This city-centre construction project is the first launched under the joint venture that led to the formation of Oxford University Development (OUD).
The Life and Mind Building will deliver circa 268,000 square feet of cutting-edge research, teaching and innovation space, and is part of 400,000 square feet of science-focused space already under construction by OUD. It will house students, researchers and support staff from the departments of Biology and Experimental Psychology, significantly improving the way these disciplines are delivered in Oxford.
The building is situated at the gateway to Oxford’s Science Area and replaces the Tinbergen Building which closed in February 2017. Set across two wings, it features laboratory and office accommodation, with a central atrium and lower floor teaching centre. The design will provide maximal flexibility and foster new collaboration between the two departments.
As Professor Matthew Rushworth, Head of Department for Experimental Psychology, says:
‘In the Department of Experimental Psychology we are really looking forward to the time when we might all come together as a department under one roof. Having a departmental home and a place for our new laboratories, patient testing rooms, and lecture theatres is critical for our staff and our students.
‘EP’s focus is on understanding the mind and behaviour. We do this by looking at everything from the patterns of activity in brain cells to the patterns of behaviour in groups of people. Our research has an impact in many areas such as helping children with language and reading and developing and improving access to therapies for anxiety.’