Speaker
Nigel Fisher is the Conservator of Wytham Woods. The Woods are one of the most researched areas of land in the world. Nigel has worked in the field of nature conservation for almost thirty years, and has been involved with conservation courses within the Department for Continuing Education for the last decade.
Speaker
Born in Essex, Keith Kirby read Agricultural and Forest Sciences, followed by a D.Phil at Oxford, before a career spent mainly with Natural England and its predecessors as a woodland ecologist. In 2012 he retired back to Oxford and has since become involved with the long-term research in Wytham Woods. His particular interest is the changes to its structure and composition.
Speaker
Regius Professor of History emeritus, University of Oxford. Prof Evans is a specialist in the modern history of central and east Europe. He has a long-standing interest in local and community history, especially of Oxford and its region; in environmental history; and in the history of Wales.
Speaker
Chris Gosden holds a research professorship in archaeology and has worked extensively on the archaeology of Oxfordshire since 1994, as well as carrying out fieldwork in many other parts of the world. He is author of a wide-range of books including The History of Magic. He is currently writing a world history, entitled Humans: The First Seven Million Years.
Speaker and Course Director
Elizabeth was appointed in October 2006 as a University Lecturer in Local History in the Department for Continuing Education, and in 2010 as Director of the Department's Weekly Class Programme. She is a Fellow of Kellogg College. She was named in 2012 as ‘Most Acclaimed Lecturer’ in the Department for Continuing Education by Oxford University Student Union.
Speaker
Edward Impey studied history and archaeology at the University of Oxford and held a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Oriel College. He served as Curator of Historic Royal Palaces in the 1990s and then as a Director of Heritage Protection and Planning at English Heritage (as was). From 2013 to 2022 he was Master and Director General of the Royal Armouries. His research interests and publications cover aspects of history, architectural history, Oxfordshire and Berkshire history, military architecture and more recently, arms and armour.
Speaker
Nick Wright studied history at the University of Reading, and worked in publishing for 20 years before undertaking a Master's degree in Historic Building Conservation at Oxford Brookes University in 2018. He now works for Donald Insall Associates as a Senior Historic Buildings Advisor, in which capacity he has made a special study of Wytham Abbey.
Speaker
Mervyn was an Advisory Teacher for Oxfordshire County Council, teaching in primary and secondary schools. He has researched the ffennell era in Wytham Wood for ten years, as well as writing on the history of the Hill End Centre and the trenches in Wytham Wood. Mervyn has also done considerable research into Romany culture and the history of their medicines before the modern era. In addition, he has undertaken projects for the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust and The Story Museum, as well as publishing history-based articles for sports publications.
Speaker
Dr Caroline Pond attended Charles Elton’s lectures during 1968 B.A, Zoology, Oxford University St Hilda’s College; 1971 D.Phil. Oxon. She taught evolutionary and comparative physiology & anatomy, veterinary anatomy, general biology in the UK, USA and Tanzania, ending in Professor of Comparative Anatomy, The Open University, Milton Keynes until her retirement in 2010. She is currently Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College. From 2013 - 2015 she transcribed 0.34M words of manuscripts held by the Hope Collections, OUMNH, compiled 1942-62 by Charles S. Elton, FRS, plus numerous related documents, and is working at home as a GLAM volunteer for Bodleian Library’s ORA.
Speaker
Dr Georgina Montgomery is an interdisciplinary scholar with research expertise in diversity and inclusion in science and the history of long-term field sites. She is a full professor at Lyman Briggs College, a science and society college at Michigan State University, USA.
Speaker
Lucy is the Director of Hill End, a much-loved outdoor education centre just outside Oxford. She joined Hill End in 2018 shortly after the centre became an independent charitable trust and became director four years later. She has always been passionate about nature and education, and has worked previously at the Environment Agency, University of Oxford, and in schools teaching secondary science.
Speaker
Thomas is a zoologist who has studied spiders, insects and worms for more than 15 years in both temperate and tropical climates. In addition to his teaching for the Department for Continuing Education, he is a lecturer in biological sciences at St. Anne's College.
Speaker
Dr Priya Atwal is the Community History Fellow at the University of Oxford, where she is leading the launch and development of a new programme of research and public engagement activity in local, community and public history. Her academic research specialisms lie in the history of monarchy, empire and cultural politics, and she is the author of Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire.
