Oxford-Princeton Collaboration Grants - public listing
Background
The Oxford-Princeton Collaborative Research Grants Program, pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Oxford and Princeton in 2001, provides 'seed-corn' funds supporting interactions between researchers to build the basis for new research projects and to develop proposals for external funding (to help sustain and enlarge collaborative activity).
In the period 2001-2008, 49 research projects were funded by Oxford and Princeton under this Programme. These have involved staff and students from each academic division at Oxford and many departments at Princeton.
In 2008-9 Oxford and Princeton evaluated the achievements of the research grant scheme to date, and agreed that it was delivering important benefits.
The Princeton Council for International Teaching and Research subsequently resolved to support, in the first instance, two further funding rounds (for funding commencing 2010/11), an offer matched by the John Fell OUP Fund Committee at Oxford.
The Oxford Grants Committee now plans to apply to the John Fell Fund for a further block of funding to enable future calls (in 2013). The Committee is working with Princeton’s Council of International Teaching and Research to evaluate the grants program and make the case for continued funding.
The 2012 Round
In the 2012 Round, six of the 14 proposals submitted were funded.
The joint Oxford-Princeton Grants Committee was once again very impressed with the quality of proposals for support under the joint research grants scheme. There were not sufficient funds to support all the competitive proposals.
| Principal Investigators | Collaborative Project |
|---|---|
| Dr Dirk Meyer, Institute of Chinese Studies, Oriental Institute, Oxford and Professor Martin Kern, East Asian Studies, Princeton | ‘The Classic of Documents and the Origins of Chinese Political Philosophy’ The Classic of Documents, partly dating back to the 10th century BCE, is the fountainhead of Chinese political philosophy. Using historical sources and newly excavated texts from the 10th through 4th centuries BCE, we examine its ideas, evolution, and significance in the formation and continuity of the Chinese empire. |
| Professor Michael Burden, Music, Oxford and Professor Wendy Heller, Music, Princeton | 'Staging History: Performing the past in the theatres of London and New York, 1770-1870' A series of research seminars on the growth of history and historicism in writing and staging of opera and other dramas. They will act as a “hub” for a range of activities including graduate seminars, archival research, and performance workshops, culminating in an exhibition at the Bodleian Library and Princeton. |
| Professor Tim Whitmarsh, Classics, Oxford and Professor Brooke Holmes, Classics, Princeton | 'Post classicisms' This project looks at the ways in which ‘the Classical’ has been understood by societies, from antiquity to the present, with the aim of exploring alternative ways of understanding classics. It also seeks to develop and embed progressive approaches to Classics, in teaching, mentoring and career development. |
| Professor Scott Waddell, Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, Oxford and Asst Professor Mala Murthy, Molecular Biology and the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton | 'How does the brain encode memories?' The brain has the amazing capacity to form long-lasting memories, but the underlying neural mechanisms remain elusive. We propose a unique collaboration between the Murthy (Princeton) and Waddell (Oxford) groups that takes advantage of distinct expertise in studying sensory perception and memory formation in a tractable genetic model system. This proposal lays the essential groundwork for establishing future funding. |
| Dr Heiko Schiffter, Engineering Science, Oxford and Professor Robert Prud’Homme, Chemical and biological Engineering, Princeton | 'Nanoparticle-Therapeutics for Needle Free Vaccine Delivery' As needle-and syringe injections in immunization pose a substantial risk of needle-stick injuries for healthcare workers and patients all over the globe, the aim of the proposed research is to develop antigen loaded solid nano and microparticle for needle-free delivery to the skin and the lungs. |
| Dr Morgan Clarke, Social Anthroplogy, Oxford and Asst Professor Mirjam Kumkler, Near Eastern Studies, Princeton | 'Traditional authority and transnational religious networks in contemporary Shi'i Islam: Results from recent empirical research' Within Shi’i Islam, the marja’ al-taqlid (‘source of emulation’) remains the predominant model of religious authority. Select grand ayatollahs provide religious, cultural and political guidance to their followers, sometimes numbering millions. This project addresses how recent political transformations in the Middle East are affecting these networks across Asia, the Middle East and the West. |
The 2011 Round
In the 2011 round, three of the 17 proposals submitted were funded.
| Principal Investigators | Collaborative Project |
|---|---|
| Professor Rana Mitter, History, Oxford and Professor Linda Colley, History, Princeton |
'Political Membership: Global Histories' This project seeks to construct a history of citizenship around the world that goes beyond the dominant narrative of western liberalism. Instead, it will rewrite the history of citizenship and constitutionalism by exploring its origins in the non-western world (whether East Asia, Latin America, or the Middle East). |
| Dr Peter Bull, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine and Professor Manuel Llinas, Molecular Biology, Princeton | 'Metabolomic analysis of severe malaria' We will explore the human-parasitic interaction in severe malaria through analysis of metabolites in the blood of infected children. We will study individuals whose infecting parasites have undergone previous molecular typing. Our aim is to identify new biomarkers of severe malaria by gaining a better understanding of the disease process. |
| Professor Sunetra Gupta, Zoology, Oxford and Professor Andrew Dobson, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton | 'Malaria selection and the globin genes of non human Primates' Human populations have evolved a degree of resistance to death from malaria through mutations in their haemoglobin genes. Combining the resources of Oxford and Princeton will allow us to conduct a pilot study of a range of non-human primates, and determine whether they too display such evidence of malaria selection. |
The 2010 Round
In the 2010 round a record total of 21 eligible applications were received, 11 were considered by the central committees, and seven projects were funded as below:
| Principal Investigators |
Collaborative Project |
|---|---|
| Dr Ruth Baker, Mathematical Institute, Oxford, and Associate Professor Stanislav Shartsman, Chemical Engineering, Princeton | Systems biology of developmental pattern formation in Drosophila |
| Dr Stuart Conway, Chemistry, Oxford, and Assistant Dorothea Fielder, Chemistry, Princeton | Developing a collaboration to enable chemical dissection of cellular signalling networks |
| Dr Peter Howell, Mathematical Institute, Oxford and Professor Howard A Stone, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Princeton | Environmental fluid mechanics problems for the 21st Century: strategies for removal of heavy metals from water and the role of external fields in bioremediation |
| Dr Craig Jeffrey, Geography and the Environment, Oxford, and Professor Isabelle Clark-Deces, Anthropology, Princeton | Marriage and Youth in Contemporary India |
| Dr Stephen Tuck, History, Oxford, and Assistant Professor Joshua Guild, History, Princeton | Modern American history in a transnational context |
| Dr Mark Walton, Experimental Psychology, Oxford, and Assistant Professor Niv Yael, Neuroscience Institute/Psychology, Princeton | Mesolimbic dopamine and learning the value of risk |
| Professor Chris Wickham, History, Oxford, and Professor John Haldon, History, Princeton | Early Medieval graduate exchange scheme, Oxford-Princeton-Vienna |
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