Main News
What does a statistician do for the England football team?
From squad selection to modelling how footballs behave at altitude, statistician Matt Penn explains how data is helping shape the modern game, and why coaches will always matter more than the numbers.
New evidence suggests vast hidden magma systems inside Mars
Researchers from the Departments of Earth Science and Statistics have found evidence that Mars once hosted enormous, Earth-like magmatic systems deep below its surface – even though the planet lacks the plate tectonics long considered essential for this kind of geological complexity. The findings open up new possibilities for how rocky planets become habitable.
Finding a needle in the genomic haystack: Targeting rare genes using statistical outliers
In statistical modelling, extreme outliers are often written off as 'noise'. But a new study by researchers from Oxford's Department of Statistics and Big Data Institute published this week in The American Journal of Human Genetics reverses that principle, using these outliers as the basis of a targeting system for locating rare, high-impact genetic mutations.
Professor Ben Lambert wins MPLS Research Supervision Award
Professor Ben Lambert has won a 2025/26 Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS) Award for Outstanding Research Supervision, recognised for his exceptional dedication to supporting researchers at every stage of their development.
Brian Ripley recognised in $1 million Rousseeuw Prize for contributions to the R Project
Professor Brian Ripley, Emeritus Professor of Applied Statistics and former Head of the Department of Statistics at the University of Oxford, has been named as one of five laureates of the 2026 Rousseeuw Prize for Statistics.
Professor Charlotte Deane elected Fellow of the Royal Society
Professor Charlotte Deane MBE, Professor of Structural Bioinformatics in Oxford’s Department of Statistics, has today been announced among the new Fellows of the Royal Society.
OpenBind releases first open dataset and AI model for drug discovery
The OpenBind consortium’s first release of experimental data marks a milestone in efforts to improve how artificial intelligence (AI) is used in drug discovery.
Oxford statisticians take part in PKU–Oxford conference on quantitative finance and data science
Researchers from the University of Oxford’s Department of Statistics were among those taking part in a joint conference with Peking University in April, bringing together academics working across quantitative finance, data science and related areas.
Professor Christl Donnelly awarded RSS Guy Medal in Silver
Oxford statistician Christl Donnelly has been awarded the Royal Statistical Society’s (RSS) Guy Medal in Silver in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the development and application of statistical and biomathematical methods to the analysis of infectious diseases.