Fire and Wire

Liesl Elder, Oxford’s Chief Development and Alumni Engagement Officer, Professor Sir Aziz Sheikh and Professor Cathy Creswell join Vice-Chancellor Professor Irene Tracey to examine the role of philanthropy in sustaining a global research university. They discuss how major gifts – from endowed chairs in primary care to a £27 million investment in child and adolescent mental health – provide the flexibility, scale and long-term security needed to build capacity, expand access to opportunity, and respond to urgent international challenges.

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In this episode of Fire and Wire, three Oxford In this episode of Fire and Wire, three Oxford vaccine experts join Vice-Chancellor Professor Irene Tracey. They discuss Oxford’s critical role in the response to COVID-19, and how trust and preparedness will shape future outbreak responses. Featuring Professors Dame Sarah Gilbert, Maheshi Ramasamy and Sam Vanderslott.

Listen to Fire and Wire Episode 11

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In this episode of Fire and Wire, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Irene Tracey speaks with Oxford experts on the University’s interdisciplinary approach to climate research:

• Professor Helen Johnson presents the Oxford Climate Research Network, which fosters collaboration across departments to tackle both climate mitigation and adaptation.
• Dr Roberta Wilkinson highlights a recent global summit co-hosted by Oxford and the UN, focusing on climate and human rights, and amplifying voices from vulnerable communities.
• Professor Lavanya Rajamani explains the growing role of human rights law in climate litigation, referencing a ground-breaking legal case led by Swiss elderly women.

The discussion emphasises the need for interdisciplinary solutions and Oxford’s proactive stance in shaping global climate responses.

Listen to Fire and Wire Episode 10

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Irene Tracey meets Dr Xa Sturgis, Director of the Ashmolean Museum, for this edition of Fire and Wire. Together they explore a few of the extraordinary objects in his care.

The Ashmolean opened as Britain’s first public museum in 1683. Though the collection has evolved considerably, the founding principle remains: that knowledge of humanity across cultures and across times is important to society. Irene and Xa discuss the value of physical objects to knowledge, and the fruits of the vital, centuries-old link between the university and museum.

University of Oxford Vice-Chancellor Irene Tracey sits down with Professor Alexander Betts, Professor of Forced Migration and International Affairs. He is also the University's Local and Global Engagement Officer in the Vice-Chancellor's Office.

He shares insight into the critical work being done by Oxford to offer opportunities and pathways to refugees as part of the University's status as a Sanctuary, as well as other engagement efforts on local and international scales.

Listen to Fire and Wire Episode 8

Download the full transcript of Oxford's local and global engagement (Word doc) here.

University of Oxford Vice-Chancellor Irene Tracey speaks to the team at the Oxford Robotics Institute to understand their work on the forefront of artificial intelligence and 'robots for good'.

She speaks to Nick Hawes, Director of the Oxford Robotics Institute, and Ingmar Posner, who is Professor of Robotics and the Institute’s co-founder. She wrestles a robot with post-doctorate researcher Alex Mitchell, and learns about robot sensing with Perla Maiolino and Maurice Fallon. Nick and Irene talk about the institute’s future, and how the hard work of robotics affects recruitment to the sector and the prospects for robots in our homes.

On the latest Fire and Wire, the Vice-Chancellor and her guests discuss a new cross-curricular teaching and learning experience for undergraduates at Oxford. Launched last term, The Vice-Chancellor’s Colloquium − Climate brought together 200 undergraduates and Oxford’s world-leading academics from across the Humanities, Social Sciences and STEM subjects to tackle the global climate crisis. Programme lead, Bill Finnegan, joins Pablo Mukherjee, Professor of Anglophone World-Literature, and first-year students, Michał Pietrzak and Erin Adlard, to discuss the initiative from their personal perspectives.

Listen to Fire and Wire Episode 6

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This International Women's Day (8 March), Professor Irene Tracey sat down with women from across the University who are making a global impact with their work. Professor Kokila Lakhoo, Dr Isang Awah and Professor Katrina Charles joined the Vice-Chancellor to discuss the challenges of working in an international space and the difficulties impacting the retention of women in academia.

Listen to Fire and Wire Episode 5

Mairi Gibbs, Chief Operating Officer at Oxford University Innovation and Lilly Bussmann, Principal at Oxford Science Enterprises, join Professor Irene Tracey for the latest podcast in this series to discuss innovation at Oxford.

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Download the full transcript of the conversation on Innovation and spinouts (Word doc).

Irene speaks to Dr Chris Thorogood, the Head of Science at Oxford Botanic Garden, about the past, present and future of this extraordinary institution.

Professor Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Director of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre, speaks to Irene about why wellbeing matters in the workplace. He also discusses some of the latest research findings coming out of the Wellbeing Research Centre.

Listen to Fire and Wire Episode 2

In the first episode, Irene speaks to Misha Patel, DPhil student in the Department of Engineering Science, and Professor Sonia Antoranz Contera from the Department of Physics. They touch on their pathways into science as women, the importance of networks and what direction their work will take next.

Listen to Fire and Wire Episode 1