Case studies

Oxford University Museum of Natural History

The “Meat the Future” exhibition, developed with the LEAP project, showcased the effects of meat and dairy production. It provided evidence and tools for decision-makers to promote sustainable diets. The exhibition also included a roadshow to help people understand their meat-eating habits.

Victorian Light Night - Professor Sally Shuttleworth, English Faculty

The “Victorian Light Night” event, organised by The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities (TORCH) and the Diseases of Modern Life project, featured a building projection and sound show at Oxford’s Radcliffe Infirmary. It connected humanities research with families and young people, attracting 2,500 attendees. Researchers and artists co-created a video projection focusing on Victorian concerns about technology and communication.

Professor Maria del Pilar Blanco, Medieval and Modern Languages Faculty

This project, led by Professor Maria del Pilar Blanco, brings together scholars from Oxford University, Oxford Brookes University, and Euton Daley of Unlock the Chains Theatre Collective. It aims to reclaim Afro-Caribbean history in Oxford through performance, storytelling, and workshops. The project includes live performances and a digital, interactive map.

Professor Marina Jirotka, Dept of Computer Sciences

Led by Professor Marina Jirotka, this project co-produced a ‘fairness toolkit’ with young people to support their understanding of online environments. It raised awareness among online providers about young users’ concerns and rights. The group also developed responsible research and innovation practices for AI, big data, and robotics.

Professor Heidi Johansen-Berg’s group, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging

Professor Heidi Johansen-Berg’s group, funded by the Wellcome Enriching Engagement scheme, helps players improve their game and fans improve their lifestyle. Neuroscience researchers and football enthusiasts learn from each other about how the brain impacts fitness and technique.

Drama as a community engagement strategy for malaria in rural Cambodia

MORU Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit

In rural Cambodia, traditional Khmer dramas were used to raise awareness about malaria. These stories, using comedy and music, effectively conveyed messages about the disease to communities with lower literacy rates.

MORU Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit

In rural Cambodia, traditional Khmer dramas were used to raise awareness about malaria. These stories, using comedy and music, effectively conveyed messages about the disease to communities with lower literacy rates.

Professor Lucie Cluver, Dr Jamie Lachman, Dr Isang Awah et al, Dept of Social Policy and Intervention

The Global Parenting Initiative, led by Professor Lucie Cluver and colleagues, developed resources to reduce child abuse globally. It reached 210 million people in 198 countries, providing resources in over 30 languages.

Prof Linda Mulcahy and Dr Anna Tsalapatanis (now UCL), Law Faculty

During the pandemic, many court hearings moved online, raising concerns about access to justice. Researchers produced video guides to support people who are neurodiverse, sight or hearing impaired, colour vision deficient, differently abled, signers, and non-native English users. They also created a design toolkit for community legal advice workers.

Professor Kam Bhiu and Dr Roisin Mooney, Psychiatry

Developing photovoice (creative photography based method) as a policy research tool and co-design systems to improve the experiences of those detained under the MHA and reduce ethnic inequalities of MHA use.

Professor Alex Betts, International Development 

The Refugee Economies Programme, based at the University of Oxford, undertakes research on the economic lives of refugees. Through primary data collection, they explore the conditions under which refugees can become self-sufficient and make positive economic contributions to their host states and societies. They collect original qualitative and quantitative data, and often draw upon a range of participatory methods, including working with refugee researchers.

Dr Joanna Bullivant and Professor Samantha Dieckmann, Faculty of Music

This project explored diversity in classical music through collaboration between the Villiers Quartet, young people and researchers from the University of Oxford. Young people interpreted existing music and also composed their own pieces, which were performed at a symposium.

Marina Jirotka, Computer Sciences

Developing Responsible Robots for the Digital Economy – involvement of publics as part of experiential research set up to explore a mock ‘accident investigation’ with the aim of creating an ‘ethical black box’ alongside other stakeholders.