University of Oxford

HomeNewsTwo Oxford academics receive ERC Synergy Grants to tackle major scientific challenges Two Oxford University academics are to co-lead ambitious new research projects backed by European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grants, part of the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. Synergy Grants foster collaboration between outstanding researchers, enabling them to combine their expertise, knowledge and resources to push the boundaries of scientific discovery.   Of the 712 proposals submitted this year,…

The University of Oxford has celebrated the graduation of the first cohort of undergraduate Scholars to complete the Oxford Laidlaw Scholars Programme, delivered through the Oxford SDG Impact Lab in partnership with The Laidlaw Foundation.Held at Pembroke College, Oxford the ceremony on November 11 brought together students, University leaders, community collaborators and guests from across the Laidlaw network. Scholars from colleges and departments across the University, including those from the Laidlaw Women…

Overcoming a key challenge in soft roboticsJust as fireflies can begin flashing in unison after watching one another, the robot’s air-powered limbs also fall into rhythm, but in this case through physical contact with the ground rather than visual cues. This emergent behaviour has previously been observed in nature, and this new study represents a major step forward towards programmable, self-intelligent robots.Lead author Dr Mostafa Mousa, Department of Engineering Science,…

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that can cause severe pelvic pain and infertility. It affects an estimated one in ten women and girls worldwide, yet the new research shows that across the 194 WHO member states, nearly half of all countries have no national policies or clinical guidance on diagnosis or care.Global gaps in care and guidanceThe first study, Availability of region-specific endometriosis care guidance: a global scoping review,…

Across the globe, judges are stepping into the fight against climate change. From Seoul to Strasbourg, courts have delivered landmark judgments about their governments’ failures to tackle the crisis. But can judicial climate rulings really make a difference when scientists warn us that clear signs of human-induced climate change reached new heights in 2024?Our new study at Oxford’s Bonavero Institute of Human Rights explores how courts are crafting human rights-based climate remedies…

Professor Alan Stein With its layers of bureaucracy and realpolitik, the annual COP summit – the UN international meeting focusing on climate – can feel frustratingly slow and ineffective.Every now and again, though, a development renews faith in the system. For me, today’s release of the Belém Health Action Plan – and specifically its crucial inclusion of children – is one such moment.A health plan with real potentialThe Belém Health Action Plan is the first global…

This appointment will highlight Oxford’s intent to cement its position as a global leader in AI research and innovation, uniting expertise from across its four academic divisions and the Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM). The initiative, jointly funded by the divisions and supported by the John Fell Fund, will enhance coordination, visibility and impact of AI research across the University, while fostering new collaborations and investment opportunities.The new AI@Oxford Research…

Scientists at the University of Oxford, have identified how rare populations of abnormal cells drive the formation and persistence of fistulas - painful, tunnel-like tracts that develop in around 30% of people with Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s disease is a long-term disease that affects around 1 in every 650 people, in which parts of the gut become swollen, inflamed, and ulcerated. When ulcers or inflammation in the intestinal wall fail to heal…

A major new initiative involving Oxford experts aims to redefine human-based research models to improve understanding of disease and accelerate the development of new medicines.The joint £15.9 million investment by the Medical Research Council (MRC), Wellcome Trust, and Innovate UK will enable the development of advanced, specific, and highly reproducible human in vitro models, with the aim of making them widely available to researchers in academia and industry.In vitro models…

Researchers found that national data frameworks focus too narrowly on whether care leavers are not homeless, not unemployed, and not in trouble - missing key indicators of emotional well-being, identity, and personal growth.When care leavers are only measured by narrow metrics, their stories get reduced to numbers. This work reframes success around relationships, identity and growth - things that really shape a young person’s future.Dr Nikki Luke, Research Fellow at the Rees Centre,…

It found that shame partially explained the relationship between hairpulling and depression, and fully explained the relationship between hairpulling and anxiety. Hairpulling, also known as trichotillomania, is a body-focused repetitive behaviour (BFRB) that typically begins in early adolescence. Hairpulling can happen from anywhere on the body, including the scalp, eyelashes and eyebrows.The new paper, published in JCPP Advances, looked at the severity of hairpulling, and the symptoms of depression and…

The Chancellor will deliver the Autumn Budget on 26 November 2025. In a pre-Budget statement from Downing Street, Rachel Reeves talked about a Budget built on “fairness and opportunity” and declined to rule out tax increases. That messaging tracks weeks of reporting on a tougher fiscal outlook and the likelihood of additional revenue-raising measures. Financial coverage has highlighted a prospective downgrade to productivity by the Office for Budget Responsibility, which would punch…

A world-first discovery, published in the journal Science, rewrites our understanding of how cells control the production of DNA’s building blocks - and how this process affects the response to widely used cancer and autoimmune drugs.The study, led by researchers from the University of Oxford in collaboration with scientists from the CeMM (Research Centre for Molecular Medicine), Austria focused on the enzyme NUDT5, known to have a role in cellular…

Nations and companies have made ambitious climate pledges, but to prevent catastrophic climate change what matters is concrete, implemented, enforceable rules. That's what we're surveying.Co-lead Professor Thomas Hale, Blavatnik School of GovernmentThe granular survey of 37 major countries’ climate-related laws and regulations, compiled by Oxford University researchers and dozens of leading global law firms, gives the most detailed view yet of how climate policy is developing at a time of unprecedented…

Ricardo Rocha with a Príncipe Green Snake (Hapsidophrys principis), endemic to Principe Island. Photo credit: Patricia Guedes. Although islands make up less than 7% of the Earth’s surface, they harbour a disproportionate share of the planet’s biodiversity. Out of the roughly 12,000 known reptile species, around one-third are confined to islands - including iconic species such as the Galapagos tortoise and Komodo Dragon. These isolated ecosystems act as natural laboratories…

Using a new technique called MCC ultra, the team mapped the human genome down to a single base pair, unlocking how genes are controlled, or, how the body decides which genes to turn on or off at the right time, in the right cells. This breakthrough gives scientists a powerful new way to understand how genetic differences lead to disease and opens up fresh routes for drug discovery.‘For the first…

The global food system is under growing scrutiny for its environmental and health impacts. It contributes substantially to climate change, biodiversity loss, and diet-related disease, making its current trajectory unsustainable.  Rising public awareness of these costs is beginning to shift habits and policies alike: plant-based diets are gaining traction among consumers and governments seeking to address both climate and health imperatives.  Yet food systems are also social and economic lifelines,…

The Schmidt Sciences AI2050 programme funds researchers to pursue projects to help AI create immense benefits for humanity by 2050. Announced today, 28 academics will join the fourth cohort who will collectively receive more than $18 million in AI2050 fellowships.‘AI is underhyped, especially when it comes to its potential to benefit humanity,’ said Eric Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Sciences with his wife Wendy. ‘The AI2050 fellowship was established to turn that potential…

Dennis J. Snower. Credit: Global Solutions Initiative The world is edging toward a financial storm with few safe harbours in sight. What began as warnings about “the end of America’s exorbitant privilege” has become front-page news.The dollar’s dominance - long seen as unassailable - is now under real strain as global investors, central banks, and even US allies start hedging against a post-dollar world.In Washington, President Trump’s second term has…

Blazars are active galaxies powered by supermassive black holes that launch narrow, near-light-speed beams of particles and radiation towards Earth. These jets produce intense gamma-ray emission extending up to several teraelectronvolts (1 TeV = 1012/a trillion eV), which is detected by ground-based telescopes. As these TeV gamma rays propagate across intergalactic space, they scatter off the dim background light from stars, creating cascades of electron–positron pairs. The pairs should then…

The company was founded in December 2008 by engineering Professor Constantin Coussios OBE FREng FMedSci and transplant surgeon Professor Peter Friend FMedSci through Oxford’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering and the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences.The acquisition marks the first exit under the pioneering partnership between the Department of Engineering Science and Technikos that led to the creation of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (IBME). Technikos, a specialist medical technology venture…

The Oxford-led study demonstrated that an oral live-attenuated vaccine, CVD 1902,  provided significant protection against S. Paratyphi A infection in healthy adults using a controlled human infection model, without any safety concerns.Enteric fever, caused by Salmonella Typhi and Salmonella Paratyphi, leads to more than 100,000 deaths and over 8 million disability-adjusted life years each year. Around 30% of cases, over 2 million annually, are caused by S. Paratyphi A, for…

EJ Milner-Gulland The UK Government has vowed to ‘build, baby, build’ to deliver 1.5 million homes across the country by 2029. There is no question that England urgently needs more homes, but can this really be achieved without worsening the biodiversity and nature crises? – particularly since the Government’s proposals to ‘streamline’ environmental regulations have got wildlife charities up in arms.Part 3 of the Planning & Infrastructure Bill, currently being…

In a visit to the University, the General Secretary General of the Community Party of Vietnam, To Lam, signed several cooperative agreements supporting academic collaboration with two University research centres and formally launching a scholarship scheme for Vietnamese students.Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, said: ‘I am delighted to welcome to Oxford the General Secretary of Vietnam and our colleagues from there to affirm and deepen the…

The findings not only reflect poor labour market conditions in the UK but also underscore the need for stronger unemployment support, and at a more ambitious level than those set out in the Government’s initial plan for Unemployment Insurance scheme announced in March 2025. While job loss is an everyday reality, our research shows the financial fallout differs greatly between countries. After a job loss, unemployment insurance is crucial in cushioning…

The University of Oxford has welcomed the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s approval to reopen the Cowley Branch Line, alongside £120 million in Government funding for the project. A further £35 million will be provided by the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) and other local stakeholders.The line will deliver two new stations — Oxford Littlemore (serving Littlemore and The Oxford Science Park) and Oxford Cowley (serving Blackbird Leys and ARC Oxford)…

A large audience gathered at the Sheldonian Theatre on Tuesday 21 October to hear invited panellists share enthusiastic discourse on a diverse range of views about 'Cancel Culture' for the latest event in the Sheldonian Series, which is open to all and aims to promote freedom of speech and inclusive inquiry. I felt this Sheldonian Series event at the University of Oxford, by seeking to model what it means to secure…

Professor Jan Rosenow. Credit: John Cairns Positioning Europe for leadership in the next industrial era, Professor Rosenow argued that strategic industrial electrification - twin-tracked with ambitious energy efficiency - offers the single most powerful lever for Europe to cut costs, cut emissions, and compete on the world stage. He contrasted Europe’s current exposure to volatile fossil fuel imports, laid bare during the 2022 gas crisis, with China’s rapid advance as the…

The first Ellison Scholars and Ellison Institute Technology (EIT)-funded students have begun their studies in Oxford, as a new academic year gets underway. They were welcomed at a special event attended by Oxford’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Irene Tracey, as well as Lisa Flashner, COO of EIT Oxford.  Forty-six students from 18 countries and 5 continents are part of EIT’s inaugural Education & Scholarships programmes which span undergraduate, graduate and doctoral study…

The Philip Leverhulme Prizes commemorate the contribution to the work of the Leverhulme Trust made by Philip, Third Viscount Leverhulme and grandson of William Lever, the founder of the Trust. This year, the Leverhulme Trust awarded five prizes in each of the following subject areas: Archaeology, Chemistry, Economics, Engineering, Geography, and Languages and Literatures.Each prize winner will receive £100,000 to be used for any purpose that advances their research.About the…

The 2025 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), ‘Overlapping Hardships: Poverty and Climate Hazards’, presents critical new evidence of how the climate crisis is reshaping global poverty. This report shows where the climate crisis and poverty are notably converging. Understanding where the planet is under greatest strain and where people face additional burdens created by climate challenges is essential to creating mutually reinforcing development strategies that put humanity at the centre of…

Chronic pain, a leading global cause of disability, is one of the great unmet needs in medicine. In the UK alone, between one-third and one-half of the adult population (just under 28 million) are affected by chronic pain, costing health services millions in direct treatment, with indirect costs in lost productivity estimated to be billions. But despite its scale, progress in chronic pain treatments has stalled with few major breakthroughs…

Speaking at the Sheldonian Theatre on the subject of ‘Empire, Identity and the Search for Reason’, award-winning journalist Mishal Husain talked of a search for points of light, and finding them beyond the headlines, in history and forgotten context: ‘In that tapestry are the common threads that enrich my understanding of the world and that give me hope’.The ‘search for reason’ is part of this Lecture’s title because my own…

The Life and Mind building, enabled by Legal & General (L&G), is one of the largest building projects in the University’s history and will be home to the Departments of Biology and Experimental Psychology, as well as the Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research (IOI). Designed by internationally-renowned architecture practice NBBJ, it will enable researchers to investigate the most fundamental questions of our age – from what it means to…

The NHS incurs an estimated £340 million in additional healthcare costs annually due to weight-related health problems in children, but it is not just obesity driving the costs. New research from the University of Oxford reveals that underweight children need comparable medical support as those who are severely obese, challenging assumptions about childhood health priorities.The study, published in JAMA Network Open and funded by the National Institute for Health and…

The new discovery follows the success of an excavation in summer 2024 at Dewars Farm quarry near Bicester, which featured on BBC Two’s Digging For Britain. This revealed hundreds of dinosaur footprints dating back to the Middle Jurassic Period (around 166 million years ago), from both the 9 metre carnivore Megalosaurus, and enormous herbivorous dinosaurs up to twice that size.Through these excavations and analyses, we are building a more and…

Professor Charles Spence. Credit: Caroline Wood. If you are wondering why the price of pistachios has surged this year, Dubai chocolate takes a lot of the blame. This confectionary creation – a chocolate bar filled with a mix of pistachio and shredded filo pastry – became an international sensation this year after a social media influencer filmed themselves eating it. Within months, supermarkets were scrambling to launch their own versions,…

Professor Sam Fankhauser. Credit: John Cairns In the mid-2000s, soon after becoming Conservative leader, David Cameron hugged a husky on a trip to the Arctic, in what was widely described as an attempt to “detoxify” the Tory brand. Eighteen years later, Kemi Badenoch has promised to scrap the law that once made that rebranding credible. Her announcement that the Conservatives will repeal the 2008 Climate Change Act if they win the next general…

Jean-Étienne Liotard, L'Archiduchesse Marie-Antoinette d'Autriche, future Reine de France, à l'âge de 7 ans (1762) The distinctive drawing by the Swiss painter Jean Etienne Liotard in 1762 has helped to shape the way we think of the last Queen of France in her early years. She is depicted as a seven-year-old, holding a shuttle used for weaving and staring directly at the viewer with a determined look in her eyes. This has…

Until now, no coordinated global effort has been dedicated to applying this century’s vast technological advancements to the field of international justice. The Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice brings together the Blavatnik School’s global convening power and leading research acumen with CFJ's unique track record providing free legal support in defense of free speech and women’s rights around the globe. In an event launching the Institute at the Blavatnik School,…