AMERICAN music star will.i.am flew into Oxford by helicopter yesterday for a whistle-stop tour of the city.

The Black Eyed Peas front man visited Oxford University academics to learn about how climate climate change can be predicted.

His visit had been arranged by computer company Intel, for which he works as a “director of creative innovation”.

The musician – real name William James Adams – landed in University Parks on his ‘hip.hop.copter’, with permission from the university.

will – a mentor on BBC’s TV programme The Voice – posted pictures of himself in the city on social networking site Twitter during his visit. He was pictured around Oxford University, including outside Green Templeton College in Woodstock Road.

The 37-year-old was also snapped on the eye-catching spiral staircase at Oxford’s Radcliffe Observatory, pictured left.

Oxford resident Samuel Fletcher wrote on Twitter: “Just saw will.i.am on a bike riding around Oxford. Sounds like he landed in uni parks in a helicopter, went for a cycle, then took off again.”

will has sold 31 million albums and 58 million singles worldwide as the founder of the American hip hop group.

Oxford University spokesman Matt Pickles said: “He’s an ambassador for Intel and they approached us for permission for the visit.”