OPHI is Highly Commended in Vice-Chancellor's Awards

OPHI has been recognised at the Vice-Chancellor's Awards of the University of Oxford on Thursday 15 May.

OPHI was highly commended in the ‘Making a Difference Globally Award’ category for its work on advancing global poverty eradication using a multidimensional approach. The nomination recognised OPHI for using Multidimensional Poverty Indices (MPIs) to track and advance global goals on poverty eradication, particularly in developing nations, and for expanding its transnational network of partners, fostering statistical expertise around the world, and empowering local and global leaders to step up poverty reduction efforts for marginalised communities. 

The Vice-Chancellor's Awards celebrate success across the University – from academics and researchers to professional, technical and support staff, whether they are in colleges, divisions, departments, central services, libraries, museums or elsewhere. 

There were 160 award entries across the 11 categories this year, with 1,300 individuals included in the nominations. The Oxford Department of International Development (ODID) was well represented at this year’s awards with OPHI, fellow research centre Young Lives, a programme run by the Oxford SDG Impact Lab, and an ODID SpinOut OxValue also being recognised in their respective categories. 

The Vice-Chancellor Professor Irene Tracey, CBE FRS FMedSci presented the awards at a special ceremony at the Sheldonian Theatre on 15 May 2025. 

A showcase for Awards took place earlier in the week on Tuesday 13 May, where OPHI was delighted to have the opportunity to discuss its work with staff and members of the public. 

OPHI Director Sabina Alkire said of the Awards: "We are delighted to have been highly commended by the University alongside so many innovative and creative colleagues committed to making a difference in their subject areas. We are also honoured to receive this recognition particularly during this time of structural change in the development sphere when the way the global community funds and  empowers impoverished  people and communities is changing. More than ever, we need to maintain our focus on poverty reduction. We need rigorous, transparent evidence, generated by information-rich tools such as Multidimensional Poverty Indices, to guide high-impact, cost-effective and sustainable policy design."

• Learn more about the Vice-Chancellor's Awards