Student Life
Professor Lee White: ‘I’d rather face Boko Haram terrorists than climate negotiations’
Professor Lee White – a conservationist, scientist, and politician – does not like talking about himself. White came to Oxford to deliver a lecture, at which I learned almost nothing about Lee and a great deal about the trees found in the Gabonese rainforest. Only very briefly, towards the end of the event, did White talk about himself.
For White, trees – and nature – are more important than him, and so they are the focus. It would not occur to Lee to speak in any other way. He finds people without his sense of perspective frustrating. In conversation with White before his lecture, he recounts negotiating at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: “I’d rather face Boko Haram terrorists trying to shoot me really than go to those climate negotiations.”
You are likely wondering, as I was, how a boy born in Manchester ended up facing Boko Haram terrorists. The story begins with a chimpanzee named Cedric who White refers to as his “brother”. Cedric was adopted by White’s family, after they moved to Uganda, when he was a small child. White recalls how his “mother would walk around with my sister on one hip… and Cedric the chimpanzee… on the other hip.”. This close proximity to nature instilled in White a sense of duty to the natural world, and left him with a deeply seated understanding of the interconnectedness of the planet.
The following decades were spent learning about the natural world through experience and academia. White describes his life in conservation as a struggle to balance documenting the natural world as a researcher and campaigning to preserve it. Whilst studying the trees of Gabon, White opted to preserve the natural world and entered politics. His great achievements in protecting Gabon’s rainforest were made into a documentary in 2024.
In the documentary, Gabon: Earth’s Last Chance, the most thrilling moment is when White manages to convince the Gabonese President Omar Bongo in 2002 to create 13 new national parks. When I ask White how he managed to do this, he describes Bongo’s long-standing interest in nature, recalling trips spent whale-watching with the President and he pays tribute to Bongo’s many speeches on conservation. If White had been directing the documentary, I suspect we might have learnt rather less about White himself and more about the trees of the Gabonese rainforest. White’s understanding of the complexity and interdependence in nature translates into a deeply seated belief in the unimportance of the individual.
Yet, in spite of this, White’s achievements in Gabon are incredible. White worked with the Gabonese government for decades. He fought Boko Haram terrorists who profited off of poaching, reduced illegal logging, and became the Gabonese Minister of Water, Forest, the Sea, and Environment. The positive effects of his efforts in preserving biodiversity are incalculable.
A concrete product of White’s efforts is the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation agreement (REDD+), which he helped to negotiate. Formalised in 2015 by the Paris Climate Agreement, REDD+ incentivised protecting trees by paying countries per ton of carbon sequestered. The Gabonese rainforest, where White spent 45 years researching and conserving, reduced carbon in the world’s atmosphere by 187 million tonnes each year. However, the money agreed under REDD+ was never fully paid – Gabon was paid for only 3 million of the 187 million tonnes that it had removed from the planet’s air.
White sees failures like this as a question of incentives. He contrasts the political systems of China and Britain and describes with excitement China’s success in stabilising temperature and improving air quality by planting vast numbers of trees. It is the frequent election cycles of many western nations that White sees as culpable for the short-term thinking of many western governments.
Yet there are still things an individual can do. White emphasises the importance of taking public transport, recycling, and thinking about sustainability. White points out that students at the University of Oxford have an outsized impact upon the world, and that they could therefore have an outsized impact on improving sustainability.
If White was writing this article, my suspicion is that he would like something more to be said of the trees of the Gabonese rainforest. His favourite tree is the Bailonella Toxisperma. In White’s lecture to the Environmental Change Institute of the University of Oxford, he walked out from behind the podium so that the audience could see as he acted out the gleeful manner in which an elephant he befriended, named Billy, would break open the fruit of the tree with his tusk.
Talking to White, one is left with the sense that he is slightly uneasy in the human world. For someone with such a deep understanding of nature, I can imagine how the lack of urgency around him is unsettling. As White puts it: “We are in the sixth major extinction that this world has seen over the last five billion years, and we human beings are the reason for it.”
A new predictive tool has been developed by a team of researchers to help clinicians identify which stroke patients are most likely to experience long-term cognitive difficulties. The ‘Cognition Calculator’, introduced in a study published in The Lancet: Healthy Longevity, uses information routinely recorded during hospital care to estimate the likelihood of problems with thinking, memory and communication six months after a stroke.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford and the University of Birmingham, developed and tested a statistical model using clinical data collected from stroke patients during the early stages of hospital care. The model draws on data, including results from cognitive screening tests alongside information such as age and stroke severity. Researchers found that early cognitive performance was one of the strongest indicators of longer-term outcomes.
Cognitive impairment is common following a stroke, but can be difficult to anticipate. Whilst post-stroke care has traditionally focused on physical recovery and preventing future strokes, researchers say thinking and communication difficulties are a major factor in patients’ long-term quality of life.
Professor Nele Demeyere, who led the research team, told Cherwell: “Many colleagues recognise the challenge of discussing cognitive outcomes with patients when there is so much uncertainty, so there is interest in tools that could help structure those conversations more clearly.”
Demeyere emphasised to Cherwell that the calculator is not yet intended to be used as a finished clinical product. Instead, she described the research as providing “rigorous groundwork” for future research to refine and test the model in wider clinical settings.
The research comes as the NHS is increasingly using digital tools and artificial intelligence to improve stroke care, including software now deployed across stroke centres in England to help clinicians analyse brain scans and make faster treatment decisions. Updated national stroke guidelines have also placed greater emphasis on early cognitive screening and long-term rehabilitation.
Dr Andrea Kusec, another Oxford researcher involved in the project, told Cherwell: “The response has been very positive, with many recognising the value of developing tools that can support conversations about what ‘life after stroke’ will be like.”
She added: “Clinicians often are key in providing messages of hope and allay some of this uncertainty – this tool can become a way to support those tough conversations.”
The study also highlights the wide range of cognitive recovery after stroke. According to Kusec, one of the most surprising findings was how differently prediction models performed depending on the type of cognitive impairment involved, such as language, memory, or executive function. “This really speaks to the individual nature of post-stroke cognitive outcomes”, she said.
Researchers hope the model will now be tested in larger patient groups and across different healthcare settings. If validated further, it could help clinicians identify patients who may benefit from closer monitoring, targeted rehabilitation, or additional support.
Demeyere told Cherwell that the broader aim is to ensure cognitive health is recognised as a central part of stroke recovery. “Post-stroke care has historically focused, understandably, on survival and preventing recurrent strokes. Increasingly, we recognise that cognitive and communication difficulties are central to long-term quality of life… This study represents one step in that direction. It reflects a broader shift towards viewing cognitive health as a core component of stroke care.”
Councillor Chewe Munkonge has been announced as Oxford’s next Lord Mayor, becoming the first Black person to hold the city’s highest civic office. The nomination was confirmed at a meeting of Oxford City Council on 23rd March by council leader Sudan Brown. Mukonge is expected to take up the largely ceremonial role for the 2026/2027 civic year, subject to his re-election in May.
Munkonge, who represents Quarry and Risinghurst ward, was first elected to the council in 2014 and currently serves as Cabinet Member for a Healthy, Fairer Oxford, as well as the council’s Small Business Champion. He also serves as the Central Administration Officer of the Oxford Trust, where he supports “all the operations of The Oxford Trust and Science Oxford’s events and education activities”. Outside politics, Munkonge works as a Central Admin Officer for a local charity and previously served as a governor at The Swan School between 2019 and 2025.
The Lord Mayor of Oxford typically undertakes over 300 engagements annually, including leading the city’s Remembrance Sunday service and attending royal visits, and supporting organisations. During his term, Munkonge has chosen Sobell House and St Theresa as his official charities. Sobell House Hospice is a local charity that provides specialist support for people with life-limiting illnesses and their families.
The Lord Mayor role is a politically neutral position appointed annually by Oxford City Council, typically at its Annual Meeting in May. By convention, it is offered to the longest-serving councillor who has not previously held the office.
Alongside Munkonge’s appointment, Councillor Louise Upton, the outgoing Lord Mayor, has been named Deputy Lord Mayor, while Councillor Linda Smith will serve as Sheriff of Oxford.
In a press release statement, Munkonge said: “I am deeply humbled and truly honoured to be chosen as the next Lord Mayor of Oxford… As the first Black Lord Mayor of our city, I stand on the shoulders of those who paved the way, and I hope to be a source of inspiration for future generations.”
Sperm tagged with green fluorescent protein in the sperm storage organ of a female Drosophila fruit fly. Credit: Krish Sanghvi.
The findings are based on a major, cross-species analysis which revealed a shared pattern across many animals, from insects to mammals. Sperm that is stored (whether in males or females) deteriorates rapidly – resulting in reduced sperm performance, fertilisation success, and embryo quality. Crucially, the new study also offers insights into why this happens.
The researchers carried out a meta-analysis of 115 human studies (involving 54,889 men) and 56 studies across 30 non-human species. This confirmed that mature sperm in storage generally deteriorates in quality independently of the age of the male – a process called post-meiotic sperm senescence.
In humans, longer periods of sexual abstinence were associated with increased sperm DNA damage and oxidative stress, along with reduced sperm motility and viability.
Co-lead author Dr Rebecca Dean (Department of Biology, University of Oxford) said: ‘Because sperm are highly mobile and have minimal cytoplasm, they quickly exhaust their stored energy reserves and have limited capacity for repair. This makes storage particularly damaging compared to other types of cells. Our study highlights how regular ejaculation can provide a small but meaningful boost to male fertility.’
Differences between males and females
Sperm quickly exhaust their stored energy reserves and have limited capacity for repair. Our study highlights how regular ejaculation can provide a small but meaningful boost to male fertility.
Co-lead author Dr Rebecca Dean (Department of Biology)
Both male and female animals can store sperm as a reproductive strategy (in humans, sperm can last for several days in females but the effects of such storage are unknown). In males this ensures enough sperm are present for mating, and in females this can enable reproduction even when males are scarce. However, the study found a striking difference in the rate of sperm deterioration in males versus females. In the species studied, females are generally better than males at preserving sperm quality long-term.
‘This likely reflects the evolution of female-specific adaptations, such as specialised storage organs that provide antioxidants to extend sperm viability’, explained senior author Dr Irem Sepil (Department of Biology, University of Oxford). ‘These organs often secrete reproductive fluids to nourish sperm and could provide unexplored avenues for biomimicking technology to improve artificial sperm storage in the future.’
Lead author Dr Krish Sanghvi (Department of Biology, University of Oxford) added: ‘Ejaculates should be viewed as populations of individual sperm which undergo birth, death, ageing and selective mortality. The rates of these demographic processes can differ in males and females, mediating the “demographic” structure of sperm populations and sex-specific differences in sperm storage effects.’
Implications for human fertility
Sperm in the testes and sperm storage organs of a male Drosophila fruit fly. Credit: Krish Sanghvi.
That sperm can age in both sexes independently of the organism’s age has been largely ignored in reproductive medicine. The findings therefore have immediate implications for clinical practice. For instance, the results suggest that the upper limit of seven days in the WHO guidelines may be too long. This aligns with recent evidence suggesting that ejaculating within 48 hours of providing a sample can significantly improve IVF outcomes.
By breaking down the barriers between biomedical and zoological research, this study provides a new lens for understanding reproduction. Besides influencing protocols in fertility clinics and assisted reproduction, the findings could also benefit captive breeding programmes for endangered species – as well as deepening our understanding of how species evolved mechanisms to reduce sperm damage during storage.
The study ‘Sperm storage causes sperm senescence in human and non-human animals’ has been published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
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