Worcester College has elected Professor Santa Ono – the current Global President of the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) and President of EIT Oxford – to a senior research fellowship.
A former biomedical researcher, Ono has previously served as President of the University of Michigan, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Cincinnati. A member of several academic bodies, such as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he now also leads EIT – an Oxford-based commercial research organisation focusing on AI, clinical medicine, generative biology, and sustainable energy.
Regarding his election, Worcester told Cherwell: “Professor Ono’s stellar research career, his research plans and role at EIT Oxford, as well as his track record of university leadership and commitment to music, made him an excellent addition to the Worcester fellowship.”
Worcester added that Ono, as a research fellow, will “play a key role” in supporting the college’s “thriving research community”, contributing to its research strategy and wider academic life. Although Ono will not be based full-time in Oxford for the foreseeable future, the college said it is still “excited about the research and other insights that he will bring”.
Ono’s affiliation to both Worcester and EIT may also open further opportunities for “strong ties” between the two institutions, according to the College. EIT, founded by Oracle co-founder and centibillionaire Larry Ellison, has already launched several projects at the University, including a £118 million investment in AI vaccine research. However, there are indications that Ellison’s financial commitment to the Institute is being scaled back. Ono’s predecessor as EIT President, Sir John Bell, left his role in September after clashing with Ellison over his “downgraded vision” for the project.
Ono told Cherwell it is “an incredible honour” to be awarded the fellowship, and that he is “very much looking forward to getting to know the faculty, staff, and students there”. He added that the fellowship, alongside other connections between the EIT and wider university, “will only strengthen what I see as a powerful and genuinely synergistic relationship”.
Looking ahead, Ono told Cherwell: “I hope to have a positive impact by sharing my experiences with students, and by doing everything I can to support faculty at Worcester College and throughout the University.”
