PodOxford participants

"I started as the Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Oxford in October 2006. I am a graduate in English and History (University of Sheffield 1990) and also attended Allegheny College in Pennsylvania as an exchange student. Prior to working at Oxford I spent fourteen years working in admissions and student recruitment at the University of Essex, and have also worked for Newcastle University." 

"I am Access Manager at Oxford University. I lead a team of coordinators who work with school students who come from a school or community with little or no history of applying to Oxford. I graduated from the University of Exeter with a degree in Chemistry. While I was a student, I worked as a student ambassador and a summer school mentor. After graduating I spent two years working for an international development agency before joining the Access Team here at Oxford."

"I am one of Emma's Access Coordinators, and this is my first job having graduated from Oxford University last year. I spent three enjoyable years studying law in Pembroke College and during my time in Oxford I worked as a student volunteer on many access projects, including open days and summer schools. Currently, I am running several projects for looked-after children and care leavers in Oxfordshire, as well as coordinating this year's Aimhigher Summer School."

"I went back to studying when I was 20, having worked in various jobs for a few years. I took 3 A-levels at an FE centre in Sheffield. After getting Bs and Cs at GCSE I was determined to have a go and ended up with 3 As and a place at Oxford. I came to Harris Manchester College, which caters solely for mature students, and took up Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). The college and the course have been amazing and I have done things and met people that have changed my life in many positive ways."

"I'm in my second year studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Pembroke College. I'm from Manchester, and attended Loreto Sixth Form College in Mosside before I came here. Pembroke wasn't my first choice college but I love it here. It's hard work but there's plenty of time to do other stuff: I've played football, basketball and rugby, and I'm involved with students politics."

"I am the Organizing Secretary for Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science at Oxford University. What this means is that I co-ordinate the admissions process for these three departments including responsibility for the admissions test. I am also a Fellow in Mathematics at Worcester College and so have teaching and lecturing duties as well as being involved with the interview process in December. Thirdly I am Schools Liaison Officer for the Mathematics and Statistics departments which involves various outreach work including the Oxbridge Regional Conferences, summer schools and running a Bridging Course for mathematicians without Further Maths A-level. I am originally from Batley in Yorkshire and first came to Oxford as an undergraduate, some years ago now."

"Like most of Oxford University's academic staff, I have several jobs. I'm a Professor of Materials, leading a research group looking at new materials for nuclear fusion power plants, and lecturing on mechanical behaviour of materials in the undergraduate courses. At my college, St Edmund Hall, I'm Tutor in Materials, responsible for admitting and teaching about four Materials students each year; I'm also Tutor for Admissions, co-ordinating admissions at St Edmund Hall across all subjects, doing schools visits, open days - and now podcasts."

"I am an English tutor at Mansfield, and along with my colleague Dr Ros Ballaster, I teach all the students studying the English course at my college. I am also a Tutor for Admissions, which means that I organise the selection and assessment of all candidates who apply to Mansfield. Mansfield is one of the smaller Oxford colleges, and is a very friendly and open community. The Further Education Access Initiative, which is run for a consortium of Oxford colleges and works with FE and sixth form college students, is based at Mansfield."

"I work in the International Office, which deals with scholarships and bursaries for international students, manages study abroad and exchange programmes, and provides advice on visa and immigration matters and other issues affecting international students. I completed my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at Sheffield University. After graduation, I worked overseas for seven years in Japan, Germany, Poland and Turkey so I can appreciate and understand some of the concerns of international students coming to Oxford."

"I studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Somerville College at Oxford before leaving the city to travel and then pursue a career in customer services. I now work as Enquiries Manager at Oxford University with a team of colleagues providing information and advice to anyone who has questions about how to apply to the University. We do this in person, in our Admissions Information Centre and also on the telephone, by email, and through our range of printed publications and online materials."

"I am tutor and lecturer at St Catherine's College and the Schools Liaison Officer for the History Faculty. I divide my research interests between Irish History, particularly the Northern Ireland Troubles, and the history of socialist political thought. I was born in Ireland and took my degree at the Queen's University of Belfast. My books include Northern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2004)."

"I am the Senior History Fellow at University College. This means I spend much of my time teaching medieval history to undergraduates in tutorials, small classes and lectures. When I am not involved in teaching my research area is the Byzantine Empire and neighbouring cultures. My role as a college history tutor means that I am very closely involved in the various stages of the admissions' process, including interviews. I am also a member of the committee for admissions at the History Faculty. As an undergraduate I studied at Cambridge. After my degree, and before I embarked on a career as an academic historian, I worked in Edinburgh for a financial services company."

"I am a University Lecturer in Biomedicine leading a research group in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics looking at the actions of the potent glucocorticoid 'stress' hormones in the body and lecturing in endocrinology for undergraduate courses. I am also Tutor in Biomedicine at St Anne's College and teach undergraduates and graduates in medicine and physiological sciences. I am originally from the Isle of Man, and studied Biological Sciences in Edinburgh and for a PhD in London before coming to Oxford in 1996."

"I read Physiological Sciences at University College, before undertaking graduate research at St Catherine's College. I am a University Lecturer in Physiology, teaching renal and gastrointestinal physiology. As the American Fellow in Physiology at St Edmund Hall, I am responsible for admitting and teaching Medicine and Physiological Sciences students. My research investigates how altered function of solute transport systems is implicated in diseases such as osteoarthritis and cancer. I am Coordinator for Admissions in Medicine for the pre-clinical school."

"I am a University Lecturer in Law and a Fellow and Tutor at Somerville College and a member of the Oxford University Centre for Criminology. My major research interests are in the use of surveillance technology by the police and the relationship between individual privacy rights and the criminal law. I also teach undergraduates at St Anne's and St Hugh's College. In addition I write on aspects of the Japanese criminal justice system and am a member of the Oxford University Faculty of Oriental Studies."

"I am a tutor in law at St Anne's College where I teach undergraduates and supervise graduates. I studied African Economic History at the University of Cape Town and Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science. I came to Oxford in 1995 to write my doctorate at Balliol College. My research interests are security and human rights, human rights and criminal justice, comparative human rights and comparative theory"

"I am Reader in Zoology and Tutor in Biological Sciences at St Anne's College. This means I teach biology students and study tropical ecology, coral reefs and rainforests, entomology and insect ecology. The research projects I and my students work on include the effects of pollution and disease on coral reefs, the ecology and habitat preferences of reef and mangrove fish species, and the use of marine reserves on fish populations."

"I am University Lecturer in Mathematical Biology and Tutor in Biological Sciences at St Peter's College. My overall research interests are to understand how species coexist in time and space, for example, how populations of species evolve and adapt over the span of their own lifetimes; how they share space with their enemies; and how they develop resistance to microbes. Many of these projects involve developing theoretical models in conjunction with laboratory experiments or observations in the field."