The Fellows and students at Magdalen carry out world-class research across multiple disciplines. Most of the Fellows at Magdalen have active research programmes in their departments or other institutes based at the University. Some Fellows carry out their research primarily at Magdalen.
in focus
Analysis of far-right extremism following UK riots
In the wake of the riots that unsettled communities across the UK, a postdoctoral researcher from Magdalen College has provided expert analysis for national and international media.
Beauty in science
An interdisciplinary conversation on the role of aesthetics in science, including data from the world’s first international survey on the topic.
The Oxford Science Park
Take a virtual tour of The Oxford Science Park with President Dinah Rose.
The college advances research through the engaging, collegial, interdisciplinary environment that exists in the college and in some cases through direct support. The research carried out by the fellows is an important part of their academic identity and directly feeds back and energises their tutorial teaching.
In addition, Magdalen College directly supports an active research programme. The primary vehicles for this are the Calleva Research Centre, an interdisciplinary institute based at Magdalen, and Junior Research Fellows (at type of Postdoctoral Researcher referred to as a Fellow by Examination) that are supported directly by the college.
Magdalen's Nobel Laureates
Waynflete chair of physiology, and Magdalen Fellow Sir Charles Sherrington won the Nobel Prize in 1932 along with Edgar Adrian for their discoveries regarding the function of neurons in the brain. Sherrington himself coined the word “synapse” to define the connection between two neurons.
Magdalen Fellow Erwin Schrödinger won the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Paul Dirac in 1933 for his development of the Schrödinger equation, a fundamental breakthrough in quantum mechanics. Born in Vienna in 1887, he contributed significantly to atomic theory and is famously associated with the thought experiment “Schrödinger’s Cat,” which illustrates quantum paradoxes.
He left Germany in 1933, strongly disapproving of its rising antisemitism, and became a fellow at Magdalen the same year, shortly before winning the Nobel prize.
Sir Howard Florey, an alumnus and Honorary Magdalen Fellow, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 alongside Sir Alexander Fleming and Sir Norman Heatley for their work on penicillin. Florey’s pivotal research in the 1930s with Sir Ernst Chain on the development and production of penicillin revolutionized medicine by providing an effective treatment for bacterial infections.
Born in Adelaide, Australia, Florey studied at Magdalen as a Rhodes Scholar and held prominent academic positions, including Professor of Pathology at Oxford and Provost of The Queen’s College. His work in antibiotic research saved countless lives, especially during Second World War.
Sir Robert Robinson, Waynflete Professor of Chemistry and Magdalen Fellow, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1947 for his research on plant alkaloids, which are nitrogenous substances with significant biological effects. Robinson’s work revealed the critical role of amino acids in the formation of alkaloids, and in 1917, he successfully synthesized the troponin alkaloid from simpler molecules, simplifying a previously complex process.
Magdalen Alumnus Sir Peter Medawar was jointly awarded the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Sir Macfarlane Burnet for their discovery of acquired immunological tolerance.
Medawar’s pivotal experiments in 1951 demonstrated that tissue transplanted between mouse foetuses was not rejected and enabled successful transplants later in adulthood. This work laid the foundation for modern organ transplantation by proving that the immune system’s ability to distinguish between self and non-self is acquired during foetal development.
Sir John Eccles, an Honorary Fellow of Magdalen College, was awarded the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his pioneering research on synaptic transmission in the brain. His work changed our understanding of neural communication and the mind-brain connection.
As a Rhodes Scholar, he studied under Sir Charles Sherrington at Magdalen, earning his DPhil in 1929. Eccles initially studied medicine at the University of Melbourne, graduating with first-class honours in 1925, before focusing on neuroscience. During the Second World War he contributed to military research.
Seamus Heaney, an Honorary Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, and one of the 20th century’s most acclaimed poets, was awarded the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Celebrated for his works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, Heaney’s poetry exalted the everyday and connected the living past with modern experience. A native of Northern Ireland, he grew up in County Derry and later resided in Dublin. Heaney taught as Oxford University’s Professor of Poetry from 1989 to 1994, during which time he was first elected a Fellow of Magdalen. He authored over 20 volumes of poetry and criticism, leaving a profound literary legacy.
Professor Michael Spence, an Honorary Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his ground breaking contributions to information economics. A former Rhodes Scholar at Magdalen, he earned a BA/MA in Mathematics before pursuing a PhD in Economics at Harvard.
Spence served as Dean of Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. His influential work extends globally through roles such as Chair of the Advisory Council of the Asia Global Institute and authoring key works on economic growth. He remains a leading voice in economic thought and policy.
Professor Sir Anthony J. Leggett, a Fellow in Physics at Magdalen College, Oxford, was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics for his pioneering work on superfluidity. He is recognised as a global leader in low-temperature physics, and his research transformed the theoretical understanding of normal and superfluid helium and strongly coupled superfluids.
Sir Anthony also advanced the study of macroscopic quantum systems and their role in testing quantum mechanics. Currently Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, his groundbreaking contributions continue to influence research in condensed matter physics and quantum theory.
Professor Sir Peter Ratcliffe, a Fellow of Magdalen College and Professor of Medicine, was awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his ground breaking research on how cells detect and respond to oxygen levels, a process known as hypoxia. His work uncovered a universal mechanism involving the HIF-1α protein complex, which has implications for treating conditions like cancer and anaemia.
At Oxford, Sir Peter has directed pioneering research at the MRC Weatherall Institute and the Target Discovery Institute, advancing global understanding of cellular oxygen sensing. He also holds leadership roles at the Francis Crick Institute, exemplifying excellence in both science and clinical medicine.
