CERN
Tim Berners-Lee at his desk in CERN, 1994
The appointment was announced by Oxford on Thursday.
Berners-Lee, who graduated from Oxford with a 1st class physics degree in 1976, will become a member of Christ Church College, which was founded in 1524.
In his role, the former CERN employee and internet pioneer will carry out computer science research. However, it's unclear how much time he will actually spend in Oxford, given Berners-Lee is also a full-time professor at MIT, which is where he is based.
Oxford University did not immediately reply to Business Insider when we asked what particular aspects of computer science Berners-Lee will be working on at the university.
Professor Mike Wooldridge, head of computer science at Oxford, said: "Few living individuals have changed our world as profoundly as Tim did with his invention of the World Wide Web.
Toby Ord's photo of Christ Church at Oxford University
Christ Church College, Oxford University.
Berners-Lee was named as one of Time magazine's 100 most important people of the 20th century.
In 1989, he wrote a memo called "Information Management: A Proposal." In the memo, he explained how hypertext could be combined with the internet to create a system for sharing and distributing information worldwide.
The dean of Christ Church, professor Martyn Percy, said in a statement: "We are delighted that Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee will be joining us. As one of the most significant innovators and scholars of our time, his work with us here in Oxford will continue to consolidate our standing as the world's top university.
"Christ Church also intends to appoint a new associate professor in computer science to enhance our collaboration with the department, and hopes to offer at least three undergraduate places per year in the subject."