People

Flavia is the Co-Director of the Master of Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government.

Flavia’s research and advisory work focuses on social policy, particularly in the development of social protection systems in low- and middle-income countries. Her work emphasises the critical role of these systems in addressing unprecedented challenges related to demography, technology, and climate change. She has a specific interest in social pensions, collaborating with governments and international organisations on the feasibility, design, and impact of such policies.

Flavia holds a PhD in Government and Public Administration from Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Spain, a MSc in Development from the University of Reading, a MSc in Corporate Governance and Business Ethics from Birkbeck, University of London, and a BA in International Relations from the University of Brasilia, Brazil.

Professor Rachel Upthegrove MBE, MBBS, MPhil, PhD, FRCPsych

Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford
Director of the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Oxford Health
Chair of the NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration.

Rachel trained in Medicine at the Royal Free Hospital, University of London and completed Psychiatry training in Birmingham. Her research focuses on the identification of novel treatments for early stages of schizophrenia, and she leads the UKRI funded Psychosis Immune Mechanism Stratified Medicine Study (PIMS), a collaborative multi-stage project investigating inflammatory mechanisms of psychosis. Her translational research includes NIHR funded Early Psychosis Informatics into Care (EPICare) platform. She is chief investigator and co-investigator on a number of RCTs for repurposed and targeted treatments. She was recognized in Kings Birthday Honours in 2024 for services to Mental Health Research and Life Sciences.

Danijela is a Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Oxford. Her research combines experimental and correlational methods and focuses on two areas: language, memory and cognition, particularly in second language learning and use; and language, literacy and academic attainment among university students who use English as an additional language.

She read English Language and Literature at the University of Belgrade before completing an MPhil and PhD in English and Applied Linguistics at the University of Cambridge. Before joining Oxford, she held academic posts at several UK universities, most recently at the University of York, where she was Professor of Second Language Education and research leader of the Centre for Advanced Studies in Language and Education.

Danijela has been a visiting scholar at universities in Thailand, Japan and the Netherlands, including Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Chuo University in Tokyo, and the Max Planck Institute in Nijmegen. She has served as President of the European Second Language Association, founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of the European Second Language Association, and an associate editor of The Encyclopaedia of Applied Linguistics.

Hello and welcome to Somerville College. I work for the University Counselling Service and am also the designated Counsellor in this college on Wednesdays during term-time from 10.30am – 6.30pm.  You can contact me via email at college.counsellor@some.ox.ac.uk and find me in college in room Park 06.

If you wish to speak to me or another counsellor outside the college or on another day of the week you can contact the central counselling service at counselling@admin.ox.ac.uk

A bit about me

Having completed my first degree in English and Psychology, I enjoyed a riotous career as an advertising creative in 1980’s London.   During this hedonistic period I also worked for Central London Samaritans as a volunteer.  I then went on to train with mental health charity MIND and Barnado’s Support4Parents scheme.  Later I worked for 7 years as a counsellor at Child Bereavement UK supporting both adults and children learning to cope with the death of someone important to them. From 2013 I also worked as an honorary counsellor for two low cost services and in two schools in Oxfordshire.  More recently I have been working with patients in an Eating Disorder Unit using a range of therapeutic interventions including Psychodynamic counselling (my initial training modality) and DBT.  I currently supervise and work in private practice and as a counsellor at Oxford University.

My academic training was initially in Psychology and Arts at Leicester University and I subsequently gained a Post Graduate Diploma and Masters Degree in Psychodynamic Practice at University of Oxford. I now practice as a Psychotherapeutic Counsellor, Accredited by the UKCP and am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

I am Fulford Junior Research Fellow at Somerville, and a Research Fellow at the Pharos Foundation. I am a Member of the English Faculty at Oxford, and specialise in the fields of poetics and aesthetic philosophy. 

I previously taught at Trinity College, Cambridge (where I remain a Senior Member), and St Peter’s College, Oxford. I was also previously Procter Research Fellow at Princeton University. 

My research is interested in the effects that poetry has on our minds and on our ethics. All my writing shares an interest in the ways that verse form makes demands on us to be more magnanimous in such a way that poetry brings us closer to what is good. I usually work on Romantic and Victorian poetry, but I have also published on Milton, T.S. Eliot, and as well as on English literature, on poetry in German, French, and Latin. I have just finished a book on the poetic line-ending’s relationship to ethics, and I am now beginning a new project on British Jewish authors in the long nineteenth century.

I care deeply about access to education in the humanities, and often work with schools in London and my native Yorkshire to that end.

Hi everyone! My name is Ben and I am your Sports Rep for this academic year. I am a 5th year medical student and in my spare time have been involved in college rowing, helped run a dance society and participated in university gymnastics. I used to play rugby and I do still occasionally boulder so I am enthusiastic about a wide breadth of sports!

I am really looking forward to promoting sports and physical activity in college, please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions about sports in college or the university more broadly. I am also in charge of college stash for the MCR for which there will be an opportunity to buy some lovely college branded clothing every term.

I’m Ben. I started my BPhil in Philosophy at Somerville in 2025, and serve as House Chair since HT 2026. In my free time, I like to spend time with my friends, read some fiction and go for a run.

Hi everyone! I’m Erica, a second-year DPhil student in Cardiovascular and Stem Cell Biology. I’m originally from Toronto, Canada and before coming to Oxford, I studied biology at Imperial College London and neuroscience for my MSc at UCL. I’m a huge fan of musicals (especially Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera), Roger Federer, and can tell you where to get the best bubble tea in Oxford!

As Social Secretary of the Somerville MCR, I love creating opportunities for students to connect, whether through formal exchanges, themed socials, bar nights, or day trips. I’m always open to new ideas, or if you just want to have a chat, feel free to reach out 🙂

I’m 22, and a 2nd year MPhil Economics student at Somerville. I’ve been MCR treasurer since last Michaelmas, and I’ll also be a peer supporter this year, so I’m always here for a chat of any kind 🙂

Lena is in her second year of the B.Phil. in Philosophy and is interested in metaphysics, metaethics, and the philosophy of law. She loves Somerville and Margery Fry. She likes to cook dinner for people and especially to make cornbread. Please don’t hesitate to write to the Somerville MCR Secretary email!

Hello, I’m Mehtab, and I am the Vice-President of the MCR. I am a final year DPhil student studying ion channel proteins and membrane transport in health and disease using interdisciplinary approaches that means I work in of Biophysics, Chemistry, and Pharmacology.

As MCR Vice-President, my duties are in supporting the president and the running of the executive committee. My other priorities are in advocating for improving transparency and democratisation of the MCR, as well as working to improve physical wellbeing facilities for MCR members. If you have any questions, suggestions, or critiques about the running of the MCR, especially if you feel that your voice isn’t being heard, please reach out to me. Part of maintaining the respectful and diverse MCR environment that we all cherish is making sure nobody is feeling left behind or excluded.

Becky Cotton-Barratt oversees graduate students and academic HR, as well as supporting the college in policy matters.

She graduated from the University of Oxford with a degree in Earth Sciences, and then completed a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Warwick. She previously worked as the Admissions and Outreach Coordinator for the Mathematical Institute, and finds committees oddly enjoyable.

Dr. Natalia Chepiga is a physicist working on quantum many-body phenomena.

She studies quantum phase transitions—processes that occur at zero temperature and describe changes between distinct quantum phases of matter. Her work lies at the intersection of computational and theoretical physics, quantum information, quantum computing, and magnetism; she is an active developer of tensor network algorithms. Before joining the University of Oxford, Dr. Chepiga was an Assistant Professor at the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience and Delft University of Technology. Since 2024, she has served as an Associate Editor of Physical Review Research of the American Physical Society.

Shahnaz “Nazee” Batmanghelidj studied PPE at Somerville, followed by a Masters at Princeton University and an MBA at Harvard, leading to her career in finance.

Most recently she has been an advisor at Hoegh Capital Partners. Nazee serves on the boards of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and the Jefferson Scholars Foundation at the University of Virginia.  She is also an Honorary Board member of the Near East Foundation. She has been a long-serving member of the Board of Americans for Oxford, and in 2016 was made a Distinguished Friend of Oxford by Vice-Chancellor Louise Richardson for her involvement in AFO and other institutions across the University.

Radford “Roddy” Klotz is an alumnus of the University of Virginia, where he continues his involvement as a member of the board of the College Foundation of the University of Virginia. He is a partner in the private financial services firm of Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) where he started his career in 1977 in the firm’s Treasury Department.

Susan Thomas is Head of Archives and Modern Manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries.

Caroline is the Chief Operating Officer of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, where she provides leadership on strategy development and oversight of the School’s activities.

Caroline brings with her over 20 years’ experience in the infrastructure and energy project finance market, working on some of the largest energy transactions ever undertaken in both the conventional and renewables spaces and advising some of the largest energy companies in the world. Since 2021, she has been consistently recognised in the market for her work in the wind and energy transition sectors (Energy Transition Power List 2024, Wind Power List 2023, European Power List 2022, Women’s Power List 2021)

From 2023 until her move to Oxford, Caroline focussed on energy transition and sustainable finance, leading teams operating across the capital markets and in the ESG advisory space, as well as significant internal policy and process development. Her activities covered areas including financed emissions, transition finance, customer engagement and nature finance.

Caroline has served on the board of the International Project Finance Association (IPFA) since 2017, with notable contributions to their learning activities as well as DE&I, and on Pexapark’s Advisory Council since 2023. She is a regular and enthusiastic speaker at events around the City and further afield, including for names such as Inspiratia, Aurora, the Women’s Infrastructure Network, Reuters and FT Live.

Caroline holds an MPhys (Hons) from Somerville College, Oxford, where she also gained Half Blues in gymnastics and lightweight rowing. She is thrilled to continue her links to Somerville by appointment as a Senior Associate in 2025.

Alexandra Vincent MBE
Chief Operating Officer (Divisional Registrar), Humanities Division
Managing Director, Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities
University of Oxford

Alexandra Vincent is Chief Operating Officer for the Humanities Division and Managing Director for Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities at the University of Oxford. Core to Alex’s role is  overseeing the strategy, operation, and governance of the Humanities Division, one of the four academic divisions of the University.  This includes responsibility for setting the strategy and overseeing the operations of the Schwarzman Centre and it’s cultural, schools, and commercial programmes.

Alex was the Division’s representative on the capital building project board for the new Centre and was responsible for moving seven of the ten humanities faculties into the building, and establishing it as an exciting and vibrant hub of academic and cultural activity. 

Prior to moving to the University of Oxford, Alex was Chief Operating Officer at Arts and Humanities Research Council and UKRI International. During her time at AHRC Alex oversaw the establishment of several multi-million pound programmes including COSTAR, investment into a network of labs and facilities for R&D in the Creative Industries, and the Creative Industries Clusters Programme, a multi-million-pound research initiative bringing together academia and business to provide solutions to the challenges facing the sector.

Before joining AHRC, Alex was Associate Director, Policy and Analysis with Research Councils UK.  Alex oversaw the establishment of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund as well as overseeing the development of cross-Council policy and strategy. Alex also contributed to two major reviews of research and innovation funding in Scotland and Wales. 

Alex’s early career was in PR and brand management, starting in the IT industry and then moving into the public sector, eventually leading to her moving to English Heritage to manage the communications and PR for a major Heritage Lottery funded Programme. 

Alex was awarded an MBE for services to research funding in 2024. She is a Fellow of Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the Royal Society of Arts.

Julie Jack is a philosopher and emeritus fellow of Somerville College.

Julie Jack was elected as fellow in Philosophy of Somerville College in 1969, succeeding Elizabeth Anscombe. A specialist in philosophical logic, Julie taught across a wide range of subjects in philosophy, and made a great mark on her Somerville pupils. After resigning her Fellowship in 1987, she taught for some years in Cambridge.

I work on religious and cultural developments in the Roman world through the study of material and literary sources.

In my forthcoming monograph, The Ludi Saeculares and the Saeculum: Time, Festival, and Authority in the Roman World, I examine the development of the Saecular Games and their relationship to Roman conceptions of time from the Republic to late Empire.

My current research project, Humans as Gods in the Roman World, is funded by Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), and the Gerda Henkel Stiftung. I am a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow with the Faculty of Classics. I am investigating human associations with divinity in Latin and Greek literature, graffiti, and in funerary monuments and inscriptions of the Roman imperial period to be published as a monograph. My other research interests include Roman and Greek hymns and Latin epigraphy.

Websites: <https://susandunning.net/>, <https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9733-9403>.

Dr Theofrida Maginga is a lecturer and a researcher from Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania, and a Schmidt Fellow in AI 2025-26.

Dr Maginga specialises in Embedded Computing Systems, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Geospatial technologies to advance precision agriculture and climate resilience.
In this fellowship, Dr Maginga will work on Predicting Soil Erosion Risk and Sustainable Land Use in Tanzania’s Uluguru Mountains Using AI and Climate Geospatial Data.

Dr Uma Das is an Assistant Professor in Physics at the Indian Institute of Information Technology Kalyani (IIIT) and a Schmidt Fellow in AI 2025-26.

Dr Das received her PhD from Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad in 2009, for her work on rocket-borne studies of atmospheric dynamics. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Central University, Taiwan from 2010 to 2013 and at the University of New Brunswick from 2013 to 2015. She has been working as Assistant Professor (Physics) at the Indian Institute of Information Technology Kalyani (IIIT) since 2016.

Dar Das’ research expertise is in Space and Atmospheric Physics and Dynamics, and her research interests include problems related to atmospheric vertical and lateral coupling and effects of climate change on the terrestrial atmosphere. She has authored 29 publications in peer-reviewed journals on mesospheric turbulence, thermospheric dynamics, equatorial Kelvin waves, tides, and planetary waves. She is currently working on applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence in advancing predictive capabilities in various atmospheric problems including cyclones and fog. She also advocates for inclusivity and increased participation of women in all fields of science, technology and engineering disciplines.

Evie is a recent Music graduate from Hertford College, where her research focused on the societal impacts of musical women, past and present.

She could frequently be found organising events and revelling in admin, alongside singing in choirs and playing the oboe. Singing with Somerville College Choir in her third year was a particular highlight!

As Chapel and Music Administrator, Evie is the first point of contact for all queries to do with the Chapel and Choir. She assists with booking events and concerts in the Chapel, as well as organising piano tunings, looking after PRS reporting, and acting as clerk for the Chapel and Music Committee.

Evie works for Somerville in term time only, usually on Tuesdays and Fridays. She can be reached on chapel.music@some.ox.ac.uk or choir@some.ox.ac.uk

Jan was principal of Somerville College from 2017-25. During this time, she was an unstoppable champion of higher education and of all the students and academics that make up our community. Driven by her belief that “Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not”, Jan led initiatives that drove social mobility across Oxford. She paved the way to Somerville becoming a College of Sanctuary, and supported Somerville in creating scholarships for students from BAME, Working Class and Marginalised backgrounds, with the result that 1 in 5 students of all backgrounds now receive financial support during their time at Oxford.

Alongside social mobility, Jan championed academics’ research and entrepreneurship, working closely with colleagues from all disciplines across initiatives from medical spin-outs to community partnerships tackling child malnutrition. She led on initiatives for decarbonising the college, was an active champion of greater ties between the university and city of Oxford and served as Chair of Conference of Colleges during the most tumultuous period of the Covid-19 pandemic.