About Us Research, innovation, impact

The Oxford Martin School is a unique, interdisciplinary research community of over 300 scholars working to address the most pressing global challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.

Founded through vision and generosity

The Oxford Martin School was founded at the University of Oxford in 2005. It was made possible through the vision and generosity of Dr James Martin, who made the largest benefaction to Oxford in its almost 900-year history, to establish the School. For 25 years James Martin was the highest-selling author of books on computing and related technology. He published 67 books with Prentice-Hall, the world’s leading textbook publisher. Many of his books were seminal works that changed perceptions in the Information Technology (IT) industry. The revenue from his books, associated lectures and videos provided the funds for establishing the Oxford Martin School, which has rapidly grown into a global centre for interdisciplinary scholarship and thinking about the future.

A champion of interdisciplinary research at the University of Oxford

From the governance of geoengineering and the possibilities of quantum physics, to the future of food and the implications of our ageing population, the Oxford Martin School supports over 30 individual research teams from across the University of Oxford to consider some of the biggest questions that concern our future.

The School’s research is helping to better anticipate the consequences of our collective actions, and influence policy and behaviour accordingly. We aim to develop new approaches to some of the most intractable questions. In fact, to be funded by the School, scholars must demonstrate that their research will have an impact beyond academia and will make a tangible difference to any of today’s significant global challenges.

Research is organised via four core themes: health and medicine; energy and environment; technology and society; and ethics and governance. 

Expanding research portfolio & network

Under the leadership of Professor Ian Goldin, our annual turnover of research funding has increased nearly six-fold over the five years to 2010. Looking ahead, as the School continues to grow, we anticipate increasing our proportion of direct funding for research from £2.5 million per annum, to £14 million per annum to 2014/15. Our latest funding round (issued in 2011 for research starting in 2012) has seen six new dynamic teams join the School focused on issues such as complexity, reinventing vaccine design as well as more effective management of the global commons.  From DPhil students to tenured Professors, the School acts as a central hub in facilitating collaboration and exchange, not just within the University of Oxford, but also through our networks with policy makers, business leaders and other leading experts.