Titles of distinction awarded by the University of Oxford

The University of Oxford introduced Titles of Distinction for senior academics in the 1990s. These are not established chairs, which are posts funded by endowment for academics with a distinguished career in British and European universities. However, since there was a limited number of established chairs in these universities and an abundance of distinguished academics it was decided to introduce these Titles of Distinction. Professor and reader were conferred annually, with Professor being the most senior.
In the 1994–95 academic year, Oxford's congregation decided to confer the titles of Professor and Reader on distinguished academics without changes to their salaries or duties; the title of professor would be conferred on those whose research was "of outstanding quality", leading "to a significant international reputation". Reader would be conferred on those with "a research record of a high order, the quality of which has gained external recognition". This article provides a list of people upon whom the University of Oxford has conferred the title of professor.
In July 1996, the University announced it had appointed 162 new Professors and 99 Readers as part of this move. In January 2001, Congregation's Personnel Committee recommended that the process for awarding titles of distinction should continue biennially, and in October 2001, details of the application process for the 2001–02 academic year were published to that effect, meaning the next awards would be made in October 2002. Awards were then made in 2004, 2006 and 2008. In 2005, a special task force was set up to report back to the University Council about career progression for academics. It made its recommendations in April 2010, when it was decided that the title of Reader should be discontinued and that the title of Professor should continue to be awarded biennially. These measures were given effect by the Vice-Chancellor in May 2010. The next round of awards would be made after Trinity 2011, but were awarded retrospectively (from October 2010); the names of that cohort were announced in January 2012. The next set of awards were made in 2014, and further sets have been made annually since.
2020.
The following were awarded the title of Professor in November 2020:
2019.
The following were awarded the title of Professor in October 2019:
2018.
The following were awarded the title of Professor in September 2018:
2017.
The following were awarded the title of Professor in September 2017:
2016.
The following were awarded the title of Professor in September 2016:
2015.
The following were awarded the title of Professor in November 2015:
2014.
The following were awarded the title of Professor by the University in November 2014:
2012.
The following were awarded the title of Professor by the University in January 2012, back-dated to the 2010–11 academic year:
2008.
The following were awarded the title of Professor by the University in 2008:
2006.
The following were awarded the title of Professor by the University in 2006:
2004.
The following were awarded the title of Professor by the University in 2004:
2002.
The following were awarded the title of Professor by the University in October 2002:
2000.
The following were awarded the title of Professor in September 2000:
1999.
The following were awarded the title of Professor in September 1999:
1998.
The following were awarded the title of Professor in October 1998:
1997.
The following were awarded the title of Professor in September 1997:
1996.
The title of professor was conferred on the following in July 1996: