Oxford Planets
and Life
The OPAL Initiative is exploring complex life and the places that harbour it.
The home for planetary research at Oxford.
Working to understand how life evolved on our dynamic planet, and where Earth falls within the cosmic diversity of all planets, to make predictions for where life might emerge and thrive across the Universe.
Planets and life are intimately connected as physical phenomena shaping each other; so too are the disciplines of life sciences, Earth sciences, and astronomy connected as tools shaping human knowledge. The mission of the Oxford Planets and Life (OPAL) initiative is to employ tools from multiple scientific disciplines to understand the planetary requirements that select for complex life. The expertise for realising this mission lies across the historic departments and divisions of the University of Oxford.
OPAL is the framework for mobilising the collective expertise across these disciplines.
Learn about our mission
The Numbers
- Departments
- 1
- Research Themes
- 2
- Researchers
- 12
- Established in
- 1950
Earth, the solar system, and beyond
Our major research areas.
The OPAL Initiative bridges University of Oxford academics across different research areas who are working towards our shared mission.