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Elephant in the foreground against a grassy hilly backdrop in Tanzania

Did elephant energetics decide Hannibal’s Alpine crossing route?

A new analysis sheds light on the most likely route for the Carthaginian general’s famous crossing of the Alps. The study, led by the University of Oxford and iDiv/Friedrich Schiller University Jena, reveal that the Col de la Traversette would have been the least energy-intensive route.

James Maynard appointed as new Regius Professor of Mathematics

His Majesty The King has approved the appointment of James Maynard, as the new Regius Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford. He will take up the post in the Mathematical Institute on 1 October 2026, and will also be a professorial fellow of Merton College.

Mosaic of the Valles Marineris hemisphere of Mars projected into point perspective, a view similar to that which one would see from a spacecraft

New evidence suggests vast hidden magma systems inside Mars

Researchers from the Departments of Earth Sciences and Statistics have uncovered evidence that Mars once hosted enormous, Earth-like magmatic systems deep beneath its surface – despite the planet lacking the plate tectonics long thought necessary for this kind of geological complexity.

$Illustration of the giant planets TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c with host star TOI-791. These planets are roughly the size of Jupiter but a tiny fraction of its mass, meaning they have an extraordinarily low density. Image credit: NASA/Daniel Rutter.$ © NASA/Daniel Rutter

Researchers discover pair of giant 'super-puff' planets lighter than candy floss

An international collaboration led by the Department of Physics has discovered two of the lowest-density giant planets ever detected: rare 'super-puff' planets with densities lower than candy floss.

The recipients of European Research Council Advanced Grants: Professor Harry Anderson, Department of Chemistry; Professor Jason Davis, Department of Chemistry; Professor Ben Green, Mathematical Institute; Professor Elias Koutsoupias, Department of Computer Science; and Professor Alex Scott, Mathematical Institute. Background image credit: John Cairns

Five MPLS academics awarded European Research Council Advanced Grants

Five researchers from the Department of Chemistry, Department of Computer Science and the Mathematical Institute have been awarded Advanced Grants from the European Research Council (ERC), each worth up to €2.5 million over a period of five years.

Oxford to host new UK AI Research Lab

The University of Oxford has been selected to host a new, cross-university government-backed UK AI Research Lab. The new lab is part of a £60 million investment announced today by the UKRI's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to support two pioneering AI labs over the next six years.

Conceptual flowing glass-like molecular structure in blue generated by Google Deepmind

Oxford researchers honoured in Royal Society of Chemistry 2026 Prizes

University of Oxford chemists have been recognised in the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)’s 2026 Prizes. The awards celebrate exceptional achievements and significant contributions across the chemical sciences.

A close up photograph of a bee on a flower

Bees avoid ‘too much of a good thing’ by balancing nutrients in pollen

New Oxford University-led research reveals that bees can regulate their feeding to avoid over-consuming certain essential nutrients – and that honeybees make a specialist ‘baby food’ that gives their larvae a better-balanced diet.

A portrait image of Professor Brian Ripley with the Radcliffe Camera as the background

Oxford statistician co-awarded $1 million Rousseeuw Prize for the R Project

The $1 million prize recognises the achievements of Professor Brian Ripley and the international R Core Team, whose work has helped make advanced statistical computing freely available to researchers, organisations and students around the world.

Welcome

We are home to the mathematical, physical, engineering and life sciences at Oxford. Our academic departments regularly appear at the highest levels in world rankings and have been evaluated as conducting world-leading and internationally excellent research in UK research assessments.

MPLS Division encompasses 7,400 undergraduate and postgraduate students, 1,200 leading science researchers, and 1,690 faculty and professional services staff. In 2020/21 we attracted £109.3m in research contracts and awards from industry.

MPLS Division SharePoint Intranet

A landing page for various ‘information hubs’ relevant to staff across MPLS Division. Everyone who works in the University can access the main page via SSO, but access to the information hubs may be restricted. These include:

Committees Hub: access for those on MPLS Division committees
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If you cannot access a hub but think you should be able to, please email communications@mpls.ox.ac.uk

MPLS Division SharePoint Intranet

Did elephant energetics decide Hannibal’s Alpine crossing route?

James Maynard appointed as new Regius Professor of Mathematics

New evidence suggests vast hidden magma systems inside Mars

Researchers discover pair of giant 'super-puff' planets lighter than candy floss

Five MPLS academics awarded European Research Council Advanced Grants

Oxford to host new UK AI Research Lab

Oxford researchers honoured in Royal Society of Chemistry 2026 Prizes

Bees avoid ‘too much of a good thing’ by balancing nutrients in pollen

Oxford statistician co-awarded $1 million Rousseeuw Prize for the R Project

Welcome

MPLS Division SharePoint Intranet

MPLS Events

Industry and Innovation in Oxford

EXECUTIVE SUMMER SCHOOL Turning Science into Value: Health Economics for Health Innovators

HRA & NHS ethics submissions training

Connect@CHG Genomics Data Forum: Assessing Illumina Spatial Technology using kidney biopsies and other samples

ESOC Presentations

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Did elephant energetics decide Hannibal’s Alpine crossing route?

Welcome

MPLS Division SharePoint Intranet

MPLS Events

Industry and Innovation in Oxford

EXECUTIVE SUMMER SCHOOL Turning Science into Value: Health Economics for Health Innovators

HRA & NHS ethics submissions training

Connect@CHG Genomics Data Forum: Assessing Illumina Spatial Technology using kidney biopsies and other samples

ESOC Presentations