Support Staff

Benjamin Thompson (FHRS) is a medieval historian who specialises in the role of the church in society and politics between the Norman Conquest and the Reformation in England.

He is working on a book provisionally titled The Alien Priories Transformed: Church, Society and Politics in Late Medieval England which examines the ‘alien’ priories, lands and monasteries in England owned by French abbeys as a result of the Conquest.  These came under increasingly xenophobic scrutiny during the Hundred Years War, which provoked a public debate about the correct use of ecclesiastical resources.  Their eventual confiscation – more than a century before the Dissolution of the Monasteries – established the legitimacy of the secular power’s intervention in re-ordering the church.

Professor Thompson has investigated these broad themes across a range of material.  Recent articles have focused on the underlying ideology of the church in its relation to society and politics, for instance the tension between the clergy’s sense of difference from the laity based on their spiritual function of ministering to souls, and their practical integration into a society which embraced religious culture and practice, and in which they were powerful officials and landowners.

He explored the ‘polemic’ of ecclesiastical reform as part of the Somerville medievalists’ interdisciplinary research group’s second project: their book on Polemic: Language as Violence in Medieval and Early Modern Discourse was published in 2015: http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9781472425089

https://www.history.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-benjamin-thompson

To respond adaptively in novel settings, intelligent agents must develop certain invariances (or abstractions) to map the infinite variety of the natural world to some smaller number of concepts, features, or values. Dr. Jessica Thompson investigates the computational principles that govern how those abstract representations develop through experience.

As a postdoctoral researcher in Chris Summerfield’s group at University of Oxford, she uses careful experimental design to establish the functional role of various computational ingredients in artificial neural networks trained on visual reasoning tasks. She completed her PhD at the International Laboratory for Brain, Music & Sound Research (BRAMS) and the Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute (Mila) at University of Montreal where her research focused on characterizing and comparing representational hierarchies in artificial neural networks and the human auditory system.

Some chemotherapeutic agents, such as doxorubicin, have severe cardiotoxic side effects, which can lead to congestive heart failure in 5% of patients.

There are currently no imaging techniques available to detect patients before the onset of functional decline and there are no specific cardio-protective drugs. My research focuses on both the early detection of cardiotoxicity using the novel metabolic imaging technique, hyperpolarized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the repurposing of existing drugs that target cardiac metabolism as potential cardio-protective therapy. 

Before I came to the UK I trained as a vet at the Freie Universitaet Berlin (Germany). I then undertook an MRes in “In Vivo Imaging in Biology and Medicine” and a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge. During my PhD in Prof Kevin Brindle’s laboratory I used hyperpolarized MRI to assess tumour metabolism and redox state in mouse models of cancer. I was then awarded a British Heart Foundation (BHF) Immediate Postdoctoral Basic Science Research Fellowship to move to the Department of Physiology Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG) at the University of Oxford. During my time in Prof Damian Tyler’s lab at DPAG I established a clinically-relevant rat model of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity and found that hyperpolarized MRI can detect early changes in cardiac mitochondrial metabolism that precede functional decline. I am now in the process of testing existing drugs that boost mitochondrial metabolism and have some early encouraging data that shows prevention of functional decline with this approach in rats treated wit doxorubicin. 

In addition to my role as Career Development Fellow at the Department of Pharmacology, I am also the Isobel Laing Career Development Fellow in Medical Sciences at Oriel college. This involves tutorial teaching in metabolism for first year Medical and Biomedical Sciences students. I am furthermore a Stipendiary Lecturer in Medicine at Somerville College (since 2017), where I conduct tutorials in the ‘Organisation of the Body’ course for first year medics, for whom I am also personal tutor. In addition I offer FHS tutorials in cancer metabolism and I act as College Adviser to graduate students in Medical Sciences. In the past I was a Lecturer in Metabolism at Corpus Christi College (2016-2020). I am passionate about disseminating research to the wider public and have thus taken part in outreach events such as ‘Pint of Science’ and ‘FameLab’ as well as events organised by the BHF and Somerville College.

John Traill is a prominent conductor, composer, and educator.

He values musical endeavours at all levels and he fervently promotes music for all, with a particular focus in higher education. As Director of Music at St. Anne’s, John co-ordinates music across the breadth of the academic community. With twenty years experience combining freelance performance with academic positions at leading UK conservatoires and universities, John is currently also director of the Oxford Conducting Institute, the St Anne’s Camerata, Ensemble ISIS (the new music group at Oxford Faculty of Music), the City of Southampton Orchestra, and the Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra.  Previous academic positions include acting Head of Performance at Bangor University, Teaching Fellow positions at Royal Holloway and King’s College, University of London, and lectureships at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and Bristol University.

Judith Unwin read Philosophy Politics & Economics at Somerville College and subsequently spent 35+ years in international banking in the City.

She initially joined the merchant bank Lazard Brothers & Co., Limited as their first female graduate trainee and worked in the Bank’s International Division arranging financing for infrastructure projects in a range of overseas markets. Having first visited India in 1984 she has been a regular and frequent visitor ever since. 

After 10 years at Lazard Judith joined ANZ Grindlays Bank in London specialising in South Asia, particularly India. She was appointed to various UK Government advisory positions including the South Asia Advisory Group under the auspices of the then Department of Trade & Industry and participated in many Ministerial Trade Missions to India. 

From 2000 she held a number of senior roles at BNP Paribas London the last being head of a team working with the international Development Finance Institutions and Multilateral Agencies. She was a founding member of the Indo British Partnership and subsequently Director and Chair of the Nominations Committee of the UK India Business Council (2008-2014). She took a sabbatical from the Bank in 2006 to travel to rural India researching and working with women’s self help groups and microfinance schemes and has supported several Indian charities. 

In parallel with her professional career, Judith has held a number of Non Executive Director and pro bono trustee roles. 

She retired from banking in 2016 and is currently Chair of Contemporary Applied Arts in London as well as being involved with an Adult Literacy programme.

Judith was awarded an OBE in 2000 for Services to Export promotion to South Asia.

In 2014 Baroness Vadera was appointed as the first woman to chair a major UK bank.

Her move to Santander follows a remarkable career that has seen her at the heart of banking, business and politics in the UK and abroad. We asked her about the global financial crisis, trouble in the Eurozone, the outlook for women in the workplace and the lessons she learnt from an exceptional childhood.

Hello there, I’m Gladson Vaghela, and I’m delighted to serve as your MCR Welfare Officer. I’m currently reading for my MSc in Global Health Science and Epidemiology. 

In my capacity as Welfare Officer, I’m dedicated to being your ally in navigating the challenges that may arise during your time at university. Whether it’s a health-related concern, a mental well-being issue, or if you just need someone to talk to, I’m here to provide a listening ear and guide you to the appropriate resources. Think of me as your personal signpost, directing you to the vast support network we have, from counselling services to health centres and all essential support groups. Additionally, I come from a background in medicine, which I hope brings an added layer of understanding and empathy to our interactions.

Reaching out for help can sometimes feel daunting—trust me, I’ve been there. But please know that I am always happy to hear from you, and confidentiality is a cornerstone of our interactions. Remember, no problem is too big or too small. University life is a journey with its fair share of ups and downs, and seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

So whether you need assistance or simply fancy a chat over a cup of coffee, my offer stands—don’t hesitate to reach out. Let’s create an inclusive and supportive community where each one of us can truly thrive.

Renier is a plant biologist interested in understanding the manipulation of plants by microbial plant pathogens.

His research activities also aim at improved recombinant glycoprotein production in plants and pioneering activity-based proteomics in plant science.

Renier was born in Leiden, the Netherlands in 1971 and was fascinated by plant biology from early childhood. He studied chemistry at Leiden University and focused soon on plant molecular biology and biochemistry. After his graduation in 1996, he started his PhD in Molecular Phytopathology (Wageningen University, Prof. Dr. Pierre de Wit), where he worked on the tomato Cf resistance proteins.

He continued working on Cf proteins in Wageningen as a postdoc, and started his own research program by introducing and applying activity-based protein profiling in plants. To further develop the technology he joined the phosphoproteomics group of Dr. Scott Peck for one year (Sainsbury lab, John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK).

He initiated the Plant Chemetics lab in October 2005 at the Max Planck Institutes of Cologne and Dortmund as part of the Chemical Genomics Centre of the Max Planck Society. His research group operated independently from the departments at the Max Planck Institutes while he trained twelve MSc students, nine PhD students, eleven postdocs and over 30 visiting scientists.

In October 2013, he was appointed Associate Professor at the Department of Plant Sciences of the University of Oxford, and elected Tutor in Plant Sciences at Somerville College. His research focuses on the use of chemical proteomics to uncover novel host manipulation mechanisms employed by microbes when colonizing the apoplast.

http://www.plantchemetics.org

https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=6UPEEfUAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

Professor Vincent’s (FRS FMedSci) major research interest is in the role of autoimmunity in neurological diseases, mainly auto-antibody mediated ion channel and receptor disorders.

These rare conditions are now recognised world-wide, diagnosed with tests she helped to develop, and treated with drugs that reduce the levels of the antibodies, with very good clinical responses.

She was previously honorary consultant in immunology and founded the Oxford Clinical Neuroimmunology service, an international referral centre for the measurement of antibodies in neurological diseases, that she led for 24 years. She was formerly Head of Department of Clinical Neurology (2005-2008), President of the International Society of Neuroimmunology (2001-2004), and an Associate Editor of the journal Brain (2004-2013). She formally retired in 2016 but has continued to publish with collaborators in the UK and abroad (total >400). She has received many national and international awards for her work.

Konstantina works in the field of fluid dynamics. She has extensive teaching and research experience in simulation approaches – based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and more recently Machine Learning (ML) – that support the virtual design of low-carbon footprint propulsion and energy systems.

She has also extended her research towards applying the numerical approaches she develops to the biomedical field (lung modelling and cryosurgery).

She graduated from the Department of Applied Mathematics at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) in 2005, and obtained her PhD from Imperial College London (2010) with a thesis entitled “Stochastic and deterministic multiple mapping conditioning for jet flames”. She was awarded the prestigious Bernard Lewis Fellowship by the Combustion Institute in 2010 for the development of a novel turbulent combustion modelling framework (namely Multiple Mapping Conditioning, MMC).

Following her PhD she worked as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at Imperial College London for two years, developing LES models for sprays in gas turbines, before moving to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she was appointed as a Research Scientist at the Mechanical Engineering Department for two years, and she led lead the CFD team of the MIT’s Reacting Gas Dynamics Laboratory. working towards developing numerical tools for the modelling of combustion instabilities and fluid mixing for hydrogen fuelled systems. She conducted academic research and teaching in different institutions in the UK and abroad including the University of Stuttgart, Imperial College, City University of London and University of Brighton, after which she joined King’s College London as a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) and an EPSRC-UKRI Innovation Fellow.

Konstantina’s research is at the forefront of fluid dynamics with more than 60 high impact peer reviewed articles. Recent papers have been selected as editor’s pick and featured as journal covers in various journals such as Physics of Fluids. She has been involved in various projects with industrial support and was also awarded the prestigious “Hinshelwood Prize” in 2012 which recognises meritorious work by a young member of the British Section of the Combustion Institute.

Konstantina trained as both an engineer and a mathematician and her research is at the crossroads between Mathematics, Engineering and Complex Systems, covering both applications and fundamentals. Particular emphasis in their research is given to fluid dynamics at extreme pressure and temperature conditions such as cryogenic fluids, flammable fluids and supercritical fluids.

I arrived in the UK in 1993 to take my fellowship in Somerville and lectureship in the Physics Department. The UK is my fourth country after my native Poland, Switzerland and Germany where I lived and worked for many years; quite a long journey from state schools in Poland to Oxford. In 2019 I retired my Tutorial Fellowship to become a Senior Research Fellow.

Most of my research so far has been in experimental particle physics but in recent years I have been moving my main interests from particle to accelerator physics. In plasma (ionised gas, for example hydrogen), using a laser, one can move electrons away from ions creating a huge electric field; many orders of magnitude bigger then what one can get using current technology. Such a field can be used to accelerate particles and to build accelerators beyond the Large Hadron Collider era and beyond current X ray sources (synchrotron radiation), like Diamond near Oxford. Acceleration using plasma would move particle physics to a new territory and simultaneously would make tuneable wavelength, short pulse X ray sources affordable for Universities and hospitals.

My main expertise in particle physics is in the design of wire chambers and calorimeters and on physics beyond the Standard Model as well as on some aspects of Quantum Chromo Dynamics. I worked at the following accelerators: CERN: PS, ISR, SPS; and DESY: PETRA, HERA. At John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science at Oxford University, I am leading the Lasers for Accelerators (L4A) group.

Besides physics, I am working on a small family farm and I am a keen swimmer; I am holding one national swimming record in my age group.

My advice to my students: Only beginners compete. When you go to a higher level, your aim is quality.

I teach Biology at Somerville, and most of my teaching concerns plant biology because this is the interesting part of the subject.

In the first year the topics I cover include plant life histories including pollination, biological classification, the use of plants in medicine, the emergence of agriculture, and conservation.  In the second year I teach about plant adaptations (particularly those found in Mediterranean-type regions), ecology, and ethnobotany.  In the final year I run an option on species conservation and I teach on the Tenerife Field Trip.

Prior to coming Somerville I worked at the Oxford Botanical Gardens and Harcourt Arboretum for the best part of 34 years, the last 26 as Horti Praefectus (i.e. director).  My particular interests are plant conservation and the genus Euphorbia which is a fascinating group of 2000 species found all over the world.

http://www.timothywalker.org.uk

My name is Wantoe T. Wantoe, and I am from Liberia. I am currently an MSc candidate in Comparative and International Education at the Department of Education, University of Oxford. Previously, I completed a Master in Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford.  

I serve as the Oxford Student Union Representative for the Middle Common Room (MCR) at Somerville College, where I ensure inclusivity and advocate for the voices of Somerville students within the larger Oxford Student Union. My role focuses on fostering a supportive environment where diverse perspectives are valued, and students’ needs and concerns are effectively represented in university-wide decision-making.