Irene Tracey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Irene Tracey
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Irene Tracey giving her admission speech on becoming Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University in 2023.
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| Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford | |
| Assumed office 1 January 2023 |
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| Chancellor | The Lord Patten of Barnes The Lord Hague of Richmond |
| Preceded by | Louise Richardson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Irene Mary Carmel Tracey
30 October 1966 Oxford, England |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Merton College, Oxford (MA, DPhil) |
| Known for | Vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford |
| Awards | Suffrage Science award (2014) Feldberg Prize (2017) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Neuroscience |
| Institutions | University of Oxford Harvard University |
| Thesis | MRS and biochemical studies on animal models of human disease (1993) |
| Doctoral advisor | Jeffrey F. Dunn |
Irene Mary Carmel Tracey (born 30 October 1966) is a leading scientist and the current Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford. This means she is the head of the entire university! Before this big role, she was the head of Merton College, Oxford, one of Oxford's colleges. She is also a Professor of Anaesthetic Neuroscience, which means she studies how anaesthetics (medicines that make you sleep during surgery) affect the brain. She helped start a special center in Oxford that uses brain imaging to understand how our brains work. Her research team studies how we feel pain and how anaesthetics change our minds. They use advanced brain scanning techniques to do this.
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Early Life and Education
Irene Tracey was born in Oxford, England, in 1966. She went to local schools, St. Thomas More R.C. Primary School and Gosford Hill School. She then studied biochemistry at Merton College, Oxford, one of the university's oldest colleges. She did really well in her studies, earning a top degree and winning special awards. For her advanced studies, she researched how magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could be used to study diseases in people. MRI is a way to take detailed pictures of the inside of the body without using X-rays.
Career Highlights
After her studies in Oxford, Irene Tracey worked at Harvard Medical School in the United States. There, she used special imaging methods to understand brain conditions. This is where she became very interested in studying pain, which later became her main area of research.
In 1997, Tracey came back to Oxford. She helped create the Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain (FMRIB). This center uses advanced brain scans to learn about the brain. She led this center from 2005 to 2015.
She became a university lecturer in 2001, teaching and guiding students. From 2007 to 2019, she was a professor focusing on anaesthetic sciences. In 2016, she became the head of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, which is a big department that studies the brain and nervous system.
In 2019, Irene Tracey became the Warden of Merton College, Oxford. This is like being the principal of a college. She was the 51st person to hold this important position.
Then, in May 2022, it was announced that she would become the next Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, starting in 2023. This is a huge role, making her the leader of one of the world's most famous universities. As Vice-Chancellor, she has had to deal with important issues like free speech and student protests on campus.
Irene Tracey also serves on many important scientific groups, like the International Association for the Study of Pain. She is a strong supporter of women in science and works to make universities more welcoming for everyone.
Understanding Pain Through Research
Irene Tracey's research focuses on understanding how our brains create the feeling of pain. She wants to find scientific ways to measure pain, which has always been seen as a very personal experience.
Her team uses fMRI brain scanning. This helps them see which parts of the brain are active when someone feels pain. They've learned that pain is not just a simple feeling from an injury. It's a complex experience that can be affected by our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. For example, anxiety can make pain feel worse.
Her goal is to help improve how we understand, diagnose, and treat long-lasting pain. This research could lead to better medicines and treatments for people who suffer from chronic pain.
Awards and Special Honours
Irene Tracey has received many important awards for her work:
- In 2008, she won the Patrick Wall Medal for her contributions to anaesthesia.
- In 2009, she became a Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (FRCA).
- She won the Suffrage Science award in 2014, which celebrates women in science.
- In 2015, she became a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci).
- She received the Feldberg Foundation prize in 2017 and the British Neuroscience Association’s Outstanding Contribution to Neuroscience award in 2018.
- In 2020, she was elected a Member of the Academia Europaea (MAE).
- In 2022, she was given the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her services to medical research. She received this honour from Charles III at Windsor Castle.
- In 2023, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), which is one of the highest honours for scientists in the UK.
Public Engagement
Irene Tracey believes it's important to share science with everyone. She has appeared on radio shows like BBC Radio 4's All in the Mind.
She has also created and presented radio programs about pain, including From Agony to Analgesia and The Anatomy of Pain. Her work has been featured in BBC Horizon TV documentaries and at the Science Museum in London. She has given public talks at various festivals and museums and has been featured in magazines like New Scientist and Good Housekeeping. She was also interviewed by Jim Al-Khalili for BBC Radio 4’s The Life Scientific.
Personal Life
Irene Tracey is married to Myles Allen, a climate physicist. They got married in 1994 and have three children.
