Professor Charlotte Deane

Professor Charlotte Deane MBE (1993, Chemistry) is a Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of Oxford and the Executive Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Professor Deane will be discussing the impact of AI on creativity at this year’s Univ Seminar, which takes place at University College on Thursday 3 July at 6:30pm.

Why did you apply to Univ and why did you choose to study Chemistry?
I didn’t know much about Oxford colleges so I looked for those with three chemistry tutors and that made any mention of women’s sport and that landed me at Univ. I chose chemistry because I really enjoyed it at school it had a realness to it – I like solving problems.

What did you enjoy most about studying at the College?
There are so many things that I enjoyed in so many different ways. Perhaps one story that encapsulates it all, at least a little, happened on the river. One of the many things I learnt to do at Univ was how to punt. I thought I had got pretty good and proudly declared myself an expert and then immediately stepped backwards into the river. Of course, much hilarity followed! I am still in touch with most of those who laughed at/with me that day. That is really my Univ experience in a nutshell. The learning of so many new things about my subject, myself and the world, making amazing friends and falling in the river.

Do you have any favourite moments from your time at Univ?
There are so many, but here are three:
-My 19th birthday where I was given three super soakers before 9am.
-My first hockey blues match, where I won person of the match. I honestly can’t remember most of the game but it was a fantastic day with the team.
-Walking through Oxford after the Univ ball barefoot.

You have had an incredibly varied career within your field. What have been the most memorable career milestones to date?
I have had many memorable milestones. I will never forget the day my first paper was accepted; it cemented in my head that I wanted to try research as a career. Similarly, my first keynote talk at a conference – although I still get just as nervous. When I was offered my job at Oxford – I can still remember phoning my mum and telling her I had been offered the job and her saying “Are you sure?”. Many milestones are vicarious – my first DPhil student finishing her thesis, in fact every DPhil student completing their thesis. Some are more recent. Becoming part of the leadership team of an AI start-up was fascinating, it was really eye-opening to work in industry. Just in the last two years, I have started as Executive Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and I have to admit I am still getting used to the idea that it’s my job!

You currently lead the Oxford Protein Informatics Group (OPIG). What current research projects are you most excited about?
Right now, my group is working on multiple projects that aim to change the face of drug discovery using AI. We look at areas from generating novel molecules, to predicting their flexibility, and optimising all the properties required to make a good drug. All of this AI work is critically powered by data, so I am very excited about the recently announced OpenBind project that will combine our work on AI methods with the cutting-edge experimental methods to collect that vital data.

You’ll be contributing to the panel discussion at the upcoming Univ Seminar on Creativity and AI. How did you first become involved in working with AI?
I can’t pinpoint when I first became involved in working with AI. I have always worked on the development of computational methods and, over the last few years, AI has become the dominant technique and, in my field, has moved computation from a nice add-on to centre stage.

Who or what inspires you in your work?
The “who” is my students and postdocs, and the “what” is learning new things.

What’s your advice for students at Univ?
Be you, enjoy yourself, be it at work or at play – go have fun.

Describe Univ in three words.
Fun, exciting and old