Japan Office

Covid Conversations is a series of talks in which some of the very many academics in Oxford who are working on research into Covid-19 talk about their work. A number talks are planned on a variety of topics related to research into the coronavirus. It is a great opportunity to hear directly from Oxford experts about the disease and to ask your questions. The talks are available for viewing from immediately after they have been broadcast.

Talk 1: How Oxford is tackling Covid-19
In this talk broadcast on Wednesday 6 May, Head of Oxford’s Medical Sciences Division Professor Gavin Screaton gives an overview of some of the key achievements to date of Oxford’s research into Covid-19.

Talk 2: Viral Pathogenesis
On Wednesday 13 May, Professor William James and Professor Richard Cornall talked about Oxford’s research into how the Covid-19 virus behaves in humans.

Talk 3: Drug Discovery
On Wednesday 20 May Professor Nicole Zitzmann talked about her group’s research into the biological questions around Covid-19 and how to use these to aid drug discovery.

Talk 4: Immunology
On Wednesday 27 May Professor Paul Klenerman talked about his group’s research into antibodies and immune responses to Covid-19.

Talk 5: Misinformation and Inequality
On Wednesday 3 June Professor Gina Neff and Professor Rasmus Nielsen talked about the spread of misinformation during the pandemic, and also about how the situation has exacerbated many social inequalities.

Talk 6: The UK’s Digital Contact Tracing App
On Wednesday 10 June Professor Christophe Fraser and Professor Michael Parker explained the epidemiology and ethics that have underpinned the development of the mobile contact tracing app used by the NHS.

Talk 7: Post-Covid Economy and a Green Recovery
On Friday 12 June Director of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship Peter Drobac, and Dr Aoife Haney discussed the economic and environmental impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, and how policymakers can adapt to its effects

Talk 8: Vaccines
On Wednesday 17 June Professor Sarah Gilbert talked about Oxford’s work to develop a vaccine for Covid-19.

Talk 9: Protecting Children and Adolescents’ Mental Health
On Wednesday 24 June Professor Alan Stein and Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore discussed the implications of Covid-19 on children’s mental health.

Talk 10: Dexamethasone and the RECOVERY Trials
On Wednesday 1 July Professor Peter Horby and Professor Martin Landray talked about the progress of the RECOVERY trial to find potential treatments for Covid-19 and their recent discovery that low-dose dexamethasone (a steroid treatment) can improve survival rates in patients with the virus.

Talk 11: An Immune System for the Body Politic: Using Social Science to Control Covid-19
On Wednesday 8 July Dr Thomas Hale discussed insights from the Oxford Covid-19 Government Response Tracker developed at the Blavatnik School of Government with the School’s Dean Professor Ngaire Woods.

Talk 12: Schools and the Impact of Covid-19
On Wednesday 15 July Professor Harry Daniels and Associate Professor Ian Thompson will talk about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children, and concerns around transitions back to school.

Talk 13: Face Masks Work!
On Wednesday 22 July Professor Melinda Mills talked about the effectiveness of face masks, and gave an international comparison of policies and behavioural factors around usage.

Talk 14: Using Mathematical Models to Plan Interventions During Epidemics
On Wednesday 29 July Dr Robin Thompson talked about mathematical modelling and how it can be useful at different stages of an infectious disease outbreak.

Links to the talks and information on future talks will be available through the Covid Conversations page on our website.