The Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion project presented several challenges along the way, but we are pleased to present a display featuring historical scientists connected to Oxford to various degrees thanks to recommendations we received from staff and students at the University. To learn more about the project, including some of the steps we took to get feedback, check out our previous blog post.
This collection of portraiture, which will be refreshed on a regular basis, includes deceased scientists, some well-known and others lesser known, spanning from the 16th to the 21st centuries. They represent various aspects of inclusion through their career choices, achievements, and personal characteristics.
You will encounter their gaze in several locations within the library, primarily in the reading rooms above doors, and at the end of bookcases housing works related to the subjects they worked on. If you wish to learn more about them, you can scan the QR code next to their portraits, which will provide additional information about who they were, and read the essay by Lola Milton-Jenkins, the winner of our writing competition, on “Robert Burton: Pioneer of Men’s Mental Health.”
We will also display current members of the University of Oxford scientific community selected from our nomination call who have made outstanding contributions to support equality, diversity, and inclusion in the medical and mathematical, physical, and life sciences divisions.
We hope that you will find the newly renovated library, along with its new portraiture, to be an inspiring place for study and reflection, where you feel welcome, valued, and respected.
If we have inadvertently overlooked any historic scientists with a connection to Oxford whom you believe should be celebrated on our walls, please provide us with their details. We will periodically review our display every two years.
We have published blog posts about several of the portraits, see the full list below and click on the links to view the individual blog posts.
