Read what our previous cohort had to say about their experience at the Oxford Winter Neuroethics School!
We were delighted to be awarded funding from the Dana Foundation, to provide scholarships to a limited number of 2025/6 participants who are underrepresented in Neuroethics.
Anja K. Ruess, Best Research Proposal Prize Winner 2025/6
“Being part of the inaugural Oxford Winter Neuroethics School was a truly exceptional experience. What stood out most to me was the openness and intellectual generosity across disciplines and career stages. It was rare to encounter a space where early-career researchers and more established scholars engaged so thoughtfully on equal footing. The diversity and quality of the projects, and the willingness to engage critically yet constructively with one another’s work made it an inspiring and genuinely collaborative environment. I very much hope to continue these conversations as part of the OWNS network.”
Katherine Birditt, Best Presentation Prize Winner 2025/6
“This course gave me the space to interrogate the broader purpose of my research in the field of dementia. Through the brilliant facilitators I learned to treat ethics as an upstream design constraint not an afterthought. The course additionally sharpened the ways in which I interpret evidence and communicate it, skills which will strengthen my future work at the interface of blood biomarkers and clinical outcomes. Equally valuable, were the people I met. I formed interdisciplinary professional connections and genuine friendships that are already evolving into shared reading and future collaborations. This course was truly transformative, and I am sincerely grateful to the Dana foundation whose generous financial support made this experience possible for me and others in my cohort.”
Massiel Mendez, Dana Foundation Scholar 2025/6
“In a time of rapid scientific, policy, and societal change, ethical reflection must be both well-grounded and responsive to context. OWNS distinguished itself by approaching neuroethics not as a fixed set of abstract frameworks, but as a practice rooted in rigorous engagement with the literature and refined through flexible, dialogical exchange with colleagues, mentors, and practitioners beyond academia. From my perspective as a Caribbean scholar working at the intersection of bioethics and epidemiology, this approach reshaped how I connect ethical theory to today’s societal challenges and apply it adaptively within real-world research and teaching contexts, an orientation I seek to foster as a shared culture.”
Abigail Oppong, Dana Foundation Scholar 2025/6
“My experience at OWNS was a meaningful way to begin the year. It gave me the opportunity to reflect on the many ways neuroethics questions can be approached in research and strengthened my confidence in asking and reflecting more on some of the field’s most challenging questions. Engaging with the community of scholars from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, and learning how they explore and communicate neuroethics, was particularly memorable and it gave me a boost of confidence to approach and structure my research more thoughtfully. I deeply appreciated the open, curious, and supportive environment in which we could speak up and learn from one another.”
Paris Brown, Dana Foundation Scholar 2025/6
“My time at OWNS was nothing short of amazing. I was incredibly grateful to be surrounded by like-minded people who not only shared my passions but also truly became my neuroethics family! We need far more open discourse about the advancement of neuroscience among scientists, ethicists, lawyers, physicians, and philosophers, and OWNS did an exceptional job of creating space for those conversations. I’m so fortunate for this opportunity, and deeply grateful to the Dana Foundation for the support.”
Aman Shah, Dana Foundation Scholar 2025/6
“OWNS gave me the rare gift of pause, a space to reflect on how deeply human our clinical decisions truly are. Coming from a resource-constrained healthcare setting, it reminded me that neuroethics is not something we turn to once challenges are resolved, but something that must guide us precisely when decisions are hardest. The generosity of thought, openness, and shared purpose made this experience unforgettable.“
Maria Sourdi, Dana Foundation Scholar 2025/6
“I am so grateful to have been awarded a Dana scholarship to attend the first OWNS! It would not have been possible for me to attend without the financial assistance, so once again I’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in making this possible and I hope this partnership continues and allows more students like me to attend the OWNS sessions in the future.
It was beyond thrilling to have the opportunity to meet fellow participants in-person and hear about all their exciting projects, discover new neuroethics topics and areas for future collaborations. I really appreciated the diversity of backgrounds represented: the different career stages/ academic backgrounds as well as the geographic and cultural diversity of the cohort, it really was international, which was amazing! Further, the OWNS modules exposed me to topics in neuroethics I was previously not familiar with and new perspectives of topics I had already worked on. Overall, it was such an enriching and fun experience!”
Marcus Teo, Dana Foundation Scholar 2025/6
“It was a tremendous privilege to participate in an interdisciplinary, international meeting of brilliant minds committed to advancing the neuroethical research and practices. I am beyond excited to see where OWNS and the international neuroethics community goes from here, and I am so grateful for the friends I’ve made along the way.”
Sunil Shrestha, Dana Foundation Scholar 2025/6
“As a clinical pharmacist with a background in cancer pain research, OWNS expanded how I think about ethics, equity, and patient voice in pain management. The Learning Accelerator was a highlight, offering thoughtful feedback and interdisciplinary dialogue that will shape my future research.”
Oluoma Aneke, Dana Foundation Scholar 2025/6
“I went from having just a basic knowledge of neuroethics research to formulating a full research work, all within 3 months. All thanks to the Oxford Winter Neuroethics School.
The OWNS program was incredible, rich and fulfilling. It simply exceeded my expectations.”
“I learned more in one winter school than I did in my Master’s degree”
“Edifying and life-changing; would strongly recommend.”
“An unforgettable and career-defining three days [at the Learning Accelerator].”
OWNS Participants, 2025/6