University of Oxford

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,…

Oxford University has once again topped the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, with a record 2,191 universities having been ranked from 115 countries.Oxford has been world number one since 2017 – the longest time any university has held the position in the 21 annual editions of the rankings. Harvard University and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) are the only other universities to have topped the rankings. Professor Irene Tracey, CBE,…

Published today in Nature Astronomy, the study by researchers from the University of Oxford, Google Cloud, and Radboud University demonstrates that a general-purpose large language model (LLM) – in this case Google’s Gemini - can be transformed into an expert astronomy assistant with minimal guidance.Using just 15 example images and a simple set of instructions, Gemini learned to distinguish real cosmic events from imaging artefacts with approximately 93% accuracy. Crucially,…

">Video of Vice-Chancellor's Oration 2025 ‘Nenikekamen – we have won,’ shouted Pheidippides, or some Greek soldier, after running from Marathon to Athens around 490 BCE to announce victory over the invading Persian army. Legend has it, he then dropped dead… I get that… when it gets to mile 20 everything hurts, trust me. Having just completed my 6th world major marathon in Berlin with blistering heat with blistering feet, I…

The report is based on a study by the University of Oxford, UCL Policy Lab, and More in Common, which examined public opinion about EDI by surveying more than 4,000 people across Britain. The study follows on from the Finding a Balance report (March 2024), and suggests a softening of public support for EDI. While 52% view EDI positively, this is down from 62% in 2024 – with a larger…

The visit showcased Oxford’s global leadership in medical science and innovation, particularly in the areas of vaccine development and manufacture, and disease prevention. His Royal Highness was welcomed by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Mrs Marjorie Glasgow, and received by Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford. At the Clinical BioManufacturing Facility, His Royal Highness was introduced to Professor Catherine Green, Head of the Facility, Professor Dame Sarah…

Founded in 1902, the British Academy is the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences. It is a Fellowship consisting of over 1,800 world-leading scholars from the UK and overseas. In 2025, a total of 58 UK Fellows, 30 International Fellows and four Honorary Fellows have been elected to the British Academy Fellowship. The eight newly elected fellows and honorary fellow from Oxford are:Professor Peter Thonemann, Professor of Ancient…

Sleep may not just be rest for the mind - it may be essential maintenance for the body’s power supply. A new study by University of Oxford researchers, published in Nature, reveals that the pressure to sleep arises from a build-up of electrical stress in the tiny energy generators inside brain cells.The discovery offers a physical explanation for the biological drive to sleep and could reshape how scientists think about…

Chronic inflammation-related diseases have been estimated to cause over half of all deaths worldwide, so unlocking the processes behind these diseases is crucial to saving lives through developing better prevention and treatments.The MRC CoRE in Exposome Immunology will receive up to £50 million over 14 years, leveraging the combined strength of teams at The University of Oxford and The University of Manchester in immunology, big data, and environmental science.The ‘exposome’ describes…

The University of Oxford has received a £6.25 million gift to expand its outreach work with socio-economically disadvantaged students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. The gift will help to fund three major outreach projects taking place at the University from October 2025. These include a new programme providing GCSE mathematics mentoring to students who show promise for the subject, and an innovative ‘online school’ that gives 14-19-year-olds…

Wild chimpanzees show reduced participation and performance in their tool-use behaviours as they grow older, according to the long-term video observations used in the new study. This provides solid evidence that old age leads to gradual withdrawal from tool use, and is a contributing factor to lower efficiency in chimps' stone tool selection and use.The findings also indicate that chimpanzees mirror human beings in how the aging process affects their…

In the UK, we often take access to energy for granted. Yet it underpins virtually every aspect of daily life—from food and healthcare, to communication and transport. Globally, it enables sustainable development by improving educational outcomes, increasing clean water availability, and building climate adaptation capacity. Its centrality in the UN Sustainable Development Goals underscores a shared understanding: equitable development hinges on universal energy access.Achieving this goal, however, is far from…

Since 2017, Prosperity Partnerships have provided investment for academic institutes and businesses to co-create and co-deliver a programme of research activity that directly addresses a clear industrial need.By backing scientists to work hand-in-hand with industry, we’re combining cutting-edge research with business expertise to turn science into practical solutions that can make a difference in people’s daily lives.Lord Patrick Vallance, Minister for ScienceFor the new project ‘Energy storage for decarbonisation’, the…

Oxford is joining forces with the Saclay Cluster – which includes Institut Polytechnique de Paris, HEC Paris and Université Paris-Saclay – and the University of Cambridge, to create a strategic partnership in the field of artificial intelligence. Named the Entente CordIAle Paris-Saclay – Oxford-Cambridge AI Initiative, the partnership brings together leading centres of scientific and technological excellence to foster the emergence of excellent, ethical and sovereign artificial intelligence on a…

The University of Oxford spinout has developed two of the most complex medical devices ever designed and built in the UK. They maintain livers and kidneys in a functioning state outside the body for at least twice as long as conventional cold preservation techniques, dramatically increasing the number of transplants for patients, eradicating night-time operations for clinicians, and reducing overall healthcare costs for providers.A third, patient-connected device can also be…

MPs gathered in Parliament yesterday to debate a proposed UK-wide ban on fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship.If the UK is serious about climate leadership, the question may not only be whether to ban fossil fuel advertising, but rather how quickly we can expand this logic across other sectors still propping up carbon-intensive industries.Triggered by a petition submitted by Chris Packham, signed by more than 110,000 UK residents and supported by…

Two University of Oxford academics have become the latest to join the eminent life scientists in Europe and beyond that make up the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). Professor Ana Domingos of the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG) and Professor Matt Higgins of the Department of Biochemistry, are two of sixty new EMBO Members (and nine EMBO Associate Members) who have been elected in recognition of their outstanding…

Much of the debate focuses on the budgetary cost of welfare benefits, and on the labor market participation of recipients. Little of this debate is based on clear principles, a vision of the society we want to live in, or rigorous evidence on the effect of alternative policies.  Professor Maximilian Kasy, Department of Economics There are some principles that most economists, regardless of political persuasion, would agree to.First, coercion, surveillance,…

Much of the debate focuses on the budgetary cost of welfare benefits, and on the labor market participation of recipients. Little of this debate is based on clear principles, a vision of the society we want to live in, or rigorous evidence on the effect of alternative policies.  Professor Maximilian Kasy, Department of Economics There are some principles that most economists, regardless of political persuasion, would agree to.First, coercion, surveillance,…

The study, carried out by the University of Oxford and national charity Butterfly Conservation, funded by The Woodland Trust, comes at a critical time for butterfly species. Recent data revealed that 2024 was one of the worst years for butterfly numbers across the UK, with more than half of species in long-term decline for the first time on record. In the new study, the researchers found that having more hedgerows…

Dr Gavin J. Svenson, Director of the Museum of Natural History Dr Svenson comes to the University of Oxford from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (Ohio, USA) where he was Curator of Invertebrate Zoology and, since 2022, Chief Science Officer. There, he was a driving force behind the museum’s $150 million transformation which, in 2024, opened an expanded 375,000 square foot building with new galleries and cutting-edge design. Dr…

In the largest clinical trial to date, pramipexole was found to be substantially more effective than a placebo at reducing the symptoms of treatment resistant depression (TRD) over the course of nearly a year, when added to ongoing antidepressant medication.The trial, supported by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and published in The Lancet Psychiatry, included 150 patients with treatment resistant depression, with equal numbers receiving 48 weeks…

The University of Oxford held a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday 24 June to celebrate the start of construction of the Cyrus Poonawalla Vaccines Research Building. The ceremony marks a significant milestone in Oxford’s mission to counter and constrain global health threats. Located on the University’s Old Road Campus, the Cyrus Poonawalla Vaccines Research Building is a major new facility to host world-class vaccine and pandemic sciences research. Over 9,000m2 of…

A team of scientists at the University of Oxford has developed an innovative vaccine delivery system that could allow a full course of immunisation - both initial and booster doses - to be delivered in just one injection. In preclinical trials, the technology provided strong protection against malaria, matching the efficacy of traditional multi-dose vaccination regimens.Luca Bau, Senior Researcher from the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, said: 'Reducing the number of…

On Wednesday 25 June, eight exceptional individuals whose achievements have made lasting contributions to the world were recognised at Oxford University’s Encaenia - an annual ceremony at which honorary degrees are conferred and the University's benefactors are commemorated.The day started with a Procession, including University dignitaries and the honorands in full academic dress, which made its way from Exeter College through Catte Street and the Bodleian Library quadrangle. Sir Mo Farah signing the Honorary…

A new study from researchers in the University of Oxford’s Department of Computer Science has found that Uber’s use of dynamic pricing has led to higher fares for passengers and lower earnings for drivers, whilst increasing Uber’s share of revenue. The research also found that Uber concentrates its higher “take rate”, or commission, on higher-fare trips.Lead author Associate Professor Reuben Binns (Department of Computer Science) said: ‘The higher the value…

At the dawn of the digital age, when cybersecurity became a top-level concern, predictions of catastrophic harm were common. The Economist in 2010 featured a mock-up Manhattan-type skyline suffering a 9/11 style atrocity under the headline Cyber War: The Threat from the Internet. US Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta warned of Cyber Pearl Harbor, one of many such warnings from world leaders. Professor Ciaran Martin But while there have been many…

The Xiongnu, who established a steppe empire in the 3rd century BC, and the Huns, who threatened Roman Europe in the 4th and 5th centuries AD, have long fascinated scholars. But their precise linguistic and ethnic identities have remained elusive due to a paucity of written records.Our study shows that alongside archaeology and genetics comparative philology plays an essential role in the exploration of human history. We hope that our…

The MacRobert Award is run by the Royal Academy of Engineering and recognises engineering teams that demonstrate outstanding innovation, tangible societal benefit and proven commerciality within the UK engineering sector.The three finalists for the 2025 MacRobert Award include OrganOx (Oxford) for creating a transportable normothermic organ perfusion device, which is a world first originating from research at the University of Oxford. ">Video of World’s first transportable normothermic organ perfusion technology…

Companion of Honour (CH) – limited to 65 membersProfessor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell has been appointed a Companion of Honour (CH) for services to Astronomy and Physics and to Diversity. She is an astrophysicist and a Professor Emeritus of Physics at the Department of Physics, a Professorial Fellow in Physics at Mansfield College and Fellow of the Royal Society.Professor Bell Burnell was responsible for the discovery of pulsars while a…

This breakthrough gives us unprecedented control over single tin-vacancy colour centres in diamond, a crucial milestone for scalable quantum devices. What excites me most is that we can watch, in real time, how the quantum defects are formed.Professor Jason Smith, Department of Materials, University of OxfordUsing a new two-step fabrication method, the researchers demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to create and monitor, ‘as they switch on’,…

The ERC Advanced Grants competition, part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, is one of the most prestigious and competitive funding schemes in the EU. It gives senior researchers the opportunity to pursue ambitious, curiosity-driven projects that could lead to major scientific breakthroughs.This year, the competition attracted 2,534 proposals, which were reviewed by panels of internationally renowned researchers. Only 281 (11 %) of proposals were selected for funding.President of the…

The UK has a rare chance to show that inclusive prosperity, affordable homes, public health and ecological integrity can advance together. Realising that promise will depend on converting headline pledges into well-funded, nature-positive projects on the ground. Until that happens, support for the living systems underpinning the economy is likely to remain below the level that science and economics indicate is essential for durable growth, resilience and levelling-up.Professor Nathalie Seddon, Smith…