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.
The questions stay the same.
The answers rarely do.
This is Oxford Plus in brief.
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?
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.
Susannah de Jager: Am I allowed to ask if you have a favorite child in the pillars?
Lisa Flashner: Absolutely not.
I love them all equally.
Susannah de Jager: Okay, what advice would you give somebody
entering the ecosystem tomorrow?
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.
Susannah de Jager: I really agree with you.
What is Oxford uniquely good at?
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 very accomplished people that it's exciting to get to know
and to be part of the ecosystem with them.
Susannah de Jager: And what is it structurally bad at?
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.
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?
Lisa Flashner: So just understanding that and understanding to
navigate it has taken some time.
Susannah de Jager: Okay, and thank you.
In your opinion, what does Oxford look like in 2050?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Susannah de Jager: Are you fitting out the buildings like Amazon warehouses
so they can be adapted for robots?
Lisa Flashner: We are.
We've got future proof.
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?
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
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.
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.
Susannah de Jager: Different spires.
Lisa Flashner: Different.
Yeah, but just as beautiful.
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,
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Oxford+ was made in partnership with Mishcon de Reya and is produced
and edited by Story Ninety-Four.