The Department of Biology at the University of Oxford officially launched in August 2022, a merging of the former Departments of Plant Sciences and Zoology. This builds on a long history of landmark academic breakthroughs while allowing us new interdisciplinary, collaborative opportunities. We explore the breadth and diversity of life on Earth at multiple scales, and continue to inform and shape the direction of international bioscience research and policy. We also provide holistic training in how to be a biologist of the future, and tackle universal challenges such as global pandemics, impacts of climate change, threats to biodiversity, and feeding a growing population. We aim to further our understanding of the complexities, interactions, and evolution of life on our planet, by answering fundamental scientific questions and tackling global challenges in biology.