During Michaelmas Term, OxTalks will be moving to a new platform (full details are available on the Staff Gateway).
For now, continue using the current page and event submission process (freeze period dates to be advised).
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Teams link for this event: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZWRjMGU5ZDYtNTY2YS00NjVhLTgzYzktMzA4NDU1MDYwN2Zh%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22cc95de1b-97f5-4f93-b4ba-fe68b852cf91%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%222c505887-b2ea-46b0-8e84-2dbf7579f9b8%22%7d Our entire human experience is increasingly mediated by AI, transforming how we learn, work, consume information, and socialize. But will these developments enhance human thinking and wellbeing, or diminish them? Recent studies suggest AI can negatively impact critical thinking, motivation for learning, and social and mental health. As AI becomes more deeply embedded in daily life, we face a crucial question: How might we design and deploy these systems to augment rather than atrophy our cognitive and social capacities? This talk explores strategies for developing AI that strengthens human capabilities rather than eroding them, ensuring we don't lose the essential qualities that make us human.
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.
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
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.
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.
During the First World War, over 300,000 emigrants returned to Italy from around the world to perform their conscripted military service, a mass mobilisation which was a uniquely Italian phenomenon. This presentation explores the phenomenon of these emigrant soldiers, examining how military service obligations shaped decisions to repatriate—or not—both before and during the war. What motivated men to return and fight? What were their experiences on the battlefield and of demobilisation at war’s end? Yet the call to arms was not answered by all of Italy’s emigrants. Far more emigrants chose to stay abroad than to return. Thus, in parallel, the presentation also investigates the experiences of wartime draft evaders who opted to remain abroad in their adopted countries. To illuminate these diverging paths, the presentation adopts a micro-historical lens. Through the exploration of the experiences of various emigrants, the presentation reveals the complex interplay between conscription and repatriation at the end of Italy’s period of mass migration. *Dr Selena Daly* is an Associate Professor of Italian Studies at University College London. She is the author of _Italian Futurism and the First World War_ (University of Toronto Press, 2016) and _Emigrant Soldiers: Mobilising Italians Abroad in the First World War_ (Cambridge University Press, 2025). She is currently writing a global history of Italian emigration, which is under contract with Viking Penguin (US), Hodder & Stoughton (UK), and Mondadori (Italy). She is the recipient of a Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship for the academic year 2025-26. *_You can join us in person, for which no booking is required, or join us remotely by following this link_: https://tinyurl.com/tb2vdx32*
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
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.
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.
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.
The $\varphi^4$ model is a generalisation of the Ising model to a system with unbounded spins that are confined by a quartic potential. Its significance in statistical physics was first noted by Griffiths and Simon, who observed that the $\varphi^4$ potential arises as the scaling limit of the fluctuations of the critical Ising model on the complete graph. In this talk, I will describe how this connection to the Ising model leads to two new geometric representations of the $\varphi^4$ model, called the random tangled current expansion and the random cluster model. I will explain how these representations can be used to prove that the phase transition of the $\varphi^4$ model is continuous in dimensions three and higher, and to obtain large-deviation estimates for spin averages in the supercritical regime. Based on joint works with Trishen Gunaratnam, Romain Panis, and Franco Severo.
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
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.
*_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.
Detailing a journey through the Newcastle DIY scene in the 00s, turntable experiments from ensembles, to solo, duos trios and orchestras, Mariam will discuss her career journey and where her current creative practice is now. She will reflect on new piece ‘The Scholar’s Record’, premiere in Donaueschinen, 17.10.2025, and her new turntable compositional techniques and methodologies.
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.
Paul Purgas presents a selection of compositional and research projects exploring architectural and cultural explorations of sound through synthesis, experimental media and archival histories.
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.
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.
This talk, presented by Dominik Lukeš, a Lead Business Technologist at the AI 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.
Critical infrastructure is often defined within national borders—but in an interconnected world, certain systems have become so vital that their disruption could destabilize societies far beyond any single state. These “globally critical infrastructures”—from undersea cables and semiconductor supply chains to rare earth processing and energy chokepoints—create a distinct and underexamined risk landscape. Their failure could ripple across economies, governments, and defense systems, exposing both the nations that host them and those that depend on them. This talk introduces the concept of globally critical infrastructure as a framework for understanding how sovereignty, security, and interdependence collide. It explores the unique governance and risk management challenges posed by assets that lie outside traditional jurisdictional control—and the geopolitical leverage or vulnerability they create. Addressing these shared dependencies demands new approaches that transcend homeland security and extend into foreign policy, defense strategy, and international cooperation. The session calls for reimagining resilience as a collective endeavor, forging new pathways for diplomacy, funding, and monitoring to safeguard the arteries of the global system. Zachary Kallenborn is an MPhil / PhD student in War Studies at King's College London researching risk and uncertainty with topical focuses on global catastrophes, drone warfare, critical infrastructure, WMD, and apocalyptic terrorism. He is also affiliated with the University of Oxford, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, George Mason University, and the National Institute for Deterrence Studies. His extensive research, writing, and analysis occasionally receives global news coverage, and influences a broad range of state, federal, and global security policies and strategies. Zachary appeared in Netflix's "UNKNOWN: Killer Robots," is an officially proclaimed U.S. Army "Mad Scientist," and is on the board of advisors of Synthetic Decision Group, Inc. and the Michael J. Morell Center for Intelligence and Security Studies at the University of Akron.
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.
The Middle East Security Society invites you to a special discussion with Christopher Phillips, Professor of International Relations at Queen Mary University of London, Associate Fellow at Chatham House, and author of the newly released Battleground, recently named The Spectator’s Book of the Year. A leading expert on regional geopolitics, Phillips’ work examines how external intervention, shifting power dynamics, and the rise of violent non-state actors have reshaped the Middle East over the past 15 years. In this session, Phillips will explore the core arguments of Battleground, in which he analyses ten key arenas of conflict — from Syria, Libya, Yemen, and Iraq to the Gulf and the Horn of Africa. Drawing on extensive research, he will discuss how emboldened regional powers, intensifying rivalries, and increasingly complex local dynamics have created what he calls the “new Middle East.” Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the forces driving today’s regional instability and the geopolitical trends likely to shape the future.
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.
Abstract: The China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) has accumulated >100,000 well-characterised incident stroke cases. These, together with extensive exposure, genetic and biomarker data collected and generated, have enabled well-powered investigation of causal relevance of known, emerging and novel risk factors for stroke types, with many expected and unexpected findings. The talk will provide an overview of key findings to date in CKB. Bio: Professor Zhengming Chen is Richard Peto Professor of Epidemiology at Oxford Population Health and a Senior Research Fellow of Green Templeton College. Professor Chen’s main research focus concerns causes, prevention and treatment of major chronic disease. Over the last few decades, he has initiated and led several large international randomised trials (e.g. CAST, COMMIT/CCS-2) involving in total more than 100,000 patients, leading to major changes of international guidelines and clinical practice In 2003, he initiated and established, and has led as UK PI ever since, the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) of 512,000 adults, one of the world’s largest of its kind. The CKB will continue to generate important findings relevant to global health for at least the next 15-20 years. In Oxford he leads a large and expanding multi-disciplinary research team involving >50 staff and DPhil students, with research themes covering lifestyle factors, environmental health, chronic infection, genetic epidemiology, risk prediction, and application of big data in development of precision medicine and population health. He qualified in medicine at Shanghai Medical University in 1983 (now Fudan University) and completed his DPhil in Epidemiology at the University of Oxford in 1991. He was awarded an ad hominem Readership in Epidemiology in 1998 and an ad hominem Professorship of Epidemiology in 2006 by the University of Oxford. In 2022, he was appointed as the inaugural Richard Peto Chair in Epidemiology. Professor Chen also holds honorary professorships of several universities in China and sits on a number of international and UK research committees (e.g. Hong Kong Research Council, UK MRC, and the Wellcome Trust). He is an elected Fellow of Academia Europaea. There will be tea/coffee and cakes available for seminar attendees in Atrium 1, 30 min prior to the seminar.
Your Career Development Review (CDR) is more than a procedural check-in, it’s an opportunity to take stock, plan ahead, and align your professional development with your broader career goals. This session will help you approach your next CDR with clarity and purpose. We’ll explore: - Preparing for your CDR: how to reflect on achievements, identify development priorities, and gather meaningful evidence. - How the Careers Service can help: tailored support for researchers, including individual consultations and targeted resources. - Using narrative CVs as a development tool: how to evaluate your contributions and progression across research, teaching, service, and leadership using the narrative CV model, increasingly recognised by funders and institutions, to inform your career development activities and priorities. By the end of the session, you’ll have structured ways to think about your professional story and clear insight into the resources available to support your development, ready to make your next CDR a constructive and forward-looking conversation.
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.
Emerging economies that are large oil producers have sizable external debt, their sovereign risk rises when oil prices fall, and many of them have defaulted in the past. Interestingly, oil output reduces country risk on impact and in the long-run, but oil reserves increase it in the long-run and reduce it only marginally on impact. We propose a model of sovereign default and oil extraction and derive analytic and quantitative findings consistent with these observations. The sovereign manages oil reserves strategically to make default less painful, and hence its sustainable debt falls. Reserves rise in the run-up to a default and the co-movement of reserves and country risk in response to oil-price shocks switches from negative initially to positive afterwards. These results extend to a setup with rare, large and uncertain oil discoveries. Defaults occur with less severe drops in GDP and oil prices but after long dry spells in discoveries.
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.
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
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.
Capital (cultural); Appropriation; Debt/borrowing – Neville Morley (Exeter)
Interdisciplinary research is increasingly recognised, both within and beyond academia, as essential to addressing many of today’s most pressing global challenges. In tackling complex, multi-faceted issues, cross-disciplinary approaches are not only valuable but vital for generating innovative and impactful solutions. Nonetheless, undertaking interdisciplinary research presents a distinctive set of challenges. These may include communication barriers, divergent research paradigms, difficulties in publishing and securing funding, and broader structural or institutional constraints. While interdisciplinary work is gaining momentum, it remains relatively new in comparison to long-established disciplinary traditions, and many of its practices and support structures are still developing. This panel will explore the value of interdisciplinary research, consider the practical challenges it entails, and share strategies for fostering effective collaboration—whether through team-based initiatives or individual researchers working across disciplinary boundaries. Bringing together scholars from a range of research backgrounds, the session will offer practical insights, highlight common pitfalls, and outline best practices for navigating the interdisciplinary research landscape. Ample time will be allocated for audience questions and discussion. Academic staff and doctoral researchers currently engaged in or considering interdisciplinary work are warmly invited to join the conversation. Refreshments will be provided. Objectives • Identify key challenges and barriers to effective interdisciplinary collaboration in research. • Recognise the potential of interdisciplinary research to drive innovation, enhance societal impact, and support both academic and professional development. • Gain insights from researchers engaged in interdisciplinary work and understand practical strategies for integrating diverse disciplinary approaches. Panellists Dr Kanza Basit (Senior Research Facilitator, Social Sciences Division) Professor Timothy Dixon (Emeritus Professor at the University of Reading (School of the Built Environment), Research Associate at the Global Centre for Healthcare and Urbanisation, Visiting Fellow at Kellogg College) Dr Rachael Drewery (Qualitative Researcher, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences) Dr Lexi Earl (Programme Manager, Oxford Martin School) Lindsey Spriggs (Research Culture Facilitator, Social Sciences Division) Moderator Dr Keiko Kanno
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.
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).
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
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/
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.
As South Africa hosts the G20, this webinar explores its broader impact across Africa and the global business community. Moving beyond policy, this dialogue focuses on entrepreneurship, collaboration and actionable opportunities for growth. Featuring Shukri Toefy alongside leading voices from Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Centre and the African entrepreneurial ecosystem, the session will ignite meaningful insights and connections.
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.
A book launch & discussion with Catherine Dom, co-editor. On the night of 3 to 4 November 2020, war broke out in Tigray. Soon after Mekelle was bombed, people were stunned: should they leave the city? How to protect their loved ones? Where to get supplies? For two years, the war redefined the daily lives of Mekelle’s residents; while the capital of Tigray was not the scene of violent armed fighting unlike the countryside and other towns in Tigray, every aspect of urban life was turned upside down. In the book, twenty women and men residing in Mekelle tell us about their daily lives, day after day, event after event: how they coped with the shortages, the lack of health and communications services, the loss of income and the closure of schools. At the heart of these accounts of everyday life, they narrate how they resisted, despaired and struggled, and in which sources they did – or did not – find support. Some give numbers and dates, list the names of the places where they found refuge or fled to, and recall the most striking moments of their experiences of the war. Others describe the effects that fear, hunger, and their anger, hopes and despair had on them. Mekelle Stories opens a small window on the war in Tigray, seen from within a city, with its well-known landmarks and its neighbourhoods. While the immensity of violence, suffering and trauma has yet to be documented, analysed and made known, this work reveals how the war affected and penetrated every part of the bodies and surroundings of the twenty people who tell their stories. The book is available in open access from the publisher, OpenEdition: https://books.openedition.org/cfee/3812?lang=en Catherine Dom, an independent researcher who has regularly been in Ethiopia since 1999 and a member of the collective of women who made and illustrated the book, will present it. Her colleagues will join through short videos in which they reflect on their experience.
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.
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.
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.
As part of the Northeast Africa Forum seminar series, a book launch & discussion with Catherine Dom, co-editor. On the night of 3 to 4 November 2020, war broke out in Tigray. Soon after Mekelle was bombed, people were stunned: should they leave the city? How to protect their loved ones? Where to get supplies? For two years, the war redefined the daily lives of Mekelle’s residents; while the capital of Tigray was not the scene of violent armed fighting unlike the countryside and other towns in Tigray, every aspect of urban life was turned upside down. In the book, twenty women and men residing in Mekelle tell us about their daily lives, day after day, event after event: how they coped with the shortages, the lack of health and communications services, the loss of income and the closure of schools. At the heart of these accounts of everyday life, they narrate how they resisted, despaired and struggled, and in which sources they did – or did not – find support. Some give numbers and dates, list the names of the places where they found refuge or fled to, and recall the most striking moments of their experiences of the war. Others describe the effects that fear, hunger, and their anger, hopes and despair had on them. Mekelle Stories opens a small window on the war in Tigray, seen from within a city, with its well-known landmarks and its neighbourhoods. While the immensity of violence, suffering and trauma has yet to be documented, analysed and made known, this work reveals how the war affected and penetrated every part of the bodies and surroundings of the twenty people who tell their stories. The book is available in open access from the publisher, OpenEdition: books.openedition.org/cfee/3812?lang=en *Catherine Dom*, an independent researcher who has regularly been in Ethiopia since 1999 and a member of the collective of women who made and illustrated the book, will present it. Her colleagues will join through short videos in which they reflect on their experience.
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
The event will offer an excellent opportunity for interested students to engage with and learn more about the work done by the Strategy & Risk Advisory (S&RA) team.
"Thematic Analysis (TA) is one of the most widely used methods for analysing qualitative data. In this session, Jane and Alina, two DPhil candidates starting with the analysis stage of their research, will present their approach to thematic analysis. The session will begin with an introduction to the method, followed by two practical case examples. This session is designed for anyone currently conducting—or who has previously conducted—thematic analysis. It provides an opportunity to engage with work in progress and to exchange questions, insights, and ideas in a supportive setting outside of formal classes and assessments.
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.
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.
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.
An artist and writer born in Beirut, Basyma Saad will speak on themes of her work - realism, surplus, and mourning. With dark humor and an emphasis on forms of struggle, her practice places scenes of intersubjective exchange within their world-historical frames. Basyma’s work has been presented and screened at MoMA, The Poetry Project, CPH:DOX, Triangle-Asterides (Marseille), Busan Biennale, Swiss Institute (Rome), Ludwig Forum (Aachen), Cabaret Voltaire (Zurich), and Transmediale. Her most recent film, Congress of Idling Persons, received Special Mention in the New:Vision Award category at CPH:DOX 2022. She is currently working on a new film titled Permanent Trespass, based on a theater script of the same name, with Sanja Grozdanić.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Interpersonal Diplomacy offers a pioneering theory of how emotional connection and trust between world leaders can shape the outcomes of international crises, especially those involving nuclear weapons. Drawing on microsociological theory, particularly Randall Collins' theory of interaction rituals, Holmes and Wheeler show how interpersonal dynamics-such as emotional energy, mutual focus of attention, and bodily co-presence-can foster social bonds that transform adversarial relationships. Challenging dominant structural and psychological explanations of crisis diplomacy, the book demonstrates that leader-to-leader interactions can decisively alter the trajectory of high-stakes confrontations. Through rich case studies-including the relationship between John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev during the Berlin Crisis and Cuban Missile Crisis, and the interpersonal diplomacy between Indian and Pakistani leaders Rajiv Gandhi, Zia-ul-Haq, Benazir Bhutto, and V.P. Singh, the authors trace how trust was built, tested, and sometimes thwarted. It also explores how leaders may use written communication or virtual technologies to replicate elements of face-to-face diplomacy in contexts where physical meetings are not possible. Timely and theoretically innovative, the book provides scholars and practitioners with a new framework for understanding how human relationships shape the prospects for peace and the future of international order. Nicholas J. Wheeler is Professor of International Relations at the University of Birmingham. His publications include (with Ken Booth) The Security Dilemma: Fear, Cooperation, and Trust in World Politics (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008) and Saving Strangers: Humanitarian Intervention in International Society (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000). His new book Trusting Enemies: Interpersonal Relationships in International Conflict was published by Oxford University Press in March 2018. His book Saving Strangers has 2,229 Google Scholar Citations (his total number of citations is 6,961). He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in the United Kingdom, a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, and has had an entry in Who’s Who since 2011. In his career, he has supervised to successful completion twenty-six PhDs. He co-edits with Professors Christian Reus-Smit and Evelyn Goh the Cambridge Series in International Relations, one of the most prestigious book series in the field of International Relations.
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.
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.
All welcome
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Uhlig Group Speaker: Viktor Zouboulis Title: From Genotype to Phenotype: A Mechanistic Atlas of Inborn Errors of Immunity Knight Group Speaker 1: Alicia Jia Title: Linking TRIOBP to pneumonia: Insights from UK Biobank and respiratory epithelial cells Speaker 2: Yaqi Li Title: Uncovering Maladaptive Myelopoiesis in Sepsis by Single-cell Multi-omics
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.
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.
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)
This session provides an insider’s perspective on building a global university from the ground up. It examines the design of systems, governance structures, and institutional frameworks that make a university function effectively. Participants will learn how vision is translated into strategy, culture, and operational reality, highlighting the challenges and opportunities of creating an international institution from Day Zero. Speaker Bio: Ms Neha Gupta Phull currently serves as the Chief of Staff and Director in the Office of the Vice Chancellor at O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU). A founding member of the university, she joined Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar in 2008, at a time when JGU existed only as a visionary concept — an aspiration to build India’s first truly global university. Over the past 17 years, Ms Phull has been closely associated with every phase of JGU’s journey, contributing with dedication and commitment to the growth of an institution that today stands as one of India’s leading private universities with a strong public mission.
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
All humans and plant-monsters are invited for this reading group of Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and John Totleben's influential run of Swamp Thing (1984-1987). Moore’s writing explores sacred conceptions of nature, non-human life, magic, and psychedelic experiences, and a series of secondary readings have been selected to highlight these themes. Brought to life by Totleben and Bissette’s art, Saga of the Swamp Thing is perhaps the definitive tale of ecospirituality in the comics medium. Please note: if you only have the time to read the primary readings or if you feel you lack specialization on questions related to religion, spirituality, and nature, you are more than welcome to attend. The Bodleian has copies of the relevant Swamp Thing volumes, I have included links to each. The easiest way to access Swamp Thing is via a subscription to DC's comic book app. Session 1 Readings (November 19) Primary: Moore, Alan, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben. "Book One (#20-27)." In Saga of the Swamp Thing: Vertigo, 2012. https://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/permalink/44OXF_INST/35n82s/alma990193147490107026 Moore, Alan, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben. "Book Two (#28-34)." In Saga of the Swamp Thing: Vertigo, 2012. https://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/permalink/44OXF_INST/35n82s/alma990158639160107026 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. Letheby, Chris. "Naturalizing Psychedelic Spirituality." Zygon 52, no. 3 (2017): 623-42. https://doi.org/10.1111/zygo.12353.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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’. Laura Rival will use her 40 years of research experience in Ecuador to offer an overview of the country’s efforts to develop a post-oil economy. She will show that by pioneering new thinking on co-responsibility, the Yasuní Initiative (2007-2013) has opened a new policy era. In collaboration with local researchers, former students, well-known political activists, world-leading specialists on Ecuador, and fossil fuel experts, she will examine the contradictions that have plagued efforts to reconcile ‘extractivism’ with ecological wealth. Finally, she will highlight the continuing significance of the 2008 Constitution as a blueprint to reimagine the role of the state in relation to fundamental collective rights. Followed by refreshments.
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.
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.
*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.
Any large organization, whether a global conglomerate, a government or a political party, must grapple with two perennial challenges when its top leadership gathers: people and money. China’s ruling Communist Party is no exception. The four-day, closed-door Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee – known as the Fourth Plenum – offered a rare glimpse into how Beijing manages both. In this talk, Dr Yu Jie will outline and analyse what we should know about the outcome of ‘The Fourth Plenum’ and what key priorities are for China’s upcoming 15th Five Year Plan. Dr Yu Jie is the senior research fellow on China at Chatham House, focusing on China’s economic diplomacy. She frequently speaks and writes in major media outlets such as BBC News and the Financial Times, and regularly briefs senior policy practitioners from G20 member governments as well as major intergovernmental organizations. She also advises FTSE 100 companies and leading global financial institutions on China’s political landscape. Yu Jie has testified on China’s foreign affairs at various UK Parliament committees. She was previously head of China Foresight at LSE IDEAS and remains as an associate fellow. Prior to LSE, she was a management consultant, specializing in Chinese state-owned enterprises investments in Europe and Chinese market entry strategies for European conglomerates at the London office of Roland Berger. In 2018, she was recognized by the London School of Economics as one of its ‘Leading Women’, for her contribution in teaching and engaging public debates on China’s foreign affairs. She is also a Young Leader for the Asia Security Summit Shangri-La Dialogue. She is currently leading a Horizon Europe project with a focus on China research.
Join online via Microsoft Teams by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/2s3hfr23
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
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
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
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
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.
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).
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.
Discover how Generative AI (GenAI) can help create quizzes and exams, design lesson plans, summarise complex scholarship across languages, and analyse research data – all while maintaining academic integrity and creativity. Dr Harris will also introduce core techniques of effective prompt engineering and advanced configuration to elicit high-quality, reliable results while avoiding common pitfalls such as AI ‘hallucinations’. The talk concludes with strategies for recognising GenAI-generated student work, and a series of real-world examples showing how GenAI is already enriching disciplines across the Humanities and STEM fields.
The Covid Inquiry has officially become the most expensive in British legal history – £192 million and counting, according to October’s financial statements. But for exactly £192 million less, you can join us for a serious discussion with leading experts in history, epidemiology, and medicine on what Britain got right – and wrong – in its lockdown response to Covid-19. Expect a rigorous, engaging exchange spanning science, medicine, history, and economics, followed by a Q&A and drinks reception – with attendees not even required to stand two metres apart. Our interdisciplinary panel of experts will explore key questions: * Could more lives have been saved through earlier and longer lockdowns? * What have been the global ramifications of the pandemic and pandemic response? * Could the Great Barrington Declaration’s ‘focused protection’ strategy be applied to future pandemic preparedness? * What lessons can history teach us about balancing public health, personal freedom and societal impact? This event is hosted by the Committee for Academic Freedom. It forms part of CAF’s Open to Argument series, which promotes lively, good-faith discussion on the topics that are often hardest to discuss openly within Britain’s universities. The event will be filmed and made available online. *Speakers* * *Sunetra Gupta* is Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at the University of Oxford. She specialises in infectious disease modelling and population-level dynamics, and has published widely on the spread and control of epidemics. She is also a signatory of the Great Barrington Declaration. * *Hugh Montgomery* is Chair of Intensive Care Medicine at University College London (UCL). He has first-hand experience managing Covid-19 patients in intensive care and has contributed to major research on respiratory failure, critical-care outcomes, and pandemic preparedness. * *Toby Green* is a historian at King’s College London with expertise in African history, pandemics, and the social and economic impacts of disease. He is co-author of _The Covid Consensus: The Global Assault on Democracy and the Poor — A Critique from the Left_ (2023). * *Mark Honigsbaum* is a medical historian and journalist specialising in pandemics, public health, and the history of medicine. He is a Senior Lecturer in Journalism at City St George’s, University of London, and author of _The Pandemic Century: A History of Global Contagion from the Spanish Flu to Covid-19_ (2019). *Chair* * *Güneş Taylor* is a molecular biologist at the Francis Crick Institute, specialising in women’s health and fertility. She regularly discusses future technologies and sex differences with leading figures such as Richard Dawkins, Yuval Noah Harari, Simon Baron-Cohen, and Robert Winston.
This presentation delves into the shifting geopolitics of Britain’s Overseas Territories, spotlighting Gibraltar and the Chagos Islands. Recent negotiations with Spain and Mauritius signal a new phase in long-standing sovereignty disputes, raising questions about identity, autonomy, and international law. Beyond diplomacy, the territories play a role in the UK’s global strategy—economically, militarily, and politically. Yet tensions persist: constitutional strains and calls for greater self-determination challenge the status quo. Looking ahead, the presentation explores how these relationships might evolve over the next two decades, shaped by global power shifts, legal pressures, and the enduring legacy of empire.
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
https://staff.admin.ox.ac.uk/sitefiles/oxford-digital-festival-2025-visitor-guide.pdf
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.
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 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
You are warmly invited to a *Lightning Round: Flash Discussions of Research* in Room 20.501, Schwarzman Centre. The session will run in a “Hive” format, with participants working in small groups to share their projects briefly and explore core questions, themes, and challenges in a supportive and non-hierarchical setting. Please come with *one research question or key theme* you would like to discuss. This is an opportunity to connect across career stages and to generate fresh insights in a friendly, low-pressure environment
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.
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.
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.
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.
Do states suffer reputational consequences when they exit international organizations (IOs)? And do the effects depend on whether states exit through voluntary withdrawal as opposed to forced suspension? We argue that states likely face negative reputational consequences for both types of IO exit because they are each equated with reneging on an international agreement. IO exit signals that the state may be more likely to back out of other international commitments: it stigmatizes the state as being a less reliable partner, and other actors in the international community are thus likely to downgrade that state’s reputation. Nevertheless, we expect that suspension generates stronger reputational damage than withdrawal because suspension indicates punishment by a peer group for misbehavior whereas withdrawal is not usually a rule violation, is self-selected, and managed. We test whether IO exit affects state reputation using novel data on all exits across 143 states and 534 IOs between 1984 and 2022. We measure state reputation using global market analysts’ perceptions of a state’s political risk; this captures states’ potential for following through on international commitments in an increasingly globalized world. Results indicate that both withdrawal and suspension are associated with reputational damage for the exiting state, though, as expected, suspension generates more reputational damage than withdrawal. As states use various strategies to contest IO rules, our results show an important way that IOs can enable decentralized enforcement mechanisms: global market analysts downgrade states for reneging on international commitments.
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
Lesson of the week, clinical cases and research. All clinical and academic staff and students welcome. Coffee, Tea and Cake will be served.
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
awaited
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
‘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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Come join us for an intriguing discussion on the life and work of Nicolaus Steno, _The Traveling Anatomist_ by Nuno Castel-Branco, 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)
Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on Africa's employment realities and, more importantly, the transformative solutions shaping the future of work for Africa’s youth. This event marks the release of Africa, Which Way Employment? – Jobs and Opportunity for the World’s Future Youth, our new video podcast series that explores the multifaceted employment landscape across the African continent. About the Series: Africa, Which Way Employment? is inspired by the Future of Development programme’s commitment to advancing strategies that promote decent jobs, elevate incomes, and ensure economic justice. The series delves into the systemic challenges, emerging opportunities, and innovative responses driving job creation across Africa. It features esteemed guests such as Arunma Oteh, OON (VP and Treasurer, World Bank 2015 - 2018) and Sharmi Surianarain (Chief Impact Officer, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator). This panel discussion will examine policy, progress, technology, and the future of work, and how innovation can expand opportunities for Africa’s youth.
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.
Oxford African Governance Forum
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.
Across the United Kingdom and around the world, people experience violence in cities not only through acts of physical harm but also through entrenched structural and social inequalities. Identity-Based Mass Violence in Urban Contexts: Uncovered, a new, innovative edited volume, offers fresh insights from global examples on how chronic and acute mass violence are related to one another, the drivers of various forms of violence, and the proactive steps leaders can take to address exclusions and harms experienced by communities. This volume directly exposes the fault lines that contribute to identity-based mass violence. It is not just an academic exercise, but a call to action that urges policymakers, public and private funders, academics, and practitioners to address and prevent violence in its many forms and commit to long-term transformation. Join us as we discuss: 1) A groundbreaking blend of peer-reviewed analysis and lived testimony—merging academic rigor, artistic expression, and personal evidence together in one volume. 2) Insights on bringing together diverse disciplines of atrocity prevention, urban violence, and peacebuilding to better understand the scale and nature of why identity-based mass violence occurs, and the solution set in cities. 3) The launch of a book born from community and care, the global team that made it possible, and the stories, wisdom, and courage that shape its pages. Please join us on the 20th of November at 5:30 for an inaugural reception and book launch to discuss these critical issues.
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.
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
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
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.
The global order is undergoing a systemic change. This change redefines the position and role of each country and region in the world. At a time when power politics and the logic of great power competition underpin international politics, middle powers such as Brazil have emerged as major proponents of multilateralism and its reform. In the seminar, Ambassador Patriota will focus on how Brazil view the ongoing global transformation. What sorts of changes and reforms does Brazil advocate at regional and global levels? What new perspectives and approaches does Brazil offer to address major international crises, such as Ukraine and Gaza, as well as reforming global governance? Antonio de Aguiar Patriota was appointed Ambassador of Brazil to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 2023. He previously served as Ambassador of Brazil to the Arab Republic of Egypt (2019–2023) and to Italy (2016–2019), as well as Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York (2013–2016). He also held the positions of Minister of Foreign Affairs (2011–2013), Secretary-General of Foreign Affairs (2009–2010), and Ambassador to the United States (2007–2009). While at the UN, he chaired the 60th and 61st Sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women and the Peacebuilding Commission (2013–2014). Over the course of his diplomatic career, he has served in Geneva (1983–1987 and 1999–2003), New York (1994–1999), Beijing (1987–1988), and Caracas (1988–1990). Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1954, he graduated from the Rio Branco Institute in 1979, after studying Philosophy at the University of Geneva. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in Public Service by Chatham University (2008) in Pennsylvania. His published works include O Conselho de Segurança após a Guerra do Golfo (2nd ed., 2010), Discursos, artigos e entrevistas (two volumes, FUNAG, 2013 and 2016), and A Humanist Foreign Policy for a Multipolar World (FUNAG, 2025). He is a member of the Leaders for Peace initiative, chaired by former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.
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.
George Monbiot will be in conversation with Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid about "The Polycrisis: political dysfunction, meet ecological collapse." As global crises in politics, climate, and inequality converge and escalate, Wolfson Honorary Fellows George Monbiot and Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid discuss ways to mitigate future impacts. Followed by audience Q&A.
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.
Dr Fabien Lareyre is a Consultant and Head of the Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at the Hospital of Antibes, France. His research focuses on the applications of artificial intelligence in vascular surgery, and his pioneering work in this field has been recognised with an Academic Award from the French National Academy of Medicine and a Prize of Excellence from Université Côte d’Azur (France). He is a Fellow of the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS), Secretary General of VASCUNET, and a Committee Member of the European Research Hub. A member of both the French and European Societies for Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, he has presented at numerous national and international conferences and has authored more than 170 publications in peer-reviewed scientific and clinical journals. 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.
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 Writing Camp offers you the chance to work alongside other students and maintain your focus in a supportive group setting. Each 50-minute writing session is followed by a short break, giving you time to share your progress with peers, grab a coffee, or step outside for some fresh air. These sessions are organised weekly during term time. Vegetarian and vegan pastries are provided, with tea and coffee.
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
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
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.
Colleagues are invited to join this Gemini Pro Pilot Showcase and Wrap-Up Event, run by the AI Competency Centre in collaboration with Google, featuring a Live Innovation Showcase where you can experience the highlights of the Gemini Pro GenAI pilot. This is a six-month long pilot programme investigating the benefits and use cases of Google Gemini Pro, the premium version of Google’s generative AI chatbot, in the University context. Oxford colleagues who took part in the pilot, from teams across the University, will be demonstrating how they have started applying Gemini across teaching, research, and professional services, through practical examples. Come along to gain inspiration, learn from their experience, and contribute to discussions about what comes next. Further details and the agenda can be found at https://oerc.ox.ac.uk/ai-centre/ai-centre-events/gemini-pro-pilot-showcase
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.
The French Studies Library Group (FLSG) is organising a study day on Francophone collections in archives and libraries on 21 November 2025 at the Maison française d’Oxford, in partnership with the French Embassy in the UK (Higher Education, Research and Innovation Department). This follows the successful 2023 Institut Français event on French collections in the United Kingdom and 2024 event on Collections in French at the British Library. We will discuss the varieties of French language and literature produced outside of France, as well as the dialects, regional and minority languages spoken in France, and the oral and written collections of such material, in print and manuscript as well as electronic resources. The talks will include work on French-related language material and collections available in a specific library or archive, especially in the United Kingdom and in the Francophone world. The focus will be the history, identification, description, constitution, and circulation, of such sources and corpora, the specific challenges they raise. We will also reflect on their preservation and promotion, including through recent or ongoing digital projects and research. ----------------------------------------- 11-11.15: Introduction Christelle Grouzis-Demory (Higher education, research, innovation department, French Embassy), Stéphane Van Damme (Director, Maison française d’Oxford), Irene Fabry-Tehranchi (Chair of FSLG, French collections, Cambridge University Library) 11.15-12.00: Keynote, writer Eve Guerra (Prix Goncourt du premier roman: Rapatriement), D'une langue l'autre: imitation, variations et altération chair: Jane Hiddleston 12-13: Languages and dialects of the Francophone world, collections and acquisitions Heather Williams (University of Wales Trinity Saint David), An archive in exile: Breton collections in Wales James Thomas (Independent scholar) & Sophie Defrance (British Library), Exploring the Occitan collections at the British Library: past and current acquisitions Stephanie Kitchen (International African Institute, SOAS, African Books Collective) and Aimé Badjam Yan-Tchamsi (Éditions le Souffle and Éditions Toumaï, Chad), The New Publishing Dynamics of Francophone Africa 13-14: Lunch break 13.30-14: Janet Foot (Librarian, Maison française d’Oxford), Visit of the MFO Library (optional) 14-14.45: Francophone collections in archives and manuscripts Isabel Maloney (University of Cambridge), Marie Bashkirtseff’s manuscripts in the British Library Julia Ribeiro Thomaz (Université de Lille), Searching for French and Francophone war poetry: collections in the UK and in colonial archives 14.45-15.45: Digital French and Francophone collections and their discovery Erika Fülöp (Université Toulouse 2 Jean Jaurès), French and Francophone Born Digital Literature Archives: Past, Present, and Future Annick Cloâtre (British Library) & Irène Fabry-Tehranchi (Cambridge University Library), Cataloguing and discovery of French regional languages and dialects in library collections Discussion: Francophone digital resources and databases 15.45-16.15: Coffee break 16.15-17: French outside of France Daron Burrows (St Peter’s College, University of Oxford), ‘La vision seint Johan’: medieval French Apocalypses in Britain Weiao Xing (University of Waterloo), Early Modern French-Indigenous Encounters in the Collections of the Musée de la Civilisation, Québec 17-17.30pm: Conclusions
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.
h5. For general information, please see the series listing. This week’s readings: * Hubert Dreyfus and Charles Taylor, ‘Escaping the Picture’ and ‘Checking Beliefs,’ chap. 2 and 3 of _Retrieving Realism_ (Harvard University Press, 2015), https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674287136. * Charles Taylor, ‘Retrieving Realism,’ in _Mind, Reason, and Being-in-the-World: The McDowell-Dreyfus Debate_, edited by Joseph K. Schear, 68–101 (Routledge, 2013), https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203076316-6. For the full programme visit users.ox.ac.uk/~scro3052/phenomenology/programme.pdf.
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 talk addresses this gap through a comparative survey of American and Chinese publics. It is found 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 an Associate Professor of Political Science at University of British Columbia. His research lies at the intersection of international relations and comparative politics. His recent books include Token Forces: How Tiny Troop Deployments became Ubiquitous in UN Peacekeeping (Cambridge University Press 2022), Fragmenting Globalization: The Politics of Preferential Trade Liberalization in China and the United States (University of Michigan Press 2021), and How China Sees the World: Insights from China’s International Relations Scholars (Palgrave 2019). He holds a PhD in political science from Stanford University and was a Princeton-Harvard China and the World Fellow at Harvard University’s Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, a POSCO Visiting Scholar at the East-West Center in Honolulu, and an inaugural Wang Gungwu Fellow at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
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.
Most scholarship on Italian colonialism treats Italy’s colonies as geographically and conceptually separate from the metropole, but this project overturns this division by taking as a starting point the position that the racial order of Fascist Italy was not constructed through its overseas empire alone. This shift in analytic focus redefines where colonialism is studied and how it is understood, positioning the metropole as a racial site rather than a neutral backdrop. My research intervenes directly in the metropolitan context by reading the archive through the lived experiences of Black people rather than treating them as footnotes to Italian history. It treats Black presence as constitutive of Italian national and imperial identity, showing how everyday life and institutions intersected with the racialised understanding of the state. This paper will focus on case studies that highlight forms of resistance (and micro-resistance), protest or subversion acted out by Black individuals in metropolitan Italy. This paper seeks to form a bridge between Saidiya Hartman’s study of ‘the beauty of black ordinary’ that arises from ‘the beauty that propels the experiments in living otherwise’ with the historical context of the Fascist period. Mathilde Lyons is a PhD student in Italian and History at the University of St Andrews. Her research focuses on the experiences of Black people, mainly from Italy’s East African colonies, who lived in Italy during the Fascist period (1922-1945).
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
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.
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.
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.
The Mursi Encountering the Other: challenging hierarchies of knowledge and power South Omo Zone, a lowland area of Ethiopia close to the borders with Kenya and South Sudan, has undergone rapid and unprecedented change in recent decades. Customary livelihoods have been undermined by land-grabbing for sugar plantations, national parks and hydro-electric projects. The inhabitants of South Omo are often marginalized from decision making processes that impact their land, livestock and livelihoods. Yet, far from lacking agency or knowledge, the people of the area are keen to communicate alternative narratives about development and share their aspirations and worries for the future. The richness in expertise derives from their daily experience of their localities but also deep reflection on how it is changing. A partnership between SOAS University of London, the Institute of Peace and Security Studies at Addis Ababa University, and the South Omo Theatre Company has, since 2022, supported more than fifty research projects covering a range of subjects including pro- and ante-natal health care, mobile schools, changing land use, and the impacts of climate change on customary livelihoods. These and other topics were determined, and projects led, by researchers representing the Arbore, Banna, Bodi, Daasanach, Mursi, Nyangatom and Hamer communities. Bardoley Tula, Mercy Mulugeta, Richard Axelby and Emma Crewe will reflect on their experiences of this coalition.
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.
Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini’s Latin Comedy, Chrysis, was composed one year before its author took up holy orders. Fourteen years later, in 1458, he became Pope Pius II. The Chrysis, however, is the product of his humanist youth and the literary brilliance that won him the title of Poet Laureate. This play, full to bursting with dense and dextrous allusions to Roman and Renaissance authors, follows the misadventures of two priests who arrive at a brothel to find that the workers have doubled-booked their appointment with two other clients. The plot revolves around the unravelling of this not-so-accidental double booking. Supported by a cast of characters, including other brothel workers, the brothel keeper, a cook, and other clients, the two priests and the two workers find their ways back to each other. To celebrate the publication of the first English critical edition of this play (Cynthia Liu and R. A. Smith, The 'Chrysis' of Enea Silvio Piccolomini, Bloomsbury, 2025), students of the Classics Faculty, with the support of the Corpus Christi Centre for the Study of Greek and Roman Antiquity and the APGRD, will perform (possibly for the first time in history) Piccolomini’s Chrysis. The humanist-turned-pope attempted to supress the play, famously admonishing his readers to “Reject Aeneas! Accept Pius!”. The two authors of the present edition have ignored Pius’ plea and invite you to raise a glass to Piccolomini’s Chrysis.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Infectious diseases have had devastating effects on human populations throughout history. We created an archaeogenetic-based spatiotemporal map of human pathogens by screening shotgun sequencing data from 1,313 ancient humans, spanning 37,000 years of Eurasian history. We found a widespread presence of ancient bacterial, viral and parasite DNA, identifying 5,486 individual hits against 492 species from 136 genera. Among those hits, 3,384 involved known human pathogens, many of which had not previously been identified in ancient human remains. Moreover, we extended the findings of some pathogens back in time, e.g., hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Yersinia pestis (the cause of plague). We also observed changing epidemiological patterns for the spread of Yersinia pestis and Borrelia recurrentis (the cause of louse-borne relapsing fever) over time, which coincided with changes in the genomes of these pathogens. Grouping the ancient microbial species according to their likely reservoir and type of transmission, we found that while most groups were identified throughout the entire sampling period, zoonotic pathogens were only detected from around 6,500 years ago, peaking roughly 5,000 years ago, coinciding with the widespread domestication of livestock and the migration of pastoralist steppe people from the Pontic Steppe into Europe. Their migration caused a genetic upheaval in Europe and left a lasting genetic legacy, especially in the Northern and North-western parts of Europe, which was as great, or greater, than that of the Anatolian farmers and which shapes susceptibility to many current diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. Our studies on pathogens and multiple sclerosis offer insights into the co-evolution of human lifestyle and diseases, highlighting how cultural changes have influenced the infectious disease landscape over time and the impact infectious disease-associated selective pressures have had on our immune system setup and health today. Astrid Iversen is a professor of virology and immunology at the University of Oxford. Her primary research interest is understanding the co-evolution of pathogens and the human immune response and how a better understanding of these interactions might lead to better treatment of infectious diseases and improved vaccine design. Moreover, she is involved in ancient DNA studies examining how the pathogenic challenges have changed during the last ~12,500 years, the impact this has had on our immune system setup, and the implications for current immune responses to old and new pathogens and autoimmune disease prevalence.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The next war will not wait. As NATO grapples with a grinding Russia-Ukraine conflict, the pace of innovation has become both weapon and weakness. Operation TITAN FORGE—a high-intensity wargame—plunges participants into a near-future battlespace where algorithmic speed, human frailty, and cost asymmetry define survival. Across simulated frontlines, AI-enabled systems execute faster than human command can comprehend, autonomous drones exploit microsecond windows, and “human-on-the-loop” oversight begins to fracture under pressure. Players must navigate the razor’s edge between control and chaos—deciding when to trust the machine, and when to seize it back. Set against the backdrop of hybrid war and rapid escalation, this exercise challenges participants to confront NATO’s core dilemma: can it outthink an adversary willing to outpace it? As systems learn, adapt, and deceive, each decision will test the alliance’s ability to maintain cohesion, ethical command, and technological dominance in a battlespace where the line between human and algorithm blurs. This is not just a scenario—it’s a rehearsal for the wars to come.
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.
Philosophers like to talk a lot, but must also take listening seriously. As Mary Midgley puts it in her paper ‘Philosophizing Out in the World’, philosophers must ‘listen to everyone and cast their nets [widely] before starting to draw… new maps’ (1985, p. 461). In this same paper, and elsewhere, Midgley makes a powerful case for listening in the human sense and highlights how listening has been neglected and led to a sort of epistemic blind spot which blocked an appropriate response to our fellow humans and those at the ‘outer darkness’ (1983, p. 65). Listening, as part of conversation, is a key tenet of our similarities with other animals, and listening is part of how we order and shape our lives. It is a central tool, I will argue, to repairing our relationships with each other, with animals and with the natural world, and should be a more central concern within moral philosophy and education. In short, we need new ways to fall in love with the world again, and listening is one such bridge. Midgley’s ‘plumbing work’ is a crucial methodology for working within moral education, where we will need tools to recognise past failures and to diagnose key issues, as well as repair them, and not further compound the damage. The (Women) In Parenthesis research project, Philosophy in the Wild – Finding Hope in Mixed Communities, is a concrete exploration of what Midgley’s ‘mixed community’ can be, and her work is an invitation to explore multispecies communities and to consider the unknown interlocutor and what that might look like. Listening requires trust, hope and an openness to the possibility that ‘our interlocutor may convey what is yet unknown, unexpected or even what may actually be necessary for our own constant renovation’ (Corradi Fiumara, 1990: 154). In this paper I will explore how the listening tools offered by Midgley, Gemma Corradi Fiumara and others became a focus for the Philosophy in the Wild global journey, a project inspired by Midgley’s work and her beloved biscuit tin. Philosophy in the Wild’s Team Wales, the first and one of the 13 global teams and sites of hope, created workshops and educational resources that have now spawned across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea and beyond.
Clare Pettit, “The Grounds of Empire: Relay and Resistance” (the telegraph, the 1857 Indian Rebellion, and Kipling’s Kim [1901]).
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
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.
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!
A roundtable that brings together activist, political and historical perspectives on 'care', in the later 20th century and today.
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).
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
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.
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.
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.
Putting lived experience experts (PPI) at the heart of research design and delivery is now considered best practice for many studies, across all methodologies. Some funders require evidence of how this will look. Often, however, it is not a productive experience for either researchers or PPI contributors. To have a genuine impact, PPI needs to be carefully planned, costed, monitored and evaluated. RP and CB have both worked for two decades in public involvement, first as lived experience representatives on studies and then as PPI co-investigators, leads, teachers, and mentors, supporting researchers and students working with a broad range of methodologies. They have learnt through knowledge gathering and practice what works for different studies at various stages, and results in meaningful, constructive impact. During the seminar, they will share what impactful PPI looks like, with approaches and tools for going from good to best practice. Bio: Charlotte Bevan has worked in PPI for almost two decades. This is both in her capacity as a lived experience expert representing the charity Sands on national programmes, such as MBRRACE-UK, the National Child Mortality Database, and various research projects focussing on perinatal mortality, as well as in her capacity as an independent PPI consultant and lead for research projects, including most recently the Policy Research Unit in Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare (PRU-MNHC), where she has co-led PPI for 6 years, Oxford Labour Monitoring and MATREP (University of Manchester). She and Rachel Plachcinski are currently supporting the Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health in developing and delivering departmental and individual PPI procedures and plans. A former journalist, Charlotte became involved in maternity research PPI when her first daughter Hope died shortly after birth in 2001.
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
Recessions are periods in which the least productive firms in the economy exit, and as the economy recovers, they are replaced by new and more productive entrants. These cleansing effects improve the average firm productivity. At the same time, recessions induce a loss of varieties. We show that the long-run welfare effects trade off these two forces. This trade-off is governed by love-of-variety and the elasticity of substitution in aggregate production. If industry output is aggregated with the standard CES aggregator, recessions do not bring about any improvement in GDP and welfare. If the economy features more love-of-variety than CES, the social planner optimally subsidizes economic activity both in steady state and even more so in recessions to avoid firm exit. We use the model and quasi-exogenous variation in demand to estimate love-of-variety. We find it to be significantly higher than implied by CES aggregation, suggesting that even the long-run effects of recessions are negative. Finally, we quantitatively characterize the optimal policy response both along the transition and in the steady state.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Shards – Cécile Dudouyt (Paris 13) Collage – Claire Barnes (Oxford) Contagion – Nicolette D'Angelo (UCLA) [online]
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.
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)
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.
Maintaining well-organised data is essential for researchers to ensure the accuracy, integrity, and long-term usability of their work. Approaches to research data management vary according to factors such as the type, volume, and format of data, as well as the systems and platforms used for collection and analysis. For instance, while cloud storage may be suitable for large datasets, it may be less practical for fieldwork or research in remote locations. Researchers working with archival material, secondary sources, or big data often develop tailored strategies to organise and safeguard their data effectively. This panel discussion brings together researchers who have completed data collection to share their experiences and reflections on managing research data throughout the research process. Topics for discussion will include: Approaches to organising, storing and updating data across online and offline platforms Considerations for planning data management in the pre-collection phase Common challenges encountered in post-collection data management and strategies to address them Methods for backing up and securing data against loss or corruption The workshop is open to doctoral candidates and academic staff from all disciplines, at any stage of their research, whether in the planning phase, actively collecting data, or working with existing datasets. The panel format will allow for ample discussion and questions, enabling participants to engage with panellists, exchange experiences, and reflect on lessons drawn from practical research data management. Refreshments will be provided. Panellists Dr Jack Joyce (Research Programme Manager, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences) Dr Russell Kapumha (Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Archaeology) Kristen McCollum (DPhil, Migration Studies) Professor David Zeitlyn (Professor of Social Anthropology, Fellow of Wolfson College) Chair Dr Keiko Kanno
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 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
Book launch & discussion This is the first ever historical dictionary of South Sudan as an independent nation. It focuses on the events, peoples, and cultures of South Sudan that were once treated as marginal to the grand narrative of Sudanese national history, but without disentangling South Sudan from wider historical connections across the Nile Valley and Northeast Africa. With an interpretive introduction by the three authors, it offers new perspectives on historical events and personalities, extensive coverage of recent events and current affairs, short biographies of leading social and political figures, an extensive chronology, a comprehensive bibliography, and maps based on current research illustrating specific issues confronting the new nation. Building on the classical anthropological and historical studies of South Sudanese peoples as well as new research, especially by South Sudanese authors, it provides a foundation on which to build new research on South Sudan and new perspectives on its shared history with Sudan and the wider region. https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/historical-dictionary-of-south-sudan-9798881865979/ Historical Dictionary of South Sudan contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 500 cross-referenced entries on important personalities as well as aspects of the country’s politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about South Sudan.
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 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. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Exhibition of Stone Sculptures from Zimbabwe at St Mary’s Church, High Street, Oxford, 10th October-6th December, 2025 This exhibition features four stone sculptures from Zimbabwe, with explanatory posters. It addresses some of the issues raised by the protests against the statue of Cecil Rhodes at Oriel College in Oxford between 2015 and 2021. The sculptures are by artists working at Chitungwiza Arts Centre, near Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe [Chitungwiza Arts Centre]. They are a response to a competition that was organised by the Centre and the Oxford Zimbabwe Arts Partnership, funded by Oriel College. Sculptors were asked to reflect on the impact and legacy of Cecil Rhodes’ colonial wars [1890-97] on the people of Zimbabwe. They were limited to small-scale works, and each provided a written narrative that explained their sculpture. More than one hundred pieces were submitted with enormous variety: some were explicitly political, some more abstract, and some allegorical. The judges, including two leading Zimbabwean stone sculptors, chose these four pieces. The aims of the exhibition are to provide an African artistic perspective on the Rhodes legacy, to educate viewers and stimulate debate, and to connect Chitungwiza Arts Centre and Oxford. Discussions will be held at: ** St Mary’s Church, High Street on 14th November 2025 at 7.30pm. Please contact Uncomfortable Oxford Booking link [www. Displacing Rhodes: a Critical Conversation on Resilience, Representation, and Colonial Legacies - Uncomfortable Oxford] ** Nissan Institute Lecture Theatre, St Antony’s College, Woodstock Road on 25th November 2025 at 5pm (sponsored by the African Studies Centre). The Winning Sculpture is Blindfolded Justice by Wallace Mkankha, who writes: The stone sculpture represents the cruel legacy of Cecil John Rhodes in Zimbabwe. The face, shrouded in anguish, symbolizes the suffering of the Zimbabwean people. The two hands covering the eyes signify the forced blindness to the truth as Rhodes’ regime imposed its oppressive rule. The two hands struggling to remove the blindfold represent the resilience and determination of Zimbabwean people to break free from oppression. The sculpture symbolizes the ongoing quest for justice, equality and peace.
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
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.
This seminar will explore democratic opposition resistance to illiberalism in Hungary and Serbia. Drawing on recent civic mobilisations, protest movements in Serbia, and emerging spaces of opposition in both countries, the speakers will examine how citizens and local actors challenge the entrenched systems of Viktor Orbán and Aleksandar Vučić. In a comparative discussion, the seminar will shed light on the forms, limits, and potential of democratic engagement under illiberal rule in contemporary Europe.
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.
Industrial or electrotechnical standards have existed for over a century. Initially focused on physical elements, such as screw threads or plugs, they have shifted towards management systems, such as ISO 9001. More recently environmental or energy management standards have been developed, in areas such as life cycle assessment and carbon footprinting. Currently ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) has standards for carbon neutrality and is developing one for net zero-aligned claims. This talk will consider who writes and who uses these standards and if they can contribute positively towards combatting climate change, and how they coexist with accountants’ sustainability standards and initiatives such as the GHG Protocol (Green House Gas) and Science-Based Targets Initiative.
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.
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.
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
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!
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.
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.
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.
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
This lecture draws on research from the Skill Scale Group (www.skillscale.org) at the Oxford Internet Institute, which challenges the common dystopian view that artificial intelligence will cause mass technological unemployment. Instead, the project’s findings show that, as with past general-purpose technologies such as electricity or the Internet, the diffusion of AI has created a surge in demand for new skills—and would not be possible without skilled workers. Today, we see rising demand for people skilled in developing, maintaining, and applying AI. Workers with AI skills are offered on average 23% higher salaries, are twice as likely to receive parental leave, and have a fourfold higher chance of being invited to job interviews. Yet this demand has led to a significant skills mismatch, with important implications for the workforce, the economy, and society at large. The Skill Scale project highlights potential policy responses, including integrating learning into working life and accrediting informal skills.
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.
All humans and plant-monsters are invited for this reading group of Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and John Totleben’s influential run of Swamp Thing (1984-1987). Moore’s writing explores sacred conceptions of nature, non-human life, magic, and psychedelic experiences, and a series of secondary readings have been selected to highlight these themes. Brought to life by Totleben and Bissette’s art, Saga of the Swamp Thing is perhaps the definitive tale of ecospirituality in the comics medium. Please note: if you only have the time to read the primary readings or if you feel you lack specialization on questions related to religion, spirituality, and nature, you are more than welcome to attend. The Bodleian has copies of the relevant Swamp Thing volumes, I have included links to each. The easiest way to access Swamp Thing is via a subscription to DC’s comic book app. Session 2 Readings (November 26) Primary: Moore, Alan, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben. “Book Three (#35-42).” In Saga of the Swamp Thing: Vertigo, 2013. https://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/permalink/44OXF_INST/35n82s/alma990158639300107026 Moore, Alan, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben. “Book Four (#43-50).” In Saga of the Swamp Thing: Vertigo, 2013. https://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/permalink/44OXF_INST/35n82s/alma990158639340107026 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. 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. Cornish, Helen. “Accusing Witches in the Twenty-First Century.” Approaching Religion 13, no. 3 (2023): 23-39.
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 bans.
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.
Please join us to discuss Professor Faisal Devji's latest publication, _Waning Crescent: The Rise and Fall of Global Islam_ (Yale University Press, 2025). All welcome!
On Wednesday, 26th November, the RAI will host author and historian, Tim Greiving, to discuss his new biography, John Williams: A Composer's Life. The talk will be moderated by the composer Daniel Pemberton. Daniel Pemberton is an Ivor Novello Award and multi-BAFTA nominated composer. His film scores include 'Into the Spider-verse', 'Slow Horses', and 'The Materialists' among others.
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_.
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.
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.
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".
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
“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
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.
Join Principal John Bowers KC, who will be in conversation with Stewart Purvis CBE, author of _Guy Burgess, The Spy Who Knew Everyone_. He will talk to the Principal about his career and his interest in the history of spies. Please note: This event will be in College and livestreamed. *Please register ONLY if attending in-person*. For those attending online, a Teams link will be shared on this page - https://www.bnc.ox.ac.uk/alumni/events/2955-pc-231125 - on the day of the event.
A panel discussion marking the launch of an edited collection of essays on “Why the social sciences matter – more than ever”, which exploring climate change, inequality, migration, AI and the mental health crisis. At a time when humanity faces what some describe as a “tsunami of global crises” – from climate catastrophe to unregulated AI, from pandemic threats to deepening inequality – a panel of internationally renowned scholars will make the case that the social sciences are more essential than ever.
Convened by Anthony Teasdale (The Europaeum) and Miles Pattenden (The Europaeum/University of Oxford) The study of European history stands at a critical juncture. Traditionally centred on national narratives and Eurocentric perspectives, historical scholarship in European universities now faces profound challenges both from within and without. The rise of global history has rightfully “provincialised” Europe in historical narratives, while the development of European institutions since 1945 has created new frameworks for understanding shared continental experiences that transcend national boundaries. This Europaeum History Seminar invites critical reflection on how European history is researched, taught, and conceptualised in contemporary academia. It asks whether the post-1945 project of European integration has fostered a distinctly European “historical consciousness” that did not previously exist—and if so, how we might characterise, study, and critique it. Key questions for discussion include (1) how national historical traditions continue to shape historical research within European universities; (2) how the emergence of transnational European institutions has influenced historical scholarship; (3) how far a pan-European historical consciousness has emerged; and (4) how does it interact with national and global perspectives? The seminar also invites participants to reflect on how European historians should respond to the relative decline of Europe’s global influence in the 21st century. The concept of European “historical consciousness” itself requires interrogation. Is it merely an elite project tied to political integration, or does it represent deeper cultural and intellectual currents? How do marginalized histories—of minorities, migrants, colonised peoples, and others—fit within or challenge this consciousness? Does European historical consciousness reinforce or undermine Eurocentrism in global historical narratives? Methodologically, this History Seminar will explore innovative approaches to researching European history and Europe-wide institutions, from traditional archival work to digital humanities, oral history, and interdisciplinary collaborations. It will examine how teaching practices, museum exhibitions, heritage policies, and public commemorations reflect and shape understandings of Europe’s past. https://mfo.web.ox.ac.uk/event/europaeum-history-seminar
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
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.
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.
_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.
Over the past four decades, China has witnessed significant rural-urban migration driven by rapid industrialisation and urbanisation. Under the household registration system (hukou), migrants are often prevented from enjoying full welfare entitlements in their urban destinations. Despite the ongoing hukou reform that aims to equalise welfare distribution among all Chinese citizens regardless of their hukou status, migrants in urban cities still face persistent barriers to accessing welfare benefits and services. This seminar examines and compares the subjective welfare experiences of migrants in three Chinese metropolises, namely Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, by introducing the concept of 'welfare boundary'. Welfare boundary distinguishes social citizenship rights between insiders and outsiders based on spatial differences and is marked by a compromised threshold resulting from the conflict between the universal citizenship rights and limited local resources. It consists of two forms – (i) institutional welfare boundary derived from government policies that determine migrant eligibility for social provisions and (ii) perceptional welfare boundary that reflects migrants’ subjective experiences with the urban welfare system. As insufficient attention has been given to the latter in existing literature, this seminar draws data from focus group interviews with 83 migrants (27 from Beijing, 29 from Shanghai and 27 from Shenzhen) of various age groups and diverse backgrounds to explore the perceptional welfare boundary of Chinese migrants and its variations across these metropolises. The findings suggest that welfare boundary manifests an intended governance of citizenship and mobility that demonstrates a model of 'differential inclusion'. Migrants experience varying levels of welfare boundary in different cities and adopt diverse coping strategies based on specific policies and rational calculations to negotiate for better welfare benefits. However, their power and influences in the boundary-making process remain limited. Qiaobing Wu is Associate Head and Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her primary area of research centres on the health and well-being of children and youths, particularly in the context of migration. Her current research focuses on the impact of migration policy, welfare boundary and social integration on the well-being of children from migrant families, the resilience and mental health of migrant youth across Eastern and Western countries, education and psychological well-being of migrant and left-behind children in China as a consequence of the large-scale rural-urban migration, and identity and health-related outcomes of children and youth resulting from the cross-border migration between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. Wu’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation of the United States, the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Fund, Worldwide Universities Network Research Development Fund and the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies. Her publications appear in international interdisciplinary journals such as Social Science & Medicine, Population, Space and Place, American Journal of Community Psychology, Youth & Society, Children and Youth Services Review, and Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.
Drawing on a background in teaching, photography, and community practice, this session introduces photo-walking as an evolving visual and participatory research method for working with children. I will share how photography can support explorations of place within local and national discourses. Building on my MA research in Culture, Diaspora and Ethnicity (2018), which examined how ethnographic photography can elicit dialogue around local cultures within global and historical contexts, I will share the development of photo-walking as pedagogy through five years of photo-walk practice in schools. Developed through my community interest company, Global Routes Project CIC, this approach positions children as co-researchers. The session will present children’s photographs and voices to demonstrate the methodological and pedagogical insights emerging from this visual research. Within the ERC/UKRI-funded Reparative Futures of Education Project, I am now beginning research that examines the potential of photo-research creation for epistemic and pedagogic redress in education in England. This work will contribute children’s collaboratively developed framings of local places and insights into how visual analyses could support critical visual learning in schools. My research aims to contribute to debates on reparative methodologies and the role of visual inquiry in reimagining educational futures. Teams link here https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3162374157867?p=7ZyJkPiuoplQJXscdH
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.
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
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.
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 (tarryn.ching@nds.ox.ac.uk) if you would like to attend online.
(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.
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.
Helena has an OPEN Visiting Fellowship with Alice Norton's Policy and Practice Research Group at PSI. In this session targeted at early / mid career researchers, she will give an overview of the UK Civil Service and how science policy works, and will draw on the UK Biological Security Strategy as a case study for how departments and policy areas work together on a single issue. They'll also be some practical advice at the session on how to approach a transition into science policy and reflections on Helena's OPEN Visiting Fellowship.
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!
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.
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.
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)
Late imperial Chinese narratives about magical warfare are full of strange figures called 'zhen' 陣. Inspired by the battle arrays of the military treatises, they are depicted in late imperial novels, plays and ballads as powerful architectures, grids or mazes able to capture, disorient, or even simply dissolve the enemy once he steps into the device. Though having attracted the attention of literary historian C.T. Hsia as early as 1971, the late imperial novelese zhens remain largely understudied since. Even the recent studies focusing on the relationships between vernacular narratives and religious rituals barely mention them. This talk will first show in which way 'novelese zhens' are linked to various rituals (Taoist exorcistic altars, festival’s processions) or techniques (divination, games) and what are their overall structural roles in narratives, before turning to what could be the weirdest of all zhen, the 'soul-loosing grid' (mihun zhen 迷魂 陣 ). We will explore its various appearances in novels and plays, from allegorical uses to graphic depictions of powerful black magic drawn from the female body. Vincent Durand-Dastès teaches premodern Chinese literature at the INALCO (Paris) and at the University of Geneva. He has been the co-editor of the scholarly journal 'Etudes chinoises'. His research focuses on late imperial narrative literature in its relationship with the supernatural in a broad acception: He has worked on ghost stories and ghost dramas, dream narratives, Buddhist and Taoist vernacular hagiographies, Underworld’s journeys. He publishes mainly in French, but has also authored two English pieces: 'A late Qing Blossoming of the Seven Lotus: Hagiographic Novels about the Qizhen 七真' (in Quanzhen Daoists in Chinese Society and Culture, 1500-2010, Berkeley, 2013) and 'Divination, Fate Manipulation, and Protective Knowledge: in and around The Wedding of the Duke of Zhou and Peach Blossom Girl, a Popular Myth of Late Imperial China', (in Coping with the Future: Theories and Practices of Divination in East Asia, Brill, 2018). He has edited the volumes 'Empreintes du tantrisme en Chine et en Asie orientale : imaginaires, rituels, influences' (2016) and co-edited 'Fantômes dans l’Extrême-Orient d’hier et d’aujourd’hui' (2017 with Marie Laureillard) & 'Récits de rêve en Asie Orientale' (2018, with Rainier Lanselle).
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.
Patrick Le Galès (SciencesPo/OxPo) London and Paris (urban regions) have become world cities, more globalised. Exchanges have risen and the Eurostar has allowed for large scale mobility between the two. The research on French in London and English in Paris aims at trying to identify patterns of mobility and the making of a London/Paris Upper middle class. The presentation will deal with London where three series of interviews took place in 2017, 2019, and /2025. It argues that Brexit has created a cleavage between those French middle classes that keeps playing with agility between London and Paris and those who distanced themselves from France, including in terms of strategies for their children, real estate or citizenship Patrick Le Galès is CNRS research professor at Sciences Po in sociology, political science and urban studies, at the Centre for European studies and comparative politics. He is a fellow of the British Academy, the Academia Europea, l'Académie des technologies. He is a co editor of the European Journal of Sociology. and was the founding Dean of Sciences Po Urban School. His current work deals with transational mobility and urban class making, the governance of large metropolis (WHIG, What is governed and not governed in large metropolis Paris, London, Sao Paulo, Mexico, Milan, Hong Kong), the restructuring of the state and public policies in Europe (including the UK). Publications include Globalised minds roots in the city (2015) with A.Andreotti and J.Fuentes; Reconfigurating European states in Europe, (with D.King), 2017, La métropole parisienne, une anarchies organisée (with F.Artioli) 2024, The Routledge Handbook of comparative global studies (with J.Robinson), 2024, The instrumentation of public policies (with C.Halpern, P.Lascoumes) Forthcoming 2025.
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.
RSVP here: https://luma.com/lqnts0io The world's top scientists are warning us that AI may cause the end of humanity. PauseAI is an international movement dedicated to preventing AI companies from gambling with extinction. Join us the second ever meeting of PauseAI Oxford. This time we're going to get more into the practical details of what PauseAI does, how we're trying to get a pause and what you can do to preserve the future. 6.00pm - Arrival 6.15pm - Intro talk: How to Pause AI development by Joseph Miller (Reuben College, Director of PauseAI UK) 6.45pm - Social and drinks
The Oxford Political Review, a termly magazine of politics affiliated with the Department of Politics and International Relations, is launching a new issue on 'Solidarity and Solitude'. The theme explores how our political world is shaped by competing impulses: on the one hand, to act for a ‘greater good’ or feel part of a national ‘whole’, but on the other hand to act as alone - from the secrecy of the voting booth to economic self-interest. The talk will take the form of a moderated discussion and audience Q&A. Copies of the new issue will be available for pickup at the event.
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.
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
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.
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.
h5. For general information, please see the series listing. This week’s readings: * Michiel Mejier and Charles Taylor, ‘What Is Reenchantment? An Interview with Charles Taylor,’ in _The Philosophy of Reenchantment_, edited by Michiel Meijer and Herbert De Vriese, 17–37 (Routledge, 2020), https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367823443. * Charles Taylor, ‘Disenchantment-Reenchantment,’ in _Dilemmas and Connections_ (Harvard University Press, 2011). For the full programme visit users.ox.ac.uk/~scro3052/phenomenology/programme.pdf.
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.
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.
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.
This is hosted by the EDI team at the Dunn School..... I am a Professor of Bioscience Education and Parasitology in the School of Infection and Immunity at the University of Glasgow. My research background is molecular parasitology and genetics and I am the Director of Education and a Senior Adviser of Studies. I am a Senior Fellow of Advance HE and my interests in the Scholarship of Learning and Teaching, include publishing on blended learning strategies, embedding employability and the use of digital technology to enhance learning, with a focus on mobile apps and virtual reality. Over the past 4 years I have held grants to collaborate with colleagues and student interns to develop Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategies to enhance the student experience and have been undertaking work to initiate the decolonising of our curriculum
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
Digitisation and AI Bodleian Digitisation Research project: testing ways to digitise our collections at scale In 2025, the Bodleian Libraries began a pilot research project, funded by OpenAI, to investigate how to digitise parts of the collection at scale. Join us online to discover our early findings.
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.
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.
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.
‘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.
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)
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.
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
Step into a dialogue between yin and yang ‒ between femininity and masculinity, stillness and movement, light and shadow. This event explores how these contrasting yet complementary forces shape artistic expression and the art of living, through painting, sound, and performance. The evening opens with a visual presentation and conversation between artist Leilei Qu and philosopher Manhua Li, followed by a roundtable discussion with Nick Bunnin, Leilei Qu, Michelle Castelletti, William Beswick, and Manhua Li. Together, they reflect on how creative and gendered energies influence practice, collaboration, leadership, and community building in the arts. Join us for an evening where opposites meet, revealing yinyang as a living art. Panellists: Dr Nicholas Bunnin: Director of Philosophy Project, University of Oxford China Centre Leilei Qu: Contemporary Chinese artist Dr Michelle Castelletti: Director of the Oxford Festival of the Arts Dr William Beswick: Christensen Fellow in Chinese Painting at the Ashmolean Museum Dr Manhua Li: Marie Curie Research Fellow & Lecturer in Philosophy, Royal Holloway College The event will start with an interview between Leilei Qu and Dr Manhua Li (30 min), followed by a round table discussion (60 min), and a Q&A session (15 min).
The ‘Lobito Corridor’ is a daring plan to put Africa at the heart of the global economy and tilt the global geopolitical equilibrium. By investing billions in Africa’s roads and railways, the United States hopes to challenge China’s dominance on the continent, secure the resources needed for a high-tech future and unlock potentially trillions of dollars of fresh GDP. But is it too late? Has the West been left behind in Africa? And what do local people feel about the economic battle intensifying around them? Lobito-Bound is a thrilling feature documentary following explorer Dwayne Fields on an epic adventure through Tanzania, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola, from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic. On the way, Dwayne lives with, listens to and learns from people whose lives are on the brink of colossal change; all of whom have something to teach Dwayne about Africa, the global economy, the future of the planet and himself. Enjoy a screening of the film and a talk from speakers including Sam Williams (Wolfson College, 2023-15, and executive-producer of Lobito-Bound), Tulinabo Mushingi (U.S. Ambassador to Angola, 2022-24) and Marcia Veiga (BBC World Service)."
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.
We would like to invite you to the book launch: Islamic Law in Saudi Arabia by Dominik Krell (BRILL 2025). The book offers an in-depth exploration of the Saudi judiciary in the twenty-first century. Drawing on Saudi legal literature and court judgments, as well as interviews with leading members of the judiciary, the author addresses two central questions: first, what is the Saudi jurists’ understanding of an Islamic judiciary? And second, how is this understanding reflected in the Saudi legal system, its laws, institutions, and court practices? The event will feature three speakers who will comment on the book: Fernanda Pirie (Centre for Socio-Legal Studies) Martin Lau (SOAS) Muhammad Zubair Abbasi (Royal Holloway)
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.
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
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 consider both the existing and developing global frameworks and mechanisms for pandemic relevant research. Alice will present insights from her group’s research on relevant policies and practices relating to research governance, research prioritisation, research funding and translation of research into practice in the pandemic preparedness and response field. This work will be positioned alongside the ongoing developments in the global pandemic preparedness landscape (such as the pandemic fund and pandemic agreement) to consider the future implications for research in this field. Biography Alice is an Associate Professor, leading the PSI Policy and Practice Research Group. Alice's group undertakes applied research on the design and implementation of policy and practice for pandemic preparedness and response. Alice is also Scientific Director for the Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness (GloPID-R), undertaking research and policy development to support global research funders in their preparedness and response to infectious diseases. Alice is also PI for the Pandemic PACT programme and previous Head of the COVID-19 Research Coordination and Learning Initiative (COVID CIRCLE), tracking research funding and identifying research needs to inform action in collaboration with key stakeholders including global research funders, and Academic & Policy Lead for the Africa Pandemic Sciences Collaborative, working with the Science Foundation of Africa and Mastercard Foundation on Pandemic Sciences. Alice teaches on and is a Course Advisor for the International Health and Tropical Medicine Masters course and is a member of the Oxford Policy Engagement Network Steering Group. Alice is also currently working as an external expert on the World Bank’s evaluation of their last 20 years of investments in pandemic preparedness.
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 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.
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).
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.
Advances in artificial intelligence are accelerating the capacity to decode, manipulate, and weaponize biological information at unprecedented scale. This panel examines the convergence of AI and biotechnology in enabling precision targeting of genetic traits—reshaping deterrence, attribution, and the ethics of warfare itself. As genomic datasets expand and machine learning enhances predictive bio-design, the boundaries between defense, health security, and population control blur. What happens when code meets code—digital and biological—and selective vulnerability becomes a function of data? Bringing together experts in AI governance, bioethics, and national security, this session explores the emerging landscape of algorithmic biology and the profound implications of an era in which intelligence itself becomes a biological instrument.
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
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
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.
We are pleased to invite you to the fourth Oxford Nanopore Users Group Meeting, bringing together researchers and practitioners to share insights and developments in nanopore sequencing. Join us for two exciting presentations followed by drinks and refreshments: PRESENTATIONS Metagenomic Detection of Microbial Infections in Synovial Fluid Hermione Webster DPhil Student, Modernising Medical Microbiology Nuffield Department of Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford Metagenomic Sequencing for Prosthetic Joint Infection: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Hoping to Go Dr Teresa Street Senior Research Scientist, Modernising Medical Microbiology Nuffield Department of Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford For more information, please contact Dan.Dancer@nanoporetech.com or Alexandra.noble@ndm.ox.ac.uk
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
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.
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.
Abstract: There are observable differences in disease prevalence and other traits between human populations but due to confounding factors it is not clear if such differences are due to environmental or genetic factors and/or their interaction. In admixed populations, ancestry differences between and within families can be captured from genome data and we used this design with data from the Mexican City Prospective Study to estimate direct and indirect ancestry effects on risk of diabetes and other traits. Bio: Peter Visscher FRS is Professor of Quantitative Genetics. He has held faculty positions at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Queensland, and honorary or affiliate positions at the University of Melbourne, UMCG Groningen and the Karolinska Institute. He is in the process of moving his lab to the Big Data Institute. Professor Visscher is known for his research investigating the genetic basis of complex human traits, including common diseases. His research focuses on the causes and consequences of human trait variation. He developed and applied statistical analysis methods to quantify and dissect the contribution of DNA polymorphisms to trait variation. He was one of the first to propose, advocate and show that genome and trait data can be used to predict individuals who are genetically at high risk of disease. The use of “polygenic risk scores” in health care is now being trialled worldwide. There will be tea/coffee and cakes available for seminar attendees in Atrium 1, 30 min prior to the seminar.
Nellaker Group With the rapid rise of LLM based agentic AI chatbots we have a new powerful tool at our disposal to drive research forward - maybe. Everyone in the university now has access to ChatGPT Edu, so how does this work, and how should we and should we not use this? We will give a quick explanation of how these models work in simple terms, common use cases for these tools in research and an overview of risks and dangers of which to be wary. We can’t give a complete list of do’s and don’ts, but we hope to help you thinking in the right way around these issues as we all navigate how to use LLMs in research with integrity and confidence.
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.
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.
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).
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.
In the mid-1960s, the post-independent government of the Republic of Kenya embarked on an ambitious tourism development programme. With state investments in hotels and lodges, liberal investment policies for international investors, an official promotional machinery, and the assistance of international experts, tourism became a key element of Kenya's overall development strategy and efforts in economic modernisation. The origins of this programme can be traced to late-colonial development efforts, as well as the momentum tourism gained during the 1960s as a panacea for world peace and the economic catch-up of developing countries. The initial success of tourism development with annual visitor growth rates of 15% allowed Kenya to transform its colonial economy and established itself as the prime tourist destination in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet a new economic dependency on the international tourist industry dominated by Western corporations, highly competitive and sensitive to a variety of issues, emerged visibly in the global recession of the mid-1970s. Despite mounting challenges and the failure of large development projects, the Kenyan government remained committed to tourism development, as not only the state but Kenya's political patrons under both Kenyatta and Moi had invested in tourism. The presentation, therefore, frames tourism development not only as a category to analyse Kenya's economic history but also its postcolonial political regime in a national as well as global context. Mathias Hack is a doctoral researcher at Leipzig University. His research interests are the history of European colonialism, global tourism after 1945 and postcolonial Eastern Africa.
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.
In this talk, Dr Ross Brooks (he/him) will give us a sneak preview (and perhaps even a covert cover reveal!) of his forthcoming book, _Darwin and the Queer Origins of Life_, to be published by Yale University Press next August. Perceptions of Darwin’s sexological ideas and legacy have long been clouded by simplistic accounts of his theory of sexual selection: competitive males and coy females perpetuating species. Digging deeper, Ross will outline some of Darwin’s encounters with queer creatures and how they continually modified his thinking about the origins and evolution of sex, leading him to the startling conclusion, ‘Every man & woman is hermaphrodite.’ Intersex fish species, seahorse dads, gynandromorph butterflies, a hen-feathered cockerel named Hector. All queered Darwin’s evolutionary sexology in ways that have hitherto been little appreciated, obscured by his dogmatic devotion to Victorian gender and sexual mores. *Dr Brooks* is an Associate Lecturer in history at Oxford Brookes University and curator of the Queer Oxford project (queeroxford.info). He has been integral in originating queer perspectives on the history of evolutionary biology and his reappraisal of Charles Darwin's sexological science has been especially influential. Ross appears in the pioneering nature documentary Queer Planet which premiered in the UK on Sky Nature in November 2023. He is a Fellow of the Linnean Society. Any questions, please contact "$":mailto:natalie.duffus@biology.ox.ac.uk or "$":mailto:william.paine@biology.ox.ac.uk
This paper provides an analytical review of the emergent roles of artificial intelligence, new technologies of communication in modern (twentieth and twenty-first century) Catholicism through the prisms of people, place, pilgrimage and prayer. This collaborative paper charts a critical cross-disciplinary cartography of the Vatican’s pioneering involvement with new scientific and technological media of the modern age as means for enhancing its ancient and today still unchanged mission of evangelization, conversion, paths to holiness and sanctification. Focused attention is here placed upon the journeying of people (the faithful) to holy sites (physical places) of devotion, a physical manifestation of a spiritual, prayerful quest defined as pilgrimage. Exemplars highlighted here are the Marian pilgrimage sites of Lourdes (1858), Knock (1879) and Fatima (1917). The paper is divided into two parts. The first charts how the modern Catholic Church across seven papacies has explored ethically informed and theologically guided means of using new technologies of communication for advancing an ancient catechetical mission towards conversion of life. The second narrates the origin stories and global impacts of the three selected Marian pilgrimage sites. If in the first the Vatican has embraced modern-day technological innovation, then, it does so we argue with distinctive ethical and theological interpretations of the fundamentals of what is most important for the faithful in terms of communication – of overriding significance here is the message of salvation. In the second, it is decidedly human, embodied, physical and spiritual, pathways to sanctification which define pilgrimage and prayer for the faithful. Conjoined – the message of salvation and pathways to sanctification – in the seemingly simple journeying of people (the faithful) to holy sites (physical places) of pilgrimage and prayer we have here an existential, ontological, metaphysical set of as yet to fully explored ways of thinking about what it means to be human, mind, body, soul, and not a machine.
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 talk explores the emergence of the video format and the emergence of new, sensationalist cinematic genres, as they interact with the mediated spaces of urban cinema in late 1980s and 1990s China. While cinema in the first half of the 1980s dealt with competition from television, a relatively regulated medium, urban China at the turn of the decade became the proving ground for the more undisciplined medium of the videocassette. Instead of entertaining consumers at home, video was a semi-theatrical medium consumed in urban institutions known as video halls that became ubiquitous in the late 1980s and remained essential fixtures of urban life into the next decade. Video halls were seedy, semi-legal spaces in which mostly men watched mostly pulpy genres. Video content was often pirated: poorly copied, consumed and circulated with little regard for elite literary and cinematic taste. A late 80s explosion of violent and sexually suggestive video titles threatened the economic bottom line of Chinese cinema by tantalizing audiences with material that could not be shown in Chinese theaters. In response to audiovisual competition, the Chinese film industry indulged in remarkably (sexually) violent production. In my analysis of several significant late 80s films, The Last Frenzy (1987), The Price of Frenzy (1988), Samsara (1988), and The Yellow Specter of the Night (1989), I show how video and illicit genres were both pathologized and embraced to theorize a new embodied and anxious mode of spectatorship. The shocking exploits of video exploded onto the big screen just as the economic violence of the decade was about to come to a head in political upheaval. In turning to the culturally low and inhabiting the urban media margins, cinema evinced a dark turn in Chinese (media) history, failing to live up to the ideals of economic reform and repeatedly gesturing to social collapse. How do we understand this 'end of cinema' when we read it against the violent materiality of the video encounter? Content note: The talk concerns films that feature sexual assault and strong violence. Images of characters in psychological and physical distress will be used to advance theoretical arguments about the relationship between video and body genres. Dr Julia Keblinska is Assistant Professor of Asian Film and Media in Film & Screen Studies, Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics, University of Cambridge. She received her PhD from the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, University of California, Berkeley and has previously worked at the Ohio State University.
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.
Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are blood cancers characterised by well-defined driver mutations. Some patients develop bone marrow (BM) fibrosis, which is associated with a poor clinical prognosis. Complex interactions between immune, stromal and haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in the BM are implicated in the development of fibrosis. However, our understanding of how the BM microenvironment underpins this process is limited by the lack of objective, quantitative descriptions of BM topology. We use spatial transcriptomic (ST) analysis to explore the BM microenvironment in MPN. We have developed a workflow that integrates H&E-based annotation and AI-based image analysis with ST data to provide high-resolution, whole section profiling of the human BM. We identify spatially-restricted patterns of haematopoiesis and cellular neighbourhoods that define both the normal BM, and the perturbation in MPN. Using an AI-based fibrosis detection algorithm, we identify microenvironmental features associated with regions of fibrosis. We then develop novel AI-based approaches to identify spatial signatures that characterise the normal BM, and which capture cohort and sample-level microenvironmental heterogeneity. Our observations open the door to a new era of spatial biomarker discovery.
In this PSI Seminar, Dr Bassam Hallis from the UK Health Security Agency will introduce the Vaccine Development Evaluation Centre (VDEC). The session will be hosted by PSI and chaired by Rachel Kenneil. The seminar will take place from 12:00 to 13:00, followed by a sandwich lunch and an opportunity to network with attendees. About the speaker Bassam Hallis, PhD, is the Deputy Director and the lead for the Vaccine Development and Evaluation Centre. Bassam has over 35 years’ experience working with public sector, industry and academia in the development and evaluation of vaccines and therapeutics. He provides scientific and operational leadership to large number of Projects primarily associated with immunogenicity and efficacy evaluation of vaccines and therapeutics for high consequences infectious diseases including Influenza and COVID-19. These included projects from early-stage antigen discovery up to post licensure and incorporate in-vitro and in-vivo activities at containment level 2, 3 and 4. Seminar outline The UKHSA VDEC was established to utilise its unique capabilities to support development and licensure of countermeasures. We work with academia, not for profit and pharma to provide access to our regulated facilities including in vitro and in vivo up to BSL4. We also work globally to enhance capabilities in global south. Please join Dr Bassam Hallis, Head of VDEC, to understand more on its capabilities and partnerships.
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
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.
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.
All humans and plant-monsters are invited for this reading group of Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and John Totleben’s influential run of Swamp Thing (1984-1987). Moore’s writing explores sacred conceptions of nature, non-human life, magic, and psychedelic experiences, and a series of secondary readings have been selected to highlight these themes. Brought to life by Totleben and Bissette’s art, Saga of the Swamp Thing is perhaps the definitive tale of ecospirituality in the comics medium. Please note: if you only have the time to read the primary readings or if you feel you lack specialization on questions related to religion, spirituality, and nature, you are more than welcome to attend. The Bodleian has copies of the relevant Swamp Thing volumes, I have included links to each. The easiest way to access Swamp Thing is via a subscription to DC’s comic book app. Session 3 Readings (December 3) Primary: Moore, Alan, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben. “Book Five (#51-56).” In Saga of the Swamp Thing: Vertigo, 2013. https://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/permalink/44OXF_INST/35n82s/alma990159587870107026 Moore, Alan, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben. “Book Six (#57-64).” In Saga of the Swamp Thing: Vertigo, 2014. https://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/permalink/44OXF_INST/35n82s/alma990165745770107026 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. White, Carol Wayne. “Planetary Thinking, Agency, and Relationality: Religious Naturalism’s Plea.” In Earthly Things, 173–85 Fordham University Press, 2023.
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.
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.
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.
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.
*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.
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
Join online via Microsoft Teams by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/2s3hfr23
'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.
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.
In a previous volume, Comparative Area Studies: Methodological Rationales and Cross-Regional Applications (Oxford University Press, 2018), Ariel Ahram, Patrick Köllner and I laid out the distinctive features and value-added of “comparative area studies” (CAS) against the backdrop of ongoing methodological debates in the social sciences. CAS seeks to retain and utilize the in-depth, immersive knowledge associated with extensive area-based training and expertise while encouraging contextualized comparisons involving engagement with research and debates on highly relevant cases brought in from other, less familiar areas. The goal is not to infer full-blown causal generalizations but rather to generate novel interpretations and partially portable middle-range propositions that may elude researchers who rely on aggregate data or limit their cases to a single area they are familiar with. In short, the promise of the CAS framework lies in a concerted effort to reinvigorate area studies, to encourage members of multiple area studies communities to engage more with each other around specific issues, and to leverage contextualized comparisons across regions so as to stimulate fresh interpretations and conceptual frameworks that speak to disciplinary debates in the social sciences. Since the publication of the 2018 volume, a new cohort of (mostly qualitative) researchers has sought to connect a growing range of scholarly endeavors to the CAS framework while asking important questions about its epistemological flexibility and about the institutional pressures that the CAS approach must contend with. These questions have inspired a new volume, Advancing Comparative Area Studies: Analytical Heterogeneity and Organizational Challenges (Oxford University Press, 2025), which brings in more varied approaches and topics along with some new voices, including those of fifteen scholars who had no connection to the first volume. The latter book showcases how CAS can accommodate a wider range of area-based scholarship predicated on more varied methodological and epistemological principles. This includes not only contextualized comparisons of countries from different regions but also interpretive work, sub-national comparisons focused on sites and sectors, as well as inter-regional comparisons that speak to global issues such as human rights and the rise of regional powers (topics that go beyond comparative politics, which was the focus of the first volume). Moreover, the volume offers practical, realistic discussions of how our current institutional architecture can be adapted to: (i) bridge debates going on in different area studies communities to each other and to disciplinary debates; and (ii) spur discussions of how a more efficient and streamlined infrastructure can support both area studies programs and cross-regional comparative research in an uncertain institutional environment marked by growing fiscal pressures that threaten to eliminate some area studies programs. Rudra Sil is Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania where he is also SAS Director of the dual-degree Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business. He received his Ph.D. from Berkeley before joining the Penn faculty in 1996. His scholarly interests encompass Russian/post-communist studies, Asian studies, comparative labor politics, international development, qualitative methodology, and the philosophy of social science. Sil is currently working on a monograph titled The Fate of a Former Superpower: Russia’s Troubled Search for Relevance and Recognition in a Post-Cold War World. He has previously authored, coauthored, or coedited eight books. These include two monographs – Managing ‘Modernity’: Work, Community, and Authority in Late-Industrializing Japan and Russia (2002) and Beyond Paradigms: Analytic Eclecticism in the Study of World Politics (2010), coauthored with Peter Katzenstein and honored as a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title – as well as six co-edited books, including The Politics of Labor in a Global Age (2001), World Order After Leninism (2006) and, most recently, Advancing Comparative Area Studies: Analytical Heterogeneity and Organizational Challenges (2025). His articles have appeared in a variety of scholarly journals, including Perspectives on Politics, Comparative Political Studies, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Theoretical Politics, Economy and Society, Post-Soviet Affairs and Studies in Comparative International Development. The paper in Comparative Political Studies was awarded the Dorothy Day Award for Outstanding Labor Scholarship. Sil is also recipient of multiple teaching awards, including the 2022 Ira H. Abrams Memorial Prize for Distinguished Teaching in the School of Arts and Sciences.
Solving the SEND crisis: a public seminar about the Education Select Committee report
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
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.
The Global Centre on Healthcare and Urbanisation Public Seminar series brings together members of the public, researchers and practitioners interested and engaged in urban health issues. The principal aim of the series is to provoke debate and constructive action, linking current best practice in urban development with emerging areas of health research. How does the design of our neighbourhoods affect how connected, healthy, and supported we feel? This public seminar explores how streets, transport, public spaces, and local meeting places can either bring people together or leave us feeling isolated. According to Age UK, in England, more than two million people over 75 live alone, and 1.4 million older adults experience chronic loneliness. While many studies focus on older people, younger and middle-aged individuals are also affected - the latest Community Life Survey from 2023/2024 shows that approximately 7% of adults often feel lonely. As loneliness is now recognised as major public health challenge, this seminar asks how better urban design and planning could help to ensure that we remain socially connected in our neighbourhoods as we age. By listening to lived realities and embedding them into planning and policy, can we create fairer, more inclusive, and better-connected communities for everyone? The event will be chaired by GCHU Research Fellow Dr Hannah Grove. Paul Cann OBE, CEO for Global Initiative on Loneliness and Connection Dr Georgina Everett, Research and Impact Lead, Re-engage Professor Flora Samuel, Head and Professor of Architecture (1970), University of Cambridge Martyn Craddock, Chief Executive, United St Saviour's Charity This in-person event is free and open to all. Refreshments will be served from 17:00. The seminar will begin at 17:30, followed by a drinks reception at 18:30. Please note that we will be recording this event and a link to view it will be available on the GCHU website at a later date. There will also be a photographer taking photos at the event. If you unable to attend after booking, please email events@kellogg.ox.ac.uk
Join us for an insightful evening of conversation in the field of AI in medical research and pharmaceutical research and development, featuring a fireside chat with Dr Mishal Patel (Senior Vice President, AI & Digital Innovation, R&D at Novo Nordisk) in conversation with Professor Blanca Rodriguez (Professor of Computational Medicine, UOX) and for networking drinks after the event. The Speakers: Dr Mishal Patel, Senior Vice President of AI & Digital Innovation at Novo Nordisk, and UK R&D Site Head Dr Patel leads pioneering work in applying AI and machine learning to accelerate drug discovery and development. With a background in medicinal chemistry and experience across institutions like the Institute of Cancer Research and AstraZeneca, he is committed to reshaping biopharmaceutical research to deliver life-saving therapies faster. Known for fostering a culture of integrity and innovation, Patel balances professional ambition with personal passions—family, football, and redefining success beyond metrics. Professor Blanca Rodriguez, Professor of Computational Medicine and Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow in Basic Biomedical Sciences Professor Rodriguez specialises in computational modelling and simulation to investigate how the heart responds to disease and therapies. Her research integrates experimental and clinical insights from electrophysiology and pharmacology, aiming to improve diagnosis and treatment of cardiac conditions. She focuses on understanding variability in cardiac responses—whether due to disease, drugs, or genetic mutations—and the complex, multiscale mechanisms behind cardiac electromechanical activity. Professor Rodriguez serves on the Board of the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research and is a member of the e-cardiology Nucleus Group of the European Society of Cardiology.
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.
*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.
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
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.
Lesson of the week, clinical cases and research. All clinical and academic staff and students welcome. Coffee, Tea and Cake will be served.
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
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.
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 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
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
Join us for a discussion about the important authoritarian changes underway across various global governance domains. Following the end of the Cold War, the world experienced a remarkable wave of democratization as numerous authoritarian regimes transitioned to democracies and it seemed that authoritarianism as a political model was fading. But recent events show the world is changing. Liberal ideas are globally on the defensive, while emerging powers—including China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia—are actively trying to reshape international rules, values, and relationships to promote their regimes and geopolitical agendas, and the United States is now rapidly disengaging from international rule-making and global governance, further empowering this authoritarian shift. Alexander Cooley is the Claire Tow Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University. From 2015-2021 he served as the fifteenth director of Columbia University's Harriman Institute and from 2022-2025 served as the Vice Provost for Research at Barnard College. Professor Cooley's research examines how international actors have influenced the governance, sovereignty, and security of the post-Communist states. In addition to his academic publications, Professor Cooley's commentaries have appeared in Foreign Affairs, New York Times, and Washington Post, and he has testified for the US Congress, UK Parliament, and the Parliament of Canada. Alexander Dukalskis is associate professor in the School of Politics & International Relations at University College Dublin. His research and teaching interests include authoritarian politics, human rights, and Asian politics. He is also a frequent expert commentator in national and international media on these themes. From 2022-2024 he directed UCD's Centre for Asia-Pacific Research. He is the author of two previous books, Making the World Safe for Dictatorship (Oxford University Press, 2021) and The Authoritarian Public Sphere (Routledge, 2017), and academic articles in several leading journals.
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
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. Commentator: Utsa Bose (History, University of Oxford)
Sandrine Robert (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (Paris - Aubervilliers, France), with consortium Project Time Machine, CNRS, IR* HumaNum and The Water Factory) Water circulation is a determining factor in the organisation and resilience of the landscape in the long term. We will examine this through recent work carried out by the Time Machine project consortium, IR* CNRS and The Water Factory, such as an ancient meander of the Seine, whose shape is still visible in the urban fabric of Paris, or the landscapes of Pyrenean summer pastures structured by irrigation.
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.
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. 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.
Inhaled bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) provides a controlled human model to interrogate anti-mycobacterial immunity at defined time points, something not feasible in natural Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. It also represents a promising mucosal vaccination route that outperforms intradermal (ID) BCG in animal models. We will present updated findings from two clinical trials in healthy adults: BCG-naïve and historically BCG-vaccinated participants received aerosolised BCG, with control groups of BCG-naïve participants given inhaled saline and previously vaccinated participants given ID BCG. Lung mucosal and peripheral blood responses were characterised longitudinally using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and bulk T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing.
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. Programme 9.15 am - 12.30 pm Chris Chaplin (London School of Economics) Political Dynasties and Protest in the Digital Age: Platformed Youth, Legitimacy, and Indonesia’s 2025 Protests. David Jackman (Oxford Department of International Development) The Politics Behind Bangladesh's Gen-Z Revolution: Corruption, Youth Crisis and the Military Adnan Nassemullah (Oxford School of Global and Area Studies) Redeeming the Establishment? Naya vs Purana Pakistan Nyi Nyi Khaw (University of Bristol) Hybridity, Progressiveness, Radicalism: Rethinking Resistance in Myanmar’s Spring Revolution Oliver Walton and Waradas Thiyagaraja, (University of Bath) From the Street to the System: The Aragalaya, Political Change and Marginalised Groups in Post-2022 Sri Lanka 1.30 pm - 4.15 pm Fraser Sugden (University of Birmingham) Youth protest in Nepal, migration and the agrarian question Tat Yan Kong (School of Oriental and African Studies, London) The failure of labour inclusion in South Korea and its implications Duncan McCargo (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) ‘Let it End in Our Generation’: Beyond Thailand’s 2020 Youth Protests Richard Javad Heydarian (Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford) Political Economy of Corruption”: Authoritarian vs Liberal Populism in the Philippines General Discussion
Fortnightly meetings run by the Clinical Neurosciences Pain Network (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.
h5. For general information, please see the series listing. This week’s readings: * Charles Taylor, ‘Epistemic Retreat and the New Centrality of Time,’ chap. 9 in _Cosmic Connections: Poetry in the Age of Disenchantment_ (Harvard University Press, 2024), https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674297074-010. * Charles Taylor, ‘Brandom’s Hegel,’ in _Reading Brandom: On ‘A Spirit of Trust,’_ edited by Gilles Bouché, 198–207 (Routledge, 2020), https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003001942-14. For the full programme visit users.ox.ac.uk/~scro3052/phenomenology/programme.pdf.
Join us for a special event with Daisy J. Hung as she launches her insightful new book, I Am Not a Tourist: Conversations on Being British Chinese. From politics to popular culture, British Chinese experiences have had little visibility, remaining largely unseen and rarely discussed. I Am Not a Tourist is a fierce and moving exploration of what it means to be British Chinese today, and a rallying cry against longstanding East and Southeast Asian racism that increased exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on personal stories, extensive interviews and research, the book excavates the intricacies of identity, reveals forgotten histories, and explores the nuances of representation in a society that doesn’t always ‘see’ you. Daisy J. Hung is a diversity practitioner, author and artist, advocating for social justice across personal and professional spheres. She is the Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division at the University of Oxford. Daisy has a unique, international perspective on race, identity, and belonging, informed by a career of over two decades across legal, non-profit and education sectors working to support marginalised communities. As a person of Chinese descent, born in Canada with family from Hong Kong, raised in the US, and now settled in the UK, her sense of identity has shifted among many different contexts. Daisy was longlisted for the Penguin Random House WriteNow 2020 competition, and was selected for the inaugural HarperCollins Author Academy programme in 2021 and The Greene Door Project’s mentoring scheme in November 2021.
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.
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.
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.
Prof. Ian A. Wilson obtained a B.Sc. from Edinburgh University (1971), D. Phil. (1976) and D.Sc. (2000) from Oxford University, was a postdoc at Harvard University 1977-82, and joined Scripps Research Institute as a faculty member in 1982. His contributions include structural characterization of many key antigen recognition receptors in innate and adaptive immunity, including over 550 antibodies and antibody complexes, T cell receptors, MHC class I and II, CD1, TLRs, VLRs, NODs, etc. His lab’s current focus is on how antibodies recognize influenza virus, HIV-1, HCV, SARS-CoV-2, Mpox, astroviruses, alphaviruses, and P. falciparum to aid in design of vaccines and therapeutics. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, International Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, International Member of the US National Academy of Sciences, and Honorary Fellow, Corpus Christi College, Oxford.
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.
Adaptive immune responses unfold within complex tissue microenvironments that shape clonal selection, effector fate, and long-term immune resilience. I will discuss new spatial transcriptomic technologies we’ve developed which capture the state, receptor sequence, and location of lymphocytes directly in situ. These approaches reveal how T and B cell diversity is organized across germinal centers, inflamed tissues, and aging thymus. By integrating clonal and spatial information, we can map how immune interactions and tissue cues drive adaptation, regeneration, and decline, offering a framework for decoding adaptive immunity across health, aging, and disease.
coming soon
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.
Convened by Victoria Musvik, Stephen Whitefield (Pembroke College, Oxford) & Florence Faucher (SciencesPo, Paris) In collaboration with OxPo With Kathy Rousselet, Directrice de Recherche/Senior Research Fellow, Sciences Po Alexandra Koroleva, PhD candidate, Centre d’histoire de Sciences Po/Centre for History (CHSP), Sciences Po Anna Sidorevich, Research Associate, Centre for History (CHSP), Sciences Po Carole Sigman, Tenured Senior Researcher (political sociology), CNRS Although very popular with Western scholars in the late 1980s-1990s, in the subsequent years perestroika has dropped out of the research mainstream and become poorly conceptualised. Recently, however, new generations of researchers have started to suggest new approaches and more complex perspectives. Methodologically, in the past few years, the field of ‘perestroika studies’ has been getting increasingly diverse, in several disciplines, and academic traditions. Besides, ‘newer’ research methodologies, such as visual studies, history of emotions, affect theory, trauma and memory studies, and decolonial, critical regionalist and imperial research, among others, have developed around or since 1985. Scholars mostly agree that the mainstream narrative about perestroika as a gift ‘from the centre’ and ‘from above’ should be subverted. This means concentrating on various regional roots and contributions, giving more space to non-metropolitan and local voices, and encouraging looking from previously marginalised perspectives. To celebrate perestroika’s 40th anniversary, the conference will bring together researchers from diverse disciplinary fields and countries.
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.
Book talk for _Crucibles of Power: Smolensk under Stalinist and Nazi Rule_, by *Michael David-Fox*, with roundtable commentary from Dan Healey, Stephen Smith, and Zbigniew Wojnowski. This event will be followed by a drinks reception. *_Please see the All Souls event page for the registration link, which will be posted closer to the event_*.
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.
As part of the ANR SocioMA Project Please note that presentations will be given in French and in English The first study day of the ANR SocioMA project seeks to explore the foundations of categorical thought as applied to medieval society: what mechanisms or intellectual processes did social actors employ to define, delimit, and name social categories? Considering either the whole of Latin Christendom or a part of it, the contributions will examine the cultural structures and intellectual processes at work in categorical thinking through the following questions: what scholarly and/or practical taxonomies existed in Latin Europe? Who were the agents of these classifications, for what purpose did they produce them, and according to which specific criteria? What intellectual tools were used to produce these nomenclatures, and what vocabulary was employed to describe them? What influence did these nomenclatures exert on groups other than those that produced them, how did they contribute to a “social work of representation,” and how did they articulate a social imagination? What permeability existed between these categories, or, conversely, what conflicts arose between them? Convened by: Antoine Destemberg (MFO / CREHS – Université d’Artois) Aude-Marie Certin (CRESAT – Université de Haute-Alsace) Joël Chandelier (Université de Lausanne) Arnaud Fossier (LIR3s – Université de Bourgogne) Carole Mabboux (MéMo – Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis) Sandrine Victor (Framespa – INU Champollion)
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.
All cells must continuously manage reactivity – the chemistry that sustains life but also threatens it. Endogenous aldehydes such as formaldehyde are unavoidable byproducts of essential metabolism that challenge genome integrity, while uncontrolled lipid peroxidation can lead to ferroptotic cell death when antioxidant capacity becomes compromised. Both stresses are mainly handled by the same nucleophilic molecule: glutathione, creating a fundamental trade-off that must be resolved. In this lecture, I will discuss how cancer cells rewire their nucleophilic metabolism to navigate this conflict, prioritizing aldehyde detoxification or ferroptosis resistance according to their oncogenic landscape.
Lesson of the week, clinical cases and research. All clinical and academic staff and students welcome. Coffee, Tea and Cake will be served.
Prof Kumar will be discussing his work with the RECLAIM Network Plus,* the GREENIN Network Plus** and GP4Streets***, as well as his wider Global Centre for Clean Air Research work. *RECLAIM Network Plus is a 'one-stop-shop’ for towns and cities to find the information and support you need to install green and blue infrastructure in your communities and to put you in touch with others with similar interests and experiences. **People have been using plants such as ferns and succulents to brighten up their homes for millennia, but how much of an impact do they have on our environment and wellbeing? A new project led by the University of Surrey’s Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) will explore the role of plants and green infrastructure in improving indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and promoting health in the face of climate change. ***At GP4Streets, we recognise that streets are the heart of our neighbourhoods, yet they are often the most deprived areas in terms of green-blue-grey infrastructure (GBGI). Our vision is to transform these urban spaces into resilient, sustainable environments through innovative, do-it-yourself (DIY) GBGI solutions.
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)
Convened by Marcandria Peraut & Christine Chivallon 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. https://mfo.web.ox.ac.uk/event/international-conference-island-and-empire-revolts-repressions-memories-mediterranean
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
Join leaders from across the research community to steer the future of sustainable research practice. Share lessons from implementing the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) and help shape the next phase by connecting with the funders, industry partners and researchers driving this change. For the closing session, we will be joined by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Irene Tracey, CBE, FRS, FMedSci, to recognise and celebrate the outstanding contributions of teams and individuals who have championed sustainability across Oxford’s laboratories and departments.
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.
This online version of this event will be chaired by Head of Department Professor Martin Maiden who will introduce Dr Beth Mortimer for an exciting talk on the fascinating world of animals with the ability to detect surface vibrations – a remarkable sense we call seismic sensing. From spiders that shake their webs and sing love songs, to elephants that rumble the ground when there’s danger, many species use vibrations to communicate. Discover how detecting vibrations generated by elephants in the African savannah can aid in their conservation, and how the unique sensitivity of spiders could inspire new robotic systems that use vibrations as an information source.
This in person event will be chaired by Head of Department Professor Martin Maiden who will introduce Dr Beth Mortimer for an exciting talk on the fascinating world of animals with the ability to detect surface vibrations - a remarkable sense we call seismic sensing. From spiders that shake their webs and sing love songs, to elephants that rumble the ground when there's danger, many species use vibrations to communicate. Discover how detecting vibrations generated by elephants in the African savannah can aid in their conservation, and how the unique sensitivity of spiders could inspire new robotic systems that use vibrations as an information source.
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.
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
Time: 2pm to 4pm (including 30 minutes for tea and coffee and networking at the end). 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, what tools and approaches are out there and how all this is 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 and Federica Lucivero, Associate Professor in the Ethics of Technology at Oxford.
Join us for a one-day, in-person conference hosted by the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS) Division, bringing together researchers, technicians, and research enablers to explore how artificial intelligence is shaping scientific inquiry—and the ethical questions that arise. This event is a showcase for cutting-edge research across the MPLS Division, with opportunities for interdisciplinary exchange, networking, and collaboration.
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.
This lecture lays three kinds of foundations: it defines the project of exploring the ‘language of social science in everyday life’; it suggests how this project can revise or challenge classic accounts in social theory of the power/knowledge complex from Foucault to Koselleck, Raymond Williams and Giddens; and it gives an indication of the new vocabulary generated by the emergence of social science from the late 18th century.
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.
BIO Neil Davies is a Professor of Medical Statistics at the Division of Psychiatry, UCL. He holds a joint appointment with the Department of Statistical Sciences. Neil gained a BSc in Economics and Econometrics at the University of Bristol (2005) and completed an M.Sc. in Economics (Bristol) in 2006. Under the supervision of Richard Martin, Frank Windmeijer and George Davey Smith, he completed his Ph.D. in Epidemiology (Bristol, 2012). He has held an ESRC Future Research Leaders Fellowship 2014-2018. From 2018-2022 he leads a stream of research at the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit which used family-based designs to improve causal inference in genetic epidemiology. Neil Davies joined UCL in 2022 as a Professor of Medical Statistics.
Academic mobility has been long regarded as the epitome of excellence. Yet not only the rise of far-right governments threatening migrant population and academic freedom, but also the idealisation of mobility rooted in the human capital approach, and narrow definitions of migration based solely on border crossing or nationality, underscore the urgent need for novel conceptualisations of mobility – beyond and within the nation state. In this webinar, I discuss two aspects. First, at a conceptual level, I present the ‘Critical Mobilities Heuristic’ and discuss its four lenses, focusing on: (1) broader definitional and normative aspects; (2) the construction of the academic subject and the enactments of (im)mobility; (3) the temporal and processual nature of (im)mobility; and (4) the importance of a methodological stance that is sensitive to participants perspectives and context. Second, I explain the application of the heuristic and how I constructed the figure of the (im)mobile academic in a research project exploring the dissimilar experiences of academics in enacting local and international research collaboration at Centres of Excellence in the Social Sciences and Humanities (see 10.1111/hequ.70027). I conclude the presentation by reflecting on the broader implications of rethinking migration, beyond the exclusionary categories of ‘us’ and ‘them’, in the pursuit of a more inclusive society and the protection of democracy.
_Taxis_ and _kosmos_, both translated as “order,” signify differently in Plato’s dialogs. Taxis orders souls and cities through the giving of orders, which, taking their bearing from what is divine and immutable, prescribe, command, and compel obedience. By contrast, and like the crafts of weaving and architecture analogized to statecraft in _Statesman_, kosmos gives order by taking its bearing from what is being ordered and the interdependent and dynamic relationships across craftspeople, their materials, and their ends. This lecture develops an account of _democratic order_ by exploring the political and theoretical implications of these differences in _Statesman_ and other dialogs.
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.
Parks Group Speaker: Tom Parks Title: Strep A Disease - Lessons From The Host Bull Group Speaker(s): TBC Title(s): TBC
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.
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.
Retrotransposition — the reverse flow of genetic information from RNA to DNA is the major route by which new genetic material enters our genome, with retroelements comprising over 40% of human DNA. This process drives innovation but threatens genome integrity, demanding precise regulation. Our discovery of the Human Silencing Hub (HUSH) revealed a genome-wide transcriptional immunosurveillance system that detects and epigenetically silences invading DNA. How HUSH distinguishes self from invading DNA was unclear. We found that HUSH discriminates ‘self’ from ‘non-self’ based on introns: The majority of cellular genes are intron-containing, while RNA-derived retroelements are intronless, marking their cDNA as foreign. This intron-based recognition mechanism uncovers an unexpected innate immune surveillance system that protects the genome from the reverse flow of genetic information.
How do people learn the language of social science? This lecture surveys some key entry points – mass print, mass broadcast media and mass education – and illustrates some simple digital humanities tools that can be used to analyze a huge volume of material and assess its propagation and uses.
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 (tarryn.ching@nds.ox.ac.uk) 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.
Bio Patrick (Paddy) Mark is Professor of Nephrology and Honorary Consultant Nephrologist at the Glasgow Renal and Transplant Unit based at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow. He was appointed as Clinical Senior Lecturer in 2011 following clinical training in Medicine and Nephrology combined with a Clinical Lecturer post between 2006-2011. He was promoted to Reader in 2015 and to Professor in 2018. He leads the United Kingdom Cardio-Renal Clinical Study Group, as part of the United Kingdom Kidney Research Consortium. He is the Chief Scientist Office Scotland Clinical Lead for Renal Research. His PhD, awarded the Bellahouston Medal for outstanding thesis by medical graduate, was funded by a British Heart Foundation Junior Clinical Fellowship. He graduated in Medicine in 1999 as Brunton Medallist awarded to the highest achieving student that year.
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.
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
_Homonoia_, usually translated as a “same-mindedness,” “unanimity,” or “consensus” in Plato, is said to underwrite political unity through an agreement across souls secured by the cultivation or implantation of true opinion in the many by those with epistemically superior knowledge. Exploring the repeated implication of homonoia with _harmonia_, harmony, in _Republic_ and other dialogs, this lecture retheorizes homonoia as a speaking together, _homolegein_, within and across souls, that secures agreement and unity, if it does at all, as a coming to terms that, like harmony, depends not on sameness but on plurality and difference.
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.
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data is a comprehensive national dataset collected by NHS Digital, capturing detailed information on all inpatient, outpatient, and A&E activity across hospitals in England. With around 16 million episodes of care recorded each year, HES provides valuable insights into patient demographics, clinical diagnoses, and medical procedures, serving as a crucial resource for health services research and policy planning. This session will cover: 1. How HES data are collected and the purpose behind this national effort 2. What information is included in HES datasets 3. How researchers can effectively use HES data in their projects 4. The challenges and limitations of working with large-scale administrative data Intended Audience: Research staff and DPhil students interested in using healthcare data for research. Learning Objectives: 1. By the end of the session, participants will: 2. Understand how and why HES data are collected 3. Have a basic understanding of what information is recorded 4. Be able to interpret HES data for their own projects and critically appraise its use in others’ research 5. Recognise the limitations and challenges of using HES data in different research settings Register - https://forms.office.com/e/aMpZSNmLbA?origin=lprLink
The Data Engineers meeting seeks to connect data wranglers and professionals in related data engineering roles across the University. This group aims to provide a platform for individuals to share their expertise and interests, fostering a sense of community and encouraging knowledge exchange across research teams. While primarily designed for those working at the intersection of data generation and analysis – covering areas such as data collection, wrangling, modeling, visualization, and communication – the group is inclusive and open to all members of the University. Please join us for the next Data Engineers meeting: Date – Thursday 5 February 2025 Time: 11:00 – 12:00 Venue: BDI/OxPop Seminar room 0 Agenda: 11:00 - Introduction 11:05 – 'Comparing various generative AI for extracting key information from long free texts and flag where conditions are met' Dr Yurika Sakai, IDDO Data Manager, Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, University of Oxford 11:25 - Q&A 11:30 - 'Phenotypic and Genetic Data Analysis in Our Future Health' Vincent Straub, Doctoral researcher at the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science in Oxford Population Health, University of Oxford 11:50 - Q&A 12:00 - Refreshments and networking in the atrium Dr Yurika Sakai: Vincent Straub: To attend, please register: https://forms.office.com/e/SXub1krkBM?origin=lprLink
Recent advances in ophthalmology have shown that retinal images can detect much more than just ocular disorders. Retinal imaging can identify early signs of systemic diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, and cardiovascular (heart) conditions, often years before traditional symptoms appear. This emerging field, known as Oculomics, shows the eye’s potential as a window into overall health.
In the first half of the 20th century, the ‘New Psychology’ – in which Freudian psychoanalysis played only a minor role – offered people a new vocabulary for understanding the self in modern conditions, in what has been called a transition ‘from character to personality’. Ideas about the unconscious, personality types, the developmental self, sex and intelligence reached unprecedentedly large audiences.
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 investigate stochasticity in choice behavior across diverse decisions. Each decision is modeled as a menu of actions with associated outcomes, and a stochastic choice rule assigns probabilities to actions based on the outcome profile. We characterize rules whose predictions are not affected by whether or not additional, irrelevant decisions are included in the model. Our main result is that such rules form the parametric family of mixed-logit rules.
Abstract: Human leucocyte antigens (HLAs) bind peptide fragments for recognition by T-cell receptors. An individual's HLA genotype determines which specific pathogen peptides their T cell responses are able to target. It is widely accepted that HLAs and various human pathogens must co-evolve, and that this accounts for the extraordinarily high HLA polymorphism seen across human populations. I use mathematical models and individual-based computational simulations to understand HLA/pathogen co-evolution. I will present general predictions about the population genetic signatures of pathogen selection we might expect to find among HLA loci, as well as discussing a model motivated specifically by Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Bio: Bridget Penman studies the genetics of infection. She uses mathematical and computational models to simulate interactions between pathogens and genetically diverse host species. Bridget is especially interested in malaria parasites and in how humans and other primates have adapted to malaria. Bridget studied her undergraduate degree and DPhil at Oxford and was also a postdoctoral fellow in the Zoology department and at Merton College. She then moved to the University of Warwick, where she worked in the School of Life Sciences and the Zeeman Institute. Bridget is now an Associate Professor Tutorial Fellow in the Biology Department and St Peter's College here in Oxford.
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.
Bio: Parminder K Judge is a Senior Clinical Research Fellow based in the Renal Studies Group at the Clinical Trial Service Unit & Epidemiological Studies Unit (CTSU). There, she aims to develop her knowledge and experience of clinical trials, testing new treatments aimed at managing and reducing the progression of chronic kidney disease. Parminder studied medicine at the University of Birmingham. After completing her core medical training in Leicester, she undertook specialty training in nephrology in the Oxford rotation. In 2013, she took time ‘out-of-programme for research’ to work on clinical trials. She worked primarily on the UK HARP-III trial which compared the effects of sacubitril/valsartan (a novel angiotensin-receptor neprilysin inhibitor) with irbesartan (an angiotensin receptor blocker) on in 400 people with chronic kidney disease. The trial formed the basis of her PhD thesis. She also undertook the adjudication of clinical outcomes for the 3C trial and provided clinical support for the REVEAL and ASCEND trials. She participated in epidemiological analyses of the SHARP trial assessing the effects of blood pressure on cardiovascular outcomes. Parminder used HES data to establish and quantify previously undocumented hepatorenal complications in polycystic kidney disease and, to determine the risk of many established complications of the disease. After completing her nephrology specialty training in 2020, Parminder returned to CTSU to work on clinical trials in nephrology and cardiovascular disease, including the EMPA-KIDNEY trial. She continues to practice nephrology within the Oxford Kidney Unit and has an active interest in teaching clinical trainees, undergraduate and postgraduate students.
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
_Kratos_ and _dunamis_ appear as “power” in Plato’s dialogs but they signify differently. Kratos is a practice of mastery, according to which “might makes right.” Dunamis is the individual and collective capacity to do or not to do, a capacity that makes exercises of power of any kind possible. This lecture explores in _Gorgias_ and other dialogs the ethical and political implications of the dialogs’ representations of kratos in terms of dunamis, including for democracy as _demokratia_.
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.
TBC
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).
Historians are familiar with the idea of the nation as an ‘imagined community’ that bound people across time and space from the late 18th century, predicated on modern communications. This lecture extends this idea into the 20th century and to a wider range of ‘invisible structures’ that were made more palpable via languages of social science, political and especially economic structures.
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
_Isos_ and _homoios_, both often translated as equality in Plato’s dialogs, signify differently. In _Phaedo_, for example, isos appears as “the Equal itself,” knowable by intellect, while homoios appears as “what is equal,” and refers to things that are perceived by the senses as the same in some respects and not in others. This lecture develops an account of _democratic equality_ by exploring the political and theoretical implications of these differences, including by attending to the distinction between arithmetic equality and geometric or proportional equality in _Statesman_.
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.
The decades between the late 1940s and the late 1970s are widely seen as the heyday of social science (and of social democracy), though usually from the point of view of educated or cultivated elites. This lecture seeks evidence of the ‘sociological imagination’ in everyday life, in conditions of ‘affluence’, ‘permissiveness’ and a therapeutic society.
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.
Python is one of the most popular programming languages for data science, both in academia and industry. It is also a good entry programming language for anyone trying their hand at coding for the first time. This gentle introduction to Python is aimed at all students or staff around campus with little to no prior experience with Python or programming wanting to take that first step. The course will cover all the basics needed to get future coders started on their journey. By the end of the session, you will have written your first bits of code and be ready to explore what Python can do for your own data or personal projects. The training will be delivered by Matthieu Miossec, Head of Computational Genomics Group, Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford. The course is divided into two sessions: Session 1, 23 February, 9:00 am – 11:00 am Session 2, 26 February, 9:00 am – 11:00 am This will be an interactive session where participants will be expected to follow along with the demonstration, coding throughout the session. Topics to be covered: -Why use Python? -Data types and data structures in Python. -Conditional statements and loops. -Writing flexible functions. -Reading and writing to files. -Putting it altogether in a simple bit of code. Intended Audience: Staff and students with little to no prior experience with Python or programming in general. Objectives: -Become more comfortable with Python and programming in general. -Have a basic understanding of the main data types and structures in Python. -Have a basic understanding of error messages and how to resolve them. -Write some code to automate the resolution of a small problem. -Be able to write a short bit of code to extract or write information from a file. -Learn how to break a bigger problem into smaller problems through divide and conquer approach. -Know where to find additional information on Python. Requirements: Participants are expected to bring their own laptops so they can follow along with the interactive session. Pre-course work: None. There will be a small challenge in between the two sessions for participants to attempt. Software required: Python with Python IDLE or similar Register - https://forms.office.com/e/hsUZ3FHdMw?origin=lprLink
Professor Guy Thwaites University of Oxford https://www.ndm.ox.ac.uk/team/guy-thwaites
We study the distributional impacts of carbon pricing policies using a multi-sector general equilibrium (GE) model with input-output linkages, heterogeneous agents and segmented labor markets. Households differ in their consumption patterns, labor types, and ownership of equity and capital. Pricing the carbon content of products affects households real income through an expenditure channel, according to the emissions intensity of their consumption baskets, and an earnings channel, as GE responses shift the relative demand for labor types, and returns on profits and rents. Calibrating the model with matched microdata for the Brazilian economy, we find regressive effects stemming from both channels. Ignoring the production networks and the gross complementarity between fuels, inputs and factors leads to a substantial underestimation of both aggregate and distributional effects. The incidence of the policy depends on how the revenue is recycled: expanding targeted social transfers fully offsets the regressive impact, whereas using the revenue to reduce preexisting consumption taxes improves efficiency but does not eliminate regressivity.
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.
Usually translated as the “admirable,” “noble,” or “fine,” to _kalon_ in Plato is generally parsed as “Beauty in itself” and counterposed to what is _poikilon_, the “ornamentation,” “embroidery,” “variety,” or “diversity” perceived by the senses. In _Hippias Major_ and other dialogs, by contrast, including in the context of the democratic souls and constitution under scrutiny in _Republic_, kalon appears to be embedded with poikilia. This lecture argues for a phenomenological understanding of beauty in Plato and explores the implications of this understanding for the dialogs’ political philosophy.
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.
TBC
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
Critics of neoliberalism claim that in the final decades of the 20th century ‘homo politicus’ was replaced by ‘homo economicus’. This lecture challenges the primacy of either of these imaginings of the human condition and draws attention to other burgeoning identities – the very word ‘identity’ being one of them – supported by the language of social science.
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.
Since the summer 2020 racial reckoning in the U.S., which reverberated across the world, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts have come under political scrutiny from conservative policy actors. Prior to the 2025 Trump administration’s federal anti-DEI policy stance, anti-DEI action was created and crafted at the state level. From 2021 to 2024, hundreds of legislative and administrative actions were introduced and/or passed that limited speech, curriculum, and programming designed to create inclusive and equitable college environments for students, faculty, and staff. This presentation is based on a national qualitative study of 30 diversity officers responding to pre-Trump administration anti-DEI actions. Results will focus on organizational responses to various anti-DEI actions, and a second set of findings will highlight the personal consequences of such actions for diversity officers. While this is a specific U.S.-based study, anti-DEI actions have transcontinental foundations and reach. Implications for future research and action for higher education leaders and scholars will be discussed.
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.
This lecture draws together the findings of the first five lectures to paint a different picture from the rationalist, transcendentalist, idealist, and universalist depiction of “Plato’s Theory of Forms” that dominates the history of political thought. Analyzing the co-implications of _eidos_, usually translated as “Form,” with _eidos_ as a “look” or “shape” grasped by the senses, the lecture develops an account of _democratic form_ that inhabits the spaces of opinion, appearance, and practice explored in the preceding lectures.
Please mark 4-5 March 2026 in your diary for the next IDEU Symposium. We will showcase the work of the IDEU researchers, especially our early and mid-career researchers, and will also have speakers from across Oxford who will discuss their recent work. It will be two days of excellent science and plenty of opportunities for networking, so please do join us! More details to follow in due course.
Olink’s mission is to accelerate proteomics together with the scientific community, to understand real-time biology and gain actionable insights into human health and disease. Their innovative solutions deliver highly sensitive and accurate protein quantification, giving scientists the power to investigate complex biological processes with precision.
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.
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 (tarryn.ching@nds.ox.ac.uk) 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.
Higher Education in the UK and worldwide faces multiple challenges and calls for reform. Some people argue for a higher level of participation, some for less, and some for more focus on employer needs, some for more attention to the wider self-formation of students. At the same time, there are deepening concerns about the sustainability of an economy based on over-consumption and trust in knowledge amid epistemic fracture. In this talk, Tim Blackman sets out why the dominant qualification in the sector – the full-time, often residential, honours degree – is a cause of many of the issues higher education and society face on these fronts. Past policy failures point to a need for a radical rethink, including limiting higher education providers’ freedom to design their own courses and a complete overhaul of how they are accountable for their contribution to a sustainable economy and rebuilding trust in knowledge.
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.
TBC
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
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.
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.
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.
The present study focuses on persistence in research productivity over the course of an individual’s entire scientific career. We track “late-career” scientists—scientists with at least 25 years of publishing experience (N = 320,564)—in 16 STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) and social science disciplines from 38 OECD countries for up to 5 decades. Our OECD sample includes 79.42% of late-career scientists globally. We examine the details of their mobility patterns as early-career, midcareer, and late-career scientists between decile-based productivity classes, from the bottom 10% to the top 10% of the productivity distribution. Methodologically, we turn a large-scale bibliometric data set (Scopus raw data) into a comprehensive, longitudinal data source for research on careers in science. The global science system is highly immobile: Half of global top performers continue their careers as top performers and one-third of global bottom performers as bottom performers. Jumpers-Up and Droppers-Down are extremely rare in science. The chances of moving radically up or down in productivity classes are marginal (1% or less). Our regression analyses show that productivity classes are highly path-dependent: There is a single most important predictor of being a top performer, which is being a top performer at an earlier career stage.
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
TBC
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.
TBC
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.
Uhlig Group Speakers: Nima Gharahdaghi & Pai-Jui Yeh Title: “Anti-IL10 as a cause of intestinal Immunopathology” Lang Group Speaker(s): TBC Title(s): TBC
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.
TBC
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
