Oxford Brookes University

05/10/2026

Why did Red Bull's racing team bring their cars to our Headington Campus? To meet our motorsport engineering students and look for the next generation of talent for their.

01/10/2026

Looking to study in the UK? Explore the perfect opportunity as an international student 🎓 We are offering a £2,000 International Student Scholarship for January 2027 entry. Click the link in our bio to find out more and check if you are eligible:🔗 https://bit.ly/3rcT0GU

29/09/2026

New research involving Oxford Brookes recommends the introduction of a clear, minimum 20p charge on single-use cups to encourage greater use of reusable alternatives.

Natalie Pearson, Associate Lecturer in Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management at Oxford Brookes, contributed to the research alongside colleagues from the Revolution Plastics Institute at the University of Portsmouth, the University of Bath and the University of Sheffield.

The research found that 92% of consumers surveyed were unsure whether they were already being charged for a disposable cup when buying a drink.

The resulting policy brief recommends that any charge should be clearly displayed and separately itemised, allowing customers to avoid it by choosing crockery or bringing a reusable cup.

Around 2.5 billion single-use cups are used in the UK each year, with fewer than 1% recycled.

At Oxford Brookes, customers can currently save 20p on hot drinks at Food at Brookes outlets by bringing their own reusable cup.

28/09/2026

Find your people and try something new.

24/09/2026

Our researcher Dr Rebecca Beech has joined forces with Oxfam to help launch the UK's first ever national charity fashion rental platform!

Dr Beech, Senior Lecturer in Marketing and consumer behaviour expert, advised Oxfam on consumer attitudes toward clothing rental, service barriers, and embedding sustainability values.

Through the new service, customers can rent selected items, including designer dresses, suits, coats, tops, and skirts for a 14-day period. All items are professionally cleaned, prepared, and photographed before being made available online.

By keeping quality garments in use longer, this initiative offers a sustainable alternative to traditional retail while raising funds for Oxfam's poverty-fighting work.

https://bit.ly/4yklv2I

22/09/2026

Calling all bookworms and literary enthusiasts! 📚 Tonight, the Booker Prize 2026 Shortlist is being announced live from London’s Southbank Centre.

Did you know that our library is home to the complete Booker Prize Archive? Dating back to 1968, the collection features winning novels, historical photographs, behind-the-scenes documentation, and unique paraphernalia.

Watch our video with archivist Annabel Nightingale as she gives a special introduction to the collection. 🎥👇
Find out more and visit the archive here: https://bit.ly/4yOeozm

11/09/2026

Can a butterfly get more scientific attention and legal protection simply for being beautiful?

The answer is yes according to a new study led by the University of Florence with an international team of researchers including Dr Saad Arif, Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences at Oxford Brookes.

The research was published in the journal ‘Current Biology’ and was led by Dr Leonardo Dapporto and Dr Mariagrazia Portera from the University of Florence.

Over 21,000 people across more than 100 countries rated the beauty of hundreds of European butterfly species. These were cross-referenced with scientific publications, iNaturalist and Flickr uploads, inclusion in the Bern Convention and Habitats Directive, and IUCN conservation status.

Dr Arif said: “The pattern is unmistakable: species perceived as more beautiful get more research, more public attention, and more legal protection. It's a genuine ‘beauty bias’ and it compounds over time.

“Striking species, protected earlier, attracted more funding (like EU LIFE projects) and more research, reinforcing their head start — while many plain-looking butterflies, now among the most endangered, stayed overlooked.”

"This isn't about ignoring nature's beauty," say Dr Dapporto and Dr Portera. "It's about recognising the implicit biases that have shaped European conservation.

“Charles Darwin, Barbara McClintock and Rachel Carson, just to name a few leading figures in the history of modern biology and nature conservation, all embraced aesthetics in science — but theirs wasn't beauty as a checklist of visual traits; it was the felt experience of ecological interconnection.

“The study is a wake-up call: reframed properly, beauty could become a powerful driver of public engagement — instead of a silent source of conservation injustice.”

Dr Arif added: “The results suggest that for butterflies in the UK, there is minimal beauty bias when it comes to identifying conservation priorities, in part reflecting a long history of evidence-based conservation practice and monitoring in the country.”

Read the study here: https://bit.ly/3VpnqEd

10/09/2026

Our student support network is here for every step of your university journey, whether you’re facing academic pressures, personal challenges, or just need someone to talk to. Whatever support you’re looking for, we’ll make sure you find it.

When you need help or advice, our friendly, experienced staff are here to help. Think of us as your personal back up team.

10/09/2026

Congratulations to Andy Holland, an International Emmy and Royal Television Society award-winning producer, on receiving an Honorary Doctorate in the Arts! Andy has been a pivotal partner for our Oxford International Centre for Publishing and Journalism, fostering industry connections and mentorship for our students.
https://bit.ly/4xdzc1M

09/09/2026

Congratulations to all of the students who have graduated over the last week and joined our amazing alumni family.

Right after their ceremony, we invited them to make their very first act of generosity as Brookes alumni by casting their vote for one of our fundraising projects.

The money from our Alumni Fund will be split between the projects our graduates voted for, putting our University’s core value of "Generosity of Spirit" into action and making a real difference across our community.

To discover the many ways you can give back and support the Brookes community, visit our website: https://bit.ly/4xaqcKR