About the Oxford Polar Forum

View of Oxford at night showing a new moon above the Dreaming Spires
New Moon over Oxford, Sam Cornish

The Oxford University Polar Forum is a hub of researchers based at the University of Oxford with interests in Polar research. The Polar Forum facilitates knowledge-sharing and collaboration within the University, and also has an outwards-facing vision. This is to advance the state of polar research more broadly (see Arctic Horizon Scan 2022) and inform and inspire public audiences about the polar regions and their importance (see Polar Pod).

The University of Oxford is currently home to more than 60 researchers with interests in the Polar Regions, including over 30 Professors, Associate Professors and academic staff members. Oxford’s expertise is distributed across the Humanities, Natural and Social Sciences, and includes researchers in history, politics, international relations, anthropology, biology, physics, geology, geography, oceanography, climate, and more.

This diverse range of expertise is brought together by the Oxford Polar Forum to contribute to the creation of novel and much-needed solutions to the challenges posed by the rapidly changing Polar regions.