Wadham in Headlines 2024

The University of Oxford researchers received awarded European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grants, part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. These grants, totalling €678 million this year, aim to support outstanding scientists and scholars as they establish their independent research teams and develop their most promising scientific ideas. ERC Consolidator Grants are highly competitive; this year 328 proposals were selected from 2313 applications: a success rate of 14.2%. Each of the Oxford recipients, including Mark Mezei and Boon-Kok Tan, (DPhil Astrophysics, 2007), will receive up to €2 million over five years.

Many congratulations to all!

Dr Katerina Spranger (DPhil Engineering, 2010), a pioneering biomedical engineer and our alumna, has been honoured with a Purple Plaque in recognition of her Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award. The Award was created to improve the recognition of "remarkable women" and to inspire more girls into STEM.

This peer-reviewed study from our Senior Research Fellow and Professor of AI and Society, Ekaterina Hertog, and Leah Ruppanner, Professor of Sociology and Brendan Churchill, Senior Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer, University of Melbourne, is published in the journal, 'Community, Work and Family'. It reveals that men are much more likely to support the idea of being cared for in their homes by a robot when they are infirm or elderly than women.

Dr Hertog shared insights from the report when she spoke to presenter, Sophie Law, on the BBC Radio Oxford breakfast show. You can listen on BBC Sounds; interview at 07:51-07:56.

Our Emeritus Fellow, Professor Ursula Martin, has been awarded a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship for her research project, 'Bringing artificial intelligence to mathematical practice'.

Congratulations to Ryan Bloxsom, a fourth-year medical student and Brookman Music Scholar, who has been jointly awarded the 2024 Rob Clarke award from the Physiological Society. The award recognises excellence in undergraduate physiology projects.

Iranian artist and our alumna, Maryam Tafakory (Master of Fine Art, 2015) has won this year’s 2024 Film London Jarman award, which recognises excellence in the field moving image.

Maryam Tafakory was awarded the £10,000 prize for her work, which combines found footage with the cinematic traditions of post-revolutionary Iran. Screenings and exhibitions of her work have previously taken place at venues including New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Cannes and the Toronto international film festival. She has previously won the Chicago international film festival’s Gold Hugh award.

Oxford has launched a new storytelling competition with management and production company, 42. the Oxford/42 New Writing Prize is looking for talented new voices in storytelling, and is open to aspiring novelists, playwrights, and screenwriters. The expert panel of judges from the worlds of literature, stage and screen includes Abby Ajayi (Law, 1998), creator of Riches (ITVX and Amazon) and writer on Emmy nominated Inventing Anna (Netflix).

Our alumna, Diana Darke, spoke about her latest book at a special event at The Hidden Science in Europe’s Great Cathedrals’ at the Royal Institution, and book launch at Yunus Emre Institute in London. She will give an Oxford Literary Festival talk on 1 April 2025, 12pm at Rewley House in Oxford.

Our alumna, Milena Vuletić (MMath, 2017), has won the Rising Star in Quantitative Finance award. Many congratulations to Milena, who wins the award for her machine learning-based volatility model – VolGan.

Our Tutor in English, Dr Amy Lidster, and Dr Monika Smialkowska discussed their works at Torch's Book at Lunchtime, 'Wartime Shakespeare, Shakespeare's Tercentenary', on 30 October.

Wadham Fellow, Prof Chris Summerfield is quoted in The Guardian about the AI tool that may help reduce some of the most contentious culture war divisions.

'The Family Justice Response to Domestic Abuse - The Report' arose from Wadham Hackney Fellow in Law's three-year project on the response of the family justice system to allegations of domestic abuse in England and Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Italy, and Spain. Read more

Wadham alumna and model describes life in Oxford in this fashion piece for the Financial Times.

Wadham's Katya Hertog will be talking on 'The Data Driven Parent: The Role of Digital Monitoring Technologies in Childcare' for the Hong Kong Sociological Association 25th Annual Conference. Hong Kong Shue Yan University

Dr Paula Sheppard will hold her committee role at the The European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association until April 2027. EHBEA

Bernard O'Donoghue's blog post is titled 'Split Screen?' Westron Wynde

'Parental control apps – an essential part of modern parenting or an unnecessary distraction?' Katya Hertog offers reflections in this blog for the Oxford Internet Institute.

Natalie Haynes, author of a book referenced in a University Challenge question answered correctly by team Wadham, kindly offered our contestants a signed copy!

"With a tender touch, Smith contemplates the two truths of her childhood: the wild island adventures and the brutal eruptions behind closed doors. Standing on the precipice of her own alcoholism, she realizes that reckoning with the past is the only way to shape the future," says Jenny Valentish, Author of Woman of Substances. Simon and Schuster

Syed Refaat Ahmed (Law, 1983) has been sworn in as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.

Lord Justice Tim Holroyde (Law, 1973) has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Edge Hill University. The honour acknowledges his exemplary contributions to the legal profession and his enduring connection to the local community.

Dr Arran Davis, answers some key questions in this film on the surprising benefits of exercising with friends, made in partnership with BBC Ideas and Oxford University's Social Sciences Division.

We are pleased to announce that two of our colleagues have received the title of full Professor in this year's Recognition of Distinction Awards at Oxford University. Congratulations to Professor Fabrizio Caola, Tutorial Fellow in Physics, and Professor Francesco Zanetti, Tutorial Fellow in Macroeconomics and Quantitative Economics.

We congratulate everyone graduating from Oxford today, especially our newest alumni. For the first time, the top two BCL students in the year are from Wadham! Special congratulations to Marcel Delaney and Dane Luo. A previous recipient of the prestigious Vinerian Scholarship is Emeritus Fellow in Law and Keeper of the Archives, Jeffrey Hackney.

We're feeling very proud of all of our latest graduates and everything they have achieved here, including our postgraduate prize winners. Thank you to Ray Ockenden, our Dean of Degrees, who presides expertly over Wadham's degree days.

Lord Patten of Barnes retired on 31 July after 21 years of service as Chancellor of Oxford University. We wish Lord Patten a happy retirement and thank him for his support of Wadham, particularly our schools and outreach work.

Our alumna made History Extra's '30 under 30 list' of people aged between 18-30 making brilliant contributions to history. The '30 under 30' competition was launched in collaboration with historian, presenter and author, Alice Loxton.

Our student, Jessica Tabraham, is lead writer of 'Seconds to Midnight, which was performed at the Pleasance venue for a run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August. Find out more about the Oxford-based production company Love Song Productions.

The Economist's article, "How to hire a spy" engages with and commends the book's emphasis on neurological diversity for the success of GCHQ. The Economist

Her account is included in chapter 9 of the new book, 'Rendering History: The Women of ACM-W', which covers the history of the Association for Computing Machinery's committee on Women in Computing. Association for Computing Machinery

Eleanor Miller (PPE, 2022) is taking up the role of VP Undergraduate Education and Access. Oxford SU

Warren East CBE (BSc Engineering Science, 1980) was awarded an honorary degree for his contributions to the worlds of engineering and business. Wadham College

'Capitalism and Crises: How to fix them' has been published by Oxford University Press. Oxford Academic

This year’s Rex Warner Prize was judged by Alice Baldock, Okinaga Junior Research Fellow in Japanese Studies, and Stephen Heyworth, Professor of Latin, Bowra Fellow and Tutor in Classics. The judges considered 24 entries. Wadham College

The former Archbishop of Canterbury's reflections are part of the 'Letter to My Younger Self' series. Big Issue

In 'See Me Rolling', Lottie reflects on her experiences of living with disability. A "playful, illuminating memoir, but it is also a clarion call for greater diversity and inclusion." Penguin

JRF Dr Robert Yee says: "As a Kaufman Fellow, I plan to finalise my book project for publication. It is currently under contract with Cambridge University Press and I am hoping to see it published in time for the 100th anniversary of Britain's return to the gold standard." Read more

Wadham's Ockenden Fellow and Tutor in German muses on what Kafka would think about being one of a handful of writers whose names have become an adjective. The Spectator

Project led by Wadham Tutorial Fellow in Biology, Nathalie Seddon reveals this year's conference schedule. Twitter

The government's AI Safety Institute, where Wadham Fellow, Chris Summerfield is a Research Director, has launched their new website: https://www.aisi.gov.uk/

Sadly, Nuffield's tortoise won this time! Oxford Student

"The decision today has been all about whether or not I'd be standing as a Conservative MP or backing Labour... and I've gone for the latter." Sky News

Production of Alice in Wonderland is warmly received. Oxford Student

Joshua Rozenberg won the 2024 Lifetime Contribution Award for spending "nearly half a century building an invaluable bridge between the media and the law, driven by his mission to make legal rulings and policy comprehensible to all of us." LexisNexis

The Mini Allotment Initiative wins first prize at Oxford University's inaugural ‘Vice-Chancellor’s Colloquium’. Read more

Warren East was awarded an honorary fellowship of Wadham College in 2023. He is also an Executive in Residence at the Saïd Business School. Oxford University

Carolin Duttlinger, Professor in German, Ockenden Fellow and Tutor in German, and co-curator of the exhibition, provides comment. The Observer

Provides a walkthrough of the major acts and events of Wadham's own music festival! The Oxford Student

Our Emeritus Fellow praises 'The Big Bang Revolutionaries: The Untold Story of Three Scientists Who Reenchanted Cosmology' by Jean-Pierre Luminet. Mind Matters

The Holywell is included as the third oldest surviving venue. The National

The announcement includes a detailed interview with Prof Griffiths, where she shares about women who have inspired her, what she's reading, how the world can be made a better place for women, and more. Hypatia

Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national synchrotron, has published a series of videos from its user community's 'Leading Lights'. One of them features Paulo Radaelli. YouTube

Leading race relations activist who was a key figure in the inquiry into the 1993 murder of Stephen Lawrence, has passed away. The Guardian

Prof Katya Hertog was interviewed on her research by the central University for international women's day . University of Oxford

Upon winning the Moot, Dane paid special thanks to academics Professor Liz Fisher, Dr Joanna Bell, and Sonam Gordhan for supporting him with holding practice moots. Faculty of Law

Peter Kearns, who pursued different endeavours until ultimately following his passion for gardening and starting a rhododendron nursery, has passed away. Vancouver Island Free Daily

Jörn Leonhard, Professor of History at the University of Freiburg and our Honorary Fellow, is honoured for his work in the field of European and transatlantic cultural and political history of the 19th and early 20th century. Read more

The Nature-based Solutions Initiative, founded by our Senior Research Fellow, Professor Nathalie Seddon, will advance its work further with a new partnership with the Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. Read more

Dr Lewis Graham has won the 2023 International and Comparative Law Quarterly Early Career Prize for his article, 'Liberty and its Exceptions.' Read more

Afsana Ali of Seven Kings School writes about visiting Wadham and how it opened their mind to new possibilities. This Is Local London

Jessica Tabraham's (English Literature & Language, 2021) second original play, Having the Last Word, receives review, which claims "it is hard not to be moved by Tabraham’s work." Oxford Student

Dr Mustak Ayub (DPhil Oncology, 2012) made it to being a finalist for a Study UK Alumni Award in Science and Sustainability. British Council

Paul Oldham, a former councillor and major passed away aged 79 after battle with cancer. The Charitable Trust he established after the death of his parents provided bursaries at Wadham, among other causes. Kent Online

Lord Ken Macdonald, former Warden of Wadham and now Honorary Fellow, claims Post Office should ‘never again’ have power to prosecute against staff. Times Radio

By turns charming, shocking and heart-breaking, this is the true story of Michael Rosen’s (English, 1965) search for his relatives who “went missing” during the Second World War – told through prose, poetry, maps and pictures. YouTube