This team is responsible for supporting researchers to think about, plan and do high quality public engagement. We look after Oxford Sparks (the University's digital science engagement platform), run training and a number of different activities that contribute to a positive and supportive environment for public engagement as part of research culture.
Recipients of the inaugural SCGC–FIRST awards announced
Chemistry Engineering Funding Materials science
27 March 2024
From amongst the exceptional applications received from the Departments of Chemistry, Materials, and Engineering Science, the four chosen projects exemplify innovation and promise to accelerate sustainable technology development in the chemicals industry.
Can we truly align AI with human values?
AI and data science
27 March 2024
A Q&A with Brian Christian, an acclaimed American author and researcher who explores the human and societal implications of computer science. Brian talks about the latest chapter of his career journey: starting a DPhil (PhD) at the University of Oxford to grapple with the challenge of designing AI programs that truly align with human values.
Study finds that bees need food up to a month earlier than provided by recommended pollinator plants
Biology Food security & biodiversity Research
26 March 2024
New research from the Universities of Oxford and Exeter has revealed that plant species recommended as ‘pollinator friendly’ in Europe begin flowering up to a month too late in the spring to effectively contribute to wild bee conservation.
Dr Sara Keller receives L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Rising Talent fellowship for Engineering
Award Engineering
25 March 2024
Dr Sara Keller, from Oxford University’s Department of Engineering Science, has been awarded a 2024 Rising Talent Award from the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women In Science programme. The initiative recognises exceptional early career women scientists in the UK and Ireland.
Dr Nikita Hari selected as member of UK Young Academy
Award Engineering
25 March 2024
Dr Hari, who joined the Department of Engineering Science in February, was one of 32 emerging leaders selected for the network of early career researchers and professionals helping to tackle local and global issues and promote meaningful change.
Major new project will harness AI to transform how zero-emission buildings are designed
Engineering Physics Research Sustainability & the environment
22 March 2024
Researchers from the Departments of Engineering Science and Physics are to join the ZEBAI project. The major new initiative, backed by the European Commission Horizon Programme, aims to revolutionise the way Zero-Emission buildings are designed.
From The Conversation: Six innovative ways to float skyscraper-sized wind turbines
Engineering Sustainability & the environment The Conversation
21 March 2024
For the new frontier of offshore wind power, the focus is on floating wind turbines – turbines supported by floating structures that bob and sway in response to waves and wind and are moored with chains and anchored to the seafloor.
AI ethics are ignoring children, say Oxford researchers
AI and data science Computer science Research
21 March 2024
Researchers from the Oxford Martin Programme on Ethical Web and Data Architectures (EWADA) and Department of Computer Science have called for a more considered approach when embedding ethical principles in the development and governance of AI for children.
Nine MPLS projects shortlisted for the Vice-Chancellor's Awards 2024
Award
20 March 2024
Congratulations to all those from MPLS Division who have made the shortlist for these awards. The winners will be announced in May.
Oxford researchers uncover remarkable archive of ancient human brains
Earth sciences Research
20 March 2024
A new study conducted by researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences has challenged previously held views that brain preservation in the archaeological record is extremely rare.
Entering the quantum era
Innovation and Enterprise Physics Research Spin out
19 March 2024
The world’s most powerful computer hasn’t yet been built – but we have the blueprint, says the team behind Oxford spinout Quantum Dynamics. Meanwhile, Chris Ballance, co-founder of spinout Oxford Ionics, says ‘quantum computing is already solving complex computing test cases in seconds – solutions that would otherwise take thousands of years to find.’
Oxford Martin researchers explore global views on data privacy
AI and data science Computer science Research
19 March 2024
Department of Computer Science researchers from the University of Oxford’s Oxford Martin Programme on Ethical Web and Data Architectures (EWADA) are trying to better understand people’s values over who manages the sharing of their personal information online through an expansive research project.
Oxford University Innovation unveils five-point plan to increase the proportion of women founders to 50 per cent by 2030
Innovation and Enterprise Women in science
14 March 2024
Oxford University Innovation (OUI) backs International Women’s Day 2024 call for accelerating women’s equality through creation of gender parity in enterprise.
Boost to doctoral training will support leading research in areas of national importance
Chemistry Energy Funding MPLS Materials science Physics Statistics Teaching
12 March 2024
The UK’s biggest-ever investment in engineering and physical sciences doctoral skills, totalling more than £1 billion nationwide, has been announced today by the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology. It includes funding for over 300 fully-funded DPhil studentships at Oxford in strategic research areas.
Researchers discover a coral superhighway in the Indian Ocean
Biology Earth sciences Food security & biodiversity Research
12 March 2024
Despite being scattered across more than a million square kilometres, new research has revealed that remote coral reefs across the Seychelles are closely related. A network of ocean currents scatter significant numbers of larvae between these distant islands, acting as a ‘coral superhighway.’
Can AI be a force for inclusion?
AI and data science Computer science
8 March 2024
Kelsey Doerksen is a PhD student in Autonomous Intelligent Machines and Systems at the Department of Computer Science, and the President of the Oxford Womxn in Computer Science Society. She is also a Giga Data Science Fellow at UNICEF and a Visiting Researcher at European Space Agency.
New study reveals insight into which animals are most vulnerable to extinction due to climate change
Climate Earth sciences
8 March 2024
A new study led by researchers at the University of Oxford has used the fossil record to better understand what factors make animals more vulnerable to extinction from climate change. The results, published today in the journal Science, could help to identify species most at risk today from human-driven climate change.
The world’s most prolific carbon-fixing enzyme is slowly getting better
Biology Food security & biodiversity Research
7 March 2024
New research led by the University of Oxford has found that rubisco – the enzyme that fuels all life on Earth – is not stuck in an evolutionary rut after all; it is improving all the time – just very, very slowly. These insights could potentially open up new routes to strengthen food security.
Oxford early career researchers shine in Parliamentary competition
Award Chemistry Computer science Engineering MPLS Maths Medical science Physics
6 March 2024
Thirteen early career researchers from Oxford were finalists at this year’s STEM for BRITAIN event, held on Monday at the Houses of Parliament, with three winning awards in their categories.
Transformative solutions to antibiotic resistance
Antimicrobial resistance Engineering Funding
5 March 2024
Researchers at the Department of Engineering Science are the only non-US partner in the DARTS project, which will combine the power of artificial intelligence, high-throughput testing and robotics to develop a step-change technology to diagnose antibiotic resistance.