Harry McAlister

COO and Video Director

Harry studied Politics and International Development at the University of Leeds (BA) before training as a journalist (NCTJ) at News Associates in London. It was here that he founded his first company, Ample Video: a cloud-based video production platform leveraging open innovation, crowd sourcing and mass networks to provide video content to hundreds of organisations worldwide.

His interest in scientific research led him to start Ample Education in 2020: a video production company specialising in creating engaging academic multimedia content.

Harry’s deep interests in science, philosophy, and systems thinking have driven him to co-create OxCo as a new framework for digital cooperation, advancing our collective capacity to learn, connect, and collaborate.

Ilka Vari-Lavoisier

DOB & Academic Director

Ilka holds a B.A in Political Science (Sciences Po), a joint Master’s degree in Social Sciences (ENS/EHESS, Paris) and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the École Normale Supérieure de Paris. She studied at Princeton and worked as a postdoc at UPenn (USA) before joining the University of Oxford in 2018. Currently a research fellow at Kellogg College, Ilka collaborates with several Oxford departments and teaches research methods, based on her extensive experience in supervising research projects in Asia, Africa, America, and Europe.

Ilka brings to OxCo her knowledge of research institutions and her understanding of scholars’ language, objectives, and perspective. She also contributes her extensive experience in organising and running academic events and her passion for the dissemination of research findings, within academia and beyond.

Dominique Botbol-Laublet

Chief Executive Officer

Specialising in science communication, Dominique played a key role in the development of La Cité des Sciences in Paris (France). Deputy Director of the Exhibition and Head of the Museological Projects Section, she was in charge of the design and production of all of the permanent and temporary exhibitions of Universcience – a consortium hosting major exhibitions, performances, shows, as well as a range of interactive activities for the general public. In collaboration with academic researchers and communications specialists, Dominique supervised over 20 major projects enabling the translation of rigorous research into engaging visual content and events.

Trained in Maths and Natural Sciences, with a background in architecture, Dominique works on a wide range of projects ranging from genetics and geology to political sciences and modern media. Today, she brings to OxCo over 30 years of experience in making high quality research accessible and engaging to various audiences.