The University of Oxford Research Staff Society (OxRSS) is a collective voice for researchers at the University of Oxford. We also organise social and professional networking events and activities across divisions and colleges.
Our aim is to provide a single body to foster the exchange of ideas amongst peers across the University, and to represent them within the University and beyond. We would love to hear from you about useful additions to this website, activities we could do to support you in your role, social events you would like to host or participate in, talks or conferences you would like to promote within the research community or anything else to do with research staff.
Mission Statement
The Oxford Research Staff Society (OxRSS) welcomes and supports Oxford research staff, actively championing equality, diversity and inclusion. Its purpose is to: facilitate social and intellectual networking and communication among research staff throughout the University; liaise with Research Staff Representatives on issues and concerns of research staff across all Divisions; liaise with the Research Staff Hub and POD (People & Organisational Development) for professional development training courses for research staff; and participate in university governance where appropriate.
Membership
Membership automatically includes all research staff, regardless of how long they have been associated with the University of Oxford. Research staff may be defined as anyone who is 'research active'. These include but are not limited to: postdoctoral researchers; early / mid / late career researchers; lecturers; technicians; research assistants; lab managers; those employed on teaching contracts with colleges who are research active; research active members of the Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM); research active members of the Department of Continuing Education.
Governance
OxRSS’s constitutive document is its Terms of Reference (ToR). OxRSS is run by researchers for researchers. It is managed by a Committee comprised of 2 Co-Chairs, a Secretary, Treasurer, Communications Officer, Events Manager and from time to time additional roles. Committee members are researchers and serve as volunteers (Secretary and Treasurer posts can be filled by OxRSS’s Administrative Officer). They are elected annually at OxRSS’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). All Oxford researchers are welcome to attend the AGM and vote. The invitation to the AGM and to stand in Committee elections is issued to the OxRSS mailing list.
Other active members contributing to the running of OxRSS activities are the event hosts, who are researchers serving as volunteers. All researchers are welcome to volunteer as hosts or co-hosts.
An overview of OxRSS's activities over the past year is available in the Year in Review report presented annually at the AGM. The most recent report is the OxRSS Year in Review 2023-24.
To learn more about participating in OxRSS governance or event hosting, please write to us at committee@oxrss.ox.ac.uk.
OxRSS History and Research Staff Representation
OxRSS has been thriving for a decade, and has evolved in its form and activities. Until 2021 OxRSS concentrated on two main activities led by two Co-Chairs: hosting events and managing research staff representation. Research Staff Representatives (called ‘Voice Reps’) from departments across all four academic Divisions met together with the OxRSS Co-Chair for Representation to share information on researcher concerns and news on improvements. Voice Reps sat on numerous University-level committees and the University’s research staff committees, and helped channel information between OxRSS Voice Reps meetings and these committees. You can read more about this HERE.
The research staff representation system has since been adopted into the Divisions, and research staff representatives continue to sit on University-level committees.
Find out who your departmental Research Staff Representative is HERE.
See where research staff representatives are sitting on University-level committees HERE.
Learn about the University’s research staff committees and who is serving on them HERE.
OxRSS continues to have two seats on the Research Staff Consultation Group (RSCG). OxRSS’s activities now focus on hosting events and other activities supporting Oxford researchers. Through these activities, it regularly learns about researcher concerns and shares this information with the RSCG.
