Professor James Bryson and Professor Ine Jacobs

James Bryson, Sollas Tutorial Fellow in Earth Sciences at Univ and Professor of Planetary Science at Oxford, and Ine Jacobs, Supernumerary Fellow in Byzantine Archaeology at Univ and Stavros Niarchos Foundation Professor of Byzantine Archaeology and Visual Culture at Oxford, have been awarded the title of Professor in the University of Oxford’s 2026 Recognition of Distinction exercise.

As Tutorial Fellow in Earth Sciences at Univ, Professor James Bryson teaches a wide range of introductory topics to first- and second-year students at the College. Within the Department, he lectures on mineralogy, mineral physics, planetary formation and the chemical, isotopic and physical evolution of the early Solar System. His research focuses on the magnetism and the elemental and isotopic compositions of extra-terrestrial material and is concerned with the early evolution of planetary bodies and the Solar System. Drawing on a range of experimental techniques, including palaeomagnetism, isotopic analysis, X-ray spectroscopy, electron microscopy and multifaceted computer models, he uncovers new insights into the behaviour of planet formation and the evolution of the early Solar System.

Professor Bryson is currently leading the writing of a chapter on ancient magnetisation in planetary materials for the comprehensive scientific volume, Meteorites and the Early Solar System III. He organised a meeting at the Royal Society titled “Unravelling the magnetic histories of Earth and other terrestrial objects” on 14-15 September 2026.

Professor Ine Jacobs teaches late antique and Byzantine archaeology and visual culture to graduate students on the Late Antique and Byzantine Studies programme in the Faculty of History, graduate students in Classical Archaeology in the Faculty of Classics, and graduate students in the School of Archaeology. In addition, she teaches special subjects in late antique and Byzantine archaeology for the Final Honour Schools of Archaeology and Anthropology and of Classical Archaeology and Ancient History. Her research focuses on the development of the Mediterranean world in late antique and Byzantine times. It encompasses themes such as the lived experience of architecture and urbanism, the reception and reuse of classical antiquity in succeeding centuries, and the archaeology of religion. In an interview for the University of Oxford Development Office website, she explained how her research – including the discovery of an exceptionally long-lived pagan complex at Aphrodisias – is helping to reshape our understanding of the Roman and Byzantine worlds.

Professor Jacobs was a Getty Residential Scholar in winter 2026, during which she wrote the first publication on this discovery for the Journal of Roman Studies, “The House of Kybele and the Last Pagans of Aphrodisias” (2026). With J Elsner and J Smith, she published Material Religion in Byzantium and Beyond (London and New York: Routledge, 2025).

Published: 28 September 2026

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