Tobias Escher at the OII

One very British radio show that I very much enjoy is Desert Island Discs, a programme on BBC Radio 4 that asks its guest which eight records they would choose to take with them to a desert island. Thanks to this concept, the presenter Kirsty Young and its selection of renowned guest one usually has [...]

It might have been a bit quiet on this blog for some time which is usually not a sign of lack of activity but on the contrary of a lack of time due to so much going on. Luckily I have been able to get a bit more involved in teaching and recently I gave [...]

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure to take part in the Social Sciences dinner of the Keble College Social Sciences Group. Over good food and wine, Professor Robin Dunbar (now at Oxford) gave an enjoyable talk about the number that made him famous: 150. The so-called Dunbar’s number was prominently featured in the book The [...]

So far I did not read too much about the current (and apparently for some time ongoing) discussion about a reform at the University of Oxford although time and again you get some hints that something incredible is going to happen. Well, all of us who are here can easily imagine that an institution that [...]

Yes, you’ve read correctly: Sometimes going through the process of making sure your research meets all ethical standards of Oxford University can be fun – although rather unintentionally I suppose. Take this question from the FAQ of the Central University Research Ethics Committee for example: 7. All the people in my study are dead: do [...]