1. Irene Mary Carmel Tracey was born on 30 October 1966 and is a British neuroscientist who is Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford and former Warden of Merton College, Oxford.
27 Facts About Irene Tracey
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Irene Tracey is Professor of Anaesthetic Neuroscience in the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences and formerly Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Oxford.
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Irene Tracey is a co-founder of the Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, now the Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging.
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Irene Tracey completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at Merton College, Oxford in biochemistry under the supervision of Eric Newsholme and George Radda.
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Irene Tracey graduated with joint-top first class degree, winning the Gibbs Prize as an undergraduate, and was a Wellcome Trust prize student and senior scholar at Merton College for her graduate work.
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Irene Tracey returned to Oxford in 1997, where she helped to found the Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, later renamed the Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging; she served as its Director from 2005 until 2015.
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Irene Tracey was appointed university lecturer in 2001 at the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics; during this time, she was a tutor in medicine and Fellow of Christ Church.
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Between 2007 and 2019, Irene Tracey was Nuffield Chair in Anaesthetic Sciences and a Fellow of Pembroke College, where she is an Honorary Fellow.
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In October 2017, Irene Tracey was announced as the next Warden of Merton College, in succession to Sir Martin Taylor.
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Irene Tracey was installed as Warden on 5 October 2019, becoming the college's 51st warden.
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On 9 May 2022, it was announced that Irene Tracey would be the next Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, with effect from 2023, in succession to Louise Richardson.
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Irene Tracey defended free speech but was saddened by the attacks and abuse heaped at the university's transgender community during her first year.
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In 2024, Irene Tracey became involved in responding to the occupation of Oxford University campus by pro-Palestinian protesters.
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Irene Tracey has served on scientific committees, including the International Association for the Study of Pain, British Neuroscience Association, and Lundbeck Brain Prize Committee.
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Irene Tracey is a member of the Council of the Medical Research Council and President of the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies.
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Irene Tracey is an advocate for women in science and, as Warden of Merton College, championed greater inclusion and diversity.
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Irene Tracey's team has investigated how pain-relief treatments can produce altered states of consciousness and how religious beliefs can affect and alleviate pain.
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Irene Tracey's objective is to improve the understanding of chronic pain, its diagnosis, and treatment, partly through the development of more effective drugs.
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In 2008, Irene Tracey was awarded the triennial Patrick Wall Medal from the Royal College of Anaesthetists and in 2009 was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists for her contributions to the discipline.
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In 2020, Irene Tracey was elected a Member of the Academia Europaea, and in 2022 she was elected an honorary fellow of The Physiological Society.
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Irene Tracey was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2022 New Year Honours List for services to medical research.
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Irene Tracey received her CBE from Charles III at Windsor Castle on 16 November 2022 during the first Investiture held by His Majesty following his Accession.
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Irene Tracey has published over 200 original papers; Semantic Scholar lists her as a contributor to over 400 publications including the following publications:.
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Irene Tracey has created and presented two radio programmes about pain: From Agony to Analgesia, a two-episode BBC programme in 2017, and The Anatomy of Pain, a four-part, BBC Discovery series in 2018.
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Irene Tracey was interviewed by Jim Al-Khalili in April 2019 for BBC Radio 4's The Life Scientific.
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Irene Tracey was listed in The Times' Life Sciences Global Power List in 2020.
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Irene Tracey married the climate physicist Myles Allen in 1994 and has three children.