Dr Bridget Steele has won the Vice-Chancellor’s Breakthrough Researcher Award 2026 in recognition of her pioneering research into preventing sexual violence among students in higher education.
An early career researcher and Departmental Lecturer in Evidence-Based Intervention and Policy Evaluation (EBSIPE) at DSPI, Dr Steele established the first dedicated research programme of its kind in the UK focused specifically on sexual violence in higher education.
Her research has transformed understanding of the prevalence, risk factors and prevention of sexual violence among university students, reshaping the evidence base nationally and internationally. It has also helped position the University of Oxford as a sector leader in developing evidence-based approaches to preventing and responding to sexual violence.
“In the UK, over half of young people attend higher education, coinciding with a formative period in which risk and vulnerability to sexual violence are heightened, and social norms, attitudes, and behaviours are also still being shaped – making universities strategically important sites for prevention,” commented Dr Steele. “Sexual violence has serious consequences for health, wellbeing, educational and economic outcomes, yet most incidents are never reported to law enforcement. This means prevention and response cannot depend on the criminal justice system alone.”
Understanding and preventing sexual violence in higher education
At the centre of Dr Steele’s work is the OUR SPACE study, a research programme driven by the need to understand and prevent sexual violence in higher education not as a series of isolated incidents, but as a pervasive structural problem requiring institutional accountability, and evidence-based preventions.
As part of this work, she conducted a novel large-scale prevalence survey of sexual violence among students in the UK, directly addressing a longstanding gap in national evidence. The survey instrument she developed has since informed the tool used by the Office for Students, helping shape how the sector measures and understands the issue.
Having impact at Oxford and beyond
Dr Steele’s work has had a significant impact within the University of Oxford, informing reforms to policies on sexual misconduct and supporting decisions made by senior University leadership, including the Director of Student Welfare and Support.
Dr Steele commented: “I believe that the leadership Oxford is taking through practice – particularly through the work of the Sexual Harassment and Violence Support Service – and research can have an impact long after students leave. This work is important for creating a university community in which students learn not only how to recognise and stand up against sexual violence, but how to actively prevent it and respond to it in ways that make their future workplaces, organisations, and communities safer and more inclusive.”
She is now leading a review of the effectiveness of sexual violence prevention training programmes in higher education and has developed and piloted an evaluation tool at Oxford. For Dr Steele, however, Oxford’s role extends beyond its own community.
“Oxford has a responsibility to lead in this space because the education, experiences, and role modelling students receive here shape not only their time at university, but the kind of leaders they become,” she said. “Many Oxford graduates will go on to hold positions of influence across sectors, institutions, and communities. These future leaders have the opportunity to shape cultures and build environments in which sexual violence is not tolerated, and where prevention and accountability are taken seriously."
About the Vice-Chancellor's Awards
The Awards recognise the achievements and celebrate success across the University – from academics and researchers to professional, technical and support staff, whether they are in colleges, divisions, departments, central services, libraries, museums or elsewhere. There were 170 award entries across the 13 categories this year, with over 1,000 individuals included in the nominations.
The Vice-Chancellor Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor CBE FRS FMedSci presented the awards at a special ceremony at the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities on Thursday 4 June.
Find out more about OURSPACE
