People

My research focuses on developing and integrating advanced NMR and mass spectrometry–based multiomics approaches to characterise metabolic pathways underlying neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

I aim to bridge analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, and data science to identify blood-based biomarkers for early disease detection and progression prediction.

At Oxford, I combine NMR metabolomics with proteomic and imaging biomarkers to develop predictive models for cognitive decline and disease progression, working in close collaboration with groups in Pharmacology and Biochemistry. Alongside my research, I tutor medical students at Somerville College, offering insights into disease from a molecular and analytical chemistry perspective.

I completed my DPhil in Chemistry at the University of Oxford in 2025 and am now an EPSRC-funded postdoctoral fellow in Physical Chemistry.

I’m College Lecturer at Somerville, as well as Departmental Lecturer in Computer Science. I’m teaching a range of courses, most of which about programming languages and theory.

My research revolves around dependent type theory, which is a very powerful logic that can be used both as a programming language and as a formal language for mathematics. I’m interested in understanding better the foundations of type theory and finding new applications for it.

I completed my DPhil in 2024 under the supervision of Samson Abramsky and Sam Staton. Before coming to Oxford, I studied Computer Science, Mathematics and Philosophy at RWTH Aachen, Imperial College London and LMU Munich.

Rasmus is a DPhil student with an interest in the philosophy of mathematics. His main interest lies at the intersection of axiomatic theories of truth and set theory.

With his supervisor, Professor Volker Halbach, he is currently looking at ways of extending the base theory of certain axiomatic theories of truth from arithmetic to set theory. This will allow him to explore the proof-theoretical consequences of adding axiomatic theories of truth to set theory.

Rasmus has an MA (Hons) in Philosophy and Mathematics from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in Mathematics and Foundations of Computer Science from the University of Oxford.

Dr Christiana Mavroyiakoumou is a Fulford Junior Research Fellow at Somerville College. She is also a Hooke Research Fellow at the Mathematical Institute, affiliated with OCIAM. 

Christiana is an applied mathematician specialising in developing mathematical models and computational methods to tackle complex problems in science and engineering. Her current research focuses on fluid dynamics, particularly fluid–structure interactions. Some of her current research topics include the deformation of extensible membranes, the dynamics of sailing manoeuvres, and the aerodynamics of bird flight formations. She also studies interactions between vortices and free surfaces. These research fields have practical applications in flow energy harvesting and the development of efficient propulsion systems.

Dr Mavroyiakoumou completed her PhD in Applied & Interdisciplinary Mathematics and Scientific Computing at the University of Michigan and then worked as a Courant Instructor/Assistant Professor at the Courant Institute of New York University. Her achievements include the Joseph B. Keller Postdoctoral Fellowship and Peter Smereka Dissertation Award.

A link to her personal website can be found here.

Dr David Schramm is a Foundation Doctor at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust and a Somerville alumnus with research interests in interventional radiology, medical innovation, and data-driven approaches to improving patient outcomes.

David matriculated at St Peter’s College, Oxford, to read Biochemistry before completing graduate-entry Medicine at Somerville. His academic work includes developing AI tools for opportunistic vertebral fracture detection and leading multicentre studies on contrast-associated kidney injury and venous thrombosis management. He has also contributed to national collaborative studies through the UK Interventional Radiology Trainee Collaborative (UNITE) committee and evaluated digital health technologies such as wearable ECG devices and virtual operating platforms.

Alongside his clinical training, David maintains an active interest in translational biotechnology and early-stage innovation, contributing to protocol design and patent development.

I am a Wellcome Trust early career fellow in the Department of Biochemistry. My research investigates organisation and biophysical properties of bacterial membranes.

I first started looking at the outer membrane during my PhD in the lab of Bart Hoogenboom at University College London. I then did a postdoc in the lab of Prof Tom Silhavy at Princeton University, where I learnt bacterial genetics.

In Oxford, I am looking at how and why the outer membrane of species like E. coli are kept organised and highly immobile. These are intriguing properties, since cells must be dynamic to survive. They must insert new proteins and lipids to grow, move molecules laterally to migrate, and deform the membrane to divide. I investigate these properties using atomic force microscopy, bacterial genetics and super resolution microscopy.

I work primarily on the intersection of literature and economics (in the ‘Economic Humanities’), and have published works on modernism, economics, critical theory and the philosophy of language. 

As a Rhodes Scholar, I received my DPhil (PhD) in English from Hertford College, Oxford, in 2024. I am currently working on turning my dissertation on Walter Benjamin into a book. This project not only tries to demonstrate how Benjamin’s philosophy allows us to think traditional approaches to economics anew, it also helps us see how, in Benjamin’s words, we might begin to work ourselves free of “the net in which we are caught.”

I have an edited collection with Palgrave Macmillan due to be published at the beginning of next year, entitled Inflationary Modernities: Literature, Culture and Economy. 

Dr. Sontag González works on spatially-resolved luminescence approaches to date old archaeological sites in Spain.

Through innovative methods including infrared-radiofluorescence and infrared-photoluminescence of feldspar minerals, Dr. Sontag González is targeting Middle and Early Pleistocene localities relevant for human evolution studies to test the limits of state-of-the-art luminescence dating of sediment.

Previously, Dr Sontag González has worked as a postdoc at the University of Heidelberg (Germany), Stony Brook University (USA), and Justus Liebig University of Giessen (Germany), primarily investigating IR-RF dating methodologies and the complex interplay between luminescence characteristics and chemical composition. During her PhD at the University of Wollongong (Australia), she focused on improving available approaches to date samples from volcanic regions in Indonesia. She originally trained in molecular biotechnology and then transitioned into archaeological sciences.

View Dr Sontag González’s latest publications

I’m Arzhia, the Chapel Director and Fellow at Somerville College. I completed my DPhil at the Department of Education in Oxford, with a focus on global citizenship education. I bring my knowledge, research and lived experience in and beyond education to curating our Chapel activities and to explore questions of life and meaning alongside our student community.

I work in collaboration with the Welfare Team as well as our Director of Chapel Music, and take a pro-active approach to well-being, supporting our student and staff community in developing cultures and practices of care, inclusion and belonging.

Throughout term time, I organise our Choral Contemplation programmes – a weekly Sunday encounter with music, poetry, faith-based writings in different languages and sometimes a reflection from a speaker. Additionally, in collaboration with our wellbeing practitioners, we run weekly Yoga and Meditation sessions in the Chapel and on Port Meadow, open to staff and students.

More broadly beyond the university, I facilitate workshops related to trauma informed approaches to education, paying particular attention to questions of belonging and diversity, and this year (2025-2026) will be undertaking training in Systemic Family Therapy at Brookes University.

I’m also plugged into Oxford’s vibrant inter-faith network, and available to support students and staff to connect with different faith communities. In these times of socio-political and global uncertainty, I’m here to chat with you about any of these matters, as well religious or spiritual questions of heart. You can find me at: chapel.office@some.ox.ac.uk

We welcome our community to shape our Choral Contemplations and Chapel offerings, so do feel free to get in touch if you ever wish to contribute a poem, prayer or particular or reflection to these programmes.

Hi, I’m Jess and I am a DPhil student in the Department of Primary Care Health Sciences.  I am studying the impacts of hot temperatures on mental health outcomes in England. I decided to focus my dissertation on this topic because mental health is personally very important to me and I want to better understand how the environments around us, and the changing climate, are impacting mental health. 

I am from the United States where I received my bachelor’s degree in biology and my master’s in environmental health. Outside of academics I spend a decent amount time doing some form of physical activity as I have a goal of running the original 6 major world marathons — I have already completed 3 and will be running the fourth this fall. I also enjoy photography, reading, traveling, and baking for my friends. 

I am excited to be a part of the welfare team and the Somerville community. Please reach out if you would like a friendly chat, if you would like a listening ear, or if you need support. 

I have undertaken the following training for my role as Student Welfare Advisor:

• Supporting Reported Students Training organised by the University of Oxford Peer Support Programme
• First Aid Training offered by St John’s Ambulance
• Junior Deans Training offered by the University Counselling Service
• Peer Support Training offered by the University Counselling Service
• Health and Safety Training – Somerville Lodge Porters
• Fire Evacuation Training – Somerville Lodge Porters
• Welfare Policy and Procedures – Student Welfare Lead
• College Rules and Procedures – Decanal Officer
• Introduction to Safeguarding – Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership

Hello! My name is Jerry, and I am a DPhil student in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford. I specialise in informatics and data science research, with a focus on climate change and road networks.

I am from Vancouver, Canada, where I completed my undergraduate and master’s degrees in electrical engineering. In my free time, I enjoy going to the gym, cycling around Oxford, and exploring local coffee shops and green spaces.

I’m excited to be part of Somerville’s fantastic community. Please feel free to reach out if you need any support, have a welfare concern, or want to have a chat — I’m here to help!

I have undertaken the following training for my role as Student Welfare Advisor:

• First Aid Training offered by St John’s Ambulance
• Junior Deans Training offered by the University Counselling Service
• Health and Safety Training – Somerville Lodge Porters
• Fire Evacuation Training – Somerville Lodge Porters
• Welfare Policy and Procedures – Student Welfare Lead
• College Rules and Procedures – Decanal Officer
• Introduction to Safeguarding – Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership

I am a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Oxford, working across the Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics and the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences. My research sits at the intersection of linguistics, social science and applied healthcare, focusing on language aspects of clinical interactions.

With a background in sociolinguistics, my earlier work examined language variation and change in multicultural settings. Over more than a decade of teaching English and clinical communication to medical students in Ukraine, I became increasingly interested in how linguistic practices shape clinical encounters and influence the uptake of medical advice.

My research draws on Conversation Analysis and Discourse Analysis to investigate how clinicians use language to navigate sensitivities of advice-giving, maintain rapport, and support behaviour change—particularly in the context of weight management. In addition to theoretical contributions, I am involved in applied projects that translate linguistic insights into practical communication strategies for healthcare providers.

Beyond academia, I have worked as an interpreter for election observation missions with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, supporting real-time communication in high-stakes, politically sensitive contexts. This experience has deepened my understanding of language under pressure and the ethical dimensions of communication.

I work across a range of externally funded studies. I previously held a prestigious British Academy fellowship, and I am a co-investigator on a NIHR policy research programme grant.

I am committed to interdisciplinary collaboration, international academic exchange, and public engagement, with a particular focus on improving the policies and practices of healthcare communication through linguistically informed research.

Research Interests

• Clinical Communication
• Conversation Analysis
• Discourse Analysis
• Interactional Linguistics
• Sociolinguistics

Abi Punt is a foundation doctor working at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

She graduated from Somerville with a BA in Medical Sciences in 2022, and a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (BMBCh) in 2025. Her specialty interests include obstetrics and gynaecology, and paediatrics. She is passionate about medical education, and is committed to creating a supportive learning environment where students can thrive during their time at Somerville.

I am a DPhil student in Medieval German, researching healthcare in medieval German convents. I like to go on long rambling walks, have a (supposedly) questionable obsession with peanut butter, and enjoy meeting friends and new people for shared food and nature excursions!

Hello, my name is Harry, I’m studying for a DPhil in Engineering Science, my research is on how to synthesise metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) on textiles. MOFs are porous crystal structures which, when coated on textiles, can break down organophosphates found in pesticides and nerve agents, like Parathion or Sarin, providing protection against dermal exposure for agricultural works and civilians. As Somerville MCR president I hope to make sure the MCR is welcoming and accessible to everybody, whether it is celebrating a particularly special cultural event or ensuring a particular banger is played at one of our BOPs. I am especially interested in the history of our MCR and graduate house (known as Margery Fry), and want to embrace this history during my term as president. If you have any questions or simply want to talk to somebody about Somerville, please feel free to get in touch at mcr.president@some.ox.ac.uk.

Narhitya is currently the Programme Administrator with the OICSD. She supports the Centre’s work on scholarships, events, and strategic partnerships, and serves as the administrator of the Schmidt AI in Science Faculty Fellowship Programme.

Narhitya holds a Master’s degree in Modern South Asian Studies from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. She also received a special mention in the British Association for South Asian Studies (BASAS) Master’s Dissertation Prize 2024 for her master’s thesis at Oxford.

Narhitya’s work is animated by a deep interest in feminist political philosophy and literature, particularly in how knowledge structures are created, legitimised, and contested. She has previously worked at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in India where she contributed to research and policy discourse on gender, development, and international relations. She also served as a Research Intern with the United Nations, contributing to a large-scale “Sports for Peace” programme in Central Africa. Additionally, she also interned at Teach for India, where she designed culturally responsive curricula and facilitated English and social-emotional learning sessions.

She is also the co-founder of Adira, a grassroots non-profit initiative based out of Allahabad, India, to support marginalised women through education, capacity-building, and livelihoods training. Her dedication to building inclusive and equitable academic and professional spaces informs her work at OICSD, especially in advancing women’s leadership and socially engaged scholarship.