The department is a lively community that is recognised internationally as one of the top centres for research and teaching in development studies.

Our courses offer excellent training for a career in international development or for advanced study, and attract students of the highest calibre from across the world.
“I had waited for 10 years before my dream to study in Oxford became a reality and the experience was truly beyond expectation”
Our students are taught to develop as critical and independent thinkers and when they leave us they are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to bring about real change.
“My time at Oxford strengthened my critical analysis and provided me with a unique interdisciplinary grounding in history, politics and economics that has equipped me well in dealing with public policy issues and program development strategy.”
Our courses offer excellent training for a career in international development or for advanced study, and attract students of the highest calibre from across the world.
“I had waited for 10 years before my dream to study in Oxford became a reality and the experience was truly beyond expectation”
Our courses offer excellent training for a career in international development or for advanced study, and attract students of the highest calibre from across the world.
“I had waited for 10 years before my dream to study in Oxford became a reality and the experience was truly beyond expectation”
Our students are taught to develop as critical and independent thinkers and when they leave us they are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to bring about real change.
“My time at Oxford strengthened my critical analysis and provided me with a unique interdisciplinary grounding in history, politics and economics that has equipped me well in dealing with public policy issues and program development strategy.”
Our students are taught to develop as critical and independent thinkers and when they leave us they are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to bring about real change.
“My time at Oxford strengthened my critical analysis and provided me with a unique interdisciplinary grounding in history, politics and economics that has equipped me well in dealing with public policy issues and program development strategy.”
Du Liu is Research Officer at TMCD working on the 'Valuation of patents and start-ups in the pharmaceutical industry (MED-VEST)' project.
This project is funded by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Oxford Institute (COI). The objective of the MED-VEST project is to develop a conceptual framework and an empirical model(s) for the estimation of the monetary value of patents in the pharmaceutical industry. She is responsible for conducting research concerning the valuation of technology through theory development and statistical analysis of a large firm-level dataset, publishing the academic results of the project, writing up policy reports and undertaking a range of administrative functions to ensure the smooth functioning of the project and the TMCD.
Du was previously a PhD student at the university of Warwick and submitted her PhD dissertation titled “Corporate Financing and Investment Policies with Patent Litigation” in June 2021. Her PhD focuses on the effect of firms’ financial constraints on outcomes in patent disputes and the resulting impact on firms’ R&D expenditure and incentives.
Innovation, Corporate finance theory, Real options modelling, Product market competition