Awardees of Reuben College’s 2025/26 Public Engagement with Research Innovation Fund announced

Siwon Lee (DPhil Translational Health Sciences, 2025)

This project creates short, animated videos to make academic research on social prescribing accessible to busy audiences who rarely have time for journal papers. Each 2-4 minute video pairs simple animation with author conversations to distil one clear insight for policymakers, NGOs, and funders in the Asia-Pacific. The focus is on translating evidence into something understandable, memorable, and usable for real-world decisions.

Ruth Nanjala (DPhil Molecular and Cellular Medicine, 2022) and Lina Ochieng (DPhil Molecular and Cellular Medicine, 2025)

Sickle cell disease remains a significant public health concern across many African communities. Despite ongoing research advancements, misinformation, stigma, and limited awareness continue to affect early diagnosis, informed decision-making, and effective disease management.

This workshop creates a space for meaningful dialogue between lived experience and scientific expertise. Through panel discussion, case studies, and collaborative engagement, participants will strengthen their understanding and develop practical communication tools to share accurate, research-informed information within their networks.

Ambre Bertrand (DPhil Health Data Science, 2022) and Sophie Brixton (DPhil Molecular Cell Biology in Health and Disease, 2024)

This project will bring together patients and researchers (engineers and clinician-scientists) for an interactive workshop on how AI and emerging technologies are used in biomedical research and healthcare, with a focus on cardiovascular medicine. It aims to demystify common concepts, particularly AI, by explaining their role in areas such as medical imaging, population studies, and more, and what this means for patients' diagnosis, treatment, and care.

Participants’ interests will shape the session. By addressing misconceptions and improving transparency, the workshop aims to build trust in how and why these technologies are used. Ultimately, the project seeks to create a supportive space where patients and their families feel more informed and confident about the role of AI in their care, while encouraging dialogue between researchers and the communities their work is intended to benefit.

Amelia Ligeza (Cancer Science (CDT), 2025)

This project aims to explore common myths surrounding cancer and how it is researched, aiming to reduce public worry and misinformation. Through interactive stalls at local science fairs, it will use games and accessible materials to explain cancer biology and provide a trusted source of information on the topic.

Fengrui Liu (DPhil Education, 2024)

Although absolute poverty was officially eliminated in China in 2021, Guizhou still ranks among the lowest provinces in GDP per capita and lacks soft infrastructure, particularly educational resources. This project aims to bring academic evidence and a comparative lens from Africa and China to support women from Guizhou in navigating complex challenges in China’s life insurance sector. Participants will gain a reflective learning space that builds confidence, communication skills, and peer support. The researchers will gain deeper insights into cross-cultural learning and public engagement, strengthening future research and policy-relevant work in this field.

Fengrui Lui will be collaborating with Simon Pey Tiek (St Cross College) on this project.

Andrew McNey (DPhil History, 2024) and Madeleine Duperouzel (Hertford College)

An immersive exhibition that seeks to dissolve the distance between past and present, scholarship and sensation. Drawing on the luminous traditions of Byzantine iconography, the project recreates a world once shaped by flickering candlelight, hushed chant, and the quiet presence of the divine. A world where images were not merely seen but encountered as living presences.

Through collaboration with contemporary artists and the Orthodox Christian community in Oxford, the exhibition invites audiences into a space where history is not static but breathed into being. It offers an experience that is at once aesthetic, intellectual, and deeply affective, encouraging visitors to engage with the past not as distant observers, but as participants in its enduring rhythms.