Oxford Martin School

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. It is named after its benefactor, James Martin, author of the books The Wired Society and The Meaning of the 21st Century. Its director is Sir Charles Godfray, who took up the post in February 2018. 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. The founding director of the School was Ian Goldin who held the post from September 2006 to September 2016. The School and the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Oxford founded the Future of Humanity Institute in 2005. 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. 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. 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. Its partners include The Nature Conservancy, Citi and The Rockefeller Foundation. Research The School invests in research tackling "the most pressing global challenges and opportunities of the 21st century". It takes a multi-disciplinary approach to issues such as climate change, migration and the future of humanity. 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. 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. In 2013, School researchers reported that automation could place 45% of US jobs at risk over two decades, while a 2016 follow-up study argued that technology companies generated relatively limited employment growth and contributed to widening wealth disparities. 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. 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. 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. Journalist Avery Yale Kamila said "the study adds high quality and much needed data to policy discussions about food costs". 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". 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. In 2024, environmental scientist Paul Behrens joined the School as a British Academy global professor, researching food system transformation and sustainability transitions. 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. The publication's mission – "research and data to make progress against the world's largest problems" – 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. The publication's research team is based at the School. 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. 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. References External links Oxford Martin School website Oxford Martin School multimedia library