Basic HTML Version
Annual Review
2010/11
8
The
A
dvanced
S
tudies
C
entre
O
xbridge colleges are unique
and the college system is
Oxford’s greatest strength. Colleges
comprise a community of scholars
from diverse disciplines. While most
academics are within departments
whose members work largely in
the same discipline, those within
colleges benefit from interaction with
other scholars from wide ranging
backgrounds.
If Oxford is to remain one of the
world’s leading universities, colleges
must continue to be part of how the
University evolves and adapts to new
circumstances. The 21st century
Oxbridge college no longer plays solely
an undergraduate teaching role - the
challenge has widened considerably.
Recognising the increased importance
of the postgraduate, colleges need to
place themselves in a more proactive
research role. Keble’s Advanced Studies
Centre, or ASC, is based around the
requirement for Oxford to adapt the
collegiate structure to the service of
research and postgraduate education
and, through this, maintain the relevance
and importance of colleges to academic
life within the University, as well as further
afield. This is a substantial challenge, but
one that can be achieved.
WHAT IS THE ASC AND
WHAT IS IT AIMING TO DO?
The ASC aims to formalise and bring
forward the research currently being
undertaken within the College, and
allow it to flourish and develop further.
We want to build on and support
the work of our Fellows, nurture
specific projects of potential research
excellence within Keble and encourage
new research and groundbreaking
ideas. Developing and promoting
inter-disciplinary clusters of scholars,
postdoctoral researchers and students,
and drawing in and funding young
developing star researchers and the
brightest graduate students is a key aim.
Attracting top quality thinkers and
international scholars benefits the
wider Keble community. Much has
already been achieved. A scheme has
been developed, for example, to allow
Fellows to invite visiting academic
colleagues to stay, teach and speak, as
well as to explore and develop mutual
research interests and projects.
Fellows may also now apply for
small research grants to fund new
projects, complete pieces of work,
and seed-fund new research ideas.
The ASC plans to create a stimulating
interdisciplinary environment in which
research can flourish, ideas can be
developed, discussed and tested, and
where interesting things can happen.
By building on and developing our
reputation that Keble is a place where
exciting things in research are occurring
we hope that the brightest students will
be attracted to our College, contributing
to an emerging feedback loop which will
see scholars and students, the best and
Research
clusters
IMAGING:
The Imaging Cluster
includes chemists, engineers,
medical scientists, philosophers
and physiologists with shared
interests in developing ways of
seeing and imaging the physical
processes that happen inside a
person (see page 10).
NETWORKS:
Physicists,
computer scientists, statisticians,
biologists and economists within
this cluster are exploring how we
might better understand complex
systems and the underlying
network-like patterns that exist
within them, using sophisticated
statistical analysis and simulation
methods originally developed to
understand the quantum physics
world.
CREATIVITY:
Archaeologists,
neuroscientists, anthropologists,
geographers and writers make
up the Creativity cluster. All are
interested in questions related
to how humans create and how
the creative process works,
the origins and development
of human cognitive processes,
the mapping of the brain,
and the artistic, political and
anthropological aspects of the
creative process.
MEDIEVAL AND
RENAISSANCE STUDIES:
Historians and scholars of
literature are working together
to study the impacts and links
between government, politics,
cultural development, society and
international relations in Britain
and Europe in this period.
Campaign
VISION 2020