Fellows and Academics

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

Principal

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon Principal

principals.office@some.ox.ac.uk

01865 270630

Share on

Profile

Jan Royall is Somerville’s Principal.

She has had a distinguished career in politics, notably serving as Chief Whip in the House of Lords and then as Leader of the House from 2008-2010. She also served as Shadow Leader of the House of Lords from 2010-2015.

Prior to her parliamentary career, she was a senior adviser in the European Commission before heading its office in Wales. In 2004 she was appointed to the Lords as Baroness Royall of Blaisdon and in 2005 became a Government Spokesperson for Health, International Development, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

Following a degree in Spanish and French at the University of London, Jan’s first job was importing flowers into Europe from Colombia but she soon started working in the world of politics. She spent six years working as General Secretary of the British Labour Group in the European Parliament, then went to work for then-Leader of the Opposition, Neil Kinnock.

Jan stepped down from frontbench politics in May 2015 in order to engage in her other interests, including youth policy, higher education, women, diversity and inclusion, democratic engagement, health, the EU, and foreign affairs, and she continues to speak out on these issues in the House of Lords from the backbenches. Jan is a trustee, patron and active supporter of many charities and organizations including Full Fact, the Centre for Opposition Studies, South Gloucestershire and Stroud College and the ASHA Centre. She is co-chair of the Oxford inclusive Economy Partnership. She was formerly chair of the People’s History Museum, Pro Chancellor of the University of Bath and Vice President of the Party of European Socialists.

Jan works with governments, political parties and NGOs in many countries on democracy building, leadership, nurturing civil society and women’s empowerment.

Learn More Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

Prateek Agrawal

Fellow & Tutor in Physics; Associate Professor in Particle Physics

Prateek Agrawal Fellow & Tutor in Physics; Associate Professor in Particle Physics

prateek.agrawal@physics.ox.ac.uk

Share on

Profile
Publications

I am a theoretical physicist and a Tutorial Fellow in Physics at Somerville.

I am interested in understanding the fundamental laws of nature and ways we can test them. My research revolves around open questions in fundamental physics, such as the nature of dark matter and dark energy, and explanations for the patterns in the basic building blocks of particle physics.

I grew up in India, and obtained my bachelor’s degree in engineering physics from IIT Bombay. I moved to the University of Maryland for my PhD in particle physics. I was a postdoctoral researcher at Fermilab and at Harvard before moving to Oxford.

Agrawal, P., Hook, A. & Huang, J. “A CMB Millikan experiment with cosmic axiverse strings.” J. High Energ. Phys. 2020, 138 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP07(2020)138

Prateek Agrawal, Georges Obied, Paul J. Steinhardt, Cumrun Vafa, “On the cosmological implications of the string Swampland”, Physics Letters B, Volume 784, 2018, Pages 271-276, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2018.07.040.

Prateek Agrawal, Francis-Yan Cyr-Racine, David Pinner, Lisa Randall, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Solutions to the Hubble Tension”, ArXiv 1904.01016, 2019

Learn More Prateek Agrawal

Jesus Aguirre Gutierrez

Fulford Junior Research Fellow

Jesus Aguirre Gutierrez Fulford Junior Research Fellow

jesus.aguirregutierrez@ouce.ox.ac.uk

Share on

Profile
Publications

The goal of my research is to disentangle how a changing climate has impacted, is currently driving and will modify in the near future our natural forest ecosystems.

Much is still unknown about how tropical forests around the world are responding to an increasingly fast changing climate, and there may be regions that are or will experience stronger biodiversity shifts and may be in more need of protection or regulation.

Having grown-up in Guadalajara, one of the biggest cities in Mexico where not much nature is around, I decided to spend a year living with the indigenous “RarÃ¡muri” community in Northern Mexico to learn from their vision of nature.

My research interests come from understanding the importance nature has on our livelihoods – something I learnt through my experiences with indigenous communities in Mexico and abroad.

I joined SoGE in 2017 to develop a project, at ECI School of Geography, to understand the role that plant functional characteristics play in the resilience of tropical forests. I am currently a Researcher Co-Investigator in the “Arboles” NERC funded project monitoring plant functional diversity by remote sensing in Latin American forests.

2020

Aguirre-Gutierrez, J., Malhi, Y., Lewis, S.L., Fauset, S., Adu-Bredu, S., Affum-Baffoe, K., Baker, T.R., Gvozdevaite, A., Hubau, W., Moore, S., Peprah, T., Zieminska, K., Phillips, O.L. and Oliveras, I. (2020) Long-term droughts may drive drier tropical forests towards increased functional, taxonomic andphylogenetic homogeneity. Nature Communications, 11(1).

2019

Aguirre-Gutierrez, J., Oliveras, I., Rifai, S., Fauset, S., Adu-Bredu, S., Affum-Baffoe, K., Baker, T.R., Feldpausch, T.R., Gvozdevaite, A., Hubau, W., Kraft, N.J.B., Lewis, S.L., Moore, S., Niinemets, U., Peprah, R., Phillips, O.L., Zieminska, K., Enquist, B. and Malhi, Y. (2019) Drier tropical forests are susceptible to functional changes in response to a long-term drought. Ecology Letters, 22(5): 855-865.

Carvalheiro, L.G., Biesmeijer, J.C., Franzén, M., Aguirre-Gutiérrez, J., Garibaldi, L.A., Helm, A., Michez, D., Pöyry, J., Reemer, M., Schweiger, O., van den Berg, L., WallisDeVries, M.F. and Kunin, W.E. (2019) Soil eutrophication shaped the composition of pollinator assemblages during the past century. Ecography.

Tshwene-Mauchaza, B. and Aguirre-Gutierrez, J. (2019) Climatic drivers of plant species distributions across spatial grains in Southern Africa tropical forests. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 2(69).

2017

Aguirre-Gutierrez, J., Kissling, W.D., Biesmeijer, J.C., WallisDeVries, M.F., Reemer, M. and Carvalheiro, L.G. (2017) Historical changes in the importance of climate and land use as determinants of Dutch pollinator distributions. Journal of Biogeography, 44(3): 696-707.

Aguirre-Gutierrez, J., van Treuren, R., Hoekstra, R. and van Hintum, T.J.L. (2017) Crop wild relatives range shifts and conservation in Europe under climate change. Diversity and Distributions, 23(7): 739-750.

Aguirre-Gutierrez, J., WallisDeVries, M.F., Marshall, L., van’tZelfde, M., Villalobos-Aramula, A.R., Boekelo, B., Barholomeus, H. Franzen, M., and Biesmeijer, J.C. (2017) Butterflies show different functional and species diversity in relationship to vegetation structure and land use. Global Ecology and Biogeography.

Gomes, S.I.F., Aguirre-Gutierrez, J., Bidartondo, M.I. and Merckx, V.S.F.T. (2017) Arbuscular mycorrhizal interactions of mycoheterotrophic Thismia are more specialized than in autotrophic plants. New Phytologist, 213(3): 1418-1427.

2016

Aguirre-Gutierrez, J., Wallis De Vries, M.F., Marshall, L., van’t Zelfde, M., Villalobos-Arambula, A., Boekelo, B., Bartholomeus, H., Franzen, M. and Biesmeijer, J.C. (2016) Butterflies show different functional and species diversity in relationship to vegetation structure and land use. Global Ecology and Biogeography.

Raes, N. and Aguirre-Gutiérrez, J. Species distribution models under climate and landscape changes. In: Mountains, Climate and Biodiversity. Hoorn, C. and Antonelli, A. (eds). Accepted October 2016. Wiley Blackwell Publishers, Oxford.

Aguirre-Gutierrez, J., Kissling, W.D., Carvalheiro, L.G., WallisDeVries, M.F., Franzén, M. and Biesmeijer, J.C. Functional traits help to explain half-century long shifts in pollinator distributions. 2016. Scientific Reports. 6:24451.

Roger, N., Moerman, R., Carvalheiro, L.G., Aguirre-Guitiérrez, J., et al. Impact of pollen resources drift on common bumble bees in NW Europe. 2016. Global Change Biology. In Press.

Wicaksono, C.Y., Aguirre-Guiterrez, J., Nouhra, E., Pastor, N., Raes, N., Pacheco, S. and Geml, J. Contracting montane cloud forests: a case study of the Andean alder (Alnus acuminata) and associated fungi in the Yungas. 2016. Biotropica. In Press.

Lens, F., Vos, R.A., Charrier, G., van der Niet, T., Merckx, V., Pieter Baas, P., Aguirre-Gutierrez, J. et al. Scalariform-to-simple transition in vessel perforation plates triggered by differences in climate during the evolution of Adoxaceae. 2016. Annals of Botany. In Press.

Learn More Jesus Aguirre Gutierrez

Dania Albini

Fulford Junior Research Fellow; Postdoctoral Researcher, Jackson Lab

Dania Albini Fulford Junior Research Fellow; Postdoctoral Researcher, Jackson Lab

Share on

Profile
Publications

My research is mainly focused on studying the effects of climate change and other human stressors on aquatic ecosystems.

I use a combination of field research, controlled microcosm and mesocosm experiments and advanced techniques analysis (such as a combination of machine learning and flow cytometry), to understand how natural communities respond to stressors. I am particularly interested in freshwater ecosystems, from ponds to rivers, and plankton communities as model systems.

I work in the lab of Somerville’s Fellow and Tutor in Ecology, Associate Professor Michelle Jackson. During my time in Oxford, I am investigating the effect of warming and other stressors on freshwater plankton communities, using outdoor mesocosms, machine learning and flow cytometry. I am also developing a quantitative method to early detect sewage fungus in rivers and I am studying its effects on aquatic organisms.

Turning defence into offence? Intrusion of cladoceran brood chambers by a green alga leads to reproductive failure. September 2020. Journal article
Royal Society Open Science: Reversible colony formation and the associated costs in Scenedesmus obliquus. July 2019. Journal article. Journal of Plankton Research
Chemical composition of wildfire ash produced in contrasting ecosystems and its toxicity to Daphnia magna. January 2019. Journal article. International Journal of Wildland Fire
Early and late maternal effects on hatching phenology of heterocypris incongruens (crustacea: Ostracoda). June 2015. Journal article. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological Genetics and Physiology
To rest in hydration: hatching phenology of resting eggs of Heterocypris incongruens (Crustacea: Ostracoda). June 2012. Journal article. Fundamental and Applied Limnology

Learn More Dania Albini

Charlotte Albury

Fulford Junior Research Fellow; Research Fellow in Health Behaviours; Teaching Lead in Qualitative Research Methods

Charlotte Albury Fulford Junior Research Fellow; Research Fellow in Health Behaviours; Teaching Lead in Qualitative Research Methods

charlotte.albury@phc.ox.ac.uk

+44 (0)1865 289323

Share on

Profile
Publications

I have a background in medical anthropology, and my experience focused on use of ethnographic and socio-linguistic methodologies to explore patient experiences of health and illness, including spirit healing and body modification.

My current research focusses on how clinicians and patients communicate in discussions about behaviour change. I am trained in applied conversation analysis and in the Conversation Analytic Role Play Method.

I joined the dept in 2015 and used conversation analysis to explore audio recorded interactions between patients and GPs during the BWeL trial, and link these to patient weight loss outcomes. I currently work across a series of projects using conversation analysis to identify ways to improve communication about behaviour change in clinical settings, including smoking cessation, clinical trial recruitment, diabetes self-management, and clinical risk communication.

I am a specialist in qualitative research methods, and I lead and co-ordinate the department’s short courses in qualitative research methods, and lead Oxford University’s NVivo courses.

I currently hold both a Mildred Blaxter Fellowship, from the Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness, and a Fulford Junior Research Fellowship at Somerville College. During my fellowship I am exploring how wider social discourses are enacted at the micro-interactional level during unsolicited advice-giving in primary care.

I also currently lead the TalkWeL project, a three year study funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF). TalkWeL is a collaboration between the University of Oxford, Loughborough University, Public Health England, and people with obesity. In this project we are examining how clinicians initiate and deliver brief advice for weight loss in primary care, and how patients respond. Our aim is to develop an evidence base of helpful and effective ways to deliver brief advice for weight loss.

Prior to joining the department I worked in teaching, and I am an associate fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I lead the department’s short courses in qualitative research methods. I also co-lead the University’s courses on data management with NVivo.

Talbot, Amelia & Salinas, Maria & Albury, Charlotte & Ziebland, Sue. (2021). People with weight‐related long‐term conditions want support from GPs: A qualitative interview study. Clinical Obesity. 10.1111/cob.12471.

Robinson, Charlotte & Albury, Charlotte & McCartney, David & Fletcher, Benjamin & Roberts, Nia & Jury, Imogen & Lee, Joseph. (2021). The relationship between duration and quality of sleep and upper respiratory tract infections: a systematic review. Family Practice. 10.1093/fampra/cmab033.

Albury, Charlotte & Ziebland, Sue & Webb, Helena & Stokoe, Elizabeth & Aveyard, Paul. (2020). Discussing weight loss opportunistically and effectively in family practice: a qualitative study of clinical interactions using conversation analysis in UK family practice. Family Practice. 38. 10.1093/fampra/cmaa121.

Warr, William & Aveyard, Paul & Albury, Charlotte & Nicholson, Brian & Tudor, Kate & Hobbs, Richard & Roberts, Nia & Ziebland, Sue. (2020). A systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies exploring GPs’ and nurses’ perspectives on discussing weight with patients with overweight and obesity in primary care. Obesity Reviews. 22. 10.1111/obr.13151.

Hall, Amanda & Richmond, Helen & Bursey, Krystal & Hansen, Zara & Williamson, Esther & Copsey, Bethan & Albury, Charlotte & Asghari, Shabnam & Curran, Vernon & Pike, Andrea & Etchegary, Holly & Lamb, Sarah. (2020). Evaluating the impact of a champion on implementation of the Back Skills Training (BeST) programme in Canada: a mixed methods feasibility study protocol. BMJ open. 10. e040834. 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040834.

Learn More Charlotte Albury

Sanah Ali

Clinical Non-Stipendiary Lecturer

Sanah Ali Clinical Non-Stipendiary Lecturer

sanah.ali@some.ox.ac.uk

Share on

Profile

Learn More Sanah Ali

Joel Alves

Fulford Junior Research Fellow; Postdoctoral Researcher in Evolutionary Genetics

Joel Alves Fulford Junior Research Fellow; Postdoctoral Researcher in Evolutionary Genetics

joel.alves@arch.ox.ac.uk

+44 (0)1865 285642

Share on

Profile
Publications

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at Oxford’s School of Archaeology and a Fulford Junior Research Fellow at Somerville College.

As a geneticist working in an archaeology setting, my research sits at the intersection of natural and social sciences. Most of my work uses DNA from contemporary and archaeological populations to investigate how humans and the environment have shaped the genomes of species. I am interested in a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from the process of domestication to the adaptation to novel habitats.

I am originally from Portugal, where I did my undergraduate in Biology at the University of Porto, followed by a master’s in Biodiversity, Genetics and Evolution at CIBIO Institute. I then moved to the United Kingdom to pursue a PhD at the University of Cambridge on the topic of evolution of viral resistance. In 2018, I joined the School of Archaeology at the University of Oxford where I am currently leading research projects that use Ancient DNA to investigate how humans and animals have interacted through time.

https://www.arch.ox.ac.uk/people/alves-joel

Parallel adaptation of rabbit populations to myxoma virus. Alves JM et al.; Science 2019, (DOI:10.1126/science.aau7285)

Celebrating Easter, Christmas and their associated alien fauna. Lauritsen M, et al.; World Archaeology 2018 (DOI: 10.1080/00438243.2018.1515655)

Adaptive introgression underlies polymorphic seasonal camouflage in snowshoe hares. Jones MR, et al.; Science 2018, (DOI: 10.1126/science.aar5273)

Host shifts result in parallel genetic changes when viruses adapt to closely related species. Longdon B et al; PLoS Pathogens 2018 (DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006951)

Rabbit genome analysis reveals a polygenic basis for phenotypic change during domestication. Carneiro M et al.; Science 2014, (DOI: 10.1126/science.1253714)

Learn More Joel Alves

Daniel Anthony

Fellow & Tutor in Medicine; Professor of Experimental Neuropathology

Daniel Anthony Fellow & Tutor in Medicine; Professor of Experimental Neuropathology

daniel.anthony@some.ox.ac.uk

Share on

Profile
Publications

Daniel Anthony is Professor of Experimental Neuropathology. His research group is located in the Department of Pharmacology.

Daniel joined Somerville and the Department of Pharmacology in 2004 where he established the Experimental Neuropathology Laboratory. The focus of the work of his laboratory is to explore the cross-talk between the brain or spinal cord and the peripheral immune system using a combination of non-invasive imaging, molecular biology and immunochemical techniques. Signals carried between the brain and the peripheral immune system are important in the development of CNS disease, and there is now considerable evidence to support the idea that inappropriate immune system activation contributes, in a deleterious manner, not only to the archetypal inflammatory disease of the brain, multiple sclerosis, but also to acute neurological diseases, such as stroke and head trauma, and to chronic neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, prion disease, and HIV-related dementia.

Laboratory website: http://users.ox.ac.uk/~bioc0541/ENP/Welcome.html

1. Dickens AM, Larkin JR, Davis BG, Griffin JL, Claridge TDW, Sibson NR, Anthony DC. NMR-based metabolomics separates the distinct stages of disease in a chronic relapsing model of multiple sclerosis. Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology (2015) 015 Sep;10(3):435-44.

2. Couch Y, Xie Q, Lundberg L, Sharp T, Anthony DC. A model of post-infection fatigue is associated increased TNF and 5-HT2A receptor expression in mice. PlosOne 10(7):e0130643 (2015).

3. Losey P, Ladds E, Laprais M, Guevel B, Burns L, Bordet R, Anthony DC. The role of PPAR activation during the systemic response to brain injury. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 12:99 (2015).

4. Strekalova T, Evans M, Costa-Nunes J, Bachurin S, Yeritsyan N, Couch Y, Steinbusch HMW, Köhler SE, Lesch KP, Anthony DC. Tlr4 upregulation in the brain accompanies depression- and anxiety-like behaviors induced by a high-cholesterol diet. Brain Behavior and Immunity pii: S0889-1591(15)00057-4(2015)

5. Airas L, Dickens AM , PElo P, Marjamäki P, Johansson J, Eskola O, Jones PA, Trigg W, Solin O, Haaparanta-Solin M, Anthony DC, Rinne J. In vivo positron emission tomography imaging demonstrates diminished microglial activation after fingolimod treatment in an animal model of Multiple Sclerosis J Nucl Med. 56(2):305-10 (2015).

6. Dickens A, Anthony DC, Deutsch R, Mielke MM, Claridge DW, Grant I, Franklin D, Rosario D, Marcotte T, Letendre S, JC McArthur, N. Haughey. CSF Metabolomics Implicate Bioenergetic Adaptation as a Neural Mechanism Regulating Shifts in Cognitive States of HIV-Infected Subjects. AIDS 2015 PMID: 25611149

Learn More Daniel Anthony

Susan Anthony

Retaining Fee Lecturer; Consultant Radiologist

Susan Anthony Retaining Fee Lecturer; Consultant Radiologist

Share on

Profile

Dr Susan Anthony is a Consultant Interventional Radiologist at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where she served as Clinical Lead and Director of Radiology 2012-18.

Having qualified in 1992 from University College Hospital Medical School, London, she trained in Radiology at the Royal Free Hospital, London, before moving to Oxford in 2005.

Her specialist interests include Non-invasive Vascular Imaging, Cardiac Imaging, Intervention (including Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty, Aortic Stent Grafting and Uterine Artery Embolisation), Endovenous Laser Treatment for Varicose Veins, and Interventional Oncology (Transarterial Chemoembolisation, Selective Internal Radiation Therapy and Portal Vein Embolisation).

Suzie has an honorary senior clinical lecturer position at the University of Oxford. She teaches anatomyand radiology to undergraduate and graduate-entry medical students and enjoys introducing young doctors to the opportunities provided by image-guided intervention. Suzie has an active interest in current research and is section editor for European Journal of Radiology.

Learn More Susan Anthony

Sophie Arana

Fulford Junior Research Fellow

Sophie Arana Fulford Junior Research Fellow

Share on

Profile
Publications

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Human Information Processing Lab at the Department for Experimental Psychology.

My background is in cognitive psychology and Language and for my doctorate I studied neural correlates of abstract linguistic knowledge in human brain recordings using Magnetoencephalography.

In my current research, I explore the human capacity for generalising abstract sequential

rules in non-linguistic learning tasks. I am specifically interested in the following questions: (1) What are the conditions and constraints that promote abstract rule representation in the first place and (2) how does the brain represent and operate on abstract knowledge during sequential processing?

Selected Publications

“Is the motor system necessary for processing action and abstract emotion words? Evidence from focal brain lesions.” FR Dreyer, D Frey, S Arana, S Saldern, T Picht, P Vajkoczy, et al. Frontiers in Psychology 6, 1661. 2015
“Sensory Modality-Independent Activation of the Brain Network for Language.” S Arana, A Marquand, A Hultén, P Hagoort, JM Schoffelen. Journal of Neuroscience. 40 (14), 2914-2924. 2020
“Lexical frequency and sentence context influence the brain’s response to single words”. E Huizeling, S Arana, P Hagoort, JM Schoffelen. bioRxiv. 2020
“The cognate facilitation effect depends on the presence of identical cognates.” SL Arana, HM Oliveira, AI Fernandes, AP Soares, M Comesaña. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 1-19. 2022.
“MVPA does not reveal neural representations of hierarchical linguistic structure in MEG. SL Arana.” JM Schoffelen, T Mitchell, P Hagoort. bioRxiv. 2021

Learn More Sophie Arana

Siddharth Arora

Research Fellow; Associate, Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development; Parkinson's UK Early Career Fellow

Siddharth Arora Research Fellow; Associate, Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development; Parkinson's UK Early Career Fellow

Share on

Profile
Publications

Siddharth completed his DPhil, focused on developing statistical methods for time series forecasting, at Somerville College.

His research interests include Biomedical Signal & Image Processing, Statistical Modelling, Forecasting, and Chaos Synchronization. His work is primarily concerned with two application areas: Healthcare, and Energy.

Currently, Siddharth is investigating remote technologies for the diagnosis and monitoring of Parkinson’s disease. He develops statistical algorithms using data for voice, gait, posture, reaction times, dexterity, and tremor, collected using smartphones in a home and community setting. These algorithms are aimed at identifying patterns in the data, which can be used to discriminate people with Parkinson’s disease from healthy controls and accurately monitor the severity symptoms of the disease over time.

Siddharth is also working on a NHS funded project aimed at predicting the A&E arrivals, admissions and discharges across hospitals in the West Midlands. The algorithms developed as part of this project will be used operationally by the NHS to optimize staffing decisions, which would help reduce patient waiting times.

http://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/arora/

“Detecting and Monitoring the Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease using Smartphones: A Pilot Study”, Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, 21, 650–653.
S. Arora, V. Venkataraman, A. Zhan, S. Donohue, K.M. Biglan, E.R. Dorsey, M.A. Little (2015)

“Forecasting Electricity Smart Meter Data Using Conditional Kernel Density Estimation”, Omega, forthcoming.
S. Arora and J.W. Taylor (2014)

“Cortical and Clonal Contribution of Tbr2 Expressing Progenitors in the Developing Mouse Brain”, Cerebral Cortex, forthcoming.
N.A. Vasistha, F. García-Moreno, S. Arora, A.F.P. Cheung, S.J. Arnold, E.J. Robertson and Z. Molnár (2014)

Synchronization of Coupled Map Lattice using Delayed Variable Feedback”, Journal of Applied Nonlinear Dynamics, 3, 245-253.
S. Arora and M.S. Santhanam (2014)

“Short-term Forecasting of Anomalous Load using Rule-based Triple Seasonal Methods”, IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, 28, 3235-3242.
S. Arora and J.W. Taylor (2013)

“Nonlinear and Nonparametric Modelling Approaches for Probabilistic Forecasting of the US Gross National Product”, Studies in Nonlinear Dynamics and Econometrics, 17, 395-420.
S. Arora, M.A. Little and P.E. McSharry (2013)

Learn More Siddharth Arora

Dr Michael Ashdown

Practitioner Non-Stipendiary Lecturer in Law

Dr Michael Ashdown Practitioner Non-Stipendiary Lecturer in Law

Download CV

mashdown@wilberforce.co.uk

Share on

Profile
Publications

Michael is a barrister at Wilberforce Chambers.

Before going to the Bar, Michael spent six years as Fellow and Tutor in law at Somerville College. His research concerned trustees’ powers and duties and the remedial consequences of breaches of trust, with a particular focus on the so-called “rule in Re Hastings-Bass”, and was cited in the Court of Appeal in Pitt v Holt [2011] EWCA Civ 197. He lectured, examined and gave tutorials on the law of trusts and Roman law. He continues to teach land law to Oxford undergraduates.

As a barrister, he appears regularly in the High Court and County Court, both as sole counsel and as a junior in a larger team.

Michael’s particular interests are in all aspects of litigation and advice relating to trusts law. This encompasses both traditional private client work and pension schemes, together with professional negligence in those fields.

Recent notable instructions include:

British Airways v Maunder. Acting for British Airways in a long-running claim against the trustees of the Airways Pension Scheme for alleged breaches of trust in the exercise of discretionary powers, culminating in a 7-week trial before Morgan J (with Michael Tennet QC and Sebastian Allen).

Acting (as sole counsel) for a minor beneficiary in two sets of contested High Court proceedings, first pursuant to Schmidt v Rosewood Trust Ltd to obtain trust accounts and other information to explain the diminution of the trust fund, and secondly to remove and replace the existing trustees.

Acting (as sole counsel) in High Court proceedings for a beneficiary seeking to establish his entitlement to a half share in a substantial trust fund, and to value and realise that share.

Acting (as sole counsel) for the claimant firm of solicitors in the County Court trial of their claim to recover unpaid fees from a client for whom they had acted in Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings.

Advising the defendant administrator on claims under the under the Inheritance (Provision for Family of Dependants) Act 1975 concerning overseas property, the validity of UK and foreign marriages and divorces by both claimant and deceased, and the recognition in England of foreign polygamous marriage.

‘English Trust Law Principles’ in S Kempster, M McMillan and A Meek (eds) International Trust Disputes (OUP 2020)

‘Disorder & delayed discovery’ (2019) 169 (7840) New Law Journal 16

‘A modern approach to fraud on a power’ (2018) 24 Trusts & Trustees 653 (with Tiffany Scott QC)

‘Professional Advice’ in PS Davies, S Douglas and J Goudkamp (eds), Defences in Equity (Hart Publishing 2018)

‘Trustee Decision Making: The Rule in Re Hastings-Bass’ (OUP 2015)

‘Laches and limitation’ (2014) Trusts & Trustees 20 (9): 958-965 (with Clare Stanley QC)

Learn More Dr Michael Ashdown

1 2 3 … 14 >

This site uses cookies

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

Prateek Agrawal

Jesus Aguirre Gutierrez

Dania Albini

Charlotte Albury

Sanah Ali

Joel Alves

Daniel Anthony

Susan Anthony

Sophie Arana

Siddharth Arora

Dr Michael Ashdown

A Brief History of Somerville

Postgraduate

Interactive Map