Women at Oxford
Over the past year, we’ve had the privilege of meeting some truly inspirational women working and studying at Oxford. Here are their stories.
Dr Priya Atwal
2017–18 Knowledge Exchange Fellow for TORCH
‘People don’t want to remember the horrific parts of the war, but the fact is that British and Indian soldiers, particularly the lowest orders, suffered quite badly together.’
Did you know that roughly 1.5 million Indian soldiers served in the First World War? We sit down with historian Dr Priya Atwal to find out why the contributions of the British Indian Army are so often overlooked, and what she’s doing to effect change → read more
Fis Noibi
Final-year French and Arabic student
‘I’m not the type of person to just sit and complain about something. I like to make plans and take action.’
Initially unsure about applying to Oxford, Fis had a change of heart after attending a UNIQ summer school. She chats to us about her time on the programme, and explains why she’s now determined to help other young people make informed choices about their education → read more
Clare Cory
Education Officer: Secondary and Young People, Ashmolean Museum
‘I really want young people to feel as though this museum belongs to them. I want them to know that they can visit whenever they’re in Oxford, that they can bring their friends and family with them, that these are their objects.’
Since joining the Ashmolean five years ago, Clare has transformed the way that young people engage with its world-class collections — both during the school day and in their free time. She speaks to us about using art and artefacts to inspire learning → read more
Ana Bakshi
Director, Oxford Foundry
‘Our vision is to support or nurture all 23,000 students in becoming more entrepreneurial in nature and practice.’
What does a successful entrepreneur look like? For Ana, inaugural director of the Oxford Foundry, creativity and business acumen aren’t restricted to a single demographic, industry or age. She explains why in this short video.
Dr Hilary Ketchum
Earth Collections Manager, Oxford University Museum of Natural History
‘The long-necked plesiosaur has one of the most complete skulls ever found, so that’s going to tell us a lot.’
Dr Hilary Ketchum has a passion for plesiosaurs — something that came in handy a few years ago, when one was donated to the museum. She talks to us about the discovery, reconstruction and display of this rather remarkable specimen → read more
Dr Lindsay Turnbull
Associate Professor, Department of Plant Sciences
‘Our countryside is in crisis actually, and we’ve got dramatic declines of even common things.’
The UK has lost around 80% of its chalk grassland since the Second World War. In this short video — shot on location along Britain’s oldest road—plant ecologist Dr Lindsay Turnbull tells us why she’s determined to reverse the devastating decline of this vital habitat.
Rosie Sharkey
Education Officer, Bodleian Libraries
‘Working with schools has been really rewarding. It’s been lovely to see the collection through young people’s eyes.’
As the Bodleian’s very first Education Officer, Rosie is something of a trailblazer. She fills us in on the exciting new education and outreach programme helping to inspire a love of reading in learners of all ages → read more
Dr Alex Pryce
Head of Outreach Development, Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach
‘We’re certain that Oxplore is totally innovative, and we haven’t seen anything like it elsewhere on the web.’
Can you choose to be healthy? Are humans ruining the Earth? Do guns hurt more people than they protect? Dr Alex Pryce explains how questions like these are helping young people to think big, consider fresh perspectives, and realise their educational aspirations → read more
Vanessa Picker
DPhil candidate in Social Intervention
‘I was doing lots of briefings, speeches and policy work, but in crafting solutions to the problems I was looking at, I realised that it’s really important to be able to measure the impact of what we were doing.’
For policy professional Vanessa, returning to full-time study was a big decision — not least because it involved moving half way around the world! She tells us why swapping a job in Australia for lessons in Oxford was one of the best decisions she’s ever made → read more
