Advertise on podcast: Oxford Sparks Big Questions

How much more money could you earn - doing the exact same role - if you're in possession of some solid AI skills? That's one of the core questions that Dr Fabian Stephany, a researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute, hopes to answer. Leading the 'SkillScale' project, Fabian looks into the impact of AI tools on the labour market, with the ultimate hope of advising workers on the best ways to secure jobs and increase their salaries. So, far from a discussion about 'AI stealing our jobs', we ask Fabian - how can we use AI to secure a bigger pay packet?  Find out more: Skills or Degree? The Rise of Skill-Based Hiring for AI and Green Jobs AI Skills Improve Job Prospects: Causal Evidence from a Hiring Experiment

Are we alone in the Universe? It's surely one of the biggest questions out there. In our first episode of 2026 we chat to Dr Carly Howett, Associate Professor of Space Instrumentation in Oxford's Department of Physics. Specialising in the study of the 'icy worlds' found in our outer Solar System, Carly explains why she thinks one of Saturn's moons, Enceladus, could be a prime candidate for life, and shares the latest updates on how we might find it.

We all know it. We've all sung it. Perhaps we've even answered a quiz question about it*. The Twelve Days of Christmas has become as quintessentially festive as a figgy pudding, or the bad joke in your Christmas cracker. But why exactly is your 'true love' gifting all these birds? And importantly, how are they faring nowadays? Prof Andy Gosler (from the Edward Grey Institute in the Department of Biology, and Institute of Human Sciences in the School of Anthropology) is the only professor of 'ethno-ornithology' in the world, specialising in the study of the relationships between birds and people. So, who better to be our guest on this festive edition of the Big Questions Podcast, where we take a deep dive into one of our favourite Christmas carols?  (*There are 364 presents in total, by the way!)

Want to make something feel immediately complicated, inaccessible or downright mysterious? Stick the word 'quantum' in front of it. Or, at least, that's how many of us feel. But don't worry! Experimental physicist William Cutler from Oxford's Department of Physics is here to break things down, explaining exactly what a quantum computer is, and sharing the remarkable potential that quantum computing holds for advancing fields ranging from drug-discovery to internet security.

Finding a cure for cancer is unarguably one of the biggest medical challenges that we face. But what if we could find a way to prevent cancer before it even starts? In this special extended edition of the Big Questions Podcast, we chat to Professor Sarah Blagden, an experimental oncologist at the University of Oxford, and Anna Fry, who has the cancer predisposing condition Lynch Syndrome - putting her at increased risk of developing colorectal and other cancers. Sarah explains how clinical trials of vaccines targeting 'pre-cancer' could revolutionise the fight against cancer, beginning with those at greatest risk.

Many of us will be familiar with Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours (BFRBs), perhaps without even realising it. Such behaviours - which include hair-pulling, nail biting and skin picking - can not only cause physical harm, but also often bring feelings of shame. Because of this, open discussion around BFRBs has been limited. In this episode of The Big Questions Podcast, we chat to Prof Clare Mackay from Oxford's Department of Psychiatry, who both studies and lives with BFRBs. 

How do you detect a particle that emits no light - in other words, something invisible? This is the intriguing challenge faced by scientists hunting for 'dark matter'. In our series finale, we talk to Elizabeth Bloomfield from Oxford's Department of Physics about dark matter, how we know it exists, and why her research is taking her deep beneath a mountain in Italy in the quest to find it.

What's the best gift you can give? To the millions of people whose lives have been saved by complete strangers, the answer would be simple: blood. But what exactly happens when blood has been donated, and how do we know it is safe? We chat to Dr Richard Mayne from Oxford's Experimental Medicine Division about genomics, Next-Generation Sequencing, blood screening (...and Star Trek).  Could you be a blood-donating hero? Blood stocks are currently critically low, with the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) group in urgent need of new donors. Click here, and you'll be on your way to saving lives: https://www.blood.co.uk/news-and-campaigns/campaigns/blood-donor-appeal/

Whether you've been served an advert for it, or just heard about it in the media, it's likely that 'Ozempic' isn't a totally unfamiliar word. Now often associated with weight-loss, Ozempic is actually the brand name for a drug used to treat diabetes. So what exactly is it, how does it work, and is it safe? We chat to diabetes and endocrinology (hormone) expert Dr Annie de Bray to find out.  

We've all been there...you're on the train, maybe tired after a long day, and all you can hear is one side of a fellow passenger's not-too-interesting phone conversation. Or worse, their choice of music, made tinny and monotonous by the awkward angle of their phone speaker. It's irritating, sure, but for some people it goes beyond mild annoyance, into the realms of anger and panic. For these people - who suffer from a condition called 'misophonia' - phone noise, or sounds such as chewing or breathing, are a real problem. We chat to Dr Jane Gregory, a researcher at Oxford's Department of Experimental Psychology who has misophonia, to find out more about this little-known condition.

With more than 70% of its surface covered in water, Earth is rightly known as the "blue planet". But where did this water - so essential to life - originate? While some theories suggest that hydrogen was delivered to Earth from space via asteroids, new research indicates that the building blocks for water may have been present on our planet all along. We chat to Tom Barrett from Oxford's Department of Earth Sciences to find out more.    

What do you do when the subject of your research lies deep beneath the waves? Send down an underwater robot, of course! We chat to volcanologist Sofia Della Sala about her recent fieldwork expedition to Santorini, where she used a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, to search for hydrothermal vents in the Aegean Sea. These vents - which are like hot springs on the sea floor - could provide vital insight into the volcanic and tectonic activity in the region.

"I still don't believe it happened..." What's it like to face the most famous clock on television? We chat to Oxford mathematician Dr Tom Crawford - best known as the creator of the award-winning 'Tom Rocks Maths' outreach programme - about what it was like to step into Rachel Riley's shoes on Countdown.  What's the best tactic for tackling the numbers round? How did he prepare? Did he really only have 30 seconds to find a solution? Tom gives us a glimpse behind-the-scenes of this British institution. 

One in two people will be affected by dementia in their lifetime - whether that is as a patient, or somebody caring for a loved one. But what happens after a dementia diagnosis? Is there a clear pathway ahead? We chat to Jasmine Blane, a DPhil researcher at the Oxford Brain Health Clinic, about the work she is doing to help support patients in the midst of a dementia diagnosis, and into the future.

In popular culture, Tourette's syndrome is wrongly associated solely with outbursts of swearing in the context of lazy jokes. But in reality, the condition is far more complex than this stereotype suggests. When people without Tourette's jokingly blame their lack of self-control on the condition, it spreads misinformation and invalidates those who actually live with it. Despite this, comedy - when created by those who experience stigma - can sometimes help challenge stereotypes and shift public perceptions. We chat with Dr Melina Malli from the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing to explore whether laughter can really be the best medicine.