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Department of Statistics

The University's Department of Statistics is a world leader and its research is either explicitly interdisciplinary or draws its motivation from a range of application areas.

Oxford's super computer

Oxford's super computer. Credit: Oxford University Images / John Cairns Photography

Overview

The Department of Statistics is a world leader in research in computational statistics and machine learning, statistical theory and methodology, econometrics and population statistics, probability, protein informatics, statistical genetics and epidemiology, and computational biology and bioinformatics.

The department is located on St Giles, in a building providing excellent teaching facilities and creating a highly visible centre for statistics in Oxford. The building has spaces for study and collaborative learning, including the library and a large interaction and social area on the ground floor, as well as an open research zone on the second floor.

As a member of the department, you will have the opportunity to be involved in a vibrant academic community by means of seminars, lectures, reading groups, and social events.

Much of the research in the Department of Statistics is either explicitly interdisciplinary or draws motivation from application areas, ranging from genetics, immunoinformatics, bioinformatics and cheminformatics, to finance and the social sciences. Research students are offered training in modern probability, stochastic processes, statistical methodology, computational methods and transferable skills, in addition to specialised topics relevant to specific application areas.

Oxford’s Mathematical Sciences submission came first in the UK on all criteria in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF).

Courses offered

The courses shown below are offered at postgraduate-level.

Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS) Division

MPLS is proud to be home to some of the most creative and innovative scientific thinkers and leaders in academia, whose interdisciplinary research is tackling major societal and technological challenges.

Discover your future in the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS) Division at the University of Oxford.

The quality and impact of the division's work have been recognised by successive rounds of the national Research Excellence Framework and Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework exercises, and its departments frequently top the major higher education league tables. Its research is also regularly identified as one of the most significant recipients of grant funding in Europe.

The division’s 9 departments and interdisciplinary doctoral training centre span the full spectrum of the mathematical, computational, physical, engineering and life sciences, and undertake both fundamental research and cutting-edge applied work.

The MPLS Division has a vibrant and exciting research environment, offering frequent opportunities to share your research and engage with scientists working across the research spectrum. It has extensive links with other leading universities, research institutes, public sector bodies, business and industry, in the UK and abroad. Research at the interface between disciplines is strongly encouraged, both within the mathematical, life and physical sciences, and within the medical and environmental sciences.

Teaching is a major part of the division’s activities. It teaches around 7,300 students (including around 3,400 graduate students) and is playing a key part in training the next generation of leading scientists.

The division is striving to create and sustain an inclusive culture where diversity is valued and equity prevails, so that individuals of all backgrounds can fully contribute to its scientific community in a safe and supportive culture. All academic departments in the division hold Athena Swan Awards. Diversity matters and benefits everyone. Scientific and technological innovations change the world and everyone should have access to participate and engage in that change.

Further information