60 Seconds With... Susannah Murphy

Susannah Murphy is an Associate Professor and is the Director of Graduate Studies. She is a member of the Psychopharmacology and Emotion Research Laboratory group. 

Tell us a little about yourself, and what attracted you to working at the University of Oxford?  

I come from a Psychology and Neuroscience background and my research focusses on using neurocognitive models to help to understand and improve treatments for depression. It’s an exciting time to be involved in this work. For decades, treatment development in depression has been relatively stagnant, with very few new drug treatments available. However, things are really progressing now, with many new promising treatments on the horizon. Importantly, these new treatments have novel mechanisms and therefore have the potential to treat symptoms that are not well treated by conventional antidepressants, such as cognitive impairment and anhedonia.  So there is a real opportunity to improve things for people with depression, and that’s exciting to be a part of.    

What is your vision for your work?

This month, I start a new role as Director of Graduate Studies, which means I am going to be working closely with the graduate research students in our department, supporting them as they complete their MSc by Research and DPhils. I really enjoy working with researchers early in their careers. I have benefitted enormously from the support and guidance of many colleagues over the years, and I’m really pleased to have the opportunity to pay it forward.  I love the process of working with young scientists as they figure out what makes them ‘tick’ and how they can capitalise on this as they launch their careers. As DGS, I hope I can help to facilitate our graduate students to access all the amazing opportunities that are available and make the most of their time here.

What is currently at the top of your To-Do List?

I am currently sat on a plane on my way to Reykjavik, where I will be giving a talk at a conference. But when I get back, I will be focussing on graduate student activities. We are welcoming around 50 new graduate research students to the department this month, so I am busy preparing for their induction and making sure that we find ways to make them feel welcome and included in our department.  And then towards the end of the term, my focus will shift toward graduate admissions, shortlisting and interviewing applicants for next year’s cohort. Beyond my DGS activities, I am busy getting a new drug study up and running, writing a qualitative paper about young people’s experiences of depression, and gearing myself up to re-submit a grant that was recently rejected.

How did you get to where you are today?

I have just worked out that I have been in the University for 20 years (gulp!)  After my undergraduate Psychology degree at St Andrews University and a short spell in a clinical psychology team, I came to Oxford to complete my graduate studies. I did a combined MSc and DPhil in Neuroscience, funded by the Wellcome Trust, and loved it so much I never left! Since then, I have worked as a post-doc, early career fellow (in St John’s College), senior research fellow, and (since 2023) as an Associate Professor. 

Who or what inspires you?

When I was a graduate student, there were very few senior women within the University who had combined having a family and a successful academic career. Things have really changed, and we currently have inspirational women leading both our University and our department. I am grateful for these role models, and the structural and cultural changes that have been made to reduce the barriers that can be faced by those juggling an academic career with caring responsibilities.  

If you were not in your job currently, what would you like to be doing? 

I love the mountains and try to escape to them whenever I can. So, if I wasn’t here, I would probably be dressed in a cagoule on a blustery peak somewhere with my husband, two energetic daughters, and small (but adventurous) dog.