معرفی
Professor Irene Tracey is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, effective from January 2023. She holds a Professorship in Anaesthetic Neuroscience within the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences. Previously, she served as Warden of Merton College and Head of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (2015–2019). Her academic journey began at Oxford, where she earned degrees in Biochemistry under Sir George Radda, followed by postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School.
Tracey’s research focuses on pain mechanisms, anaesthesia, and neuroimaging. As a founding member and director of the Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (formerly FMRIB), she pioneered techniques like functional MRI to study pain processing and neural pathways. Her work bridges discovery science and clinical translation, challenging traditional views of pain as merely nociceptive input.
She has supervised over 35 PhD students and mentors numerous early-career researchers. Awards include the CBE (2022), Feldberg Prize (2017), and the British Neuroscience Association’s Outstanding Contribution Award (2018). She advocates for women in science and chairs committees like the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS). Her leadership roles span institutional governance, national academies, and global health initiatives.
Key research themes include the neural basis of chronic pain, central sensitization, and anaesthetic agents’ effects on consciousness. Collaborations with industry and academia aim to develop pain biomarkers and therapeutics, reflected in her extensive publication record on neuroimaging, pain modulation, and interdisciplinary methods.
