Research

Oxford University is world-famous for research excellence. Our core commitment is to maintain originality, significance and rigour in research within a framework of the highest standards of infrastructure, training, and integrity.

Search below for a range of research stories by department or topic. These stories include impact case studies, videos, news and the research in conversation series. For more information please see individual department websites.

a pregnant woman holding her tummy

A life-saving test for preeclampsia

Impact case study

Researchers at the Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health have developed a life-saving diagnostic test for pre-eclampsia which is now being adopted across the UK and internationally.
graphic showing blindfolded face

Towards better governance of emerging technologies

Impact case study

Researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) are helping to strengthen the governance of emerging technologies through research, public engagement, and the development of new tools and approaches.
boys in robes singing in a church

Lessons Learned: Mission in Revision

Researchers in the Humanities Division have contributed to a wider consultation on reform of the Church of England’s ‘Mission and Pastoral Measure’ – which will help ensure church buildings no longer needed for public worship can be better protected and used.
group of people in front of large statue surrounded by smoke

Lessons Learned: Breaking Silos in Atrocity Prevention Research and Policymaking

Researchers at the Blavatnik school of government have established a network to bring together academics and policy makers from both sides of the Atlantic to ensure atrocity prevention policy is better informed by evidence and analysis.
man working o ipad with words fake news on screen

Lessons Learned: Working with policy partners to analyse disinformation in the Russian media

Researchers have analysed multi-modal information sources to understand, and help counter, Russian disinformation in the post-COVID world.
one large elephant and two juveniles in grasslands

Lessons Learned: Tackling wildlife poaching through evidence-informed policy in Zimbabwe

An Oxford Policy Engagement Network Research Fellowship has helped improve the use of ranger-collected data to inform strategies to tackle wildlife poaching in Zimbabwe.
man wearing mask tests another man's temperature using a thermometer

Lessons Learned: Supporting policy interventions on COVID-19

Researchers at the Blavatnik School of Government have captured and shared policy responses to the COVID pandemic.
small bird on barbed wire fence with red sky behind

Lessons Learned: Engaging with policymakers to challenge penal policy

Penal policy is often driven by public opinion rather than evidence. How do we ensure effective policy, particularly around sensitive issues such as the death penalty?
Lynx walking through green heather

Lessons Learned: Improving understanding of public attitudes to lynx reintroduction in Scotland

Opinions about the possible reintroduction of the Eurasian lynx to Scotland are extremely polarised. Some people argue that reintroducing this large wild cat, which disappeared from Scotland hundreds of years ago, could help support biodiversity and promote ecosystem recovery.

an exhibition of brains

Your Amazing Brain: a user’s guide

Impact case study

A collaboration between the Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN) and Banbury Museum & Gallery has brought an interactive exhibition on the brain to new audiences in Oxfordshire.
Roman coins

Connecting past and present: sharing research on prehistoric Britain

Impact case study

Researchers at the School of Archaeology have helped to illuminate issues in later prehistory through public engagement.
a group of people seating on the floor

A conversation on the constitution

Impact case study

An innovative project is making Indian constitutional scholarship accessible to non-academic audiences through translation, dissemination, and discussion.
cigarette smoke

7 things to know about e-cigarettes and quitting smoking

In this blog, Jamie Hartmann-Boyce from the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group and Martin Dockrell from the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities share 7 things you need to know about e-cigarettes and quitting smoking, with evidence from the Cochrane Living Review of E-cigarettes and Smoking Cessation.
Researchers at a workstation at University College Hospital

Developing new approaches to analysing medical images in low-resource settings

Impact case study

Oxford University medical science researchers and medical staff of the department of Radiology at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, used new approaches to analyse brain scans of stroke patients taken with lower quality technologies, offering potential for research and clinic practice in low-resource settings.
Founders & Funders

Founders & Funders: Accelerating Oxford entrepreneurial capacity through a grassroots knowledge exchange programme

Impact case study

A grant from the Knowledge Exchange Seed Fund has allowed the Saïd Business School ‘Founders & Funders’ initiative to pilot new approaches to fostering research/industry interaction and collaboration.
sea and sand

Live well in Braunton

Impact case study

Dr Emma Ladds worked with a social prescribing project in Braunton, Devon, to help develop tools to measure project impact.
Monument of the Discoveries

Contested legacies

Impact case study

A new digital archive is helping to balance the narrative about Portugal’s colonial empire, and its key role in the creating and perpetuating the slave trade.
The Oxford Research Centre in Humanities launches Egypt Season

The Oxford Research Centre in Humanities launches Egypt Season

Using creative artistic practice, alongside cutting-edge technology and research, the season will tell the story of Egypt from the land of the Pharaohs to the modern, diverse country of today.

Professor Ketan Patel

Oxford Professor Ketan Patel appointed as Chief Scientist at Cancer Research UK

Professor Patel (KJ) will provide scientific leadership for the charity’s activities and ambitions, and he joins at an important time following the launch of the organisation’s new long-term strategy earlier this year that puts discovery science at the heart of its work.

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