The Brain and Its Mysteries — A Year in Oxford

Our Honorary Grandson Returns: Ethan’s Best Year (So Far).

Ethan’s return to U3A Box Hill felt more like welcoming back family than attending a formal lecture. Valerie introduced him warmly as our “honorary grandson,” and from the outset he radiated the enthusiasm and humility that endeared him to us during his earlier lecture series The Brain and Its Mysteries. This time, rather than a structured class, he offered a heartfelt travelogue of his year at Oxford — a mix of academic milestones, cultural discoveries, friendships, and self-reflection.

He began with first impressions: walking into Oxford’s historic square, seeing the Radcliffe Camera, and realising that Brasenos e College — with its chapel, dining hall, and library — would be his home. He also highlighted the Sherrington Building, named after Nobel Prize–winning physiologist Charles Sherrington, who revealed how neurons communicate at synapses. Sherrington had mentored Howard Florey, later Nobel laureate for developing penicillin, whose name graces Melbourne’s Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, where Ethan completed his undergraduate research. For Ethan, working in the Sherrington Building felt like stepping into a lineage of discoveries connecting Oxford and Melbourne.

He immersed himself quickly, donning academic sub-fusc¹ for matriculation², making friends among an intimidatingly talented cohort (including Rhodes Scholars and even a neurosurgeon), and joining in quirky traditions like being allowed on the manicured college lawn only once a year. Already, he had set his sights on continuing to a doctorate, the Oxford “DPhil.”³

His year followed Oxford’s rhythm of three terms. In Michaelmas,⁴ he settled in, started lectures, and launched his first research project, while also joining the trampolining team to replace his old diving passion. He even won his first competition by surprise (check out this Instagram post). At the same time, he wrestled with the anxiety of PhD applications and the daunting need to secure funding.

In Hilary term,⁴ his academic focus turned to optogenetics, an ingenious method of using light to control genetically modified neurons. He explained with infectious clarity how discoveries from green algae / channelrhodopsin led to tools that can activate brain circuits with pinpoint accuracy, even at single-neuron resolution via two-photon microscopy. We shared his amazement at watching mice run in circles when their motor cortex was illuminated. Alongside this cutting-edge science, he also competed in the Oxford–Cambridge varsity match⁵, winning his event and earning a prestigious “Blue.”⁶

By Trinity term,⁴ he had taken on a new lab project involving stem-cel l-derived neurons. Despite working harder than ever, the results turned out negative — a disappointment he framed as part of real science. Outside the lab, summer opened Oxford’s rivers, lawns, and traditions, and he capped the sporting year by winning “Fresher of the Year”⁷ across all university sports. Meanwhile, his PhD quest climaxed: an offer from Cambridge with funding forced Oxford’s hand, and they matched it with a scholarship. After much soul-searching, he chose to stay in Oxford with the lab that had inspired him most.

The year closed with the viva voce⁸ — a daunting oral exam conducted from Melbourne over video. Facing Oxford’s departmental heads and, awkwardly, a Cambridge professor he had declined to study with, he emerged not only with the coveted distinction but also the Sherrington Prize⁹ for top student. It was a poetic circle, linking back to the Sherrington Building where he had first begun.

Ethan finished by looking forward. His PhD will use advanced optogenetics to probe how the visual cortex constructs what we see — knowledge that may one day feed into brain–computer interfaces to restore vision (link to external video). He left us with gratitude, humour, and a renewed sense of connection: a young scientist carrying the encouragement of his U3A community into the wider world.

Footnotes

Sub-fusc: Oxford’s traditional academic dress worn for ceremonies and exams (gowns, ribbons, etc.). See overview: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub-fusc
Matriculation: the formal ceremony that admits new students as members of the University. Brief explainer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriculation
DPhil: Oxford’s name for a PhD; same degree, different label.
Oxford terms: Michaelmas (autumn), Hilary (spring), Trinity (summer). Quick guide: https://www.ox.ac.uk/about/facts-and-figures/dates-of-term
Varsity match: the set of annual Oxford vs Cambridge fixtures across many sports.
Blue: a prestigious sporting award at Oxford/Cambridge for top-level university competition.
Fresher of the Year: university-wide recognition for an outstanding first-year student in sport.
Viva voce (“viva”): an oral examination defending one’s thesis before examiners. Concise intro: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viva_voce
Sherrington Prize: a top-of-cohort award named after Nobel laureate Sir Charles Sherrington (neurophysiology pioneer). Info on Sherrington: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Scott_Sherrington