the fundamentals of human factors in healthcare. The course introduces participants to basic human factors frameworks, including the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS), and focuses on practical applications in the workplace to improve understanding of systems in healthcare. This course will align with the new National Patient Safety Syllabus Learning Objectives Improve understanding of human factors principles Introduce and explore a human factors framework (SEIPS) Provide opportunities to practise applying SEIPS to real world examples Course content Definition and background of human factors Human factors applied to healthcare Importance of work place culture (including Just Culture tool) Explanation of SEIPS framework Exercises using SEIPS Plenty of opportunity for discussion and questions
Dr Bridget Penman University of Oxford https://www.biology.ox.ac.uk/people/bridget-penman
This paper quantifies the effect of water pollution due to oil spillage on local economic development outcomes in Nigeria. We assemble a geo-referenced panel of more than 13,000 oil spills occurrences recorded in the country between 2006 and 2019, and develop a hydrological model that traces contaminant transport over water networks, allowing spill exposure to extend beyond the point of discharge. We use arguably as good as random exposure within close range of spill sites to distinguish between directly treated locations, upstream locations, and downstream locations along watersheds and exploit this setup in a staggered difference-in-differences framework to estimate impacts on local socio-economic outcomes, including a novel proxy for extreme poverty obtained by combining high-resolution residential buildings data and nighttime lights. Relative to comparable cells, spill-exposed cells exhibit marked declines in nighttime lights, remotely-sensed extreme poverty, and the number of residents without electricity. Candidate mechanisms include environmental degradation, with annual declines in forest cover and vegetation health, and increased out-migration from affected locations. Dynamic event-study estimates show that these effects intensify from four to twelve years post-spill. We relate our remotely-sensed proxies to high-resolution survey data in order to estimate money-metric magnitudes of economic damages. Finally, we investigate the relationship between global oil price shocks and oil spillage intensity, in order to trace the complete causal chain from global commodity markets to local development outcomes.
Goal-directed movements rely on both egocentric (target relative to the observer) and allocentric (target relative to landmarks) spatial representations. So far, it is widely unknown which factors determine the use of allocentric information when we localize objects in space. To probe allocentric coding, we established an object shift paradigm and asked participants to encode the location of multiple objects presented in naturalistic 2D scenes or 3D virtual environments. After a brief delay, a test scene reappeared with one of the objects missing (= target) and the other objects (= landmarks) systematically shifted in one direction. After the test scene vanished, participants had to indicate the remembered location of the target. By quantifying the positional error of the target relative to the physical shift of the landmarks we determined the contribution of allocentric target representations. In my talk, I will present a series of behavioral experiments in which we identified key factors influencing the use of allocentric spatial coding, such as spatial proximity, task relevance, scene coherence, and scene semantics. Overall, our results show that low-level as well as high-level factors influence how humans represent objects in naturalistic environments.
In this session we will examine article level metrics. We will discuss how citation counting can help identify influential papers in particular fields and how altmetrics provide a different perspective on research output. Using tools such as Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scopus you will learn how to locate different article metrics. The session will also allow you to appreciate the limitations of different metrics and the importance of their cautious interpretation. By the end of the session, you will be familiar with: using Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar to track and count citations to papers and individual researchers; measuring impact using altmetrics; understanding how to contextualise metrics against other, similar papers in a field; and the limitations of different metrics. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student
Create content for your teaching or research with greater confidence by attending our session on Creative Commons (CC) licences. Learn how they work, how they interact with copyright and how to use them to best effect. The session will make special reference to images but is applicable to all media, including written works. The workshop is classroom-based. In this playful, interactive face-to-face session we will cover: what Creative Commons Licences are; where to find Creative Commons material; how to apply Creative Commons to your own work; and how to reuse Creative Commons materials. We’ll finish the session with a Creative Commons card game. Intended audience: Researcher and research student; Staff
COURSE DETAILS This session looks at the way in which we can have useful conversations in career development reviews. It examines the blockages to such conversations and how we can overcome them using active listening and coaching techniques. There will be an opportunity to discuss the policy and process surrounding CDRS. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will have an understanding of: The Career context and support for CDRs. How coaching and active listening can enable positive CDR conversations. An opportunity to practice relevant skills.
COURSE DETAILS Join us for an insightful session that aims to equip researchers with the tools needed to engage confidently and effectively with the public on controversial and sensitive topics. In this interactive online session, Science Communicator Hana Ayoob will take us through the importance of engaging with these topics, aiming to equip researchers with the skills and knowledge to engage confidently in an empathetic and effective way. This session is relevant to scientists across the sciences, and will explore topics ranging from the use of animals in research, to nuclear power, and topics arising from your research area. Upon completion of the course, participants will be well-prepared to engage with sensitivity and confidence on controversial topics, contributing to a more inclusive and informed public discourse within their respective fields. LEARNING OUTCOMES Attending this session will give you the opportunity to: Recognise why certain research topics are sensitive or controversial for diverse audience groups. Develop skills to communicate controversial topics empathetically and respectfully. Acquire knowledge and techniques for engaging the public on sensitive subjects. Understand and apply ethical considerations when addressing controversial issues with the public. Build confidence in communicating complex ideas related to sensitive topics. Explore specific controversial themes relevant to your research areas for practical application
Camille Serchuk (Southern Connecticut State University) is in conversation with Elizabeth Baigent (School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford).
A principal seeks to contract with an agent but must do so through an informed delegate. Although the principal cannot directly mediate the interaction, she can constrain the menus of contracts the delegate may offer. We show that the principal can implement any outcome that is implementable through a direct mechanism satisfying dominant strategy incentive compatibility and ex-post participation for the agent. We apply this result to several settings. First, we show that a government that delegates procurement to a budget-indulgent agency should delegate an interval of screening contracts. Second, we show that a seller can delegate sales to an intermediary without revenue loss, provided she can commit to a return policy. Third, in contrast to centralized mechanism design, we demonstrate that no partnership can be efficiently dissolved in the absence of a mediator. Finally, we discuss when delegated contracting obstructs efficiency, and when choosing the right delegate may help restore it.
Identification in Structural Vector Autoregressions (SVARs) often relies on external proxy variables that are assumed to be valid instruments—highly correlated with a single structural shock and uncorrelated with all others. In practice, however, researchers often face a ``proxy zoo'' of imperfect candidates, where these exclusion restrictions are unlikely to hold. This paper develops a novel framework for set identification in SVARs that relaxes the need for valid instruments. We introduce a generalized ranking assumption, requiring only that a proxy is more strongly correlated with the target shock than with any other. This much weaker condition allows us to work with contaminated proxies that would be invalid under a standard instrumental variable approach. We combine this with traditional sign restrictions to construct sharp identified sets for monetary policy impulse responses. We characterize the geometric structure of the feasible set of structural parameters, which is formed by the intersections of spherical caps determined by the proxy information. Our method provides a robust tool for researchers to compute valid bounds on dynamic causal effects when only imperfect proxies are available.
Why should clinicians care about economic value? How does the economics of the health system affect day-to-day working practices and experiences? How can clinicians influence resourcing decisions that improve value? During the seminar, Jacque will explore the economic paradigm of the NHS, and how economics can help grow value through cycles of improvement. The workshop is organised in two parts: Part A: The economics of the system Who pays for what and how does the money flow? What are the opportunities for increasing value as we move forward? Part B: Using the economic lens to drive value over time How can clinicians use economic principles to influence investment and resource allocation.
While existing literature often connects the persistent gender gap in South Asian student migration to parents’ patriarchal biases and fears about female safety overseas, we argue that parents’ views in the South Asian diaspora are far more nuanced. Drawing on a survey of 110 South Asian parents in the UAE and 32 in-depth interviews, we found no statistically significant difference in the proportion of daughters versus sons sent overseas to Western universities. This decision was largely motivated by parents’ beliefs in gender egalitarianism. However, our research also revealed that parents’ gendered safety concerns continued to play a role in a series of “sub-migration decisions” where parents steered their daughters’ country, university, and accommodation choices even as they supported their international migration overall. These risk mitigation strategies were a byproduct of parents’ view of the UAE as exceptionally safe, while almost all other countries, but especially the United States and India, were seen as more dangerous in geographically specific ways. Simultaneously, parents rationalized their daughters’ international studies using a narrative previously reserved for male migrants—that independent migration helps these young women learn to live with risk and develop independence. In other words, gender continues to shape the international student migration process even amongst South Asian families holding egalitarian gender views, but in more nuanced ways than previously acknowledged.
In this session we will examine metrics for individual researchers. Using tools such as Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scopus you will learn about the researcher h-index and its limitations. You will be introduced to additional metrics tools such as author beamplots which help to contextualise a researcher’s output over time. By the end of the session, you will be familiar with: accessing citation data for specific researchers on Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar; understanding how the h-index is calculated and its inherent limitations; creating an ORCID number to help track all your own research outputs; and the importance of research outputs beyond journal and conference papers when assessing a researcher’s impact. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student
COURSE DETAILS The ability to influence others is a significant skill in any walk of life. This workshop will explore the impact of our communication preferences on others when seeking to influence. By also understanding the thinking process that underlies people’s decision making, we can use learnable skills to help people say ‘yes’ to us. The aim is always to influence others to the right decision, not just the decision we may want. LEARNING OUTCOMES After attending this workshop you will: Understand the impact of your own communication preferences when seeking to influence. Review how people think things through when making decisions and develop skills to positively impact the thinking process. Plan for the right outcomes and work out a healthy motive for the influence conversation. Help people say ‘yes’ to you. Understand the role of emotions when seeking to influence. Spot and adapt to the communication style of others to better land your message. Develop assertive communication skills. Plan for, and practice, an influence conversation.
COURSE DETAILS This short practical session will help you understand more about the career context for research staff at Oxford and beyond. It will enable you to identify the skills and abilities that you need to develop and give you guidance on how to enhance them so you are prepared for a useful conversation in your next CDR. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will have: An understanding of the career challenges and opportunities facing research staff at Oxford. An understanding of the skills you need to acquire. Started to apply a process of developing these skills.
COURSE DETAILS During the course you will have the opportunity to manage a project. You will be able to apply the techniques you learn to a project that you bring along. Topics covered: project initiation, managing stakeholders and risk, time estimation, planning. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will understand more about: The importance of planning. The tools to make project management succeed. How to estimate the time a project will take realistically. The skills you need to be a good project manager.
Join writer Adam Sisman in conversation with Bodley’s Librarian, Richard Ovenden, as they explore the secrets of John le Carré’s archive. As le Carré’s biographer, Sisman spent four years researching the author, navigating his unsorted archive and engaging in revealing discussions, often surprising Le Carré with his discoveries. The archive spans le Carré’s childhood, National Service, Oxford years—where he spied for MI5—and his early intelligence and writing careers. It also includes drafts of his novels, showcasing his meticulous writing process. Richard Ovenden, who worked with the author and his family over the bequest, discusses its significance and its journey to the Bodleian. Richard Ovenden OBE, Hon FBA is the 25th Bodley's Librarian and the Helen Hamlyn Director of the University Libraries, and Head of Gardens, Libraries and Museums at the University of Oxford. He is also the author of Burning the Books: A History of Knowledge Under Attack. Adam Sisman FRSL is a writer specialising in biography, who has written the lives of AJP Taylor, Hugh Trevor-Roper, Asa Briggs and John le Carré. His second book, Boswell’s Presumptuous Task, won a National Books Critics Circle award. In 2019 he published The Professor and the Parson: A Story of Desire, Deceit and Defrocking. He is an Honorary Professor at the University of St Andrews.
Professor Guy Thwaites University of Oxford https://www.ndm.ox.ac.uk/team/guy-thwaites
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is responsible for assessing most medicines launched in England, diagnostics, devices and digital products and creating clinical guidelines that identify the most clinically and cost-effective care. We’ll discuss how NICE assesses clinically and cost-effective care, including an interactive session where we work through different scenarios, such as a very expensive medicine for a few people and a very cheap medicine for many people. Finally, we’ll end with what kinds of innovations NICE are seeing now and anticipate in the near future, what they may mean for the health and care service, the practice of medicine and NICE assessment.
Narrative CVs are being adopted by many funders, nationally and internationally, to give researchers the opportunity to showcase a wider range of skills and experience than is possible in a traditional academic CV; an example is the UKRI Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI). Writing a narrative CV requires a different way of thinking about and describing your skills, experience and contributions to research and innovation compared to a traditional CV. Writing your first narrative CV will take some time and effort; you might not be sure about what activities to include, and how to describe their quality, relevance, and your involvement in them. This presentation will try to demystify and simplify narrative CVs by providing advice, prompts and suggestions for how to write one. Speakers Mary Muers Research Culture Facilitator, MSD Kanza Basit Senior Research Facilitator, SSD Gavin Bird Head of Research Facilitation and Support, SOGE, SSD Susan Black, Careers Adviser, Oxford Careers Service Everyone welcome, please register to receive the TEAMS link for this event If you are a student or researcher with a CareerConnect account, please register "here":https://oxford.targetconnect.net/leap/event.html?id=22970&service=Careers%20Service All other staff register "here":https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=G96VzPWXk0-0uv5ouFLPke7xLB0LNIFKuA055EWF9ZtUOUhSTjVFMExHUzlVSkU1WFZER1JKTU9VTy4u, the joining link will be in the registration confirmation email
Beyond the dramatic and consequential attacks by the Trump administration, American higher education is under pressure to demonstrate its effectiveness in enhancing student success and employability. There has been criticism that students don’t learn enough, are disengaged, and are not getting value for money. This presentation presents the results of a recent study The Multi-Engagement Model: Understanding Diverse Pathways to Student Success at Research Universities that provides a unique data driven and holistic perspective on understanding the undergraduate experience at large U.S. public research-intensive universities. Leveraging 11 years of survey and institutional data collected by the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Consortium, our research shows the significance and interconnectedness of various college experiences — academic engagement in and outside of classroom settings, research activities, extracurricular, civic, and career development — and that this results in distinct and diverse pathways to success. This research contradicts the narrative of students being academically adrift popular in the media, and offers a path for institutions to better understand the experience of students from diverse backgrounds, and to better articulate to stakeholders the robust nature of their educational enterprises. This study also found that student engagement across the areas we measured declined during the pandemic and had yet to fully recover in 2023. My co-authors and I also found inequities in experiences and opportunities for students from lower-income families and underrepresented groups.
You’re invited to explore the History of Science Museum after dark through guided creative writing. Everyone’s welcome, from history, science, or writing buffs to complete newbies in any or all of those. In this workshop you will: - Discover the astrolabes up close with a museum curator - Take part in a writing workshop with a published poet and experienced teacher to create something that delights you - Collaborate in a friendly supportive atmosphere to create a poem about the museum’s astrolabes – no experience necessary All in the magical space of the museum’s vaulted Basement Gallery and sweeping Upper Gallery, after dark.
COURSE DETAILS Topics will include presenting your CV, how to approach employers, writing covering letters and interview skills. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will understand: How to improve your CV. How to approach employers. How to write a covering letter. How to plan for an interview. How to interview well.
COURSE DETAILS The supervisory relationship is key to the success of your DPhil and we know that positive and effective relationships contribute to the timely completion of the doctorate. As with many things, the more you put into the relationship with your supervisor, the more you will benefit from it. There is much you can do to be proactive and play and active role in the relationship. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of the session participants will be able to: Find information about University, divisional and departmental regulations and the supervisory relationship. Be aware of the student's areas of responsibility in the relationship. Take appropriate responsibility within the relationship. Develop a range of skills and strategies to manage relationships effectively. Find and make appropriate use of additional sources of help and support.
This session will help you to understand what IP is, who "owns" it, and the things to think about when you think you have created IP. Whether you're an undergraduate, masters or DPhil student, or Staff at the University of Oxford, it is important to understand your rights and responsibilities when it comes to intellectual property (IP). This session will help you to understand what IP actually is, who "owns" it, and the things to think about when you think you have created IP. Case studies will also be presented to help explain the University's policy. Come prepared to ask any IP related questions in the second half of the session, where our expert presenters will give you the official University answers to any of your queries. In collaboration with Research Services, Oxford University Innovation, and The Careers Service. The talk will be from 12:30-1:30pm. If you have specific questions, the presenters will be available to answer questions until 2pm. Note: The sign up is through Inkpath, you will need to create an Inkpath account to sign up if you’ve not already got one.
The 3 Minute Thesis competition challenges doctoral candidates to present a compelling spoken presentation on their research topic and its significance in just three minutes to a non-specialist audience. This course helps you prepare for the competition and ensure that you have the best chance possible to represent Oxford nationally.
For our first AI workshop we will be joined by Dr Lei Clifton (Programme Director of the MSc in Applied Digital Health, Primary Care Department), Dr Joshua Fieggen, DPhil candidate, CHI Lab, Department of Engineering Science and Greg Simond, DPhil student, NDPH. Title: ML Workshop: Combining Machine Learning (ML) with Medical Statistics - A Worked Example When: Thursday 26 February Time: 11:00 – 12:00 Venue: OxPop Seminar room 0 In person only Overview: As larger biomedical datasets emerge, it becomes increasingly challenging to identify potentially relevant features using only conventional approaches. In this workshop we will demonstrate how one can combine machine learning (ML) with classical statistical models for disease predictions, using worked examples on the UK Biobank. Who it’s for: Any researcher curious about combining AI and statistics. No coding required for this session. Depending on the demand, we can deliver a hands-on coding session in the future, showing how we have implemented this approach in our published papers. Bios: Lei Clifton: Programme Director of the MSc in Applied Digital Health, Primary Care Department. Lei has 20+ years of experience at the intersection of medical statistics and AI. As Programme Director of the MSc in Applied Digital Health, she specialises in foundation models and large language models for healthcare, bringing expertise from engineering, machine learning, and medical statistics. Joshua Fieggen: DPhil candidate, Computational Health Informatics (CHI) Lab. Josh is a medical doctor, and DPhil candidate from the CHI Lab in the Engineering Department. He has an MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics and his DPhil has focused on applications of ML and generative deep learning to the plasma proteomics data in UK Biobank. Gregory Simond: MD-DPhil candidate in Cancer Science, conducting his doctoral research in the UK Biobank group at the Big Data Institute. His research focuses on developing multi-modal machine learning approaches to improve early cancer detection and risk prediction in the general population. Registration- https://forms.office.com/e/ddQhg7pG2N?origin=lprLink
In this paper we study a class of weighted estimands, which we define as parameters that can be expressed as weighted averages of the underlying heterogeneous treatment effects. The popular ordinary least squares (OLS), two-stage least squares (2SLS), and two-way fixed effects (TWFE) estimands are all special cases within our framework. Our focus is on answering two questions concerning weighted estimands. First, under what conditions can they be interpreted as the average treatment effect for some (possibly latent) subpopulation? Second, when these conditions are satisfied, what is the upper bound on the size of that subpopulation, either in absolute terms or relative to a target population of interest? We argue that this upper bound provides a valuable diagnostic for empirical research. When a given weighted estimand corresponds to the average treatment effect for a small subset of the population of interest, we say its internal validity is low. Our paper develops practical tools to quantify the internal validity of weighted estimands.
Professor Brian Angus University of Oxford https://www.ndm.ox.ac.uk/team/brian-angus
The Autism Long-term Outcomes Study (ALTOS) examined adolescents and young adults who were diagnosed with autism early in development according to gold standard expert clinical evaluation, who currently have no symptoms. In prior work, we described the unique brain networks that were involved in language processing in such a population, in comparison with individuals with a current autism diagnosis and those without a history of autism. This talk will describe results of our current behavioral and fMRI studies of language outcomes and their association with other cognitive and communication abilities as well as mental health and quality of life.
COURSE DETAILS The course will include: Critique of readability in relevant papers. Use of tenses in academic papers. Writing with impact. Concise writing. Grammar and proof reading. Scientific table and chart technique. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of the session participants will be able to: Develop understanding of the characteristics of scientific writing; write in simple, clear and concise scientific English. Develop knowledge of how to write grammatically correct English. Improve proof reading skills; organise the sections of a scientific paper effectively. Develop a scientific argument with appropriate language that conveys the message effectively. Make effective use of charts and tables.
This paper investigates whether severe economic hardship undermines preferences for honesty. We use controlled, incentivized measures of cheating for private benefit in a large, diverse sample of 5,676 Kenyans, exploiting three complementary sources of variation: experimentally manipulated monetary incentives, randomized increase in salience of own financial situation, and the Covid‑19 income shock, exploiting randomized survey timing as a natural experiment with respondents surveyed before and during the crisis. We find that severe economic hardship—marked by a 40% drop in monthly earnings— leads to a sharp increase in the prevalence of cheating, from 43% to 72%. Cheating behaviour is highly responsive to financial incentives and increases gradually with prolonged hardship. The effects are largest among the most economically impacted and are amplified when salience of own financial situation is experimentally increased. Predictable seasonal income fluctuations, in contrast, do not affect honesty. The results demonstrate that while most individuals exhibit a strong preference against cheating under normal conditions, severe economic hardship substantially erodes honesty.
Engagement describes the ways in which we can share our research and its value by interacting with wider public audiences, generating mutual benefit. In this introductory session tailored to those new to engagement, we look at what public engagement is and some of the reasons why you might want to do it. We’ll highlight the multitude of different approaches you can take, and provide tips on getting started and where to get support.
Title to be announced. The Chief Medical Officer has confirmed that attendance at the Surgical Grand Rounds can count toward internal CPD, with 1 point awarded per hour. Please note that in-person attendance is required, and you will need to sign the attendance register. Chair: To be announced All members of the University and NHS clinical staff are welcome. Please email Tarryn Ching if you would like to attend online.
Disputes between colleagues can have a significant impact on performance and wellbeing as well as affecting patient experience and safety. This course is designed to help healthcare professionals understand how and why conflicts arise within and between teams, as well as what they can do to try and resolve issues. This course aims to help participants: understand the causes and impact of colleague-to-colleague conflict in a healthcare context appreciate different types of conflict personalities identify how conflict develops learn de-escalation strategies
The way we work and interact with our peers and wider networks, has a huge influence on research outputs and outcomes. This workshop explores a set of core skills and mindsets to help you thrive in research and positively influence your working environment and teams. You will also be able to share your lived experience with peers and participate in focused discussions. COURSE DETAILS A powerful workshop for senior postdocs, aspiring PIs, new PIs, and research group leaders wanting to increase their impact and agility at a strategic time. Join this highly participative, in-person workshop, facilitated by Natacha Wilson, to explore three core skills and mindsets to thrive in research and positively influence your ecosystem: Developing and nurturing effective interdisciplinary and multi-sectorial collaborations for impact. Embracing openness and visibility in research across specific stakeholder groups to increase reach (including open science practices). Boosting creativity and innovation in your research project and team to overcome challenges. LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of the workshop you will be able to: Prioritise areas supporting your own personal development. Identify relevant frameworks and guidelines. Share your experience with peers and reflect on best practice.
LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will understand more about: What experience and characteristics you need to have to gain a fellowship. The application process. How to work with University’s systems and procedures to optimise your application and its chance of success. You will have an opportunity to practice interviewing/being interviewed for fellowship applications.
This popular day seminar provides an ideal opportunity for practitioners to update their current immunisation knowledge and learn the latest news on the topic of vaccination. Our target audience consists of (but is not limited to) practice nurses, health visitors, school nurses, community nurses and general practitioners. Click here to for the full programme: https://www.ovg.ox.ac.uk/events/2026-imms-seminar Programme highlights: • Determinants of future health with Dr James Gilchrist, Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Diseases & Immunology • Communicating the importance of maternal vaccination programmes with Professor Chrissie Jones, Professor of Paediatric Infection and Immunity, University of Southampton • Chickenpox and Shingles vaccination with Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, Immunisation and Vaccine Preventable Diseases, UKHSA • Advantages and disadvantages of higher valent pneumococcal vaccines with Professor Stefan Flasche Einstein-BUA Strategic Professor of Infectious Disease Dynamics and Global Health, CharitéCenter for Global Health, Berlin Click here to register – https://www.oxforduniversitystores.co.uk/product-catalogue/paediatrics/events/ovg-immunisation-seminar-2026-hcps
Designed for research staff who are considering their next career move—whether within Oxford, within academia more broadly, or in other sectors. This interactive workshop supports researchers in navigating their career development with greater confidence and clarity. It offers participants the space to reflect on their ambitions, explore alternative futures, and engage in structured peer discussions to share insights and challenges. Participants will use design-thinking approaches to consider different career scenarios. The session then moves into goal setting and peer advice-sharing, helping researchers to build practical short-term plans and identify supportive resources and networks. Participants are introduced to key tools and services available through Oxford to support their development as they prepare for their next step, whatever that may be. By the end of this session, participants will be able to: * Articulate multiple possible career directions, including both preferred and alternative pathways. * Identify actionable short-term goals that support career progress. * Reflect on and assess their professional development to date, including skills, motivations, and values. Everyone welcome, please register to receive the TEAMS link for this event If you are a student or researcher with a CareerConnect account, please register "here":https://oxford.targetconnect.net/leap/event.html?id=23006&service=Careers%20Service All other staff register "here":https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=G96VzPWXk0-0uv5ouFLPke7xLB0LNIFKuA055EWF9ZtUNFk4NDEwVkVLWklPNDc5WjZKWFU2VEMwWC4u, the joining link will be in the registration confirmation email
This paper presents a novel application of graph neural networks for modeling and estimating network heterogeneity. Network heterogeneity is a concept characterizing the dependence of an individual’s outcome or decision on their diverse local network scenarios. Graph neural networks are powerful tools for studying this dependence. We delineate the convergence rate of the graph neural networks estimator, as well as its applicability in semiparametric causal inference with heterogeneous treatment effects. The finite-sample performance of our estimator is evaluated through Monte Carlo simulations. In an empirical setting related to microfinance program participation, we apply the new estimator to examine the average treatment effects and outcomes of counterfactual policies, and to propose a Pareto frontier of strategies for selecting the initial recipients of program information in social networks.
COURSE DETAILS By participating in exercises and discussions the attendees will learn how to review manuscripts quickly and effectively. Learning Outcomes By the end of this session participants will have: Developed an understanding of how the peer review system works. Developed an understanding of reveiwers' responsibilities. Awareness of what editors expect in a review; critically evaluate a manuscript. Developed an understanding of what to include in written comments to editors and authors. Developed practical methods for reviewing a manuscript quickly and effectively.
COURSE DETAILS Issues covered will include work-life balance, planning, prioritising, the need to differentiate between importance and urgency, and using a range of strategies and time-saving ideas. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will understand more about: A range of time saving techniques. Time wasting activities and learn how to deal with them. The difference between important and urgent. The importance of planning and setting time aside.
An introduction to the what, why and how of public involvement
Discover what elements of storytelling and narrative can be used to enhance a profession in the sciences. Craft compelling and moving stories from your experiences as a scientist using these key story elements: character, conflict, structure, metaphor and description. Apply these storytelling and narrative skills to working in the sciences: communicating research to a range of audiences (including publics, media and funding bodies); enhancing presentation skills; telling scientific stories across a range of media.
This session provides doctoral students in the third year and above with information about the viva, guidance on planning a proactive approach to it, and opportunities to practise. COURSE DETAILS The course will look at the rules and expectations of the viva exam and identify and practise practical ways to prepare. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of the session participants will be able to: Develop their awareness and understanding of the rules and expectations of the viva exam. Use tools and strategies to prepare for the exam. Develop an awareness of the examiner's perspective. Know what to expect of the exam.
John le Carré’s books famously explored the constantly shifting ethical borders “between us and them” in the murky world of espionage. This talk explores how the concept of spying differs in reality between authoritarian regimes—marked by internal security obsessions and paranoia—and democracies, and how it manifests itself in Putin’s Russia today. Andrei Soldatov is a Russian investigative journalist in exile, a visiting fellow at King’s College London and the co-author of Our Dear Friends in Moscow: The Inside Story of a Broken Generation (2025). Irina Borogan is a Russian investigative journalist in exile, a visiting fellow at King’s Centre for the Study of Intelligence, and the co-author of Our Dear Friends in Moscow: The Inside Story of a Broken Generation (2025).
The speaker will argue that as the most diverse employer in the country, the NHS faces the formidable task of not only becoming an inclusive and fair workplace for its employees but also promoting the fair treatment of patients in relation to healthcare access, experiences and outcomes. This workshop will begin by looking at five schisms or tensions being witnessed in relation to EDI, and how that might challenge work as healthcare professionals. It will then utilise the following three-step framework to develop a sense of self-awareness and presence that can promote cultures that build greater inclusion: Looking inward: Self-reflection Looking outward: Considering others Looking around: Mindful presence
Do you want to make sure that your work complies with the open access policy for REF 2029? In this focused online briefing, we will: step you through the changes and new requirements; provide links to further REF information and guidance; let you know where to find help at Oxford; and answer as many questions as we can. Intended audience: Researcher & research student; Staff
We are thrilled to invite you to attend the European Phagocyte Workshop taking place on March 23-25, 2026 at Keble College, in the historic and iconic city of Oxford, United Kingdom. This popular workshop series highlights the latest advances in phagocyte biology. We will bring together 250 researchers from across the globe, providing plenty of networking opportunities to encourage new connections and collaborations. Our keynote speakers will be Ana-Maria Lennon-Duménil (Institut Curie) and Steffen Massberg (Ludwig-Maximilians University) and expert speakers from varied career stages will discuss key topics including Phagocytosis & Efferocytosis; Paediatric Innate Immunity; Phagocyte Mechanosensing; Phagocyte Flavours; Evolution & Development of Phagocytes; Phagocytes in Infection; Phagocyte-stromal interactions in Disease. The programme offers opportunities for junior researchers to deliver oral presentations, flash talks and posters. Registration is now open, please register early to avoid disappointment. Visit the conference website for more details: https://www.phagocytes2026.com/ Key dates Early registration deadline: 1 December 2025 Abstract submission deadline: 9 January 2026 Standard registration deadline: 1 February 2026 Late registration deadline: 1 March 2026 Please direct any questions about the workshop and registration to Charlotte: phagocytes2026@kennedy.ox.ac.uk
Coaching skills can help you build positive and effective working relationships with all those you work with. Coaching is a highly impactful approach to people development and can support individuals to identify goals, gain insights into challenges, consider options and plan actions. They are a valuable asset to leaders and managers and can be useful in a range of workplace conversations, such as feedback, delegation and career development reviews.
COURSE DETAILS The session will cover: What makes a good DPhil Planning to write up your DPhil – structure, content and what makes good writing What the viva will explore What the examiners are asked to consider FAQs and Q&A LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of the session participants will be able to: Engage productively with the final stages of the DPhil. Apply a range of time management techniques. Identify and apply the characteristics of effective writing. Apply effective structure to the thesis. Understand what is required in the viva. Take opportunities to raise and discuss concerns.
From militarised border regimes to racialised technologies of policing, from extractive geopolitics to nationalist media and electoral campaigns, the grammar and practice of fascism is global. This interdisciplinary conference examines how fascism and global Africa are entangled politically, economically, and imaginatively across time and space. By foregrounding geographies of anti-Blackness and imperial capitalism as core dimensions of fascist rule, we set out to look at how racial capitalism, colonial legacies, and authoritarian formations intersect in the making of global fascist orders. The concept of global Africa builds upon contemporary Pan-African thought and practice as generative and contested geographies of thought, solidarity, resistance. We are witnessing a revival of Pan-African solidarities in activist, intellectual, and cultural spaces, including transnational campaigns against state violence, police brutality, constitutional amendments, arbitrary detainment, mobilisations for liberation, and more in Burkina Faso, Sudan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Congo, Senegal, South Africa (and so many more!), signalling renewed possibilities for anti-imperial, anti-fascist, and (potentially) anti-capitalist futures. Across the Americas, from Brazil and Colombia to the United States and the Caribbean, Black and Afro-Indigenous movements continue to confront police killings, environmental dispossession, and authoritarian repression while forging alliances that link struggles on the African continent. We are particularly interested in bringing geographers into conversation with scholars of politics, history, anthropology, and media studies. Geographers, with our attention to spatiality, mobility, territory, and networks, possess a valuable toolkit for examining how fascism travels and operates transnationally—through shared ideas, international activist and organisational networks, capital (including surveillance capital, far-right tech investors and platform owners, and artificial intelligence systems), militarised technology, and the legal, activist, intellectual, and political struggles that resist it.
This interactive workshop will take participants through the full journey of health service improvement, beginning with the importance of defining and understanding the problem before leaping to solutions. Participants will consider how to approach problems thoughtfully, experiment with designing interventions, and reflect on the challenges of making change in complex health systems. Through practical activities and group discussion, the session will encourage participants to think critically about what makes interventions succeed or fail.
Professor Judith Breuer University College London https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/9641
Course description This ½ day course is run by Professor Helen Higham (Director of OxSTaR & a Consultant Anaesthetist at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford) and is suitable for clinical and non-clinical staff and aims to provide an introduction to the fundamentals of human factors in healthcare. The course introduces participants to basic human factors frameworks, including the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS), and focuses on practical applications in the workplace to improve understanding of systems in healthcare. This course will align with the new National Patient Safety Syllabus Learning Objectives Improve understanding of human factors principles Introduce and explore a human factors framework (SEIPS) Provide opportunities to practise applying SEIPS to real world examples Course content Definition and background of human factors Human factors applied to healthcare Importance of work place culture (including Just Culture tool) Explanation of SEIPS framework Exercises using SEIPS Plenty of opportunity for discussion and questions
We examine the rapid growth of Brazil's private online higher education sector and its impact on market structure and college enrolment. Exploiting regional and field-specific variation in online education penetration, we find that online programs increase enrolment for older students but divert younger students from higher-quality in-person programs. Increased competition lowers the prices of in-person programs but leads to a decline in their provision. Using an equilibrium model of college education, we quantify that in the absence of online education, the average student would experience 3.4% higher value added. While young students benefit from fewer online options, older students are disadvantaged. Targeted policies limiting online education to older cohorts have the potential to improve value added across all groups.
Complimentary refreshments from 3:30pm in the Hume-Rothery Meeting Room. Composites with intricate microstructures are ubiquitous in the natural world where they fulfil the specific functional demands imposed by the environment. For instance, nacre presents a fracture toughness 40 times higher than its main constituent, a crystalline form of calcium carbonate. This relative increase in toughness value is obtained as a crack propagating within this natural brick-and-mortar structure must interact with multiple reinforcing mechanisms, leading to a millimetre-sized process zone. The boost in performance obtained has pushed scientists for a few decades to use nacre as a blueprint to increase the toughness of synthetic ceramics and composites. Our ability to reproduce accurately the structure of nacre from the nanometre to the millimetre scale has improved with the introduction of Magnetically-Assisted Slip Casting (M.A.S.C.), a technique that combines an aqueous-based slip casting process with magnetically-directed anisotropic particle assembly. Using this technique, we can now fine-tune the structural properties of nacre-inspired alumina-based composites to reach strengths up to 670 MPa, KIC up to 7 MPa.m1/2 with subsequent stable crack propagation and this even at temperature up to 1200°C. While these materials already present interesting properties for engineering applications, we fail to see the large process zones that are acting in natural nacre. This led us to work on a new composite system, using this time monodisperse silica rods that can self-assemble into bulk colloidal crystals to finally test the effect of order in the microstructure on the toughness. The presence of this regularity in the microstructure proved crucial in enabling a large process zone. We obtained a 40-fold increase in toughness compared with the polymer use as a matrix in a composite made of 80% in volume of ceramic, all of which is processed at room temperature. From these two studies, we can extract the role of the interface and grain morphology in tough bioinspired composites and what will be the next steps for these materials. Brief biography Florian Bouville is a senior lecturer in the Centre for Advanced Structural Ceramics in the Department of Materials of the Imperial College London. His group is researching both colloidal processing and fracture mechanics, to design more robust and durable materials based on their microstructure and not composition, with applications ranging from high temperature structural components for aerospace to energy storage devices. These studies are supported by various funding sources, including an ERC Starting Grant and the European Space Agency. He obtained his Master's degree in Material Sciences at the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (INSA de Lyon, France) in 2010. He then moved to the South of France for his PhD between three partners: the company Saint-Gobain, the Laboratory of Synthesis and Functionalization of Ceramics and the MATEIS laboratory (INSA de Lyon). From 2014 to 2018, he was a postdoctoral researcher and then scientist in the Complex Materials group at the Department of Materials at the ETH Zürich.
Professor Merryn Voysey University of Oxford https://www.ovg.ox.ac.uk/team/merryn-voysey
In this session we will cover how to locate and interpret journal level metrics such as the Journal Impact Factor (JIF). We will examine the tools you can use to locate journal level metrics, such as Journal Citation Reports and Scopus Sources. We will also consider the uses, limitations and pitfalls inherent in these metrics and how they can be used responsibly. By the end of the session, you will be familiar with: the major journal metrics and how these are calculated; accessing journal citation data using Journal Citation Reports and Scopus Sources; using JIF, CiteScore and SJR journal metrics to rank journals; and the limitations of different metrics, including how journal metrics may be skewed or distorted. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student
This paper proposes a new class of time varying models for which a vector of unknown parameters may vary stochastically or deterministically over time or be a mixture of both types. There are novel features to this class and its econometric treatment differs from the existing literature which typically separates stochastic and deterministic time variation in the parameters. Estimation methods for the former are often based on Bayesian resampling algorithms whereas nonparametric estimation methods are usually employed for fitting unknown deterministic functional forms. This paper develops instead a unified approach based on orthonormal series decompositions to estimating time variation irrespective of whether that variation is stochastic or deterministic. The proposed procedure has wide applicability, covering linear and nonlinear time series models as well as stochastic trends. Consistent estimators of the time varying structures are developed and the limit theory for each of the settings is established. A notable outcome is that unit root time-varying parameters can be estimated with asymptotic validity and fast rates of convergence when the unit root structure is captured by an orthonormal series representation. Other advantages include the flexibility and convenience of the approach in practical implementation. Simulations are conducted to examine finite sample performance and the procedures are illustrated in several real data examples.
Capital in modern economies increasingly takes the form of intangible capital, whose formation heavily depends on the contributions of specialized workers—such as inventors, managers, and entrepreneurs. To examine the macroeconomic implications of this fact, we develop and calibrate a general neoclassical model where capital formation requires both investment goods (tangible investments) and specialized labor (intangible investments). We show that rising intangibles renders the supply of capital more inelastic owing to the limited supply of specialized labor. Rising intangibles also change the incidence of capital taxation: whereas in traditional neoclassical models the tax burden falls entirely on production workers, in intangible economies, it is borne primarily by specialized workers and capital owners.
This interactive session exploring the personal need to address Authority, Presence and Impact, for healthcare leadership.
In this session we will examine article level metrics. We will discuss how citation counting can help identify influential papers in particular fields and how altmetrics provide a different perspective on research output. Using tools such as Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scopus you will learn how to locate different article metrics. The session will also allow you to appreciate the limitations of different metrics and the importance of their cautious interpretation. By the end of the session, you will be familiar with: using Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar to track and count citations to papers and individual researchers; measuring impact using altmetrics; understanding how to contextualise metrics against other, similar papers in a field; and the limitations of different metrics. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student
This session will help you to understand what IP is, who "owns" it, and the things to think about when you think you have created IP. Whether you're an undergraduate, masters or DPhil student, or Staff at the University of Oxford, it is important to understand your rights and responsibilities when it comes to intellectual property (IP). This session will help you to understand what IP actually is, who "owns" it, and the things to think about when you think you have created IP. Case studies will also be presented to help explain the University's policy. Come prepared to ask any IP related questions in the second half of the session, where our expert presenters will give you the official University answers to any of your queries. In collaboration with Research Services, Oxford University Innovation, and The Careers Service. The talk will be from 12:30-1:30pm. If you have specific questions, the presenters will be available to answer questions until 2pm. Note: The sign up is through Inkpath, you will need to create an Inkpath account to sign up if you’ve not already got one.
In this session we will examine metrics for individual researchers. Using tools such as Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scopus you will learn about the researcher h-index and its limitations. You will be introduced to additional metrics tools such as author beamplots which help to contextualise a researcher’s output over time. By the end of the session, you will be familiar with: accessing citation data for specific researchers on Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar; understanding how the h-index is calculated and its inherent limitations; creating an ORCID number to help track all your own research outputs; and the importance of research outputs beyond journal and conference papers when assessing a researcher’s impact. Intended audience: Taught student; Researcher & research student
COURSE DETAILS During the course you will have the opportunity to manage a project. You will be able to apply the techniques you learn to a project that you bring along. Topics covered: project initiation, managing stakeholders and risk, time estimation, planning. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will understand more about: The importance of planning. The tools to make project management succeed. How to estimate the time a project will take realistically. The skills you need to be a good project manager.
https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/7097-david-goldblatt
This session will provide an introduction to the production, implementation and implications of the 10 Year Health Plan (10YHP) for England. It will provide an opportunity for participants to reflect on how it might affect them and the opportunities and risks that it creates. Nick is currently seconded into the Department of Health’s System Strategy Unit that supported the development of the 10YHP and chairs a working group of the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme Taskforce.
COURSE DETAILS Topics will include presenting your CV, how to approach employers, writing covering letters and interview skills. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will understand: How to improve your CV. How to approach employers. How to write a covering letter. How to plan for an interview. How to interview well.
COURSE DETAILS This short practical session will help you understand more about the career context for research staff at Oxford and beyond. It will enable you to identify the skills and abilities that you need to develop and give you guidance on how to enhance them so you are prepared for a useful conversation in your next CDR. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will have: An understanding of the career challenges and opportunities facing research staff at Oxford. An understanding of the skills you need to acquire. Started to apply a process of developing these skills.
Narrative CVs are being adopted by many funders, nationally and internationally, to give researchers the opportunity to showcase a wider range of skills and experience than is possible in a traditional academic CV; an example is the UKRI Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI). Writing a narrative CV requires a different way of thinking about and describing your skills, experience and contributions to research and innovation compared to a traditional CV. Writing your first narrative CV will take some time and effort; you might not be sure about what activities to include, and how to describe their quality, relevance, and your involvement in them. This presentation will try to demystify and simplify narrative CVs by providing advice, prompts and suggestions for how to write one. Speakers Mary Muers Research Culture Facilitator, MSD Kanza Basit Senior Research Facilitator, SSD Gavin Bird Head of Research Facilitation and Support, SOGE, SSD Susan Black, Careers Adviser, Oxford Careers Service Everyone welcome, please register to receive the TEAMS link for this event If you are a student or researcher with a CareerConnect account, please register "here":https://oxford.targetconnect.net/leap/event.html?id=22972&service=Careers%20Service All other staff register "here":https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=G96VzPWXk0-0uv5ouFLPke7xLB0LNIFKuA055EWF9ZtUMDI4VEEwVVk3RkNGRE5MTjRWWDNLRFRRTy4u, the joining link will be in the registration confirmation email
Dr Charlene Rodrigues LSHTM and St Marys Hospital London https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/people/rodrigues.charlene
Designed for medical students, doctors in training and other healthcare professionals, this experiential and practical workshop will focus on personal qualities, developing self-awareness, managing yourself, building and maintaining relationships, working with teams and developing networks.
Professor Kirsty Mehring-Le Doare World Health Organisation & St. George's https://www.sgul.ac.uk/profiles/kirsty-le-doare
Designed for research staff who are considering their next career move—whether within Oxford, within academia more broadly, or in other sectors. This interactive workshop supports researchers in navigating their career development with greater confidence and clarity. It offers participants the space to reflect on their ambitions, explore alternative futures, and engage in structured peer discussions to share insights and challenges. Participants will use design-thinking approaches to consider different career scenarios. The session then moves into goal setting and peer advice-sharing, helping researchers to build practical short-term plans and identify supportive resources and networks. Participants are introduced to key tools and services available through Oxford to support their development as they prepare for their next step, whatever that may be. By the end of this session, participants will be able to: * Articulate multiple possible career directions, including both preferred and alternative pathways. * Identify actionable short-term goals that support career progress. * Reflect on and assess their professional development to date, including skills, motivations, and values. Everyone welcome, please register to receive the TEAMS link for this event If you are a student or researcher with a CareerConnect account, please register "here":https://oxford.targetconnect.net/leap/event.html?id=23008&service=Careers%20Service All other staff register "here":https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=G96VzPWXk0-0uv5ouFLPke7xLB0LNIFKuA055EWF9ZtUNDZHUzhVQ1RSTjRJNjA4QkJTWDROVkwwNS4u the joining link will be in the registration confirmation email.
An introduction to the what, why and how of public involvement
COURSE DETAILS You will learn how to read a group, deal with difficult situations, use humour, match your presentation to the audience, and make an impact. You will learn how to get your message across so it is remembered. You will learn about timing and when you should deliver key messages. You will develop your self-awareness and understand its role in presenting. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this session you will understand more about: How to structure your presentation for impact. How your psychological state affects your presentation skills and how you can manage it. How to read a group and how to deal with difficult situations. How to deliver your presentation with more confidence.
More information and how to apply for a bursary: https://www.ovg.ox.ac.uk/iic Hot Topics in Infection and Immunity in Children (IIC) – The ESPID-Oxford Course is a residential training course which aims to provide basic information and updates in key areas of paediatric infection. The course is targeted at paediatric infectious disease PID trainees and trainers, including SAS, LED & Consultant doctors and all those who manage children with infections, covering topics in Paediatric infection. Delegates come from all over the world there is usually a 50/50 mix of trainees/consultants. All sessions are plenary and include a mix of lectures, case rounds, The Debate and the Annual IIC Quiz. Click here to view the programme - https://www.ovg.ox.ac.uk/iic/programme Programme Highlights: • The McCracken lecture: Meningitis, a history with Professor Xavier Sáez-Llorens Chief of Infectious Diseases and Director of Clinical Research, Dr José Renán Esquivel Children’s Hospital, Panama • Climate Change and Health with Dr Kate O’Brien Director, Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, World Health Organization (WHO) • Determinants of Future Health with Dr James Gilchrist Wellcome Career Development Fellow, Oxford Vaccine Group & Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Diseases & Immunology • Sustainable antibiotic prescribing by Dr Emma Lim Paediatric Consultant and Paediatric Sepsis Lead, Great North Children’s Hospital • AI and microbiology with Professor Adrian Egli Director, Institute for Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich Early bird Registration Fees • Earlybird Trainee - ESPID/BPAIIG/PID Member £700.00 • Earlybird Trainee £790.00 • Earlybird Consultant - ESPID/BPAIIG/PID Member £825.00 • Earlybird Consultant £925.00 • Ensuite Accommodation with Breakfast £115 per night
Coaching skills can help you build positive and effective working relationships with all those you work with. Coaching is a highly impactful approach to people development and can support individuals to identify goals, gain insights into challenges, consider options and plan actions. They are a valuable asset to leaders and managers and can be useful in a range of workplace conversations, such as feedback, delegation and career development reviews.
Delivering effective health care requires a significant amount of teamwork among different groups of workers. Team structures are acknowledged increasingly as vital to delivering value, efficiency, and quality for patient care, particularly in the general practice space. But why are teams necessarily better than more traditional hierarchical work structures? When are teams best deployed for maximum success in patient care? How does one best work within a team? What are the key leadership approaches to making health care teams fulfil their potential? This workshop will address these questions in depth, through an interactive session that allows participants to gain exposure to the best practices associated with health care teams and their implementation.
Course description This ½ day course is run by Professor Helen Higham (Director of OxSTaR & a Consultant Anaesthetist at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford) and is suitable for clinical and non-clinical staff and aims to provide an introduction to the fundamentals of human factors in healthcare. The course introduces participants to basic human factors frameworks, including the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS), and focuses on practical applications in the workplace to improve understanding of systems in healthcare. This course will align with the new National Patient Safety Syllabus Learning Objectives Improve understanding of human factors principles Introduce and explore a human factors framework (SEIPS) Provide opportunities to practise applying SEIPS to real world examples Course content Definition and background of human factors Human factors applied to healthcare Importance of work place culture (including Just Culture tool) Explanation of SEIPS framework Exercises using SEIPS Plenty of opportunity for discussion and questions
