WARNING: Zombies are coming to the UK, and this Halloween, Grassroots Workspace is becoming the command centre for the response.
Forget trick-or-treating this Halloween. Instead, you could find yourself at the heart of a zombie crisis, making decisions that could determine the fate of the nation.
As part of IF Oxford’s science and ideas Festival, Modelling the Undead: Zombies and Health invites participants to step into an interactive simulation of a fictional zombie outbreak. And the scenario is already looking daunting: zombies are 100% coming to the city.
From there, what happens next is up to you.
Taking on the role of a government official, military strategist, healthcare leader or politician, you’ll need to make a series of critical decisions as the outbreak unfolds. How will you contain the spread? Where should precious resources be deployed? What interventions should be prioritised? And how will you balance competing demands when the stakes are, quite literally, life and death?
There’s just £200 million in the pot. Spend it wisely. The fate of the UK could depend on it…
Zombies meet serious science modelling
While the scenario might be fictional, the science behind it is very real.
Led by Phil McEwan, Cerys Mitchell and Thomas Padgett from Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR), the interactive event explores the modelling principles used to inform public health decisions, from responding to real-world pandemics and disease outbreaks to medicines development.
It’s a chance to discover how evidence, modelling and economics can help decision-makers understand complex situations, weigh up different options and make choices when the future is uncertain.
You don’t need to be a scientist to take part. No experience is necessary, just bring your imagination, your ideas and your appetite for saving the country from the undead this Halloween night.
James Bond meets the zombie apocalypse
For IF Oxford’s Director, Dane Comerford, who will also be at the event, Grassroots provides the perfect setting for the evening.
He said: “I know Grassroots very well, as I often work from one of the hot-desks there and thought it would be the perfect setting for our makeshift zombie control centre. It gives off underground James Bond HQ vibes, and is, by day, a shared office space for researchers and innovators working on materials, medical and various mathematical projects. So, by night it’s the city of Oxford response to a Halloween zombie apocalypse. What’s not to love about that!?”
He added: “The best science and ideas come about when people work together, sharing different perspectives, and this will be a fantastic finale for this year’s Festival, perfectly summing up its mission to create and sustain accessible, thought-provoking science and ideas experiences and conversations.”
Want to join the response team?
Modelling the Undead: Zombies and Health
31 October 2026, 7pm, Grassroots Workspace, Oxford
Followed by a drinks reception to close the Festival.
Ticketing: Pay What You Decide (PWYD)
Book here: https://if-oxford-2026-modelling-the-undead-zombies-and-health.eventbrite.co.uk/
IF Oxford’s 2026 science and ideas Festival brings science to life through talks, performances, comedy, hands-on experiences and opportunities to explore big ideas.
Find out more: https://if-oxford.com
IF Oxford is the city’s annual science and ideas Festival (organised by IF Oxford Ltd, charity number 1151361), working towards a world where the complexity, wonder and opportunities of scientific research and cultural topics are explored, challenged, celebrated and enjoyed across society. The Festival is supported by Oxfordshire businesses including UKAEA, Element Six, HEOR, ARC Oxford, Oxford North, Marks & Clerk, and cultural organisations including Modern Art Oxford, Fusion Arts, Science Oxford, The North Wall and many more.
Most events are free to book; donations are welcome using a Pay What You Decide ticketing model, which is just one way IF Oxford reduces barriers to engagement with science and great ideas, while also being able to pay for a quality Festival.
