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What does success look like when world-leading research meets commercial sustainability?
In this bonus episode of Oxford Plus, Susannah de Jager sits down with Lisa Flashner to explore the evolving landscape of one of the world’s most famous academic cities. Lisa shares her transition from the West Coast to Oxford, highlighting the unique intellectual diversity and the "incredibly talented women" who drive the ecosystem forward. The conversation dives deep into the structural challenges of navigating the ecosystem and the ambitious vision for Oxford in 2050. From the development of new innovation hubs like Oxford North to the integration of robotics and AI in future-proofed buildings, Lisa provides an optimistic roadmap for how technology can improve the human condition.
Lisa Flashner: Lisa Flashner is the Chief Operating Officer of the Ellison Institute of Technology, where she leads strategic planning, operations, real estate, construction, and expansion efforts for the Oxford campus. Before relocating to Oxford, Lisa spent 15 years as the Chief Operating Officer of the Ellison Medical Institute in Los Angeles, where she led complex operations, large-scale programme execution, and strategic partnerships across science and health. She continues to support the Ellison Medical Institute as a senior adviser and serves as a board member of the Ellison Institute Research Foundation. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Illinois, a magna cum laude law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, and is a Certified Public Accountant. Her role at EIT places her at the centre of one of the most significant private investments in UK science and technology, overseeing the development of a campus that will ultimately accommodate up to 7,000 employees and house cutting-edge research in medical sciences, clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and AI and robotics.
In this bonus episode of Oxford Plus, Susannah de Jager sits down with Lisa Flashner to explore the evolving landscape of one of the world’s most famous academic cities. Lisa shares her transition from the West Coast to Oxford, highlighting the unique intellectual diversity and the "incredibly talented women" who drive the ecosystem forward. The conversation dives deep into the structural challenges of navigating the ecosystem and the ambitious vision for Oxford in 2050. From the development of new innovation hubs like Oxford North to the integration of robotics and AI in future-proofed buildings, Lisa provides an optimistic roadmap for how technology can improve the human condition.
Lisa Flashner: Lisa Flashner is the Chief Operating Officer of the Ellison Institute of Technology, where she leads strategic planning, operations, real estate, construction, and expansion efforts for the Oxford campus. Before relocating to Oxford, Lisa spent 15 years as the Chief Operating Officer of the Ellison Medical Institute in Los Angeles, where she led complex operations, large-scale programme execution, and strategic partnerships across science and health. She continues to support the Ellison Medical Institute as a senior adviser and serves as a board member of the Ellison Institute Research Foundation. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Illinois, a magna cum laude law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, and is a Certified Public Accountant. Her role at EIT places her at the centre of one of the most significant private investments in UK science and technology, overseeing the development of a campus that will ultimately accommodate up to 7,000 employees and house cutting-edge research in medical sciences, clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and AI and robotics.
Susannah de Jager: Susannah is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in UK asset management. She has worked closely with industry experts, entrepreneurs, and government officials to shape the conversation around domestic scale-up capital.
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Oxford+ is hosted by Susannah de Jager and supported by Mishcon de Reya, HSBC Innovation Banking, and James Cowper Kreston.
Produced and Edited by Story Ninety-Four in Oxford.
Creators and Guests
What is Oxford+?
Welcome to Oxford+, the podcast series that explores the myths and truths of the Oxford investing landscape hosted by Susannah de Jager. Since moving to Oxford, Susannah has collaborated with experts, entrepreneurs, and government to shape the conversation around domestic scale-up capital. Oxford+ aims to inform, inspire, and connect. We'll talk to Founders, investors, academics, politicians, and facilitators and explore how Oxford is open for business.
[00:00:01] Susannah de Jager: Alongside our main episodes of Oxford Plus for Season Four we are introducing a short fortnightly miniseries in between the main episodes. Brought to you by me, Susannah de Jager, and in partnership with Mishcon de Reya. In each episode, we ask our guests the same four questions designed to reveal how they think, what shapes their decisions, and what they're curious about right now.
[00:00:21] The questions stay the same. The answers rarely do. This is Oxford Plus in brief.
[00:00:27] So Lisa, I've got a few questions that I'm going to ask everyone and I'd love to get your thoughts. The first is, what would success look like if we got this right?
[00:00:38] Lisa Flashner: If the Institute got this right, success would look like commercially sustainable entities that are out there in the world solving some of these very big problems. We would really see a positive impact in one of our main pillar areas and isn't that good for humanity? So that to me is what success looks like.
[00:00:58] Susannah de Jager: Am I allowed to ask if you have a favorite child in the pillars?
[00:01:01] Lisa Flashner: Absolutely not. I love them all equally.
[00:01:04] Susannah de Jager: Okay, what advice would you give somebody entering the ecosystem tomorrow?
[00:01:09] Lisa Flashner: The Oxford ecosystem? I would say go meet as many people as you can. Go hang out at pubs, meet people in colleges be open to it. I find people here so fascinating and interesting. I think for a relatively small city, there is such diversity of backgrounds and talent and intellect. Coming from the West Coast, I wasn't sure what it would be like to move to Oxford and I am just honestly inspired all the time by the people that I meet here. So I love it. And I'm going to say, especially the incredibly talented women in and around Oxford. It's really been a great opportunity for me to get to know so many of them.
[00:01:48] Susannah de Jager: I really agree with you. What is Oxford uniquely good at?
[00:01:52] Lisa Flashner: What I have found in my short time here is what Oxford is uniquely good at is bringing diverse people from around the world here. It is an incredibly diverse area. Especially the incredible women. Obviously we talked about Irene, the Vice Chancellor, Dina Rose, who's the president of Magdalen of course, our own Cecilia Lindgren, who co-leads our AI team. I mean, these just are veryaccomplished people that it's exciting to get to know and to be part of the ecosystem with them.
[00:02:22] Susannah de Jager: And what is it structurally bad at?
[00:02:25] Lisa Flashner: Well, I think the university's complex, the college system, the how devolved it is, the understanding just how to navigate the university and all the colleges is challenging.
[00:02:37] Susannah de Jager: I think Irene said when I interviewed her that it's a federation, not a country, and I was like, yeah, spot on right?
[00:02:43] Lisa Flashner: So just understanding that and understanding to navigate it has taken some time.
[00:02:47] Susannah de Jager: Okay, and thank you. In your opinion, what does Oxford look like in 2050?
[00:02:55] Lisa Flashner: Wow, that's a challenging question. 2050, so, 25 years from now. Well, I hope the Institute is a vibrant community with an incredible campus, a world leading campus that looks like no place other.
[00:03:09] I also think one of the things that's happening around Oxford is all these hubs are being developed. We look at Oxford North and Trinity and these real opportunities to draw businesses here into Oxford, and so in my opinion, I think in 2050 these vibrant hubs will be happening both in the center of Oxford, but as importantly on the outskirts of Oxford. That will really make this a thriving ecosystem with a very diverse economy.
[00:03:34] But when you look at what AI can accomplish, I hope it's a place where we've been able to capitalize on all the good of AI and that it doesn't take a turn for the worst that one might say social media has. But has unlocked these challenges we have in all of our endeavors to really make the world a better place.
[00:03:52] I don't know how many humans there are going to be doing jobs versus robots. I think that's an interesting challenge that we're going to have over the next few decades. But I'm an optimist, so I think we will figure out over the next few decades how to make the most of AI and robotics to really help the human condition.
[00:04:10] Susannah de Jager: Are you fitting out the buildings like Amazon warehouses so they can be adapted for robots?
[00:04:14] Lisa Flashner: We are. We've got future proof.
[00:04:17] Susannah de Jager: That's really cool. And there's this concept of sort of the space being open more broadly than historically the colleges with you know, beautiful buildings, but quite closed front walls. We've spoken a little bit about the community aspects, but are you doing anything specifically here to draw people in that might not be working here?
[00:04:36] Lisa Flashner: So part of the Institute will be open to the public and really draw people to the campus. The campus will be an open campus as it is being designed by Fosters and Partners, it will be beautiful buildings, but they will be a modern version of what you see on college campuses. So we've really been mindful of opening up the Institute so it is a place that is inviting and welcoming rather than a closed campus
[00:05:02] Susannah de Jager: Yeah, and I know the university themselves are focused on that. So the Life and Mind building has a lot more open space that they've designed.
[00:05:08] Lisa Flashner: Right, and even the ground floor of the Schwartzman which is open to the public, and I think as you see these other hubs getting developed, you're going to see much more modern architecture, as we all see in Oxford North, come into the ecosystem.
[00:05:20] Susannah de Jager: Different spires.
[00:05:21] Lisa Flashner: Different. Yeah, but just as beautiful.
[00:05:25] Susannah de Jager: Thanks for listening to this episode of Oxford+, presented by me, Susannah de Jager. If you want to stay up to date with all things Oxford+, please visit our website, oxfordplus.co.uk and sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an update. Oxford+ was made in partnership with Mishcon de Reya and is produced and edited by Story Ninety-Four.