'Will my bacon sandwich kill me?', 'Is vaping better than smoking?', 'How do you become an astronaut?' - just some of the Big Questions we ask some of the brightest minds behind Oxford science. Join us in each podcast as we explore a different area of science.
Each of us is different. Our genetics and life experiences shape us into unique individuals – with unique brains. When it comes to medicine, therefore, a 'one size fits all' approach is often not adequate, and trial and error is required to find the best treatment for a condition: especially when it comes to the brain. But what if a doctor could rely on personalised recommendations about what course of action may be best for a specific patient? We chat to computational neuroscientist Dr Andrea Luppi from Oxford's Department of Psychiatry about 'digital brain twins', and how - when it comes to brain conditions - they could help to achieve just that.
17 Jun 2026
How can we use AI to make drugs?
Put simply, most drugs work by binding to a protein and altering how they function. But how can we model how well a particular molecule will bind to a particular protein, and use that knowledge to help discover new treatments? In this episode, we talk to Prof Fergus Imrie from Oxford's Department of Statistics, who is one of the lead researchers on the OpenBind consortium. This project aims to create the world's largest open-access dataset of protein-ligand interactions, providing invaluable quantities of data for AI-driven drug discovery
3 Jun 2026
How do you build the aeroplane of the future?
In 2022, 7% of the UK's total carbon emissions came from the aviation sector - a figure that's on the rise. This means that - while a flight is often the start of a well-deserved holiday - a lot of us feel at least a sprinkling of guilt over our carbon footprint. So, what if we could reduce the carbon emissions associated with air travel? In this episode, we chat to Dr Tamsin Whitfield from Oxford's Department of Materials Science, and hear about her research developing new metals, which will ultimately allow jet engines to burn hotter, increasing their efficiency.
Who has been a guest on Oxford Sparks Big Questions
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Dr Richard Mayne
Dr Annie de Bray
Dr Jane Gregory
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
4,763,839
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.5 / 5
10 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
14 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 72 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
87
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
51
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