We are always looking for new writers to get involved with the Oxford Scientist. Our commissioning editors from the four sections regularly post calls for writers to take up writing opportunities on specific topics for our website.
A list of available commissions can be found below. This is regularly updated, so please continue to check this page.
No prior writing experience is required—if you are keen to take a commission, we encourage you to get in touch! If you have your own idea you can also pitch to us, even if you don’t want to write it yourself.
If you would like to take one of our open commissions, please email the corresponding section editor:
- Culture: Sofia Della Sala & Alana Chandler
- Features: Ashley Jackson & Marianna Birkitt
- Opinion: Rithika Ravishankar & Mason Wakley
- News: Olivia Allen & Natalie Stevenson
Please note that you must be a member of the University of Oxford to write for the Oxford Scientist. Please email the section editor from your University of Oxford email address.
Opinion Commissions
It’s getting hot in here—keeping cool about keeping cool
Winter has well and truly sprung in the UK, and many of us are longing for the summer days to arrive. But as summers are continuing to become hotter, how do we adapt to the increasing temperatures? Many will immediately turn on the air-conditioning as a way of cooling themselves off, but with plans to reach net-zero by the mid 2000s, how can we keep cool in a sustainable way?
Image credit: René DeAnda via Unsplash
From lab to plate—the future of meat alternatives
The typical meat and two veg diet has vastly changed over the past couple of years, with a rise in meat alternatives, both natural and manufactured, finding a place on our plates. A recent mockumentary by Channel 4 highlighted the idea of lab-grown meat, albeit as a way of satirising the cost of living crisis. However, this raises the question of what the future of “meat” production might look like. Will meat always be a part of our diet, is it financially and ecologically viable to fund meat alternatives, and how does lab-cultivated meat compare to other ‘green’ sources of protein?
Image credit: Neil Bates via Unsplash
Ready, Set, Game!
Games are not just something trivial. The elements of game design—or gamification—are now being employed in non-gaming contexts. The implications of this vary from a positive effect on behaviour and learning to negative attitudes towards the trend.
Professor Marcus du Sautoy explores the way mathematics has always been deeply intertwined with games and investigates how games themselves can provide us with opportunities for mathematical insight into the world. Are games and gamification teaching us more than we think?
Image credit: Sigmund, via Unsplash.
Culture Commissions
What does AI really mean for creative industries?
Investigate the profound effects of artificial intelligence, focusing on its potential to revolutionise artistic creation and innovation. Address the critical ethical and legal challenges, especially in terms of plagiarism and originality with AI-generated content. Analyse the consequences for artists, content creators, and intellectual property rights in the context of AI’s expanding role in creativity, arts, and sciences.
Image credit: René DeAnda via Unsplash
Indigenous peoples— the original pharmacists
During the 20th century, psychedelic research soared. Particularly with regards to the symptoms of mental health disorders, many psychedelics have since shown success in clinical trials. However, why are we only just recognising what has been known for centuries? Discuss indigenous use of psychedelics, the reasons behind modern medicine underappreciating such, and how western medicine might be able to give due diligence to these indigenous people’s practices.