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.
UK children play musical instruments as part of family tradition and not to boost social status
News
Dr Aaron Reeves from Oxford University's Department of Sociology found that British parents did not see musical achievement by their children as character building or useful in getting university places or jobs.
Oxford-Emirates Data Science Lab will streamline air travel
News
Chicken study reveals evolution can happen much faster than thought
News
By studying individual chickens that were part of a long-term pedigree, the scientists, led by Professor Greger Larson at Oxford University's Research Laboratory for Archaeology, found two mutations that had occurred in the mitochondrial genomes of the birds in only 50 years.
Are nature apps interesting enough?
News
The research, which appears in the journal Ambio, says while there are some good examples of imaginative products, far more could be done to interpret visits to nature reserves or link up with central biodiversity sites using apps.
US Ambassador on partnership working and high-technology innovation in Oxford
Video
US Ambassador Matthew W. Barzun visited Oxford in September 2015 to meet with representatives of the city’s universities, Oxford City Council, social entrepreneurship leads and high-technology businesses.
Chris Hollings
Ada Lovelace
Ursula Martin
Ada Lovelace
The Paternal Age Effect: Identifying reproductive risks
Video
Research from the University of Oxford's Clinical Genetics Laboratory initiated the introduction of an upper age limit of 40 years for sperm donors in the UK and internationally, and led to increased public awareness of the effect of paternal age in the transmission of inherited disease.
Drummond Bone
Ada Lovelace
Introducing the Oxford Climate Research Network
Video
The Oxford Climate Research Network is a cross-divisional research community, harnessing Oxford’s diverse strengths to address the challenge of managing climate change in a complex and uncertain world. The network aims to develop a research agenda to address key challenges of a changing climate, deepen knowledge to inform policy and planning, and develop instruments to improve practice in partnership with government, research and business communities.
Launch of Oxford centre for the study of religious relics
News
Ancient Christian relics are objects that survive from ancient times, often associated with a saint's body or their belongings, and usually kept as objects of historical interest or spiritual devotion.
Does Celtic art have links with Asia?
News
One of the most intriguing questions researchers hope to answer is whether Celtic art had links into the wider Eurasian world.
Avoiding infrastructure failure
Video
The ITRC informs the analysis, planning and design of national infrastructure, through the development and demonstration of new decision support tools – and with a keen eye on the impact of climate change. The ITRC works with 40 partners across government and industry and 10 academic institutions.
Helen Townley and Xerion
Entrepreneurial academics
Why the middle class is more likely to sing, act or paint
News
The research involving 78,000 people found that neither wealth nor social status were strongly linked to people taking part in arts activities as amateurs or professionals. Instead, it was the level of education that lay behind arts participation.
The London Tube strike 'brought economic benefits for workers'
News
Wikipedia world view 'shaped by editors in the West'
News
After geocoding Wikipedia edit entries on articles mentioning places, they also found there were more editors in the Netherlands than all of Africa combined.
Riham Satti and MeVitae
Entrepreneurial academics
Dominique Piche and UPROSA
Entrepreneurial academics
Professor Stephen Pulman
Acquiring Language
Pages
Latest research news
Latest on Twitter
Follow @ResStaffOxfordOpen Access at Oxford
Oxford is committed to ensuring the widest possible access to its research