Plans & Prospects 2023
Plans & Prospects is the annual magazine for alumni and friends of Wolfson College at the University of Oxford. We hope that you enjoy reading about life here at Wolfson, and welcome your feedback or article suggestions for next year's issue. Plans & Prospects is the annual magazine for alumni and friends of Wolfson College at the University of Oxford. We hope that you enjoy reading about life here at Wolfson, and welcome your feedback or article suggestions for next year's issue.
what I wanted, and that’s what I still love about it here today. We don’t have upper and lower common rooms, we have one mixed room. We don’t have a high table. I just felt I was amongst my own people. I felt a shared vision, common interests, and more or less the same values. Above: Mootaz with his Oxford Colleagues Below: Receiving the Young Neuroscientist of the Year Award from the International Society of Neurochemistry in Honolulu, Hawaii Wherever life takes you, don’t go alone Regardless of the institution, working in science research comes with challenges, setbacks and cumulative achievements that you simply can’t reach on your own. Back when I was a PhD student, I went to my supervisor with a proposal to work on a huge paper that could be a game-changer. Like anything in life, there are certain journals in academia that are more popular than others. In the field of science, it’s three journals called Cell, Nature and Science (scientists tend to collectively call them CNS as they are the central nervous system of science and discovery), and they were what we were aiming for. With three main authors, it took us five years to complete this paper with contributions from 13 institutions. We submitted it, and after all that hard work, we got rejected. It was such a heartbreaking moment. But there was something in me that decided to stand up and not take no for an answer. We agreed to try again together and we were determined to 24 earn it. And guess what? We fought, and got in. It was such a team effort. More importantly, we currently have a drug candidate that is about to start phase I/ II human clinical trials. Between the three of us as authors of the paper, we’ve got three fellowships, three major honours and more than 250 citations in just three years and I am sure that more will come in the future. For anyone wanting to go into the world of scientific research, I’d say make sure you’re doing it because you are passionate about it. To be honest, it’s not the most financially rewarding job, and many people talk about the cons of this kind of high-pressure work, but there are so many pros. It’s like buying a house; you’re not just paying for the bricks, you’re paying for the view and the neighbourhood. For the community. In science, you’re always surrounded by people who are motivated, driven, passionate, and smart. It’s rare to find the same mass density in other professions, so it’s such a stimulating environment. Meeting people, exchanging ideas, and having your own ideas challenged: these aren’t just trials to overcome but a privilege and relief. You need to dream big but remember the hard work that it takes to get there. Success is just the tip of the iceberg, so enjoy the journey and make some friends along the way.
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- Page 1 and 2: PLANS & PROSPECTS 2023 WORLD-CHANGI
- Page 3 and 4: Credit: John Cairns Welcome Sir Tim
- Page 5 and 6: College News Wolfson alumnus receiv
- Page 7 and 8: College News Dame Hermione Lee rece
- Page 9 and 10: College News Stallworthy Poetry Pri
- Page 11 and 12: 2 , 1 Windows - the old windows, wh
- Page 13 and 14: The healing power of movement Stude
- Page 15 and 16: Student profile “As an entreprene
- Page 17 and 18: Alumni lecture 17 Credit: Freepik
- Page 19 and 20: Alumni lecture Above: Dr Vlatko Ved
- Page 21 and 22: Alumni profile Above: Kateryna work
- Page 23: 50 or 100 years. The things we’re
- Page 27 and 28: Development Above: The President Si
- Page 29 and 30: Financial report “This has been a
- Page 31 and 32: Make a gift Scan the QR code with y
Student Support<br />
Wolfson 1966 Fund<br />
Take a seat for Student Support<br />
Will you help students by sponsoring a chair<br />
in the Dining Hall to support<br />
The Wolfson 1966 Fund?<br />
Scan here to find out more<br />
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