On May 12, 2025, over 80 students and faculty members gathered at St. Hilda's College for the annual Symposium for Early Researchers in Social Policy & Intervention (SERSPI). The full-day event brought together members of the Department of Social Policy and Intervention to engage with timely research on pressing social, health, political, and economic issues.
The symposium featured 29 student presentations organised around four thematic areas:
- Mental Health & Health Policy
- Housing and Social Inequality
- Child and Family Well-being
- Technology, Policy, and Equity in Education and Welfare.
Presentations reflected the breadth of work taking place across the department, spanning both conceptual and applied research. In addition to traditional short and long format presentations, this year’s symposium introduced a new “5-minute Table Top” format. This format created space for Master’s and DPhil students with emerging research ideas to receive feedback from a diverse array of faculty and students across the Department.
Professor Alexander Betts, Professor of Forced Migration and International Affairs and Senior Fellow in Politics at Brasenose College, delivered the keynote address. Drawing on his extensive work in the political economy of refugee protection, particularly in African contexts, he reflected on the role of researchers in shaping policy and practice.
The day concluded with a panel discussion featuring Professor Jamie Lachman, Dr Rana Khazbak, and Professor Jane Gingrich, who shared reflections on bridging academic research and policy implementation.
The symposium was made possible thanks to the efforts of the student organising team, with support from departmental faculty and staff at St. Hilda’s College.
The SERSPI 2025 organising committee were Sydney Tucker, Yaxin Guo, Liina Björg Laas Sigurðardóttir, Vittoria Baglieri, and Charlotte Evans.
