Research

In 1979, after a century of failed conservation efforts and decline across Europe, the iconic large blue butterfly was declared extinct in the UK. But after 40 years of field and lab research by Professor Jeremy Thomas at the University of Oxford, and previously NERC's Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (now a part of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology), the globally-threatened species has been successfully reintroduced.

Professor Fritz Vollrath discusses the appeal of working with spiders–and the amazing properties of the silk which they and other creatures produce, a candidate for 'material of the future'.

The work of Professor Robert Walker and his collaborators investigates the day-to-day experiences of low-income families living in societies as diverse as Norway and Uganda, Britain and India, China, South Korea, and Pakistan, and confirms the role of shame in their lives – which has already shaped how policymakers deal with poverty, in a way that tries to retain the dignity of the individual.

Scientists at the University of Oxford, funded by the NERC, are applying their knowledge to inform national and international policy on mercury, which is one of the most dangerous environmental pollutants.

Five recipients of the BBSRC's Sparking Impact award talk about the work they have undertaken.

Mathematical techniques developed by Professor Mike Giles have led to substantial reductions in the complexity of the Monte Carlo computer simulations run by large banks, cutting both computing costs and energy consumption.

Equations devised at the University of Oxford underpin modelling software used by market-leading glass companies, helping them to produce flawless products from a substance which is difficult to control.

In work funded by the MRC, the NIHR and the Wellcome Trust, Dr Slater is using state-of-the-art brain scanning technology to look at babies’ neurological responses to painful stimuli, so that we can understand which drugs can help them.

The survey included revolutionaries who served on the frontline with an assault rifle and non-fighters, such as workers who serviced vehicles or drove ambulances.

A team of researchers—funded by the BBSRC, ESRC and the NERC—ran a pilot project in Pickering, North Yorkshire to study the effectiveness of a new methodology for flood management decision-making.

With huge corporations working to tackle problems in cybersecurity, what role can universities play? Oxford academics discuss the unique contributions that can come to computer science from inside the ivory towers.

Trust between users is fundamental to online commerce and culture – and is in short supply, given the many breaches to internet security in recent months. Oxford academics discuss measures to build security into hardware and software systems, not simply bolt it on top. Based on work supported by the European Commission, the EPSRC and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The internet was built as a trusting, open, academic network – so how should it be governed and policed, now that it has become central to our daily lives? Oxford academics discuss the internet policy landscape, following a year of explosive revelations about internet security. Based on work supported by the European Commission, the EPSRC and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

A new study suggests the aspirations of women in Mongolia have rapidly shifted.  Before the rapid economic transition of the 1990s, the wealthiest women in the Communist-style era had big...

Researchers from the University's Griffith Institute for Egyptology and the director of Factum Arte—a team of artists, technicians and conservators based in Madrid—talk about the cutting edge of conservation, and why it matters.

Alternative energy sources don’t yet pack the desired punch – but researchers in Oxford, funded by the EPSRC and the BBSRC, are changing that by developing fuel cells inspired by nature.

How Oxford Academic Professor Tiffany Stern helped a pioneering company of American actors to see Shakespeare and other early modern playwrights in a new light – by almost totally eschewing rehearsals.

In-depth research by Dr Stuart Basten into Asian fertility helped convince the United Nations to revise its influential forecasts on future population trends, with particularly large effects for Pacific Asian economies.

The international community currently relies on a costly, heavy military presence around Somalia in order to keep shipping lanes safe.

Work from the University of Oxford appears in your daily life more than you might think...