Launching a new subject at Mansfield: Computer Science

Dr Helen Lacey incoming Senior Tutor

Computer Science at Oxford University has a rich history, with its department (established in 1957) ranked number one in the world for the past five years (Times Higher Education University Rankings). The department is seeking to expand, aiming to double its undergraduate intake by 2030. In order to do this, it is appointing two new Computer Science Tutorial Fellows across the collegiate University every year to 2030.

Mansfield is one of the first of Oxford’s colleges to partner with the department on this initiative, launching the study of Computer Science with the appointment of two new Associate Professors in Computer Science in 2024 and 2025.

The first Fellow in Computer Science to be appointed is Professor Sara Bernardini (see her introduction on p17). We were delighted to welcome Sara to the Fellowship in October 2024. We also welcomed five graduate students this academic year, and applications for the undergraduate course will open for the academic year 2025/26.

Computer Science, as both a mathematical and engineering discipline, is an excellent fit with our existing range of subjects. Several of Mansfield’s tutors have research interests that intersect with Computer Science, particularly in the disciplines of Maths, Engineering, Physics, and Materials Science. Mansfield Fellows at the Oxford Internet Institute and the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, are also involved with research programmes investigating questions relating to Artificial Intelligence.

Mansfield’s focus on widening access, academic support and excellence in education also means that Computer Science is an ideal addition to the College (and, we hope, the first cohort of undergraduates will feel the same when they arrive in 2025). Our research interests as a Fellowship overlap in complementary and productive ways with the research of the Computer Science Department, allowing us to make a significant contribution to the success and expansion of Computer Science at the University. We are excited to get started.