Peking University, December 1, 2025: The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford and Professor of Anaesthetic Neuroscience, Irene Tracey, was conferred an Honorary Doctorate and delivered a lecture at Peking University on November 27. The ceremony brought together faculty members and students from both Peking University (PKU) and the University of Oxford.
He Guangcai, Chair of PKU Council, stated at the ceremony that the conferment not only recognizes Professor Tracey’s remarkable professional achievements, but also underscores her “aspiration to deepen strategic ties between the two institutions.” It marked a new momentum, he said, in cooperation in areas such as “frontier science, youth development, civilizational dialogue and global governance.”
Congratulating Professor Tracey on the conferment, Gong Qihuang, President of PKU, highlighted the burgeoning cooperation between the two universities in student training, people-to-people exchange, research, etc. He claimed that, by leveraging each other’s advantages, there is potential to boost joint research in medicine, neuroscience, climate change, and other academic fields, thereby further enhancing this strategic partnership.
Professor Irene Tracey was conferred an Honorary Doctorate.
Professor Tracey echoed similar sentiments in her lecture, where she underscored how both universities shared “the ambition to make the world a better and more equitable place through research impact.”
Crediting her success and career to her opportunity to study at Oxford, Professor Tracey believes that “education is still the most powerful and effective tool for opportunity and social mobility we have.” She recounted how an undergraduate lecture by Sir George Radda first inspired her to pursue neuroscience and how the guidance of many remarkable tutors throughout her student years shaped not only her academic path but also her desire to give back to Oxford.
In order to prepare for a future in which AI is transforming research, Professor Tracey emphasized that universities must better equip their students — in addition to disciplinary knowledge — with critical faculties of intellect around memory and logic, problem solving, and the ability to discuss and debate. More importantly, she stressed that higher education should cultivate curiosity and teach students how to learn, especially in a future where AI would require individuals to constantly adapt and reshape their skill set.
Professor Irene Tracey delivered a lecture on the value of education and AI's impact.
Assuaging concerns about AI-related job displacement, Professor Tracey acknowledged the profound impact AI causes across academic and professional fields, but reminded the audience that AI lacks the agency and shared humanity that humans possess: “We as humans create a world that we want to live in rather than a world that is given to us.”
Even as we confront novel global challenges and a rapidly changing world, open dialogue and genuine academic exchanges remain crucial. As Professor Tracey adeptly put it, “Soft diplomacy is what universities offer alongside education and research, and we should not underestimate their value and importance in these times of global turbulence.” The shared commitment between institutions such as PKU and Oxford to nurture reflective, collaborative, and responsible students shows that universities provide vital platforms to foster global understanding and cooperation.
To illustrate, she pointed out how Oxford and PKU were amongst the original co-founders of The International Alliance of Research Universities. Professor Tracey further announced that the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing and the PKU Institute of Population Research have extended their partnership for an additional three years, to 2029. Such partnerships will continue to facilitate research and student exchanges between the two institutions.
Written by: Chloe Tan Xuan En
Edited by: Chen Shizhuo
Photo by: Li Xianghua, Liu Yan
