Research Ethics Colloquium 2026
Annual colloquium
Open to Oxford University staff and students
The Oxford Lifelong Learning Ethics Colloquium is a 2.5‑hour event designed to strengthen shared understanding of ethical practice, with a particular focus on how the Departmental Research Ethics Committee (DREC) guides and oversees ethics across programmes.
The 2026 colloquium will take place in a hybrid format, with speakers and attendees invited to join either in person at Rewley House in central Oxford or online.
The Chair will open by introducing the DREC’s core values, which includes transparency, inclusivity, and a shared responsibility and how this underpins a reciprocal ethics process that is designed to support both applicants and reviewers. Panel members will then explore ways to strengthen the ethics application workflow: students are welcome to highlight where guidance and support could be clearer, programme leads will discuss challenges in preparing and interpreting applications, and reviewers will identify common issues and opportunities to streamline decision‑making. A cross‑panel discussion will draw together shared challenges and opportunities for improvement, followed by closing reflections and next steps.
Key learning outcomes
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
- Explain the core values and guiding principles of the Departmental Research Ethics Committee (DREC) and describe how these are designed to support a transparent, inclusive, and reciprocal ethics process.
- Identify common challenges and areas for improvement within the ethics application workflow, from the perspectives of students, programme leads, and reviewers.
- Analyse typical issues that arise in ethics applications and discuss strategies to streamline review processes and enhance decision making.
- Collaboratively propose practical next steps to strengthen guidance, support, and consistency across programmes in relation to ethical practice and research governance.
Who can attend?
Please note that the colloquium is open to open to Oxford University staff and students only.
Colloquium team
Dr Sarah Frodsham
Co-Director of the Graduate School and Chair of Ethics
Sarah oversees the Graduate School’s training programme for postgradates and the Departmental Research Ethics Committee. She continues to work with Oxford Brookes University where she supervises students and teaches postgraduate research methodologies. Her PhD, obtained in 2018, focuses on creativity in primary science. She has a background in Structural Biology and has published extensively in her field. Read Sarah's full academic bio.
Roxana Weich
Ethics and PGR Programme Officer
Roxana supports Dr Sarah Frodsham with the management of the business of the Departmental Research Ethics Committee.
Isabel Martin Garcia
Administrative support
Isabel is one of the Senior Course Administrators for Postgraduate Research Courses and the Graduate School. She has supported Sarah in the administration of the Departmental Research Ethics Committee from January to May.
Further information
For full details, including how to register and to submit questions in advance, please see the Colloquium event page.
Research at Oxford Lifelong Learning
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Part-time DPhil programmes with the Oxford Lifelong Learning. 'DPhil' stands for 'Doctor of Philosophy', sometimes referred to as a 'doctorate' or 'PhD' and is the highest level of a degree that a student can achieve.