Oxford Martin School

Oxford Martin School
Formation2005
PurposeHigher Education and Research
HeadquartersBroad Street, Oxford, England
Director
Sir Charles Godfray
Parent organization
University of Oxford
Websitewww.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk

The Oxford Martin School is an interdisciplinary research institute at the Social Sciences Division of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Founded in June 2005, it supports research into issues such as climate change, food systems, artificial intelligence, pandemic preparedness, economic inequality and biodiversity loss.

The School is located in the former building of the Indian Institute on Broad Street, Oxford.[1] It is named after its benefactor, James Martin, author of the books The Wired Society and The Meaning of the 21st Century.[2] Its director is Sir Charles Godfray, who took up the post in February 2018.[3]

History

The Oxford Martin School was founded in 2005 as the James Martin 21st Century School after author James Martin donated over £70 million, at the time the largest benefaction to the University of Oxford in its history.[4][5] The founding director of the School was Ian Goldin who held the post from September 2006 to September 2016.[6]

The School and the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Oxford founded the Future of Humanity Institute in 2005.[7][8] In 2010, the School announced the successful outcome of a $100 million matched funding scheme, allowing the School to admit 19 new programmes into its portfolio, expanding from its existing base of 10 original institutes.[9]

As of 2026, the School supports more than 200 researchers working across interdisciplinary programmes focused on global challenges including climate change, food systems, artificial intelligence, pandemic preparedness, economic inequality and biodiversity loss.[10]

Notable researchers affiliated with the School have included Tim Berners-Lee, Max Roser, Myles Allen, Carl Benedikt Frey, Doyne Farmer, Nigel Shadbolt, Sandra Wachter, Stefan Dercon and Nathalie Seddon.[11]

Its partners include The Nature Conservancy, Citi and The Rockefeller Foundation.[12]

Research

The Oxford Martin School is housed in the former Indian Institute building on Broad Street, Oxford.

The School invests in research tackling "the most pressing global challenges and opportunities of the 21st century".[13] It takes a multi-disciplinary approach to issues such as climate change, migration and the future of humanity.[14]

Following the 2007–2008 financial crisis, researchers at the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the School, including Doyne Farmer, published work arguing that prevailing bank risk models underestimated systemic financial risk.[15]

In September 2012, the School launched the Oxford Martin commission for future generations, chaired by Pascal Lamy, which examined issues including cybersecurity, climate change and political transparency; its 2013 report proposed reforms to global governance, including stronger international cooperation, long-term policy planning and measures to improve government accountability.[16][17]

In 2013, School researchers reported that automation could place 45% of US jobs at risk over two decades,[18][19] while a 2016 follow-up study argued that technology companies generated relatively limited employment growth and contributed to widening wealth disparities.[20][21]

Work supported by the School contributed to the development of perovskite solar cell technology, with research led by Henry Snaith later giving rise to the spin-off company Oxford PV, which announced a £31 million funding round in 2018.[22]

The School hosts the Oxford Martin programme on the illegal wildlife trade, which conducts research on consumer demand, trafficking networks and conservation policy relating to the global illegal wildlife trade.[23][24]

In 2021, research led by Marco Springmann at the School's future of food programme found that vegan diets were, on average, the most affordable dietary pattern across 150 countries, challenging assumptions that sustainable diets necessarily cost more.[25][26][27] Journalist Avery Yale Kamila said "the study adds high quality and much needed data to policy discussions about food costs".[28] Food Navigator journalist Oliver Morrison said "the findings fly in the face of consumer surveys suggesting that most consumers care about sustainability, but say they are often unable or unwilling to pay more for 'greener' alternatives".[29]

In 2021, researchers from the School’s programme on bio-inspired quantum technologies, including Vlatko Vedral, reported what was described as the first experimental evidence of quantum entanglement in a living organism.[30]

In 2024, environmental scientist Paul Behrens joined the School as a British Academy global professor, researching food system transformation and sustainability transitions.[31]

Our World in Data

The flagship publication for the School's research is Our World in Data, which is published jointly with the Global Change Data Lab.[32][33] The publication's mission – "research and data to make progress against the world's largest problems"[33] – is closely aligned with the School's mission.

Our World in Data is the largest scientific open-access publication based at a university, and is widely used in policy institutions.[34][35] The publication's research team is based at the School.[36]

Recognition

Two Oxford Martin School research directors were listed among a Prospect magazine World's Top Thinkers and global development researcher Max Roser was listed second in 2019.[37][38]

Notes

Estimates of James Martin's donation to the School have varied, with The Times reporting £74 million, The Guardian reporting £72.5 million, and later reports by The Oxford Student and Cherwell describing the benefaction as £100 million.[39][40][41]

References

  1. ↑ Ford, Liz (1 June 2005). "Oxford institute to seek solutions to world's problems". The Guardian.
  2. ↑ "Interview: Agent for change". New Scientist. 6 September 2006.
  3. ↑ "Oxford Martin School appoints new Director". Oxford Martin School. 16 January 2018. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  4. ↑ "Founder". Oxford Martin School. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  5. ↑ Joanna Sugden (12 March 2009). "Philanthropist James Martin pledges £36 million to Oxford". The Times. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  6. ↑ "Professor Ian Goldin | People". Oxford Martin School. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  7. ↑ "Future of Humanity Institute". Future of Humanity Institute. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  8. ↑ "Future of Humanity Institute works on AI safety". Oxford Martin School. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  9. ↑ "$100 million raised through James Martin 21st Century School Challenge". Oxford Martin School. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Programmes". Oxford Martin School. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "People (A-Z)". Oxford Martin School. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  12. ↑ "About". Oxford Martin School. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  13. ↑ "About us". Oxford Martin School. 2016.
  14. ↑ "Research programmes". Oxford Martin School. 2016. Archived from the original on 15 March 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  15. ↑ "Risk management and the financial crisis". Oxford Martin School. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  16. ↑ Liat, Clark (16 October 2013). "Future Generations Report: we need global shared values to secure our future (Wired UK)". Wired UK. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  17. ↑ Bland, Jessica (16 October 2013). "Betting on the future: William Hill or the UN?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  18. ↑ Hope Rutkin, Aviva (12 September 2013). "Report Suggests Nearly Half of U.S. Jobs Are Vulnerable to Computerization". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  19. ↑ Tett, Gillian (19 January 2016). "Rise of the robots seen boosting the dollar". Financial Times. ISSN 0307-1766. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  20. ↑ "What's the point of the tech industry?". TechRadar. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  21. ↑ Pofeldt, Elanie (5 December 2015). "Study: Tech Firms Create Wealth, Not Jobs". Forbes. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  22. ↑ "Powering the transition to a clean-energy future". Archived from the original on 14 March 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  23. ↑ "About | Oxford Martin Programme on the Illegal Wildlife Trade | Programmes". Oxford Martin School. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  24. ↑ "Oxford Martin School research creates solar cell breakthrough". Oxford Martin School. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  25. ↑ Oxford, Marco Springmann, University of (14 November 2021). "Vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian diets could actually save you money". WalesOnline. Retrieved 18 February 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  26. ↑ "Want to save money? Go vegan, say Oxford University researchers". Oxford Mail. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  27. ↑ "Sustainable eating is cheaper as well as healthier, reveals new study". The Independent. 10 November 2021. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  28. ↑ Kamila, Avery Yale (9 January 2022). "Vegan Kitchen: Save money, save your health, save the world, eat vegan!". Press Herald. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  29. ↑ foodnavigator.com (11 November 2021). "Sustainable diets 'a third cheaper than typical foods' claims research". foodnavigator.com. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  30. ↑ "Quantum entanglement shown in living organism". Oxford Martin School. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  31. ↑ "British Academy Global Professor to research food systems at Oxford Martin School". Oxford University. 13 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  32. ↑ Ritchie, Hannah (4 February 2019). "Which countries eat the most meat?". BBC News Online. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  33. 1 2 "Our World in Data: About". Our World in Data. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  34. ↑ Infogram (27 July 2016). "Our World in Data: Visualizations with a Conscience". Medium. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  35. ↑ "The U.N. Set 17 Goals To Make The World A Better Place. How's It Doing?". NPR.org. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  36. ↑ "About | Oxford Martin Programme on Global Development | Programmes". Oxford Martin School. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  37. ↑ "Professor Nick Bostrom | University of Oxford". www.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  38. ↑ "Prospect world's top thinkers, 2019: the top ten".
  39. ↑ Jessica Shepherd (12 March 2009). "Oxford university lands £36m donation from technology entrepreneur". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  40. ↑ Charlie Dennis (27 June 2013). "University's largest donor found dead". The Oxford Student. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  41. ↑ Mark Dayan (17 March 2009). "Oxford donor offers up to $50m". Cherwell. Retrieved 3 November 2023.

51°45′18″N 1°15′15″W / 51.7549°N 1.2542°W / 51.7549; -1.2542

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