Four Oxford researchers win prestigious Philip Leverhulme Prizes — University of Oxford, Medical Sciences Division

Only 30 prizes are awarded throughout the UK each year, with the 2024 prizes covering the following subject areas: Classics, Earth Sciences, Physics, Politics and International Relations, Psychology, Visual and Performing Arts. Each prize winner receives £100,000 which can be used for any purpose related to the advancement of their research. The University of Oxford was the only institution this year to have four award winners.  

Among the awarded researchers, one is from the Medical Sciences  Division:

Associate Professor Miriam Klein-Flugge (Department of Experimental Psychology), whose prize recognises her work on experimental psychology, and cognitive and computational neuroscience.

Associate Professor Miriam Klein-Flugge’s research group studies human cognitive processes, with a particular focus on motivation and decision making. She intends to use the Philip Leverhulme Prize funds to continue her research on human decision-making and behavioural flexibility. This will involve developing innovative experiments which combine novel ultrasound brain stimulation techniques alongside more realistic methods of measuring people’s behaviour, such as virtual reality simulations or tracking behaviour over time through smartphone apps. This will enable her to explore the causal relationships between different decision-making processes in real-world situations. Her long-term vision is to conduct fundamental research that provides a platform for translation to psychiatric disease.

She said: ‘This recognition is a testament to the incredible people I’ve had the fortune to work with throughout my career. It also reflects the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of science and psychology, highlighting the importance of collaboration across different fields. I believe it’s this rich exchange of ideas that truly drives innovation.’

Other awards were granted to:

Associate Professor Natalia Ares (Department of Engineering Science), who received the Philip Leverhulme Prize for her work on experimental quantum physics.

Professor Federica Genovese (Department of Politics and International Relations), who was awarded a prize for her work on the international politics and political economy of climate change.

Professor Louise Slater (School of Geography and the Environment), whose prize was for her work on floods, droughts, and climate impacts.

Congratulations to all the awardees! 

Read the full story on the University of Oxford website.