Central University Research Ethics Committee

The Central University Research Ethics Committee (CUREC) has overall responsibility for the development of the University’s policy on research involving human participants, human tissue and personal data, and for the University’s ethics review process.

CUREC does not provide ethics review or approval of individual research project applications. Such applications should be sent to the relevant CUREC subcommittee.

 

External committee members – expressions of interest
Volunteer external members (i.e. those with no formal affiliation to the University of Oxford and who are not involved in research elsewhere) serve on the University’s human research ethics committees.

The interdivisional research ethics committees (IDRECs) for Medical Sciences and Social Sciences and Humanities each have a minimum of three external members. The Oxford Tropical Research Ethics Committee (OxTREC) has four external members. These committees provide ethical review of research involving human participants, human tissue and/or personal data.

Two external members serve on the Central University Research Ethics Committee, which has responsibility for implementing the university's research ethics policy.

All of these committees meet at least three times a year in Oxford (OxTREC meets six times a year) and review matters by correspondence between meetings.

If you are interested in receiving information about future vacancies, please email the Secretary of the Central University Research Ethics Committee (curec@admin.ox.ac.uk).
 

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Membership as at MT 2025 is as follows

The Committee considers ethical issues regarding research involving human participants, human tissue and personal data only.

  Name Conditions of appointment Until beginning of
[1] Sir Michael Dixon, Principal, Green Templeton College

A person appointed by Council who shall Chair the committee.

 MT 2030
[2] Senior Proctor, Professor Nicholas Barber, Trinity One of the Proctors or the Assessor as may be agreed between them ex officio
[3] Melanie Fleming, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences The [Interim] Chair of the Medical Sciences Interdivisional Research Ethics Committee ex officio
[4] Professor Lucie Cluver, Department of Social Policy and Intervention The Chair of the Social Sciences Interdivisional Research Ethics Committee ex officio
[5] Professor Philip Bejon, Nuffield Department of Medicine The Chair of the Oxford Tropical Research Ethics Committee ex officio
[6] Professor Sir Michael Aaronson Two external persons appointed by the Research & Innovation Committee of Council MT 2026
[7] Vacant As above -
[8] Professor Ivan Flechais, Department of Computer Science Up to six persons appointed by the Research & Innovation Committee of Council to ensure appropriate representation of areas of research involving human participants or personal data MT 2026
[9] Dr Kate Blackmon, Merton As above MT 2026
[10] Professor Elizabeth Wonnacott, Department of Education As above MT 2027
[11] Professor Angeliki Kerasidou, Nuffield Department of Population Health As above MT 2027
[12] Associate Professor Stuart Clare, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences As above MT 2027
[13] Professor Andrew Thompson, Faculty of History, Nuffield College As above MT 2026
Co-opted (The committee may co-opt up to four additional members, who may be internal or external, and who shall hold office for such period as the committee may determine)
[14] Dr Samantha Vanderslott, Oxford Vaccine Group Co-opted MT 2028
[15] Professor Chris Holmes, Department of Statistics Co-opted HT 2026
[16] Professor Tom Douglas, The Uehiro Oxford Institute Co-opted MT 2028

Secretary: Planning and Council Secretariat 

Queries should be addressed to the Committee Secretary, Steven Fairhurst Jones

Date Time Deadline for papers Venue
11 November 2025 11.00 am - Room 6, Wellington Square
17 February 2026 11.00 am 5 February 2026 Teams
19 May 2026 11.00 am 7 May 2026 Room 6, Wellington Square
10 November 2026 11.00 am 29 October 2026 Room 6, Wellington Square
16 February 2027 11.00 am 4 February 2027 Teams
18 May 2027 11.00 am 6 May 2027 Room 6, Wellington Square

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regulations

For the regulations of CUREC, please click here:

Regulations

Contact us

CUREC Secretary:

(Primarily for enquiries about the committee - not ethics review or approval of individual research project applications)

curec@admin.ox.ac.uk
 

Medical Sciences Inter-Divisional Research Ethics Committee (MS IDREC):

(Primarily for researchers from the medical sciences, where the research does not require review by the National Health Service ethics review service; depending on research methodology, also the mathematical, physical and life sciences)

Dr Helen Barnby-Porritt, MS IDREC Manager, Research Services, University of Oxford, Boundary Brook House, Churchill Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7GB

Email: ethics@medsci.ox.ac.uk Tel: 01865 (6)16577.

MS IDREC webpage: https://researchsupport.admin.ox.ac.uk/governance/ethics/apply/msidrec

Social Sciences and Humanities Inter-Divisional Research Ethics Committee (SSH IDREC):

(Primarily for researchers in the social sciences and humanities)

SSH IDREC Manager, Research Services, University of Oxford, Boundary Brook House, Churchill Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7GB

Email: ethics@socsci.ox.ac.uk. Tel: 01865 (6)16578.

SSH IDREC webpage: https://researchsupport.admin.ox.ac.uk/governance/ethics/apply/sshidrec

Oxford Tropical Research Ethics Committee (OxTREC):

(Primarily for medical research taking place outside the EU, or if the research is funded by the US National Institutes of Health or another US federal funding agency)

Dr Rosemary Musesengwa, OxTREC Manager, Research Services, Boundary Brook House, Churchill Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7GB

Email: oxtrec@admin.ox.ac.uk. Tel: 01865 (2)82585.

OxTREC webpage: https://researchsupport.admin.ox.ac.uk/governance/ethics/apply/oxtrec

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