Research and new facilities

From the study of the formation of the universe and the development of early civilisations, through to high performance computing and the latest breakthroughs in medical science, the breadth and diversity of our research programmes stretches far beyond the confines of individual departments and includes colleagues from across the University.

Oxford’s researchers address many of the major challenges that face our society, from language conservation to new vaccines, ageing to obesity, new energy sources to biodiversity. They use innovative research techniques and modern technology, both to examine problems of the modern world and to understand better the ancient world.

Science transcends national boundaries, and Oxford scientists are playing leading roles in international projects such as the search for fundamental particles and comparative studies of the human genome. At the forefront of scientific and medical research, researchers at Oxford focus on the ‘big’ diseases where they hope to save hundreds of thousands of lives – cancer, diabetes, and infectious diseases such as malaria and HIV. Leading research programmes also look at cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders such as arthritis and osteoporosis and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Oxford is home to Young Lives, a ground-breaking initiative pushing the boundaries of current thinking about children and poverty that aims to help policymakers design more effective policies for tackling childhood poverty. A 50-strong team of researchers are investigating the lives of 12,000 children growing up in four developing countries over 15 years. The study countries – Ethiopia, India, Vietnam and Peru – were selected to reflect a wide range of cultural, political, geographical and social contexts.

The University of Oxford makes a significant and ongoing commitment to new buildings and developments that enable us to offer some of the finest facilities to researchers and students alike.

A new £30 million Oxford Molecular Pathology Institute (OMPI) at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology is under construction and is due to be completed in 2011. Its new state-of- the-art laboratories will house existing research programmes in immunology, developmental biology, microbiology, and cancer cell biology. It will double the available space in the Dunn School of Pathology and will offer fantastic facilities for carrying out frontline research into the causes of diseases such as cancer, HIV, flu, Alzheimer’s and heart disease.

The Ashmolean Museum re-opened in 2009, following a major, multi-million pound redevelopment. The new building, designed by award-winning Rick Mather Architects, has been universally acclaimed by both the international media and members of the public. On its opening weekend it attracted 22,000 visitors and is currently averaging 6,000 visitors a day. As a department of the University of Oxford, education lies at the heart of the Ashmolean. Its purpose is to serve as a resource for scholars and to awaken a lively interest in material culture from across the globe in visitors of all backgrounds and ages.

There are also plans to redevelop the New Bodleian Library building, which houses many of the University’s most important treasures. The University will be transforming it into a modern special collections library and research centre so its unique collections can be seen to their best advantage and its great collections of manuscripts and archives be best protected.

As part of long-term plans to enhance the study of the arts, the University will be investing £180 million in a new Humanites development in the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter in the centre of Oxford. The new development will provide a home for most of the faculties in the Humanities, and will offer excellent teaching facilities, dedicated graduate space and academic offices, as well as space for visiting scholars and research projects. At the centre of the development will be a new humanities library, which will bring together holdings from faculty libraries, currently spread across the city. It will also include lecture theatres, and seminar and conference space, as well as cafés and space for art exhibitions, screenings of films and musical performances.