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9
Annual Review
2010/11
brightest, wanting to come here to work
and study.
Exciting new clusters are in the process
of development. Mathematicians
Professor Gui-Qiang Chen and Dr
Apala Majumdar are behind the
formation of a cluster based on their
work in the field of Partial Differential
Equations (PDEs). PDEs can be used
to solve real life problems in a diverse
range of applications, from studying
the characteristics of ocean waves
and tsunamis, to the aerodynamics
of planes, to the spread of opinions
through populations. IT leader Professor
Paul Jeffreys is working on ideas for
a cluster concerned with database
development, cloud computing and
data storage. Watch this space for more
developments!
Young and dynamic rresearch fellows are
at the heart of the vision for the ASC and
its research aims. We have appointed
several exciting new young and talented
scholars so far. Dr Tracey Sowerby
has recently taken up a role as Career
Development Fellow in Renaissance
Studies and will be taking active part in
the development of the Medieval and
Renaissance Studies Cluster. Dr Lambros
Malafouris is spearheading research into
creativity in the cluster of the same name.
Dr Thomas Sørensen recently joined
the Imaging cluster as an associate and
brings his vital experience in molecular
bioluminescence to the group.
THE FUTURE
The success enjoyed by the ASC, even
over the term of its brief life so far, points
the way to an exciting future. A glance
at the calendar on the Keble website
in Trinity 2011 illustrates the success of
the ASC and its clusters in creating a
vibrant research atmosphere. We ran a
Networks workshop, a Creativity Cluster
lecture series with 4 stimulating lectures,
the first meeting of the new PDE cluster
occurred, and the Imaging cluster’s
Domus Workshop was a great success.
To fulfil this great potential and achieve
our vision, however, a new home for
the ASC is required. This is where the
redevelopment of the Acland site comes
into play.
With a design by the award-
winning architect Rick Mather, the
redevelopment contains stunning new
facilities specifically designed for the
ASC. This will comprise a stand-alone
research building, including meeting
and seminar rooms, office spaces
and exhibition rooms. It will also have
accommodation for visiting fellows and
scholars. Set within the heart of the
wider redevelopment in north Oxford,
bridging the Humanities and Science
areas of the University, the building will
bring together the ASC and the wider
postgraduate community. It will be a
unique development for an Oxbridge
college.
It is expected that once facilities at the
Acland site are established, further
research groups or clusters will build.
We hope that the ASC will be a place to
promote the interdisciplinary exchange
of ideas between world-class thinkers,
fellow researchers and graduate students
of different academic backgrounds,
a place where intellectual interaction
between students and researchers can
take place, a place of ideas without
boundaries.
Professor Tom Higham
Professor Tom Higham was recently appointed as the interim
Director of the Advanced Studies Centre. Tom is Deputy
Director of the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, part of
the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of
Art (RLAHA).
Originally from New Zealand, Tom has worked in Oxford since
2001. His key research area is the chronology of the Middle
to Upper Palaeolithic; the period when the Neanderthals
became extinct and anatomically modern people replaced
them. Tom’s recent work at the Oxford laboratory has greatly
improved the dating and previous understanding of this and
other periods, such as that of the ancient Egyptian dynasties.
Tom is involved in a range of diverse projects and
applications. One recent highlight was working with Sir David
Attenborough on the dating of a rare and virtually complete
elephant bird egg, collected by Sir David from Madagascar
in the 1960s. “Sir David came to our lab to film for the day.
He was extraordinarily fun and told fabulous anecdotes
and stories. The Warden hosted him at Keble for lunch in
the Lodgings along with his team. It was a truly memorable
occasion.” Tom also recently returned from the Black Sea
town of Sozopol where he was involved with work on human
remains thought to be relics of John the Baptist.
He is enthused about his new role and the Advanced
Studies Centre.
“The research being
undertaken here at Keble
is world-class and cutting
edge. Through the ASC we want
to build Keble as a place known
for the quality of its research, a model
for how research within a college like this
should be undertaken”.
Tom finds similarities with his work at the
RLAHA, and that of the Keble Advanced
Studies Centre. What is interesting is that
one can trace the start of the RLAHA to a
college dinner in the 1950s during which
an archaeologist and a physicist began
a conversation. This led to the genesis
of an idea that eventually blossomed
into the modern interdisciplinary field of
archaeological science. “The idea of the
ASC is very similar. I see great potential in
formalising the links that we, as a College
and fellowship, have every day through our
conversations and daily interactions, into
strong research ideas and projects. Who
knows where those conversations might
lead us?”
Professor
Tom Higham
Model of the ASC on the Woodstock Road.
Part of the Acland Development