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Susannah de Jager: Alongside our main
episodes of Oxford Plus for Season Four

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we are introducing a short fortnightly
miniseries in between the main episodes.

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Brought to you by me, Susannah de Jager,
and in partnership with Mishcon de Reya.

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In each episode, we ask our guests the
same four questions designed to reveal how

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they think, what shapes their decisions,
and what they're curious about right now.

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The questions stay the same.

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The answers rarely do.

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This is Oxford Plus in brief.

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So Lisa, I've got a few questions
that I'm going to ask everyone

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and I'd love to get your thoughts.

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The first is, what would success
look like if we got this right?

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Lisa Flashner: If the Institute got
this right, success would look like

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commercially sustainable entities that
are out there in the world solving

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some of these very big problems.

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We would really see a positive impact
in one of our main pillar areas

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and isn't that good for humanity?

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So that to me is what success looks like.

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Susannah de Jager: Am I allowed to ask if
you have a favorite child in the pillars?

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Lisa Flashner: Absolutely not.

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I love them all equally.

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Susannah de Jager: Okay, what
advice would you give somebody

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entering the ecosystem tomorrow?

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Lisa Flashner: The Oxford ecosystem?

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I would say go meet as
many people as you can.

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Go hang out at pubs, meet people
in colleges be open to it.

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I find people here so
fascinating and interesting.

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I think for a relatively small
city, there is such diversity of

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backgrounds and talent and intellect.

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Coming from the West Coast, I wasn't sure
what it would be like to move to Oxford

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and I am just honestly inspired all the
time by the people that I meet here.

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So I love it.

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And I'm going to say, especially
the incredibly talented

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women in and around Oxford.

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It's really been a great opportunity
for me to get to know so many of them.

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Susannah de Jager: I
really agree with you.

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What is Oxford uniquely good at?

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Lisa Flashner: What I have found in
my short time here is what Oxford is

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uniquely good at is bringing diverse
people from around the world here.

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It is an incredibly diverse area.

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Especially the incredible women.

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Obviously we talked about Irene, the Vice
Chancellor, Dina Rose, who's the president

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of Magdalen of course, our own Cecilia
Lindgren, who co-leads our AI team.

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I mean, these just are very accomplished
people that it's exciting to get to know

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and to be part of the ecosystem with them.

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Susannah de Jager: And what
is it structurally bad at?

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Lisa Flashner: Well, I think the
university's complex, the college system,

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the how devolved it is, the understanding
just how to navigate the university

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and all the colleges is challenging.

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Susannah de Jager: I think Irene
said when I interviewed her that

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it's a federation, not a country,
and I was like, yeah, spot on right?

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Lisa Flashner: So just understanding
that and understanding to

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navigate it has taken some time.

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Susannah de Jager: Okay, and thank you.

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In your opinion, what does
Oxford look like in 2050?

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Lisa Flashner: Wow, that's
a challenging question.

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2050, so, 25 years from now.

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Well, I hope the Institute is a
vibrant community with an incredible

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campus, a world leading campus
that looks like no place other.

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I also think one of the things
that's happening around Oxford is

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all these hubs are being developed.

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We look at Oxford North and Trinity
and these real opportunities to draw

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businesses here into Oxford, and
so in my opinion, I think in 2050

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these vibrant hubs will be happening
both in the center of Oxford, but as

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importantly on the outskirts of Oxford.

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That will really make this a thriving
ecosystem with a very diverse economy.

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But when you look at what AI can
accomplish, I hope it's a place

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where we've been able to capitalize
on all the good of AI and that it

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doesn't take a turn for the worst
that one might say social media has.

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But has unlocked these challenges
we have in all of our endeavors to

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really make the world a better place.

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I don't know how many humans there are
going to be doing jobs versus robots.

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I think that's an interesting
challenge that we're going to

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have over the next few decades.

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But I'm an optimist, so I think we will
figure out over the next few decades

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how to make the most of AI and robotics
to really help the human condition.

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Susannah de Jager: Are you fitting out
the buildings like Amazon warehouses

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so they can be adapted for robots?

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Lisa Flashner: We are.

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We've got future proof.

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Susannah de Jager: That's really cool.

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And there's this concept of sort of
the space being open more broadly

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than historically the colleges
with you know, beautiful buildings,

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but quite closed front walls.

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We've spoken a little bit about the
community aspects, but are you doing

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anything specifically here to draw
people in that might not be working here?

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Lisa Flashner: So part of the
Institute will be open to the public

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and really draw people to the campus.

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The campus will be an open campus as
it is being designed by Fosters and

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Partners, it will be beautiful buildings,
but they will be a modern version

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of what you see on college campuses.

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So we've really been mindful of
opening up the Institute so it

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is a place that is inviting and
welcoming rather than a closed campus

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Susannah de Jager: Yeah, and I know the
university themselves are focused on that.

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So the Life and Mind building has a lot
more open space that they've designed.

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Lisa Flashner: Right, and even the
ground floor of the Schwartzman which

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is open to the public, and I think
as you see these other hubs getting

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developed, you're going to see much more
modern architecture, as we all see in

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Oxford North, come into the ecosystem.

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Susannah de Jager: Different spires.

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Lisa Flashner: Different.

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Yeah, but just as beautiful.

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Susannah de Jager: Thanks for
listening to this episode of Oxford+,

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presented by me, Susannah de Jager.

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If you want to stay up to date with all
things Oxford+, please visit our website,

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oxfordplus.co.uk and sign up for our
newsletter so you never miss an update.

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Oxford+ was made in partnership
with Mishcon de Reya and is produced

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and edited by Story Ninety-Four.